Applied Sports Science newsletter – October 21, 2015

We chronically confuse the feeling of effort with the reality of results—and for anyone working in a creative field, that means the constant risk of frittering time and energy on busywork, instead of the work that counts.

Psychologists have long noticed what’s sometimes been called the “labor illusion:” when it comes to judging other people’s work, we might say we’re focused only on whether they did the job quickly and well—but really we want to feel they wore themselves out for us.

… High performance is about much more than the name and facilities and equipment. It is not merely about capturing data. As many have said before me, collecting data has no value unless you utilize it properly. Are you monitoring athletes’ progress to gauge how your program is working for them, or to adjust future training practices? Spreadsheets, folders, and filing cabinets full of numbers are useless unless they impact your coaching.

Snipers and Navy Seals would appear to have little in common with Premier League footballers, but techniques used by the US Special Forces to perform better under pressure are helping world-class athletes gain a mental advantage over their rivals.

… It’s a psychological approach that Arians describes as “coach them hard, hug them later.” “As long as they know that you care about them,” he said, “you can call them anything.”

Cardinals players admit that this is a bold strategy. Yelling at a bunch of NFL players is an easy way for coaches to lose a locker room. There’s a delicate balance, especially for a team stacked with veterans like Arizona. “It’s later in my career, I don’t need Nick Saban,” said defensive lineman Frostee Rucker, referencing the notoriously irascible Alabama coach.

AIM:

NCAA strength and conditioning coaches are responsible for the day-to-day conditioning and strength training of collegiate athletes. NCAA regulations will likely require all strength and conditioning coaches to have a strength and conditioning certification. NCAA strength and conditioning coaches have varied philosophies on exercise programming based on educational background. The study aims to further evaluate the backgrounds and exercise philosophies of NCAA strength and conditioning coaches.
METHODS:

A survey (Survey Monkey®, Palo Alto, CA) was distributed to NCAA strength and conditioning professionals to evaluate their education background, current practice trends, use of specific equipment and footwear, and what injuries occurred during sessions.
RESULTS:

Of the 208 survey participants, 77.9% were male with an average age of 34.5 ± 9.1 years old. An exercise-related bachelor’s degree was held by 80.4% and an exercise-related master’s degree by 72.4%. Over 89% had a strength and conditioning certification. Having a master’s, bachelor’s, or type strength and conditioning certification had no difference in 1- repetition maximal practice with athletes. Lower extremity injuries made up the highest percentage (58.9%) of injuries seen by NCAA Strength and Conditioning Coaches then lumbar spine injuries (16.7%). The five most common injuries reported during workouts were lumbar strain (n=431, 14.7%), hamstring strain (n=332, 11.3%), ankle sprain (n=299, 10.2%), patellar tendonitis (n=232, 7.9%), and shin splints (n=226, 7.7%).
CONCLUSIONS:

Collegiate education and certifications have impact on practice patterns of strength and conditioning coaches in the NCAA.

… the Jags decided this year to arrive in the United Kingdom on Friday morning, two days before kicking off against the Bills. Buffalo landed here Monday, giving the team nearly a full week to get acclimated to the five-hour time change.

Whether they’re dining out or dining in, Kansas student-athletes have a new tool to help make the best food choices as Kansas Athletics’ sports nutrition unit has partnered with MobileSmith to deliver the Jayhawk Fuel app for mobile devices.

Launched for iOS in Apple’s Store and for Android via Google Play this week, the app is intended to enhance the training and performance efforts of the Jayhawks by empowering individuals to prepare or choose recommended food options. The initial launch puts the newly-published Jayhawk Fuel High Performance Cookbook, a listing of better and best options at local restaurants, and a handful of helpful resources, at the fingertips of every Kansas student-athlete.

Since joining Major League Soccer in 2009, the Sounders have been pioneers in transcending the world’s game in the United States. Therefore, it is no surprise their evolving approach to sports science and performance is no different. From the youth Academy all the way up to the first team, the organization has implemented numerous methods to collect and track data in order to optimize performance.

The end goal of this new data-driven approach is simple: to have a fully integrated system across all of the teams.

Dr Anthony ShieldThe second post in this ‘Expert Speaker’ series is on the discussion with Dr Anthony Shield from the Queensland University of Technology and the QUT-ACU Hamstring Injury Group. Dr Shield discussed his current research interests, most notably investigating why there is such a high incidence of hamstring recurrence as well as developing their device, the Nordbord, to assess eccentric Hamstring Strength.

Some who pursue low body fat and chiseled muscle bellies may demonstrate carbophobia at night or frantically calculate the optimal ratio of carbs to protein in their shake following a workout. This dietary approach focuses on nutrient timing, a strategy of when to consume protein, carbohydrate and fat – whether it is pre-, peri- or post-exercise – to successfully nutrient partition, or direct calories to muscle instead of fat.

Yet, is the lack of dietary flexibility and popular behavior of post-workout nutrition backed by science?

Professional soccer players are exposed to large amounts of physiological and psychological stress, which can increase infection risk and threaten availability for training and competition. Accordingly, it is important for practitioners to implement strategies that support player wellbeing and prevent illness. This case study demonstrates how a scientifically supported and practically applicable nutrition and lifestyle strategy can reduce infection incidence in an illness-prone professional soccer player. In the three months prior to the intervention, the player suffered from three upper-respiratory tract infections and subsequently missed three competitive matches and two week’s training. He routinely commenced morning training sessions in the fasted state and was estimated to be in a large daily energy deficit. Throughout the 12-week intervention, the amount, composition and timing of energy intake was altered, quercetin and vitamin D were supplemented, and the player was provided with a daily sleep and hygiene protocol. There was a positive increase in serum vitamin D 25(OH) concentration from Baseline to Week 12 (53 n.mol-1 to 120 n.mol-1) and salivary immunoglobulin-A (98 mg.dl-1 to 135 mg.dl-1), as well as a decline in the number of URTI symptoms (1.8 ± 2.0 vs. 0.25 ± 0.5 for Week 0-4 and Week 8-12). Importantly, he maintained availability for all training and matches over the 12-week period. We offer this case study as a real-world applied example for other players and practitioners seeking to deploy nutrition and lifestyle strategies to reduce risk of illness and maximise player availability.

As the 2015-16 NHL season gets underway there are currently 64 NHL players who are missing games due to injuries – either disclosed or undisclosed – for 27 different NHL teams. A number of those skaters are on LTIR and are extremely unlikely to skate in any games this season (Chris Pronger, Marc Savard, Nathan Horton). The rest are likely to return to the active roster at some point, but in the meantime, questions hover around their teams about what happens when those players are absent.

Other players step up and are expected to fill the role the absent player occupied. The higher in the lineup the injured player plays, the higher the workload for those asked to pick up the slack. This added stress can place increased pressure on teammates and, in many cases, can lead to an increased risk of injury to the remaining roster players. Last season the most obvious examples of this sort of cascade of injuries were the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ most impressive victory this season hasn’t been over any of the teams they’ve vanquished on their way to a 6-0 start. It’s been beating the injury bug.

The Bengals head into a bye week with the same 53-man roster they broke camp with. No other NFL team has managed that this year. Cincinnati is also the first team to remain unscathed (and use only 53 players) through six games since 2012, when the Baltimore Ravens also did it. That squad rode its good fortune to a Super Bowl win.

… “You get some breaks here and there through the season. Normally you stay healthy, but when it’s all said and done, to win the best-of-seven series against the other best teams in the league, that’s not luck.” — Luke Walton

Traditionally, the NBA is where luck goes to die. In investment strategist Michael Mauboussin’s book, “The Success Equation,” he ranks sports on a continuum between luck and skill. Basketball, with its many possessions for the superior team to use and its many touches for its best players to leverage, comes out as the most skill-determined sport. Throw in the NBA’s long playoff series, and the worse team isn’t just fighting an uphill battle — it’s often drawing dead.

Many NBA fans know this, and love this about the league. Quality wins out, and luck is a minimal factor. If we’re now questioning whether the best team won, as has happened with the 2013 Heat and 2015 Warriors, it might represent a shift in how the sport is viewed.