Anglia Ruskin University

What is the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE)

The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) is a sports performance programme. It is for judoka seeking to perform at the highest level so that they can receive the support and training they need to succeed at high performance Judo.

The AASE programme reflects the range of skills, knowledge and performance criteria required in elite level sport. It is designed to directly measure the athlete's ability to plan, apply and evaluate their development in the appropriate technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects of their sport. It also addresses wider issues such as lifestyle, career development, communication and health and safety.

To be eligible for selection you must be aged 16-19 and have a proven ability or potential to achieve excellence in your sport. You must have GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C or above and you must meet the Judo specific eligibility criteria.

The programme is offered through the AASE Judo Hub Network located at Anglia Ruskin University. Athletes will be expected to train at least 15 hours a week, complete the Certificate in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance and the Certificate in Understanding Sports Performance. Additionally there is an opportunity to study a BTEC or A-levels.

You can complete the AASE framework through one of two pathways:

Qualification Level/Length of programme	Pathway One	Pathway Two
Competence qualification	NVQ Diploma in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance	Certificate in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance
Knowledge qualification	One of three qualifications: - Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Sport - Level 3 Diploma in Sport (Performance & Excellence) - Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport (Performance & Excellence)	Certificate in Understanding Sports Performance
Length of programme	18 - 24 months	12 - 20 months

The Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance qualifications (Diploma or Certificate) recognise excellence in a specific sport and are only available as part of the AASE programme.

The qualifications cover the following performance and knowledge related units:

• Technical skills
• Tactical skills
• Physical capability
• Nutrition
• Psychological skills
• Lifestyle management
• Career planning
• Health and safety
• Communicating as an athlete

These units cover some of the most important factors to becoming an elite athlete, and are vital for an athlete moving onto a secondary or supplementary career. The NVQ Diploma in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance includes four additional units on the Principles of Coaching.

AASE portfolio

To achieve the AASE, apprentices must produce a portfolio demonstrating what they have learnt about each of the units during their sporting pursuits. This could include a training log, a nutrition diary, video samples or a journal. You must also work with a qualified assessor to test your understanding and work-based performance.

Why should talented athletes join the AASE programme?

The AASE programme helps develop and nurture elite athletes and is the perfect programme for aspiring athletes.

AASE also provides for second career development, should an athlete fall short of their ultimate sporting goal or choose to follow an alternative career path. This includes work within the related fields of coaching, sport development, health and fitness and sports leadership.

AASE apprentices get more quality coaching hours and better access to modern, well-equipped facilities and new technologies.

AASE coaches are highly qualified and have experience in a high quality academy or intensive training environments.

AASE apprentices also benefit from additional expertise including strength and conditioning experts, physiotherapists, nutritionists and mentors.

The programme encourages apprentices to be responsible for their own time management, commitment and skill development.

Why choose the Anglia Ruskin University hub?

Anglia Ruskin University has a large and dynamic judo programme that includes high performance coach education on behalf of the EJU, a judo research group, a community programme and full-time training. Athletes on the AASE programme will train with the full-time university students, they will benefit from our links with Japan, Romania and Croatia and they will also be able to attend some of the technical sessions relating to the EJU high performance coach award - previous guest lecturers on this have included Maki Tsukada (World and Olympic champion), Emanuela Pierantozzi (Olympic silver medallist and world champion, Alina Dumitru (Olympic champion and three time world medallist), Kosei Inoue (world and Olympic champion), Kenzo Nakamura (World and Olympic champion), Hatsuyuki Hamada (coach to Ryoko Tani) and many more.

Students coming to complete AASE at Anglia Ruskin University are likely to study at Comberton Village College, although there is a degree of flexibility with which college student attend and students moving to Cambridge to do this can live in a "judo house" with other judoka. There is a huge benefit from doing AASE in a university environment.

If you have questions about AASE at Anglia Ruskin please email judo@anglia.ac.uk or fill in the expression of interest form.