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

Peer Reviewed Journals

2021

An investigation of high-performance team sport coaches’ planning practices

Kinnerk P.;Kearney P.E.;Harvey S.;Lyons M. (2021) An investigation of high-performance team sport coaches’ planning practices. Sports Coaching Review

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2020

Coaches and parents hold contrasting perceptions of optimal youth development activities in track and field athletics

Kearney P.;Comyns T.;Hayes P. (2020) Coaches and parents hold contrasting perceptions of optimal youth development activities in track and field athletics. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

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2020

The Prevalence and Consequences of Within-Sport Specialization in Track and Field Athletics

Kearney P.E.;Comyns T.M.;Hayes P. (2020) The Prevalence and Consequences of Within-Sport Specialization in Track and Field Athletics. Research Quarterly For Exercise And Sport

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2019

It's not what, but where: how the accentuated features of the adventure sports coaching environment promote the development of sophisticated epistemic beliefs

Ed Christian, Christopher I. Hodgson, Matt Berry & Phil Kearney (2019) It's not what, but where: how the accentuated features of the adventure sports coaching environment promote the development of sophisticated epistemic beliefs. Journal Of Adventure Education And Outdoor Learning

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2019

Relative age influences performance of world-class track and field athletes even in the adulthood

Brustio P.;Kearney P.;Lupo C.;Ungureanu A.;Mulasso A.;Rainoldi A.;Boccia G. (2019) Relative age influences performance of world-class track and field athletes even in the adulthood. Frontiers in psychology

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2019

Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training (USRPT) In Swimming: Current Perspectives

Nugent, F;Comyns, T;Kearney, P;Warrington, G (2019) Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training (USRPT) In Swimming: Current Perspectives. ALBANY :133-144

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2019

An Investigation of the Self-Reported Practice Activities and Session Sequencing of Inter-County Gaelic Football Coaches

Kinnerk, P;Harvey, S;Kearney, P;MacDonncha, C;Lyons, M (2019) An Investigation of the Self-Reported Practice Activities and Session Sequencing of Inter-County Gaelic Football Coaches. CHAMPAIGN : HUMAN KINETICS PUBL INC International Sport Coaching Journal :211-219

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2018

Investigating inspirational leader communication in an elite team sport context

Smith, MJ;Figgins, SG;Jewiss, M;Kearney, PE (2018) Investigating inspirational leader communication in an elite team sport context. LONDON : SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching :213-224

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2018

Further evidence against eye-hand coordination as a general ability

Ellison, PH;Kearney, PE;Sparks, SA;Murphy, PN;Marchant, DC (2018) Further evidence against eye-hand coordination as a general ability. LONDON : SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching :687-693

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2018

Implementing technical refinement in high-level athletics: exploring the knowledge schemas of coaches.

Kearney PE;Carson HJ;Collins D; (2018) Implementing technical refinement in high-level athletics: exploring the knowledge schemas of coaches.. Journal Of Sports Sciences

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2018

Dance exposure, wellbeing and injury in collegiate Irish and contemporary dancers: A prospective study.

Cahalan R;Kearney P;Ni Bhriain O;Redding E;Quin E;McLaughlin LC;O' Sullivan K; (2018) Dance exposure, wellbeing and injury in collegiate Irish and contemporary dancers: A prospective study.. Physical Therapy In Sport : Official Journal Of The Association Of Chartered Physiotherapists In Sports Medicine

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2018

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 (2018) Faster, higher, stronger, older: Relative age effects are most influential during the youngest age grade of track and field athletics in the United Kingdom. ABINGDON : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD Journal Of Sports Sciences :2282-2288

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2018

Excelling at youth level in competitive track and field athletics is not a prerequisite for later success

Kearney, PE;Hayes, PR (2018) Excelling at youth level in competitive track and field athletics is not a prerequisite for later success. ABINGDON : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD Journal Of Sports Sciences :2502-2509

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2018

Football coaches' perceptions of the introduction, delivery and evaluation of it visual exploratory activity

Pulling, C;Kearney, P;Eldridge, D;Dicks, M (2018) Football coaches' perceptions of the introduction, delivery and evaluation of it visual exploratory activity. AMSTERDAM : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV Psychology Of Sport And Exercise :81-89

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2017

Enhancing practice through gradual increases in contextual interference

Kearney, PE (2017) Enhancing practice through gradual increases in contextual interference. Kinesiology

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2017

The identity, epistemology and developmental experiences of high-level adventure sports coaches

Christian, E; Berry, M; Kearney, PE (2017) The identity, epistemology and developmental experiences of high-level adventure sports coaches. Journal Of Adventure Education And Outdoor Learning

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2017

Playing position influences the relative age effect in senior rugby union

Kearney, PE (2017) Playing position influences the relative age effect in senior rugby union. Science & Sports

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2017

Misunderstandings of concussion within a youth rugby population.

Kearney PE;See J; (2017) Misunderstandings of concussion within a youth rugby population.. Journal Of Science And Medicine In Sport

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2017

Successful Transfer of a Motor Learning Strategy to a Novel Sport.

Kearney PE;Judge P; (2017) Successful Transfer of a Motor Learning Strategy to a Novel Sport.. Perceptual and motor skills

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2015

A distal focus of attention leads to superior performance on a golf putting task

Kearney, PE (2015) A distal focus of attention leads to superior performance on a golf putting task. ABINGDON : ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD International Journal Of Sport And Exercise Psychology :371-381

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2014

Can Achievement Goals be Primed in Competitive Tasks?

Greenlees, I;Figgins, S;Kearney, P (2014) Can Achievement Goals be Primed in Competitive Tasks?. KATOWICE : ACAD PHYSICAL EDUCATION-KATOWICE Journal Of Human Kinetics :245-250

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2012

Kinematic variability in running: a caution regarding use of the spanning set measure.

Hanlon, M; Condell, J; Kearney, P (2012) Kinematic variability in running: a caution regarding use of the spanning set measure.. Journal of Applied Biomechanics

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Books

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Book Chapters

2021

Nurturing young distance runners

Blagrove, R. C., Kearney, P. E., & Drew, K. (2021) Nurturing young distance runners. London : Routledge The Science and Practice of Middle and Long Distance Running :291-305

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2018

Skill change in elite-level kickers: Interdisciplinary considerations of an applied framework

Carson, HJ; Collins, D; Kearney, P (2018) Skill change in elite-level kickers: Interdisciplinary considerations of an applied framework. London : Routledge Football biomechanics

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2015

Setting the scene: A framework for coaching practice in adventure sports

Kearney, P; Christian, E (2015) Setting the scene: A framework for coaching practice in adventure sports . London : Routledge Adventure sports coaching

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2015

Theoretical underpinnings of developing skill and their implications for the adventure sports coach

Christian, E; Kearney, P (2015) Theoretical underpinnings of developing skill and their implications for the adventure sports coach. London : Routledge Adventure sports coaching

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2015

Coaching the advanced performer

Kearney, P; Christian, E (2015) Coaching the advanced performer. London : Routledge Adventure sport coaching

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2015

Coaching tools for adventure sports

Christian, E; Kearney, P (2015) Coaching tools for adventure sports. London : Routledge Adventure sports coaching

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Edited Books

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Other Journals

2017

The influence of nationality and playing position on relative age effects in rugby union: A cross-cultural comparison

Kearney PE (2017) The influence of nationality and playing position on relative age effects in rugby union: A cross-cultural comparison. South Africa South African Journal of Sports Medicine :1-4

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Conference Publications

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Conference Contributions

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Published Reports

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Editorials

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Book Reviews

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Other Publications

2020

Injury in elite women’s soccer: a systematic review

Alahmad T.;Kearney P.;Cahalan R. (2020) Injury in elite women’s soccer: a systematic review. Physician And Sportsmedicine

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