“In my journey I have had the unique experience of going through foundation training twice, also progressing into elite sport both times on either side of the Atlantic. The bi-product of my unique education and professional journey is that I more than most have a first hand & 30,000ft view of the learning process an aspiring sports clinician goes through so I know where the knowledge and skill gaps are between academia and professional sport. 

Foundation training has to teach you the minimal effective knowledge and competence to be safe practicing Physiotherapy/Physical Therapy as a generalist where proportinately a very small portion of therapists will end up working in sport with athletes. This is why the universities & governing bodies do not allocate precious academic time to help you understand the physical demands of sport, nor how to plan, program and manage a sports injury and ultimately return an athlete to high performance competition. 

When you graduate university as Physio/PT you have the option to do an MSC in Sports Physio or do an SCS Residency / exam (USA). There is nothing wrong with these didactic processes as they teach you more about sports injuries, pathologies, and the wider orthopaedic management of them. However, what they do not focus on is rehab – the process where we earn our living! The physical demands or standards an athlete must achieve to safely and effectively return-to-play, or better yet PERFORM – Is a far higher standard than therapists are taught. At some point along an athletes recovery continuum their late stage rehab eventually becomes strength & conditioning so it’s critical rehab professionals understand the full process and everything that is required to return an athlete to their sporting arena. “