Sports coaches have to be very patient as it can sometimes take years for an athlete to properly absorb concepts to improve their performance.

That's according to leading Latvian swim coach and educator Elena Solovjova, who contributed to a panel discussion on whether or not sport science is meeting the needs of sport.

Panel participants L-R convenor Peter Reaburn, Latvian visitor Elena Solovjova, student Libby Tweed, and local swim coach Val Kalmikous

"Coaches have an important role in taking the best of laboratory science concepts and finding simple ways of describing them to athletes," Ms Solovjova says.

The panel discussion with a Q&A format was held recently at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus, where it was convened by Associate Professor Peter Reaburn. It involved local, national and international perspectives, enabling Exercise and Sports Sciences students to understand the challenges of their sector.

Participants included Triathlon Australia's National Manager for Coach Development Wayne Goldsmith, the head of Rockhampton Grammar's Rowing team John Smyth, and CQ Aquajets swim club head coach Val Kalmikous.

Associate Professor Reaburn said a key discussion point was that Australian exercise and sport science programs need to change so they can prepare graduates to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

"Speakers noted that graduates need to be able to work across the many sub-disciplines of sport science (physiology, biomechanics, psychology, motor control, nutrition) rather than the traditional model where the sub-disciplines are all taught separately," he said.

Elena Solovjova addresses the panel group in Rockhampton

"CQUniversity's exercise and sport sciences program is looking to better prepare its graduates through the use of problem-based learning and research projects becoming embedded throughout the program.

"We had great interaction emerging during the session. Feedback suggested students had their previous thinking challenged."