Garry joined Henley College in Coventry in the summer of 2000 as a lecturer on sports science programmes. He previously taught in other further education colleges in the Birmingham area, and was actively involved in the fitness and outdoor industries prior to lecturing, including being a gym instructor, triathlon coach, ski technician and climbing instructor. He was also appointed an Advanced Practitioner for Teaching & Learning within his department, and has successfully launched a number of online initiatives to bring the sports department into the e-learning age. Currently, he is Programme Manager for Sport Science at Henley, involving the implementation and organisation of all full time sport science courses up to HND level, and all short fitness courses, including gym instructor awards. He is also employed as a quality assessor for Becta, reviewing the new NLN materials sport science learning objects currently being released.

American College of Sports Medicine

The American College of Sports Medicine is the world leader on anything health-related, and importantly the whole fitness industry relies on them to be the definitive guide to what is right and what is wrong in fitness. This site therefore, is a must for anyone involved in the sport and fitness industry, and it really lives up to industry demands. There is a wealth of information in the form of fact sheets, for everything from tennis elbow to exercise while travelling. Every article and fact is based on world-leading exercise research, where science is simplified for all to understand. An excellent resource overall.

3D Fitness Exercises

This site is definitely 'work in progress', but is still a great demonstration of what training websites could be like. Essentially, this is a guide to weight training, but the inclusion of movement analysis movies, related anatomy and correct exercise techniques make this an excellent introduction to safe and effective resistance training. There is obviously more to come with this site, and the Dutch author is someone who has a passion for this project. If you want an industry-standard introduction to weight training, this is a great starting point.

Sports Coach

Although you can subscribe to coaching support on this site, there is also a lot of free-to-access information. Brian Mackenzie is a well-known coach, and he has put his vast bank of resources online, so that everyone can benefit from his knowledge. A newsletter is available, and excellent, easy-to-understand information on all aspects of coaching can be freely downloaded. More importantly, every article is well written - this makes it ideal as an introduction to coaching science. Every subject, from anatomy and physiology to nutrition, psychology and skill development, is covered. There is also a portal for worldwide coaching forums, where lots of support from sport-specific specialists can be accessed. An excellent resource bank for any potential coach.

What I used:

Platform: Always PC, with either Windows 98 or ME. The college network is based on Win 98, with lots of restrictions in place. However, we do use WebCT very effectively, and I am in the process of integrating the new 'Biology with Sport Science' NLN materials into all units across the curriculum.

Browser: I use IE5.5 at home, with Win ME running on a P600 machine - slow but fine for home use.

Screen resolution:At home it is 1280 x 1024, but at college this varies across the network.

Plug-ins: Vary across computers, but all have a minimum of Flash, QuickTime etc.

Gadgets: I also own a Palm PDA, which is synched to my own computer. Currently, there is no provision to synch to college PCs.