Applied Sports Science newsletter – February 5, 2016

As I gaze almost unbelievingly at a Premier League table that shows an unheralded, unglamorous and unassuming Leicester City side top of the Premier League a full 37 points clear of bottom placed Aston Villa, it occurs to me that in football the line between failure and success is indeed a slender one.

Failure or success, triumph or disaster, Rudyard Kipling’s ‘two impostors’ are united by the common denominator that is fear and as the author and writer Paul Sweeny says, “true success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful.”

Little is said or made about the power of fear in football. But it’s there, everywhere; a pervasive, frequently debilitating, sometimes inspiring, day to day characteristic of professional football from the bottom to the very top.

… Hawks wingman Kyle Korver reeled earlier this season when he saw the structure of his shot perturbed. A May procedure on his ankle, a June surgery on his elbow, and a considered alteration of his shooting mechanics left Korver, one of the top shooters in the world, unable to hit even even the clearest of looks. The downturn in his shooting percentages was troubling. For as trustworthy as Korver’s stroke has been, there are certain implications when a 34-year-old specialist struggles to find his game after two surgeries. Other NBA careers have trailed off with less warning.

Then, around the turn of the calendar year, something clicked. It was Korver’s patience with his revised mechanics—the physical manifestation of an exceptional shooter who had dared to mess with a good thing. Players in the league are consistently nudged to address their weaknesses and hone their strengths. Any particularly bold approach to those tasks risks throwing the player’s game off its center. The exact shift in Korver’s shot is a matter of inches. Yet it was so significant to Korver’s process and desired result that he characterized it as a sort of reboot.

Lamarr Houston isn’t taking much time away from his training this offseason.

The Chicago Bears outside linebacker has been posting videos to FOX Sports’ PROCast documenting his time overseas.

Presently, Houston is in Turkey, making the most of his work outs at the country’s Gloria Sports Arena. He has practiced with the Polish soccer team, undergone cryotherapy, RMR sessions, hydro training and core stabilization.

… “Every time I step out on the floor, I look down at my leg,” George said Wednesday at the Indiana Pacers’ shootaround before beginning a short, two-game road trip against the Nets. “I’ve still got the scars, still got a little bone protruding out. I just remember the journey, the rehab that it took to get to this point, and every game I’ve been playing. It’s been great. I didn’t think I’d get to this point so soon.”

The limits of endurance are set not by the body but the brain. Overriding it could push us to dramatic new feats of athletic performance.

Practitioners and coaches working in the field of performance sport will have noticed the emergence of a new job description in recent times. A casual search on sites such as LinkedIn will reveal a burgeoning number of people describing themselves as a ‘movement specialist’, ‘movement coach’, or some variation thereof. Here I attempt to explain this phenomenon.

On a recent visit to Phoenix I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Shawn Myszka who is one of the few in this new field who has a genuine claim on the title of movement specialist. Shawn was presenting to a group of track and field coaches on what he describes as the science and art of movement mastery.

The key to learning a new motor skill – such as playing the piano or mastering a new sport – isn’t necessarily how many hours you spend practising, but the way you practise, according to new research. Scientists have found that by subtly varying your training, you can keep your brain more active throughout the learning process, and halve the time it takes to get up to scratch.

The research goes somewhat against the old assumption that simply repeating a motor skill over and over again – for example, practising scales on the piano or playing the same level on your game over and over again – was the best way to master it. Instead, it turns out there might be a quicker (and more enjoyable) way to level up.

Background

Clinically it is understood that rapid increases in training loads expose an athlete to an increased risk of injury; however, there are no systematic reviews to qualify this statement.
Objective

The aim of this systematic review was to determine training and competition loads, and the relationship between injury, illness and soreness.
Methods

The MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL and EMBASE databases were searched using a predefined search strategy. Studies were included if they analysed the relationship between training or competition loads and injury or illness, and were published prior to October 2015. Participants were athletes of any age or level of competition. The quality of the studies included in the review was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). The level of evidence was defined as strong, ‘consistent findings among multiple high-quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs)’; moderate, ‘consistent findings among multiple low-quality RCTs and/or non-randomised controlled trials (CCTs) and/or one high-quality RCT’; limited, ‘one low-quality RCT and/or CCTs, conflicting evidence’; conflicting, ‘inconsistent findings among multiple trials (RCTs and/or CCTs)’; or no evidence, ‘no RCTs or CCTs’.
Results

A total of 799 studies were identified; 23 studies met the inclusion criteria, and a further 12 studies that were not identified in the search but met the inclusion criteria were subsequently added to the review. The largest number of studies evaluated the relationship between injuries and training load in rugby league players (n = 9) followed by cricket (n = 5), football (n = 3), Australian Football (n = 3), rugby union (n = 2),volleyball (n = 2), baseball (n = 2), water polo (n = 1), rowing (n = 1), basketball (n = 1), swimming (n = 1), middle-distance runners (n = 1) and various sports combined (n = 1). Moderate evidence for a significant relationship was observed between training loads and injury incidence in the majority of studies (n = 27, 93 %). In addition, moderate evidence exists for a significant relationship between training loads and illness incidence (n = 6, 75 %). Training loads were reported to have a protective effect against injury (n = 9, 31 %) and illness (n = 1, 13 %). The median (range) NOS score for injury and illness was 8 (5–9) and 6 (5–9), respectively.
Limitations

A limitation of this systematic review was the a priori search strategy. Twelve further studies were included that were not identified in the search strategy, thus potentially introducing bias. The quality assessment was completed by only one author.
Conclusions

The results of this systematic review highlight that there is emerging moderate evidence for the relationship between the training load applied to an athlete and the occurrence of injury and illness.
Implications

The training load applied to an athlete appears to be related to their risk of injury and/or illness. Sports science and medicine professionals working with athletes should monitor this load and avoid acute spikes in loads. It is recommended that internal load as the product of the rate of perceived exertion (10-point modified Borg) and duration be used when determining injury risk in team-based sports. External loads measured as throw counts should also be monitored and collected across a season to determine injury risk in throwing populations. Global positioning system-derived distances should be utilised in team sports, and injury monitoring should occur for at least 4 weeks after spikes in loads.

Objective: To evaluate the perceptions of professional soccer players and staff members toward injury prevention exercise programs (IPEPs).

Design: Self-report survey.

Setting: Four professional soccer teams in 4 different countries.

Participants: 126 players, coaches, physiotherapists, and fitness coaches were invited to participate, with 72 respondents.

Main Outcome Measures: Web-based survey detailing perceptions of lower limb (LL) injury susceptibility and seriousness, the value of IPEPs in general, and more specifically the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) 11+.

Results: The vast majority of the respondents believed that professional soccer players are at high risk of LL injuries (93%) and that players should perform evidence-based injury prevention exercises (98%). They also agreed that LL injuries can shorten a player’s career (85%), cause physical problems later in life (82%), and negatively impact on team performance (77%). However, perceptions varied across teams regarding which types of injury prevention exercises are effective, who holds responsibility for injury prevention, and when IPEPs should be performed. Specific knowledge of the FIFA 11+ was very low and 47% of respondents believed the program would need modification for use in their team.

Conclusions: Players and staff members in professional soccer teams strongly support the use of evidence-based IPEPs. However, perceptions vary considerably between teams regarding which exercises can prevent injuries, who holds the responsibility for injury prevention, and when preventive exercises should be performed. Enhancing the ultimate impact of IPEPs in professional soccer requires a detailed understanding of each team’s specific implementation context.

Gatorade announced the launch of Bolt Breakers, an innovation project developed in collaboration with some of the world’s top tech companies. The project’s goal is to develop new technology platforms that will ultimately help athletes fuel their game. Gatorade will host a kickoff event with partners CoreSyte, Facebook, Spotify and Twitter in Sausalito on Friday, February 5 of Super Bowl week. The Bolt Breakers project will culminate at SXsports where partners will unveil their innovative ideas to assist athletes in performing at their best. … Teams at CoreSyte, Facebook and Twitter will spend the next six weeks developing platforms specifically designed to connect with athletes and offer solutions for those needs. In addition, Gatorade will continue discussions with Spotify to better understand how music affects athletic performance. By collaborating with these companies and sharing insights the brand has gained from decades of working with athletes, Gatorade hopes to be able to provide athletes with new digital technologies they can use both on and off the field.

Intravenous administration of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to reduce blood brain barrier compromise and improve neurocognition following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). These effects occur in the absence of engraftment and differentiation of these cells in the injured brain. Recent studies have shown that soluble factors produced by MSCs mediate a number of the therapeutic effects. In the present study, we sought to determine if intravenous administration of MSCs (IV-MSCs) could enhance hippocampal neurogenesis following TBI. Our results demonstrate that IV-MSC treatment attenuates loss of neural stem cells and promotes hippocampal neurogenesis in TBI injured mice. As Wnt signaling has been implicated in neurogenesis, we measured circulating Wnt levels in serum following IV-MSC administration and found a significant increase in Wnt3a. Concurrent with this increase, we detected increased activation of the Wnt/?-catenin signaling pathway in hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, IV recombinant Wnt3a treatment provided neuroprotection, promoted neurogenesis and improved neurocognitive function in TBI injured mice. Taken together, our results demonstrate a role for Wnt3a in the therapeutic potential of MSCs and identify Wnt3a as a potential stand-alone therapy or as part of a combination therapeutic strategy for the treatment of TBI.

The latest effort in the decades-long quest for a better ACL surgery is taking place at Boston Children’s Hospital, where surgeons Martha Murray and Lyle Micheli are experimenting with a procedure that doesn’t require damaging another part of the leg.

Instead of a graft, Murray has been inserting a sponge roughly the size of a thumb to serve as a bridge between the loose strands of the ACL and flushing it with the patient’s blood. That serves as a stimulus to make a bridge grow. “The clot becomes the glue through the sponge,” she explained.

Chasing Perfection goes behind the scenes of the multi-million dollar, high-stakes world of basketball player development, research and analysis, and the often secretive, cutting-edge methods that NBA franchises use to turn less-expensive, supporting players into vital parts of championship teams.

much of the research into success in the Premier League has concluded that wages are the single most important factor in explaining positions in the Premier League. Have things really changed that much so that money is now less important than tactics?

As discussed above, the reason pundits have been arguing that the Premier League has changed is the decline in the dominance of the “Big 6”. In each of the last 5 seasons, five of the top 6 slots in the final table were taken by a combination of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Viewed against this, the current season does seem unusual, but is it?

Athletic events can be divided into “aerobic-type event” or “anaerobic-type event” based on energetic usage. Power, speed, and strength, also used to specify sports subtypes. Weightlifters, sprinters, and jumpers feature high-intensity efforts lasting few seconds. However, their performance requires different proportions of power, speed, and strength. The aim of the current study was to examine genetic differences between subtypes of anaerobic athletes in 3 genetic variants: ACTN3 R577X, which is associated with muscle contractions, AGT Met235Thr which is associated with muscle growth, and PPARD T/C, which is associated with aerobic capacity. 71 sprinters and jumpers (S/J), 54 weightlifters (WL) and 86 controls participated in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood using standard protocol. Genotypes were determined using Taqman allelic discrimination assay. ACTN3 RR-genotype frequency was significantly higher among S/J (39.4%) compared to WL (22.2%) and controls (18.6%). AGT ThrThr-genotype was significantly higher among WL (25.9%) compared to S/J (4.2%) and controls (12.8%). PPARD T294C genotype frequencies did not differ between groups. The results suggest that there may be a specific genetic makeup enabling an athlete to excel in speed-oriented events (sprints), rather than in strength-oriented events (weightlifting).