… In the middle of September, after the Yankees shut him down because of concussion symptoms linked to an injury from February, Frazier was prescribed just this kind of shock to his frazzled system.
He thinks that advice — to go to concerts, bars, malls, anywhere with a lot of people, noise and bright lights — has made him healthier and will have a profound effect on his upcoming season.
“It’s kind of given me that extra little push to go through things, no matter how bad it feels,” Frazier told ESPN at his suburban Atlanta home earlier this offseason. “It’s been a tough road. But right now, I’m happy that I can say that it feels like it’s coming to an end.”
… Simmons attempted a three-point field goal today. For the first time in his NBA career, it was a legitimate attempt from beyond the arc. This wasn’t a heave at the end of a possession, or a thrust in the final moments of a quarter to beat the game clock. No, this was different. Simmons walked up and, in rhythm, pulled the trigger.
“I was getting ready to run the play and then I literally saw the ball go over and was like, ‘oh shit,’” says Joel Embiid. “It caught me off guard and I was in a position where I was like ‘what just happened’.”
… In recent weeks, as the MLB Players Association brainstormed before a bargaining session with the league, the union considered asking for dual-sport athletes entering the MLB draft to be eligible for major league contracts, rather than minor league deals subject to a capped amount of spending. In other words: The MLBPA wants a Kyler Murray Rule before it even knows if Kyler Murray is going to play baseball.
This is what Murray does. He gets people dreaming. He has barely played baseball, and the Oakland A’s believed in him enough to choose him with the ninth pick in the 2018 draft and guarantee him $4.66 million. Listed by Oklahoma at 5-foot-10, he is shorter than any quarterback in the NFL, and teams are lining up to choose him in the first round anyway. He is a walking (and running and throwing and swinging) curio, the evolutionary offspring of Bo and Deion, the answer to a question nobody ever bothered asking because it seemed too far-fetched: What if there were someone good enough to play quarterback in the NFL and start in center field in MLB?
… “It was interesting playing with a coach like that,” Cannon told ProSoccerUSA. “He’s a very tactical-sided coach and he has a certain way about going about things. He wants the fullbacks to come inside and play that center-mid role and it’s something I quite haven’t adapted to much yet. . . . It’s good to get that adaptation in and I’ve learned a lot in that camp.”
Berhalter is a change of pace for many players with his heavy emphasis on tactics. Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget said to MLSSoccer.com that many players “have never been coached like this, to so much detail.”
Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness from
BACKGROUND:
Elite athletes have to travel long-haul distances and cross multiple meridians; thus, a unique syndrome named as jet-lag is induced. Furthermore, traveller athletes are submitted to several factors negatively affecting their well-being and athletic performance. This qualitative descriptive study aims to promote safely and future promising participations of elite athletes in great events, such as the next Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo, based on the chronobiology of jet-lag, factors affecting the traveller athlete and previous experiences from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and the Olympic Games Rio 2016. METHODS:
A narrative review of the literature across a broad cross-section of the chronobiology of jet-lag and factors affecting the traveller athlete was undertaken. In addition, a general analysis based on the past sport events aforementioned is also included. RESULTS:
The jet-lag disorder may occur after transmeridian travel over more than 3 time- zones and the resynchronization is dependent on the direction and number of the time-zones crossed and the availability and the intensity of local circadian time cues. Also the athlete’s ability to sleep, eat, get hydrated and train, are essential, as well as, others individual tolerance differences, such as age, gender, chronotype and ethnic differences. Athletes should arrive a number of days before the competition according to the number of time-zone transitions experienced. CONCLUSIONS:
Jet-lag is usually benign and self-limited, but can occasionally have serious consequences for the athlete’s mental and physical health and performance. A good plan concerning the athlete’s traveling schedule, sleeping, eating and training before and after travelling is mandatory.
The primary aims of the present study were to assess the sleep hygiene knowledge of high performance team sport coaches and sports science support staff; the sleep practices these individuals implement with athletes; and the barriers to the more frequent use of these practices. DESIGN:
Cross-sectional observational study. METHODS:
A sample of 86 Australian coaches and sports science support staff working within high performance team sport volunteered to complete a four-part questionnaire, including the Sleep Beliefs Survey used to assess sleep hygiene knowledge. RESULTS:
Overall sleep hygiene knowledge was adequate (15.3±2.9, score range 0-20; mean±SD), however knowledge of sleep-wake cycle behaviours (score 4.9±1.6 out of 7) and thoughts and attitudes about sleep (3.6±1.0 out of 5) were inadequate. Over half (56%) of coaches and support staff had monitored athlete sleep, while 43% had promoted sleep hygiene. Lack of resources (response range 44-60%) and knowledge (16-41%) were the two main barriers to the implementation of sleep monitoring and sleep hygiene practices. CONCLUSIONS:
Team sport coaches and sports science support staff have adequate overall sleep hygiene knowledge, yet some specific areas (e.g. sleep-wake cycle behaviours) warrant improvement. There appear to be limited sleep practices implemented with athletes, particularly regarding the promotion of sleep hygiene. The development of educational sleep resources for coaches and support staff to implement with athletes may help address the identified barriers and improve sleep knowledge.
… [Steve] Smith sees plenty of players who don’t get enough sleep. “I don’t know that there are many players who don’t have some sleep issue,” he says. “You’ve got a fast-wired, driven group and after a game or practice, they need to shut it down and sleep. That can be hard.”
One study also found that team-sport athletes are “particularly susceptible to reductions in both sleep quality and sleep duration after night competition and periods of heavy training
Like many regular people, elite athletes multiply their issues by spending too much time on devices. “The blue light damages their circadian rhythms,” says Smith, meaning that their body’s natural sleep-wake cycle can get out of whack. “We’ve given them blue-light blocking glasses and ask them to take a break from their devices before bed.”
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation journal from
Background Sleep quality is an essential component of athlete’s recovery. However, a better understanding of the parameters to adequately quantify sleep quality in team sport athletes is clearly warranted.
Objective To identify which parameters to use for sleep quality monitoring in team sport athletes.
Methods Systematic searches for articles reporting the qualitative markers related to sleep in team sport athletes were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science online databases. The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. For the meta-analysis, effect sizes with 95% CI were calculated and heterogeneity was assessed using a random-effects model. The coefficient of variation (CV) with 95% CI was also calculated to assess the level of instability of each parameter.
Results In general, 30 measuring instruments were used for monitoring sleep quality. A meta-analysis was undertaken on 15 of these parameters. Four objective parameters inferred by actigraphy had significant results (sleep efficiency with small CV and sleep latency, wake episodes and total wake episode duration with large CV). Six subjective parameters obtained from questionnaires and scales also had meaningful results (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (sleep efficiency), Likert scale (Hooper), Likert scale (no reference), Liverpool Jet-Lag Questionnaire, Liverpool Jet-Lag Questionnaire (sleep rating) and RESTQ (sleep quality)).
Conclusions These data suggest that sleep efficiency using actigraphy, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Likert scale, Liverpool Jet-Lag Questionnaire and RESTQ are indicated to monitor sleep quality in team sport athletes. [full text]
… a new data inflection point is coming, and it will be driven and influenced by the pressing need in healthcare. 2018’s FT Global top 5 has undoubtedly posed two questions: Which industries provide the most data, and which ones need the most speed? They all arrived at the same conclusion: medical and life sciences.
Because in medicine and life sciences, there are power laws at work that dwarf Moore’s Law. In the USA, health data doubles every 73 days, estimated to arrive at a hefty 2.3 zettabytes by 2020. This is a hockey stick scenario that the information technology companies cannot afford to miss. The 3 Super-A’s (Amazon, Alphabet, and Apple) all announced a ground-breaking restructuring of their divisions and far-reaching collaborations (ABC-Amazon, Berkshire, Chase) to jump on the “big and fast data” bandwagon. This could produce surprising ripples in which companies hit the top of the FT’s Global 500 list in the near future.
DowDuPont‘s Specialty Products Division is releasing a new soft skin adhesive, specifically designed for today’s wearable medical devices. The DOW CORNING MG 7-1020 Soft Skin Adhesive is a silicone-based product, which can be worn for extended periods of time while maintaining a tight grip and causing minimal irritation. Unlike devices that use acrylic adhesives, the MG 7-1020 is more comfortable when removing devices that use it, according to the company.
… “This type of imaging device could be particularly useful for LIDAR, which currently produces 3D images using a bulky mechanical mirror to steer a laser beam,” said Tanemura. “It is estimated that the cost, size and response time of LIDAR needs to be reduced by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude to be widely deployed in non-luxury mass-market cars. A chip-scale ghost imaging device could accomplish this.”
The researchers will continue working to make the new technology even more practical. They are experimenting with electro-optic phase shifters that could increase OPA operation to speeds beyond gigahertz. They also plan to further increase the scan rate and would like to integrate all the optical components on the same chip as the OPA to accomplish 2D and 3D imaging without any off-chip components.
Previous MRI studies showed that involvement of connective tissue in muscle injuries may prolong recovery times. The relevance of ultrasound assessment of connective tissue involvement as a prognostic factor is unknown. The aim was to test the hypothesis that ultrasound-detected connective tissue involvement in acute muscle injuries are related to longer recovery times. DESIGN:
Cohort study. METHODS:
Seventy consecutive elite athletes from the French National Institute of Sports (INSEP) sustaining an acute muscle injury showing positive findings on ultrasound at baseline were included. Ultrasound was systematically performed within 7days after the injury for the assessment of severity (grades 1-4) and type of injury in regard to the absence (M injuries) or presence (C injuries) of connective tissue involvement. The differences in the mean time needed to return to play (RTP) between the different grades and types of injury were assessed using multiple non-parametric tests. RESULTS:
When considering the overall grades independently of the type of injury (M or C), an increase in the mean time needed to RTP was observed with the increase of grades (p<0.0001). The same relationship was found when considering grades from M and C injuries separately, with higher grades of injuries exhibiting longer times needed to RTP (p<0.0001). Longer times needed to RTP were observed in athletes demonstrating C injuries in comparison to the ones exhibiting M injuries overall (p=0.002).
CONCLUSIONS:
Ultrasound-detected connective tissue involvement in acute muscle injuries are related to longer times needed to RTP, especially when disruption is detected.
… One of our favorite methods for evaluating efficiency is the kinematic sequence. We’ve posted clips on Twitter from our Level 1 Hitting seminar discussing the kinematic sequence in hitting, but haven’t shared any data on pitching.
Here’s an example of the kinematic sequence of an elite pitcher who visited TPI recently. The details are different than with hitting, but the overall philosophy remains the same.
… The combine is an opportunity for teams to identify the best incoming athletes. Some prospects wind up helping their draft status with exceptional performances, much like Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds did in recent years.
The measurements scouts take from Feb. 26 through March 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium are only part of the evaluation, but they will matter. It’s always better for a prospect to show out than the alternative.
With that mind, a number of prospects have a lot to gain. Some are ready to move into elite status, while others are ready to make names for themselves.
… The Pelicans, as they dealt with the Davis situation and other matters around the trade deadline (they made two deals), put the final decision off. At the time, there were some voices within the organization supporting the option to not play him, sources said.
After reviewing its rules, the league office informed the Pelicans that they would be expected to play Davis, starting with Friday night’s nationally televised game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources said.
The league referred the Pelicans to rules put in place in 2017 that restrict teams from resting healthy players. The Pelicans, league sources said, were told that they would be subject to a fine of $100,000 per every game if Davis were benched.