Applied Sports Science newsletter – January 14, 2021

When Washington coach Scott Brooks was a player and would ask coaches about their profession, the response was always the same: It is a lonely job.

Never more so than now, probably.

As if playing games in arenas that are somewhere between mostly and entirely empty during a still-raging coronavirus pandemic wasn’t hard enough, the rules for players and coaches — both home and on the road — are getting even tougher. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association on Tuesday agreed to stiffer protocols, including ones where players and coaches will essentially have to stay in their hotels during road trips except for team activities and without receiving visitors.

Got a new smartwatch or fitness tracker for the holidays? Most wrist-worn devices do much more than take calls and track workouts these days, and if you have one, you should take advantage of all the snazzy features — sleep tracking in particular.

Tracking your sleep can reveal a wealth of information about your health that you may have been totally oblivious to before. If you utilize that data, you can manipulate your diet, workout routine, stress management tactics and other factors to become a superhuman. OK, maybe not a superhuman (unless you’re an expert biohacker), but you’ll still feel dang good.

The information available to you depends on the device you have, but most sleep trackers collect a variety of data points, including sleep stage percentages, heart rate, breathing rate, and maybe even heart rate variability.

Inverse Dynamics is routinely used in biomechanics for the estimation of loading in the musculoskeletal system but there are problems with the terms and definitions and even official recommendations introduce artificial and incorrect mechanical constructs to justify arbitrary and inappropriate terms. These terminology problems lead to further confusion and misinterpretations rather than to standardisation of mechanically correct nomenclature and accurate interpretation of joint loading. The perspective in this paper exposes some of the flawed foundational premises of these constructs and makes recommendations for accurate reporting of inverse dynamics outcomes and musculoskeletal loading. The inverse dynamics approach is based on free body diagrams that include the actual forces as applied (‘Actual Forces’ approach) or the replacement of actual forces with an equivalent resultant force and moment (‘Resultant Moments’ approach). Irrespective of the approach used to model the muscle and other forces, the inverse dynamics outputs always include the joint reaction forces representing the interactions with adjacent segments. The different terms suggested to distinguish the calculated joint reaction forces from the two approaches such as ‘net joint force’, ‘resultant force’, ‘intersegmental force’ and ‘bone-on-bone force’ are inappropriate, misleading and confusing. It is recommended to refer to joint reaction forces as Total or Partial when using an Actual Forces or a Resultant Moments approach, respectively.

Background

When studying the quality of sleep in relation to athletic performance, the athlete’s chronotype and habitual time consider important factors. We aim to investigate the sleep quality and athletes’ performance according to chronotype in elite athletes.
Methods

Three hundred forty elite athletes (males = 261, females = 79) were recruited for the present study. All participants were screening for chronotype by the Korean versions of the Morningness – Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ-K). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) were measurement after screening.
Results

PSQI global score, PSQI sleep quality, PSQI sleep onset latency, PSQI sleep disturbance, and PSQI daytime dysfunction were significant differences among the groups. WAnT mean power (W), mean power (W/kg), peak power (W), and peak power (W/kg) were significant differences among the groups. A negative correlation coefficient was found between PSQI score and WAnT mean power (W) (r = − 0.256, p < 0.01), mean power (W/kg) (r = − 0.270, p < 0.01), peak power (W) (r = − 0.220, p < 0.01), and peak power (W/kg) (r = − 0.248, p < 0.01). Conclusions

This study indicates that related poor sleep quality and late-type chronotype may reduce the athletes’ performance in elite athletes. In addition, the sleep quality is much higher in the early-type chronotype than in the late-type chronotype. Moreover, it also the athletic performance was better in the early-type chronotype than in the late-type chronotype. [full text]

… Arguably the most telling of “true vision,” reading leverage is a critical skill for all RB’s to have. Each team has its unique styles, whether it comes from a blocking scheme, offensive philosophy, or play-calling, but the ability to read leverage as an RB will take a 1-yard run and turn it into a 7 yard gain. In zone blocking schemes there is no defined point of attack for an RB. An RB must quickly assess the leverage of blocks from the front side to the back side in order to find the best hole.

There have been a multitude of reviews written on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and recovery. EIMD is a complex area of study as there are a host of factors such as sex, age, nutrition, fitness level, genetics and familiarity with exercise task, which influence the magnitude of performance decrement and the time course of recovery following EIMD. In addition, many reviews on recovery from exercise have ranged from the impact of nutritional strategies and recovery modalities, to complex mechanistic examination of various immune and endocrine signaling molecules. No one review can adequately address this broad array of study. Thus, in this present review, we aim to examine EIMD emanating from both endurance exercise and resistance exercise training in recreational and competitive athletes and shed light on nutritional strategies that can enhance and accelerate recovery following EIMD. In addition, the evaluation of EIMD and recovery from exercise is often complicated and conclusions often depend of the specific mode of assessment. As such, the focus of this review is also directed at the available techniques used to assess EIMD.

Pronation is out of favor, comfort is too vague, but maybe measuring your “habitual motion path” will guide you to a shoe that minimizes your injury risk

The NHL is set to return in January and we couldn’t be more excited! We wanted to take this opportunity to share what the Sportlogiq media team will be up to in 2021, for the NHL and beyond.

Introducing Project: Run Fearless, Nike’s commitment to help reduce running-related injuries. Learn how our newest shoes—the Nike React Infinity Run 2 and the Nike ZoomX Invincible Run—were specifically designed to help reduce injury. [video, 2:44]

The newly launched non-profit Smart Textile Alliance aims to codify standards and mature the supply chain for the emerging e-textiles industry. The people behind it, Christian Dalsgaard and Mili John Tharakan, are industry specialists with years of experience in the space. They now seek partnerships with companies who have solutions that can be lifted to a standard for use within the whole e-textile or smart textiles industry.

Smart textiles merge microelectronics with textiles, paving the way for innovative applications in various sectors such as sport and health, the company explains. Over the years smart textiles have evolved organically in the periphery of electronics and textiles, it adds. Solutions and components developed have not been ‘interoperable’ leading to frustration and high costs during product development and manufacturing, the company says.

Smart Textiles Alliance explains further: “Businesses in the past facing similar challenges at an early stage of a disruptive technology have successfully overcome them through the formation of a neutral standards body and certification programs. This is true for the USB Implementers Forum, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and similar standardization initiatives that shifted the needle on innovation and growth of a new industry. The thoughts are that such an organisation is important right now for the smart textiles industry.”

Dr. Matthew Martinez has been a cardiologist for the NBA player’s association for nearly two years. It’s an important role that’s intensified during the pandemic. COVID-19’s threat to the heart can be serious, and, to assist those who tested positive, Martinez helped establish safety protocols for every player in the NBA. He’s a resource on call whenever they need him.

As a noninvasive cardiologist for New Jersey’s Atlantic Health System at Morristown Medical Center, Martinez also works with Major League Soccer, the Pac-12 and several similar institutions. This week, along with others in his field, Martinez plans to submit a paper he cowrote to JAMA Cardiology—a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal that’s published by the American Medical Association—that reveals new data about the heart-related effects COVID-19 has had on professional athletes across multiple leagues, including the NBA.

Background

Ultrasonography is an emerging non-invasive bedside tool for muscle quantity/quality assessment; Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is an alternative non-invasive bedside measure of body composition, recommended for evaluation of sarcopenia in clinical practice. We set out to assess impact of position and exercise upon measures towards protocol standardisation.
Methods

Healthy volunteers aged 18–35 were recruited. Bilateral Anterior Thigh Thickness (BATT; rectus femoris and vastus intermedius), BATT: Subcutaneous Ratio (BATT:SCR), and rectus femoris echogenicity were measured using ultrasound and BIA was performed; 1) lying with upper body at 45° (Reclined), 2) lying fully supine at 180o (Supine), 3) sat in a chair with upper body at 90o (Sitting), and 4) after exercise Reclined. Variability of Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) by two different equations from BIA (SMM-Janssen, SMM-Sergi), phase angle, fat percentage, and total body (TBW), extracellular (ECW), and intracellular water (ICW) were assessed.
Results

Forty-four participants (52% female; mean 25.7 years-old (SD 5.0)) were recruited. BATT increased from Reclined to Sitting (+ 1.45 cm, 1.27–1.63), and after exercise (+ 0.51, 0.29–0.73). Echogenicity reduced from Reclined to Sitting (− 2.1, − 3.9 – -0.26). SMM-Sergi declined from Reclined to Supine (− 0.65 kg, − 1.08 – − 0.23) and after exercise (− 0.70 kg, − 1.27 – -0.14). ECW increased from Reclined to Sitting (+ 1.19 L, 0.04–2.35). There were no other statistically significant changes.
Conclusion

Standardisation of protocols is especially important for assessment of muscle quantity by ultrasonography; BIA measurements may also vary dependent on the equations used. Where possible, participants should be rested prior to muscle ultrasonography and BIA, and flexion of the knees should be avoided. [full text]

… Part of that hustle landed [Abby] Wambach among the ownership group of Angel City FC, Southern California’s newest professional team, which will begin play in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022. And she’s promising to use that position to level the playing field for women athletes by pushing for higher salaries, better working conditions, even 401(k) benefits so they too can retire with dignity, not debt.

It’s a new approach to an old problem. Rather than waiting for enlightened team executives or progressive sponsors to advocate for women athletes, Wambach has gone inside the owners’ suite to join with a number of other like-minded women to force that change.

… When Liverpool spent money on Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas in the last transfer window, more or less every part of Klopp’s squad had been seen to. They had additional threats in midfield and attack as well as a long-awaited deputy to Andrew Robertson at left back.

However, long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez decimated the Reds’ centre back partnership. Continued injury issues for Joel Matip, too, mean that Klopp is skating on very thin ice at the back. The fact that Fabinho, Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips stand as the league leaders’ primary defensive options shows just how stretched they are right now.

… While the former MVP will join superstar Kevin Durant and, potentially, Kyrie Irving, who is currently out for personal reasons, the move will cost Harden money. The Rockets had offered him a two-year, $103 million extension that would have followed the $133 million he is already owed over the next three seasons. The Nets will be unable to offer such an extension due to salary cap restrictions.

Harden also leaves Texas, one of nine states without an income tax on wages, for New York, one of the nation’s highest taxing states. While Harden will continue to be owed the same amount of money over the next three years, his pay will be subject to an approximately 12.7% tax rate between New York State and New York City.

In November, we ran the numbers on a Harden trade to the Nets. The short of it: He’ll pay an additional $13.6 million in taxes over the next three years.