James Keenan

About

I am a Senior Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning and the Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation and BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science.

As the lead academic for the Strength and Conditioning programme, I focus on creating a programme that develops real-world skills to allow students to confidently progress on to further education or access the workplace. This includes innovative practical teaching and assessment and a recognition of employers requirements and the accrediting bodies core competencies.

Within this role, I also have direct research supervision duties of both undergraduate and postgraduate students working in Strength and Conditioning. Through this, our, students work with professional organisations (e.g. Leicester City FC, Derby County FC, Derbyshire County Cricket Club), as a Strength and Conditioning Coach whilst simultaneously completing their research projects.

Teaching responsibilities

I am currently module leader for the following modules:

Strength and Conditioning (L5)
Field-Based Conditioning (L5)
Advance Field-Based Conditioning (L6)
Negotiated Module in Science (L7)

In addition to this I support Teaching & Assessment on the following modules:

Apprentice Coach 1 (L4)
Apprentice Coach 2 (L5)
Integrated Sport Science (L5)
Applied Strength and Conditioning (L6)
Independent Study for Sport and Exercise (Final Year UG Supervision) (L6)
Masters in Research (MRes) supervision (L7)

My teaching supports a number of programmes within the School of Human Science, including:

BSc (Hons) Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
BSc (Hons) Performance Analysis and Coaching Science
MRes Sport and Exercise

Research interests

I am currently interested in developing research regarding the understanding of hamstring injury risk and reduction in hamstring injury rates in multi-directional team sports. I am currently also actively researching workload monitoring in elite sport and how chronological and biological age in developing athletes can be better understood to inform training and development of talent. My research has been developed in conjunction with Leicester City Football Club, Derby County Football Club and Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Membership of professional bodies

Accredited Member (ASCC) - United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA)
Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Qualifications

Undergraduate qualifications

BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Coventry University

Post Graduate Research qualifications

MScR Strength and Conditioning in Elite Academy Football Players., Coventry University

Recent conferences

Keenan, J. (2019) ‘Provision of Ethical Internships’. UKSCA Science in Football Conference, Invited Speaker.
Evans, A., Paxton K., Keenan, J., Outram, T. (2017) Comparison of high-intensity actions in small-sided games and matches in soccer. Isokinetic Football Medicine Conference, Poster Presentation
Cooke, K., Keenan, J. (2015) ‘Does Body Composition affect Self Myofascial Release’s effect on lower limb power?’ Accepted to the ‘British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) Student Conference’ 2015, Poster presentation
Keenan, J., Fruer, S., Noon, M., Thake, D. (2011) 'Improvements in Functional Movement Screen Scores Across 6 Months of In-Season Strength and Conditioning in Elite Academy Footballers'. Accepted to the European College of Sports Science Conference, Poster presentation
Fruer, S., Keenan, J., Noon, M., Thake, D. (2011) 'Maintaining hamstring to quadriceps ratio in elite academy soccer players through a strength and conditioning programme'. Accepted to the European College of Sports Science Conference, Poster presentation

Experience in industry

Before joining the University of Derby, I was integral in developing a University system for providing and managing Strength and Conditioning support services to athletes. This included Strength and Conditioning provision to University teams, Scholarship athletes, and external clients including TASS, Coventry City Football Club and Professional boxers. The service provided Strength and Conditioning and Sports Science support for 160 athletes per week, and this included international and elite athletes as well as University level athletes. The role included management of two full-time coaches, four part-time coaches and 12 University placements. I have also worked in the development programme for the age group athletes at Derbyshire County Cricket club.

International experience

I was the Sport Scientist and Strength and Conditioning consultant to the Guyana National football team in their 2018 CONCACAF Nations League campaign. In addition to this, I worked as a consultant developing Sport Science and Strength and Conditioning for coaches in India.

Additional interests and activities

Current Activities / Links with Industry

I am the current lead S&C coach for West Midlands netball and associated development teams and a coach educator for England Netball.

Recent publications

Tallent, J., Higgins, M., Parker, N., Waldron, M., Bradford, E., Keenan, J., & O'Neill, B. V. (2017) 'Quantification of bowling workload and changes in cognitive function in elite fast bowlers in training compared with twenty20 cricket.' The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
Cooke, K., Outram, T., Brandon, R., Waldron, M., Vickery, W., Keenan, J., & Tallent, J. (2019). The Difference in Neuromuscular Fatigue and Workload During Competition and Training in Elite Cricketers. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 14(4), 439-444