Every quarter we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this edition we look at the latest research on what artificial intelligence means for elite sport, optimizing practice environments, velocity based training, parkour for athletic development, and much more.
At the end of every year, I do a quick look back on the books I read over the preceding 12 months. This year is no different and my favorite books of 2022 are listed below. However one thing has changed over time: the older I get, the less time (or less energy) I dedicate to reading, Therefore I’ve become much more likely to give up on a book that isn’t holding my attention or interest. Author Ryan Holiday has a simple rule of thumb; if a book hasn’t drawn you in by the page number of 100 minus your age (in my case, page 74), then you should stop. Great readers, he adds, learn to quit books that aren’t very good. Taking this rule to heart, this year, I read 44 books. This is less than in other years, but a couple were month-long reads that took up a lot of time.
Every quarter we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this edition we take a special look at what is happening above the shoulders of athletes and coaches with new research on key competencies in sports psychology, transformational leadership, pressure training, and psychological safety. In addition we also take a look at a few other topics like nutrition and altitude training.
Every quarter we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this edition we look at motor learning and performance under pressure, the impact of COVID-19 on training, deceleration, the relationship between injury history and performance, burnout, and much more.
Every quarter we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this edition we look at coaching coaches, hamstring injuries, 100-meter race profiling, leadership, sports psychology, and more.
For the last 6 years we’ve delivered you insights into the latest sports science research every month. For 2022 we’re making a little change: our sports science updates will be released on a quarterly basis. Below is our first update of the year, where we look at lessons on briefing and debriefing from the military, the coach’s eye, working with Gen Z, foam rolling, and more.
On a personal level, 2021 was a big year for me, as I became a father. Anyone who has had a baby will know there isn’t much time (or energy) for doing much else aside from working, looking after them, and recovering. For me, this was a double-edged sword; it meant I didn’t have the time or energy to read quite as much as before, but, from a positive side, I became much, much better at giving up on a book, or skipping sections that weren’t interesting to me. Whereas before I might have preserved, now I discard.
Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this month’s edition we look at failures in talent development, mental toughness, mental rest, using data in elite sport, nutrition, and more.
Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this month’s edition we look at how elite sprinters warm up, the data on whether periodization works in the real world, tactical behaviors in middle distance running, performance intelligence, and more.
Sprinting is an important action in many sports. In soccer, for example, research has demonstrated that, whilst the total distance covered by a player in an English Premier League match has stayed reasonably consistent over time, the number of high intensity efforts has increased by 50%, with the total distance of high intensity running having increased by 30%. Studies from other sports classed as “football” (AFL, Rugby League and Union, American Football, Gaelic Football, etc.) demonstrate similar trends. As such, we can be confident that possessing high levels of sprint speed, and the ability to maintain this speed under fatigue, is an important aspect of success in these sports. The question for coaches, however, is how do we improve speed in our players?
