Why Does the Fundamentals of Load Monitoring Course Stand Out?

By Ciaran Deely

At Sport Horizon, we’ve developed a range of Power BI courses tailored to coaches, analysts, and sport scientists. Many of you have already completed one or more of these courses, and the question we often hear is:

"Should I take the Fundamentals of Load Monitoring course if I’ve already done the other Power BI courses?"

The short answer is: Yes – and here’s why.

This course goes beyond Power BI

Our Power BI courses (for Performance Analysts and Sport Scientists) are designed to teach the technical skills of data manipulation, modelling, and visualisation. They focus on how to use Power BI to make reports that are intuitive, dynamic, and impactful.

But the Fundamentals of Load Monitoring course is different. It goes further than software. It gives you the why, what, and how of load monitoring — combining sport science theory, applied frameworks, and hands-on reporting skills into one complete system.

"We wanted to help practitioners not just build better reports, but understand the frameworks that sit behind them and use data to contribute to meaningful performance conversations." — Ciaran Deely PhD

It’s built around applied practice

This course isn’t just about what you can do in Power BI — it’s about what you should do with your data. We show you how to:

• Structure your athlete monitoring system
• Balance internal and external load
• Track speed exposure and performance changes over time
• Monitor subjective and objective athlete responses
• Communicate insights with staff and athletes

Even if you already know how to build reports, this course shows you how to ensure your reports add context, tell a story, and support performance decisions.

Designed and delivered by real practitioners

Both tutors — Jo Clubb and Ciaran Deely PhD — bring real-world experience from elite teams in the Premier League, NFL, and inter-county GAA. They’ve built systems, led performance teams, and created reports that actually get used. This course reflects that.

Jo provides the theory, context, and evidence-based frameworks at the start of each module — drawing from her research and applied experience in elite sport environments. Then, Ciaran takes those principles and builds out the corresponding Power BI report for that module, step-by-step. This structure ensures that every piece of learning is tied directly to both practical skills and a deeper understanding of why those skills matter.

Course Format and Modules

The course includes 6.5 hours of structured, self-paced learning delivered across 9 modules and over 80 tutorial videos. Each module combines both theoretical foundations and practical steps to help you apply what you learn directly into your environment.

Modules:

1. Course Introduction and Welcome
2. Introduction to Training Theory and Load Monitoring
3. Session Reporting
4. Longitudinal Monitoring – Speed
5. Longitudinal Monitoring – Load
6. Response Monitoring – Subjective
7. Response Monitoring – Objective
8. Data Dissemination and Communication
9. Moving Forward

If you’ve taken one of our other Power BI courses, this course is a perfect complement. It won’t repeat what you’ve already done. It will build on it, deepen your understanding, and help you apply it with greater clarity and purpose.

To learn more or sign up, visit the course page here: https://www.sporthorizon.co.uk/fundamentals-of-load-monitoring