Life of a sports scientist

Leandri de Beer has been a Sports Scientist at the University of Johannesburg’s gymnasium for the past two years.

After doing a human movement degree and then a sport science honours, De Beer now works closely with athletes, coaches and other sport professionals.

Sports scientists help athletes achieve maximum performance levels by applying the principles of science, biomechanics, physiology and sport assessment to each athlete’s individual needs.

“We use an entire holistic approach. Like a coach, sports scientists must know biomechanics but we also develop training programmes to enhance strength, power, agility and so on. Coaches do programming on the field, I do everything else. He (the coach) will tell me what’s wrong with an athlete and I address the problem if he cannot fix it,” said de Beer.

“There is also a social side as we must make sure that the athletes are mentally stable. We refer them to someone to get help if they are not.”

The relatively new profession has been steadily expanding in the United States and the United Kingdom but only recently has it been deemed important in South Africa for sports to progress.

“You have to be prepared to work 24 hours because the athletes always need help. There is a lot of admin because we create training programmes expecting results for specific dates. If they are not on track then we re-adjust the elements that are not on par. At the same time it’s perfect for me because it is very hands-on. You’re not stuck behind a desk all day and you have to stay fit too because the athletes almost expect you to be better than them,” she explained.

“If you love sports, helping athletes and seeing them progress then this is an awesome job for you,” concluded De Beers.