Dr. Tom Comyns

Faculty Of Education & Health Sciences

Dept. Of Physical Education & Sport Scie

Position: Senior Lecturer in Human Movement Science

Email: Tom.Comyns@ul.ie

Tel: +35361202591

Address(es)

Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences

Faculty of Education and Health Sciences

University of Limerick

V94 T9PX

Biography

Tom joined the PESS Department in August 2015 as a lecturer in Human Movement Science and Strength and Conditioning. His research and teaching interests involve all aspects of Human Movement Science with a particular focus on Strength and Conditioning (S&C) and Rugby Injury Epidemiology. Tom is co-Theme Leader for 'Rugby Science' one of the core themes, of the Sport and Human Performance Research Centre, based at the University of Limerick. He is also the co-PI on the Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance project funded by the IRFU. Tom is a graduate of the PESS Department in UL. He has a BA in Physical Education (1996), an MSc in the area of motor skill acquistion (1999) and a PhD in the area of strength training for Rugby Union (2006). His research was funded by the IRFU and provided scientific evidence for optimising the potentiation benefits of complex training for Rugby players. Following the completion of his PhD, Tom worked as an S&C coach with Munster Rugby and the IRFU before taking up the post of Head of S&C at the Irish Institute of Sport, leading S&C provision and strategy for Ireland's Olympians and Paralympians. He is currently S&C coach to a number of Ireland's Olympic and Paralympic athletes. In addition, Tom is himself an Olympian and an accomplished Irish sprinter. He competed in the 4 x 100 m relay for Ireland at the Sydney Olympic Games.

Research Interests

Tom's research interests are in the area of Strength and Conditioning as well as Rugby Injury Epdiemiology. Currently Tom is undertaking research in the area of rugby injury surveillance, monitoring of training, strength and power diagnostics, pedagogy of the S&C coach and strength training interventions. Tom is collaborating with the Irish Rugby Football Union and Swim Ireland on these research projects. He currently supervises six PhD scholars and has supervised 9 PhD students to completion.

Tom is the co_PI on the IRFU-UL Injury Surveillance project, named IRIS (Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance). This project investigates the incidence of injuries within the domestic Rugby union game in Ireland. This research project is funded by the IRFU and commenced in September 2016 for an initial period of six years. In 2022 this funded was extended to 2030.

Postgraduate Students - Current PhD Students (6 in total):
Lorna Barry: Training load and relationship to injury and illness in competitive swimming (IRC funded project)
Kilian Bibby: Injury surveillance and prevention in women's amateur rugby union (IRIS project)
Patrick Dolan: Injury prevention strategies in rugby union (IRIS project)
Lauren Guilfoyle: Injury surveillance and prevention in school rugby union (IRIS project)
Ed Hartery: SSC and rowing performance
Antonia Rossiter: Jet-lag and travel fatigue in high performance athletes and support staff

PhD Graduates (9 in total):
Claire Brady: Development of a strength and power diagnostic system for use with Irish Olympic athletes. (IRC Scholar)
Alan Griffin: Training load and relationship to injury in amateur rugby union. (IRC Scholar)
Richard Johnston: Injury surveillance within endurance sporting disciplines. (UL EHS Faculty PhD Scholar)
Therese Leahy: Injury surveillance in schoolboy rugby union. (IRIS project, funded by the IRFU)
Cathal Óg O'Sullivan: FMS and student voice in post-primary schools.
Caoimhe Tiernan: Monitoring in Rugby union. (PESS Department PhD Scholar)
Frank Nugent: High-intensity training in swimming. (Part-funded by the National Aquatic Centre Swimming Club)
Ciara Sinnott-O'Connor: Monitoring in Paralympic sports. (Funded by Paralympic Ireland)
Caithriona Yeomans: Injury surveillance in Rugby union. (IRIS project, funded by the Irish Rugby Football Union)

Professional Activities

Employment

2012 Irish Institute of Sport - Head of Strength and Conditioning
2012 Dublin City University - Lecturer in Biomechanics
2006 Munster Rugby - Strength and Conditioning Coach

Education

2006 University of Limerick - PhD
1999 University of Limerick - MSc
1996 University of Limerick - Bachelor of Arts Education

Association

Accredited Strength and Conditoning Coach (ASCC), UK Strength and Conditioning Association
Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach, Sport Ireland Institute
Member of the panel that evaluates applications by service providers for Professional Memnership of the Institute by service, Sport Ireland Institute, Professional Quality Assurance Programme Panel Member

Peer Reviewed Journals

2023

Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on injury incidence and burden in amateur rugby union

Tondelli E.;Zabaloy S.;Comyns T.M.;Kenny I.C. (2023) Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on injury incidence and burden in amateur rugby union. Physical Therapy In Sport :85-91

Biography

Research Interests

Professional Activities

Employment

Education

Association

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on injury incidence and burden in amateur rugby union

Injury Trends for School Rugby Union in Ireland: The Need for Position-specific Injury-prevention Programs

Effects of long-haul transmeridian travel on physiological, sleep, perceptual and mood markers in Olympic team support staff

International survey of injury surveillance practices in competitive swimming

Effects of long-haul transmeridian travel on physiological, sleep, perceptual and mood markers in Olympic team support staff

Change-of-Direction Ability, Linear Sprint Speed, and Sprint Momentum in Elite Female Athletes: Differences Between Three Different Team Sports

Muscle Activity, Leg Stiffness, and Kinematics during Unresisted and Resisted Sprinting Conditions

Effect of long-haul transmeridian travel on recovery and performance in international level swimmers

Risk factors for acute ankle sprains in field-based, team contact sports: A systematic review of prospective etiological studies

International survey of training load monitoring practices in competitive swimming: How, what and why not?

The Association Between Training Load Indices and Injuries in Elite Soccer Players

Injury Trends for School Rugby Union in Ireland: The Need for Position-specific Injury-prevention Programs

Effects of Long-Haul Travel on Recovery and Performance in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review

Risk factors for acute ankle sprains in field-based, team contact sports: a systematic review of prospective etiological studies

The association between training load indices and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in elite soccer players

Validity of Session-Rate of Perceived Exertion to Quantify Training Loads in Paralympic Swimmers

Training load monitoring in team sports: a practical approach to addressing missing data

Injury Trends in Irish Amateur Rugby: An Epidemiological Comparison of Men and Women

Injury trends in Irish amateur Rugby Union; an epidemiological comparison of male and female Rugby-related injuries

Epidemiology of Shoulder Injuries in Schoolboy Rugby Union in Ireland

Resisted Sled Sprint Kinematics: The Acute Effect of Load and Sporting Population

Enhancing Fundamental Movement Skills: Understanding Student Voices

The Epidemiology of Shoulder Injuries in Irish Schoolboy Rugby Union

The relationship between training load and pain, injury and illness in competitive swimming: A systematic review.

The development and evaluation of a training monitoring system for amateur Rugby Union

The Association Between the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio and Injury and its Application in Team Sports: A Systematic Review

Intra-Trial Reliability and Usefulness of Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull Testing on Portable Force Plates

Investigation of the relationship between salivary cortisol, training load, and subjective markers of recovery in elite rugby union players

General health complaints and sleep associated with new injury within an endurance sporting population: A prospective study

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

Injury surveillance and prevention practices across Rugby schools in Ireland

Salivary IgA as a Predictor of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Relationship to Training Load in Elite Rugby Union Players

The Development and Evaluation of a Training Monitoring System for Amateur Rugby Union

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

Relationships between Resisted Sprint Performance and Different Strength and Power Measures in Rugby Players

The relationship between isometric strength and sprint acceleration in sprinters

Training Load Monitoring in Amateur Rugby Union: A Survey of Current Practices.

Low Dose Resistance Exercise: A Pilot Study Examining Effects on Blood Pressure and Augmentation Index Between Intensities

A blood biomarker and clinical correlation cohort study protocol to diagnose sports-related concussion and monitor recovery in elite rugby

Attentional Focus and the Effect on Change-of-Direction and Acceleration Performance

The older Irish dancer: Maintaining a long and healthy career

Corrigendum to" Injury surveillance in schools rugby: a systematic review of injury epidemiology & surveillance practices"[Physical Therapy in Sport 38 (2019) 170-178]

Interday reliability and usefulness of a reactive strength index derived from 2 maximal rebound jump tests

The Association Between the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio and Injury and its Application in Team Sports: A Systematic Review.

Altered strength profile in Achilles tendinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Injury surveillance in schools rugby: A systematic review of injury epidemiology & surveillance practices (vol 38, pg 170, 2019)

Effect of Attentional Focus Strategies on the Biomechanical Performance of the Drop Jump

The Association Between the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio and Injury and its Application in Team Sports: A Systematic Review

Comparison of Injury in Male and Female Amateur Rugby Union: 2541: Board# 205 May 31 11: 00 AM-12: 30 PM

The Effects of Low-Volume, High-Intensity Training on Performance Parameters in Competitive Youth Swimmers

The design, development, implementation and evaluation of IRISweb; A rugby-specific web-based injury surveillance system

The design, development, implementation and evaluation of IRISweb; A rugby-specific web-based injury surveillance system

Developing a Rugby-Specific Injury Surveillance System: 2547: Board# 211 May 31 11: 00 AM-12: 30 PM

The relationship between physical and wellness measures and injury in amateur rugby union players

The relationship between physical and wellness measures and injury in amateur rugby union players

Injury surveillance in school Rugby: A systematic review of injury epidemiology & surveillance practices

Injury Surveillance in Amateur Rugby Union in Ireland: 2544: Board# 208 May 31 11: 00 AM-12: 30 PM

Training load and baseline characteristics associated with new injury/pain within an endurance sporting population: a prospective study

Injury surveillance in school rugby: a systematic review of injury epidemiology & surveillance practices

The Relationship Between Adductor Squeeze Strength, Subjective Markers of Recovery and Training Load in Elite Rugby Players

Training load and baseline characteristics associated with new injury/pain within an endurance sporting population: A prospective study

Within-session and between-session reliability of the seven stroke maximal effort test in national level senior rowers

General health complaints and sleep associated with new injury within an endurance sporting population: A prospective study

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

The Incidence of Injury in Amateur Male Rugby Union: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The associations between training load and baseline characteristics on musculoskeletal injury and pain in endurance sport populations: A systematic review.

The associations between training load and baseline characteristics on musculoskeletal injury and pain in endurance sport populations: a systematic review.

Current injury monitoring and player education practices in Irish amateur rugby union.

Poor sleep is related to lower general health, increased stress and increased confusion in elite Gaelic athletes.

The Incidence of Injury in Amateur Male Rugby Union: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A Comparison of the Isometric Midthigh Pull and Isometric Squat: Intraday Reliability, Usefulness, and the Magnitude of Difference Between Tests

Poor sleep is related to lower general health, increased stress and increased confusion in elite Gaelic athletes