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  3. Matt Wood

  • Matt is a coach, coach developer and lecturer in sport coaching with fifteen years’ experience across grass roots, elite and paralympic environments covering team and individual sports. Theoretically underpinned by an Ecological Dynamics rationale of learning, Matt’s research explores how coach learning can be guided in context by a coach developer. As a coach, Matt has been a British Athletics team member (speed and hurdles) on seven international age group teams. His first selection being a particular highlight, Cali Colombia, for the World U18 Championships, where he supported athletes through to five finals, a UK record and medal winning performances. 

    Matt joined the University of Northampton in June 2023, from his previous institution, Cardiff Metropolitan University where he was part of the Sport Coaching and PE teaching teams. He is currently completing a Professional Doctorate in Sport, exploring the practice of a coach developer adopting a constraints-led approach. In this research Matt collaborated with a national governing body in the redesign and delivery of mentoring and in-situ coach development across three environments and sixteen coach participants.

    Qualifications:

    • Cardiff Metropolitan University – PGCtHE (2018)
    • Durham University – MA, Youth and Community Work – Sport (2009)
    • Nottingham Trent University – BSc, Sport Science and Management (2004)
    • SPO1011 Pedagogy and Coaching
    • SPO1041 Coaching Behaviours (ML)
    • SPO1057 Intro to Motor Skill Learning & Skill Acquisition
    • SPO2018 Sport Research Methods
    • SPO2046 Performance Analysis Techniques (ML)
    • SPO3044 Performance Coaching Environments
    • SPO3064 Performance Analysis Applications
    • SPO3065 Coach Education & Development

  • Matt’s research areas include:

    • Coach education and development
    • Coach mentoring
    • Coaching practice from an ecological, constraints-led approach
    • The design and co-design of representative practice (learning) environments
    • Talent development
    • Collaborations with sport science discipline areas (e.g. Biomechanics, Strength & Conditioning) and the coaching process

  • For publications, projects, datasets, research interests and activities, view Matt Wood’s research profile on Pure, the University of Northampton’s Research Explorer.

  • Wood, M.A., Mellalieu, S.D., Araújo, D., Woods, C.T. and Davids, K., (2023) Learning to coach: An ecological dynamics perspective. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 18(2), pp.609-620.

    Walker, J., Bissas, A., Paradisis, G.P., Hanley, B., Tucker, C.B., Jongerius, N., Thomas, A., und Wilkau, H.C.V.L., Brazil, A., Wood, M.A. and Merlino, S., (2021) Kinematic factors associated with start performance in World-class male sprinters. Journal of Biomechanics, 124, p.110-554.

    Bezodis, I.N., Brazil, A., von Lieres und Wilkau, H.C., Wood, M.A., Paradisis, G.P., Hanley, B., Tucker, C.B., Pollitt, L., Merlino, S., Vazel, P.J. and Walker, J., (2019) World-class male sprinters and high hurdlers have similar start and initial acceleration techniques. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 1, p.23.