Biography
I am passionate about skill acquisition, and inspiring the next generation of sport scientists and coaches to apply the core principles of skill acquisition in the development of athletes. A Fellow of the Higher Education Authority, I am committed to excellence and innovation in teaching. My research focuses on developing coaches and athletes, and enhances my practice as a sport scientist and the quality of my teaching.
Research Interests
My research examines human motor behaviour; that is, how humans control their movements and develop their skills across the lifespan. My recent research has concentrated on youth sport, in particular within the context of track and field athletics.Working under the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences' Sport and Human Performance theme, my current research agenda consists of three strands:
(1) Maturation and youth sport.
(2) Coaches knowledge and practices.
(3) Enhancing practice quality.
Strand 1: Projects within this strand have centred on the analysis of a database of track and field performances to determine: (i) the relationship between maturation (as indicated by relative age) and ranking, (ii) the relationship between success at different age grades in youth competition, and between youth and adult success, and (iii) the prevalence and consequences for participation of early specialisation within athletics. Additional projects within this theme have explored the influence of maturation on development in rugby union.
Strand 2: Specific projects include examining coaches perceptions of the importance of visual exploratory activity (aka scanning) in football, and how coaches refine well-learned techniques which are sub-optimal because of injury-risks or limiting performance. In addition, recent research has focused on how coaches design effective learning environments in an adventure sport context.
Strand 3: Specific projects include athletes' use of attentional focus in a range of sports, designing interventions to enhance musician's self-regulatory skills, and an industry report for the England and Wales Cricket Board examining coaches perceptions of the practice behaviours of academy cricketers.
Research Collaborators
- Philip Hayes - Joint Publication - Northumbria University -England -https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/h/phil-hayes/
- Edward Christian - Joint Publication - University of Chichester -England -University of Chichester: https://www.chi.ac.uk/ https://www.chi.ac.uk/staff/ed-christian
- Matt Berry - Joint Publication - University of Chichester -England -University of Chichester: https://www.chi.ac.uk/ https://www.chi.ac.uk/staff/matt-berry
- David Marchant - Joint Publication - Edge Hill University -England -https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/sport/departmental-staff/dr-david-marchant/
- Paul Ellison - Joint Publication - Edge Hill University -England -https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/sport/departmental-staff/dr-paul-ellison/
- Gennaro Boccia - Joint Publication - University of Turin -Italy -https://scienzemotorie.campusnet.unito.it/do/docenti.pl/Alias?gennaro.bo...
- Craig Pulling - Joint Publication - University of Chichester -England -https://www.chi.ac.uk/staff/craig-pulling
Publications
Book Chapter
Skill change in elite-level kickers: Interdisciplinary considerations of an applied framework
Carson, HJ; Collins, D; Kearney, P
Football biomechanics
Theoretical underpinnings of developing skill and their implications for the adventure sports coach
Christian, E; Kearney, P
Adventure sports coaching
Coaching the advanced performer
Kearney, P; Christian, E
Adventure sport coaching
Coaching tools for adventure sports
Christian, E; Kearney, P
Adventure sports coaching
Setting the scene: A framework for coaching practice in adventure sports
Kearney, P; Christian, E
Adventure sports coaching
Conference Contribution
European College of Sport Sciences Conference
Kinnerk, P. Harvey, S., Kearney, P., MacDonnacha, C., & Lyons, M.
Movement & Skill Acquisition Ireland Conference
Armstrong, S., Arnott, P., & Kearney, P. E.
Adventure Sports Coaching Conference
Christian, E., Berry, M., & Kearney, P. E.
International Association for Dance Medicine & Science Annual Conference
Cahalan, R., Kearney, P., OSullivan, K.
PEPAYS Conference
Kearney, P. E., Comyns, T. M., & Hayes, P. R.
Conference Publication
International Symposium on Performance Science
Ritchie, L; Kearney, P
British Psychological Society Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology Conference
Kearney, P; Godwin, C.
International Conference on Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise
Kearney, PE; Carson, HJ; Collins, D
5th Annual Meeting of the Expertise and Skill Acquisition Network
Kearney, P; Smyth, PJ
The 27th International Symposium of Biomechanics in Sport
Kearney, P, Smyth, PJ & Anderson, R
2nd International Congress of Complex Systems in Sport
Kearney, P., Smyth, P. J. & Anderson, R.
Relationship between fundamental movement skill and sport skill level of young adults
Kearney, P; Smyth, PJ; Anderson, R
JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
International Society of Motor Control, Progress in Motor Control VI conference
Kearney, P. & Smyth, PJ.
The Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science
Kearney, P., Smyth, P.J. and Anderson, R.
12th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science
Kearney, P., Smyth, P. J. & Anderson, R.
Other Journal
The influence of nationality and playing position on relative age effects in rugby union: A cross-cultural comparison
Kearney PE
South African Journal of Sports Medicine
DOI: 10.17159/2078-516X/2017/v29i0a1886
Other Publication
Coaches views on the self-regulatory behaviours of Emerging Players Programme/Academy cricketers in an indoor practice context
Kearney, P; Figgins, S; Graham, D; Leggat, F; and Smith, J
Examining lifeguard expertise: The impact of shift duration and rotation times on the effectiveness of hazard detection
Smith, J; Birch, P; Jewiss, M; Kearney, P; Turner, M; Tipton, M
Peer Reviewed Journal
Football coaches' perceptions of the introduction, delivery and evaluation of it visual exploratory activity
Pulling, C;Kearney, P;Eldridge, D;Dicks, M
Psychology Of Sport And Exercise
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.08.001
Implementing technical refinement in high-level athletics: exploring the knowledge schemas of coaches.
Kearney PE;Carson HJ;Collins D;
Journal Of Sports Sciences
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2017.1358339
Investigating inspirational leader communication in an elite team sport context
Smith, MJ;Figgins, SG;Jewiss, M;Kearney, PE
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
DOI: 10.1177/1747954117727684
Faster, higher, stronger, older: Relative age effects are most influential during the youngest age grade of track and field athletics in the United Kingdom
Kearney, PE;Hayes, PR;Nevill, A
Journal Of Sports Sciences
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1449093
Further evidence against eye-hand coordination as a general ability
Ellison, PH;Kearney, PE;Sparks, SA;Murphy, PN;Marchant, DC
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
DOI: 10.1177/1747954117747132
Excelling at youth level in competitive track and field athletics is not a prerequisite for later success
Kearney, PE;Hayes, PR
Journal Of Sports Sciences
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1465724
Playing position influences the relative age effect in senior rugby union
Kearney, PE
Science & Sports
DOI: 10.1016/j.scispo.2016.06.009
Enhancing practice through gradual increases in contextual interference
Kearney, PE
Kinesiology
Misunderstandings of concussion within a youth rugby population.
Kearney PE;See J;
Journal Of Science And Medicine In Sport
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2017.04.019
Successful Transfer of a Motor Learning Strategy to a Novel Sport.
Kearney PE;Judge P;
Perceptual and motor skills
DOI: 10.1177/0031512517719189
The identity, epistemology and developmental experiences of high-level adventure sports coaches
Christian, E; Berry, M; Kearney, PE
Journal Of Adventure Education And Outdoor Learning
DOI: 10.1080/14729679.2017.1341326
A distal focus of attention leads to superior performance on a golf putting task
Kearney, PE
International Journal Of Sport And Exercise Psychology
DOI: 10.1080/1612197X.2014.993682
Can Achievement Goals be Primed in Competitive Tasks?
Greenlees, I;Figgins, S;Kearney, P
Journal Of Human Kinetics
DOI: 10.2478/hukin-2014-0026
Kinematic variability in running: a caution regarding use of the spanning set measure.
Hanlon, M; Condell, J; Kearney, P
Journal of Applied Biomechanics