Central objectives of the teaching in the courses of study are: the linking of specialist knowledge in all Sports Science areas in terms of the entire life span (children, teenagers, adults, the elderly), learning to be able to reflect analytically and critically and possessing the ability to judge, the strengthening of methods skills, as well as the acquisition of broad motor skills for the design of communication and learning processes. In addition, the practical relevance is emphasised in all courses.

AWF Warschau, Polen; KU Leuven, Belgien; Muğla Üniversitesi, Türkei; Universidad Murcia, Spanien; Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, Spanien; Université Montpellier I, Frankreich; Universitetet i Agder Kristiansand, Norwegen; University of Pécs, Ungarn; North-West University, Potchefstroom, Südafrika

The institute has two large sports halls (partly with stands), a gymnasium, a gymnastics hall, a teaching pool (20 x 8 m), two weight rooms and several laboratories. Outdoors, the institute has an athletics stadium (grass pitch with stands, 400m Tartan track, jumping pits, high jump facility, discus and shot put facilities), three further pitches and two hardcourts, a beach facility (four courts), a tennis court (15 places) as well as a water sports centre on the Neckar Artificial turf pitches (football, hockey) in the immediate vicinity can be used.

Heidelberg University is a "partner university of top-class sport" and offers a top-class sport scholarship. The Olympic base Metroploregion Rhine-Neckar is located directly next to the Sports Institute and offers optimal conditions for a successful combination of degree programme and top-class sports. There are long-standing cooperations with top sports and professional teams in various sports (football, handball, basketball, ice hockey, rugby) in the Rhine-Neckar sports region to support students involved in competitive sports.

The ISSW gains its special profile through a consistent emphasis on empirical research programmes and an accentuation of knowledge transfer in research. Research activities focus on questions of sport and exercise across the lifespan, active ageing, judgement and decision-making in sport, self-regulation in sport and health, personalised exercise therapy in oncological rehabilitation and occupational health management. Many research activities are carried out in cooperation with partners within and outside the university.

Within the framework of project-oriented courses, advice is given on how to set up a business and contacts are arranged with the university's service centre for start-up management.

Upon completion of certain training content at the Institute, students may obtain association licences through additional examinations (e.g. Trainer C) or additional qualifications in the health sector (e.g. BGM consultant). An Instagram channel will be built during 2021.