1. Introduction
2. What is Power BI and what is it used for?
3. Is Power BI a database?
4. What is DAX in Power BI?
5. Is Power BI better than Excel and Tableau?
6. Is Power BI easy to learn?
7. How to use Power BI in Sports
8. How to learn Power BI
9. Conclusion

Introduction

Microsoft’s Power BI (standing for Power Business Intelligence) has emerged as a potent tool, offering sports organisations a comprehensive solution for visualising, and analysing data. In the ever-evolving landscape of sports analytics, data-driven insights play a pivotal role in shaping team strategies, optimising player performance, and gaining a competitive edge. This article explores what Power BI is, its functionalities, and its specific applications in the realm of sport science, incorporating insights from research studies in the field.

What is Power BI and what is it used for?

What is Power BI?

At its core, Power BI is a business analytics tool developed by Microsoft that enables organisations to connect to various data sources, transform raw data into meaningful insights, and create interactive reports and dashboards. It offers a suite of components, including Power BI Desktop for creating data models, Power BI Service for collaboration and sharing, and Power BI Mobile for on-the-go access. The tool’s versatility and integration capabilities make it a valuable asset in the sport science world. Power BI’s applications in sport science extend far beyond traditional data analysis tools. Researchers and sports analysts leverage Power BI to integrate and analyse data from several sources, ranging from player performance metrics and training loads to injury records and game audits. This holistic approach to data empowers sports organisations to make informed decisions , enhance training strategies, and prevent injuries [1]. 

Functionality

Data Integration – Power BI facilitates seamless integration with various data sources, including wearables, GPS systems, and game databases. This integration allows sports scientists to aggregate diverse datasets for comprehensive analysis.

Data Modelling – The Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) language within Power BI enables the creation of custom calculations and measures. This functionality is invaluable for sports analysts, allowing them to derive advanced performance metrics and insights.

Performance Analysis – Power BI empowers sports organisations to conduct in-depth performance analysis. Coaches can visualise player movements, assess key performance indicators, and identify patterns that contribute to in-game decision-making.

Training Load Monitoring –  By integrating data from GPS Systems and monitoring tools, Power BI aids in tracking and optimising training loads. This functionality is crucial for preventing overtraining, ensuring peak performance, and minimising the risk of injuries.

Injury Prevention – Power BI’s capabilities extend to injury prevention. By analysing historical injury data alongside training loads and fitness levels, sports scientists can identify risk factors and implement targeted strategies to mitigate injuries.

Real-Time Dashboards – The creation of real-time dashboards in Power BI allows for instantaneous monitoring of player metrics during training sessions and games. This real-time visibility enables quick adjustments to strategies based on emerging insights.

As sports science continues to embrace the power of data, Power BI emerges as a crucial tool, unleashing the potential of athletic performance and contributing to the ongoing evolution of sports analytics.

Is Power BI a database?

At its essence, Power BI is not a database in itself but rather a robust business intelligence and data visualisation tool. Its primary function is to connect to various data sources, transform raw data into actionable insights, and present these insights through interactive reports and dashboards. Power BI serves as the bridge between data sources and meaningful visualisations, facilitating comprehensive analysis for decision-makers in sports organisations. While Power BI is not a database, it seamlessly integrates with databases to extract and analyse data. In the context of sport, this integration is crucial [2]. Power BI connects to a diverse range of data sources [3], including player performance databases, training load repositories, and injury records. This connectivity enables data analysts to create unified, comprehensive views of athlete data.

Although Power BI is not a database, databases play a crucial role in providing data for analysis and visualisation within Power BI. It will allow users to connect to a variety of databases to import, transform and analyse their data. It can connect to both on-premises and cloud-based databases including SQL servers [4] and more.

What is DAX in Power BI?

In the dynamic landscape of sports analytics, where every data point holds the potential to uncover insights that can redefine strategies and enhance player performance, the term DAX takes centre stage. Data Analysis Expressions, or DAX, is not merely an acronym but a powerful language within Microsoft’s Power BI. 

DAX, short for Data Analysis Expressions, is a formula language designed to facilitate advanced calculations and aggregations in Power BI, allowing users to create custom measures and calculated columns. DAX operates in the background, empowering analysts to derive meaningful metrics and insights from raw data [5]. You can use DAX to draw insights from relevant research studies and showcase its role as a game-changer in deriving actionable insights.

In the realm of sport science, where the ability to derive nuanced performance metrics is crucial, DAX emerges as a fundamental tool. Researchers and sports analysts utilise DAX to create custom calculations that go beyond standard data summaries. Whether it’s calculating athlete workload, analysing biomechanical parameters, or predicting injury risks, DAX serves as the language that translates raw data into actionable insights.

The Power of DAX in Sport

Custom Metrics Creation – DAX enables you to go beyond standard performance metrics. By creating custom measures, analysts can derive metrics tailored to the specific needs of their sport or team. For example, calculating the efficiency of a football player in terms of goals scored per 90 minutes played.

Dynamic Performance Indices – DAX allows for the creation of dynamic performance indices that adapt to changing game scenarios. This is particularly valuable in sports like football, where the intensity of the game can vary significantly. DAX-powered indices provide a real-time reflection of player workloads and intensities.

Training Load – Training Load monitoring is a critical aspect of sports science. DAX facilitates the creation of workload metrics by integrating data from various sources, including training loads and physiological metrics. Here is an example of a DAX formula which calculates the Acute Chronic Workload Ratio over a 7 to 28-day period.

In the context of Power BI, here are some key points on the importance and how to implement them effectively.

Formulas and Expressions: DAX is used to create formulas and expressions for calculated columns, calculated tables, and measures. It allows users to define custom calculations based on the data in their Power BI model.

Is Power BI better than Excel and Tableau?

In the dynamic world of sports science and analytics, the choice of data visualisation tools [6] holds significant implications for teams and organisations seeking to gain actionable insights from performance data. Power BI, Excel, and Tableau stand out as key players in this field, each bringing unique features to the forefront. Historically, excel has been the most used tool to manage data with its manual integration. Like many things, the choice of tool depends on your specific needs, your organisation’s familiarity with certain tools, and the expertise of your users. Some organisations may use a combination of these tools to cover a range of data analysis and visualisation requirements. However, the tools will all come with their strengths, limitations and some key differences to Power Bi. While they are both powerful tools for data analysis and reporting, they can serve different purposes and have several key differences.

We will delve into the comparative strengths and distinctions between Power BI, Excel, and Tableau, weaving in insights from the sports analytics industry and research studies.

Key Differences: Power BI v Excel v Tableau

Integration 

Power BI’s seamless integration with Microsoft services offers sports organisations a streamlined approach to data analysis. For teams using Azure, SharePoint, or Dynamics 365, Power BI aligns seamlessly with existing infrastructures. Excel, while part of the Microsoft ecosystem, may require additional steps for comprehensive sports analytics. Tableau, while not intrinsically linked to Microsoft, provides connectors for various data sources, enabling integration with diverse sports data ecosystems.

In-Depth Data Modelling

Power BI’s robust data modelling capabilities, driven by the DAX language, empower data analysts to create intricate relationships and calculations. This proves essential in the context of athlete performance analysis, enabling the extraction of nuanced insights from training and game data. Excel, with its versatility, may require additional effort for complex data modelling. Tableau, known for its visual prowess, may not match the depth of data modelling provided by Power BI, making it crucial for teams seeking detailed performance metrics.

Scalability

In terms of scalability, both Power BI and Tableau outshine Excel. Power BI’s cloud-based service allows for robust sharing, collaboration, and real-time updates, crucial for sports organisations with extensive datasets. Tableau excels in handling large datasets efficiently, offering optimised performance and interactive dashboards. Excel, while widely used, may encounter limitations in efficiently handling the extensive datasets common in sports analytics.

Budget Considerations 

The financial aspect is a significant factor for sports organisations of varying sizes. Power BI’s flexible pricing model, especially suitable for small to medium-sized teams, makes it an attractive choice. Excel, as part of the Microsoft 365 suite, is widely accessible but may involve additional costs for advanced analytics features. Tableau, with its powerful analytics capabilities, tends to have a higher upfront cost, potentially aligning with the needs of larger sports organisations with robust analytics requirements.

Learning Curve

The learnability of these tools is a crucial consideration for sports organisations with varied technical expertise. Power BI, with its user-friendly interface and extensive learning resources, is often considered easier to learn compared to Tableau. Excel, with its widespread use, has a familiar interface but may pose challenges when transitioning to advanced sports analytics. Tableau, known for its intuitive design, may have a steeper learning curve for users new to visual analytics but offers a powerful platform for sophisticated sports data visualisation.

In the dynamic landscape of sports analytics, the choice between Power BI, Excel, and Tableau involves careful consideration of organisational needs, data ecosystem preferences, and budget constraints. Power BI’s integration with Microsoft services, Excel’s versatility, and Tableau’s visual analytics capabilities each cater to specific requirements.

As sports organisations seek to unlock the full potential of their data, the research-backed understanding of these tools becomes paramount. Integration capabilities, in-depth data modelling, scalability, cost, and user-friendliness should guide the selection process. Ultimately, the optimal choice aligns with the unique needs and goals of each sports organisation, ensuring they harness the full potential of their data for strategic decision-making on and off the field [7].

Is Power BI easy to learn?

Power BI is designed to empower users with the ability to connect to diverse data sources, create data models, and generate interactive reports and dashboards. Its user-friendly interface, seamless integration with Microsoft services, and a vibrant online community contribute to its appeal. However, the ease of learning any tool [8], including Power BI, is subjective and depends on factors such as prior experience, familiarity with data concepts, and the complexity of the analyses intended.

Interface and Integration

Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem 

Power BI’s seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, including Azure, SharePoint, and Excel, contributes to its user-friendliness. For sports organisations already using Microsoft services, the transition to Power BI is often smoother.

Drag and Drop Functionality

The drag-and-drop functionality in Power BI allows users to create visualisations without extensive coding. This is particularly beneficial for sports scientists who may not have a deep programming background but want to derive insights from performance data.

DAX for Advanced Users

While Power BI caters to users with varying levels of expertise, it also offers advanced capabilities for those seeking to delve deeper. The Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) language allows for the creation of custom calculations, providing a more sophisticated layer of analysis for advanced users in sports science.

How to use Power BI in Sports

In the highly competitive time in sport, where every data point can make a difference in training, strategy, and player performance, the adoption of advanced analytics tools is becoming increasingly prevalent. Power BI can be the tool that stands out as a versatile and powerful solution to unleash the potential of your data and gain actionable insights.

Power BI’s strength lies in its ability to connect to diverse data sources, including fitness trackers, player databases, and game statistics. Integrating these disparate datasets creates a comprehensive view of athlete performance, enabling sports scientists to derive insights that go beyond individual metrics [9].

Creating Dynamic Dashboards for Real-Time Insights – Power BI allows sports organisations to create real-time dashboards that provide instantaneous insights during training sessions and games. This capability is invaluable for coaches and analysts seeking to make quick, data-driven decisions based on the unfolding dynamics of the match or practice.

Workload Monitoring for Injury Prevention – Power BI facilitates the integration of training load data from wearables and monitoring tools. This integration is crucial for workload monitoring, enabling sports scientists to track and optimise training regimens to prevent overtraining and reduce the risk of injuries.

Research Insight – Reducing Injuries Through Load Management – A study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine highlights the role of workload monitoring in reducing injuries among athletes. Power BI’s capabilities align with this strategy, providing a tool for sports organisations to implement effective load management practices [10].  

Collaboration and Sharing Insights

Power BI Service: Power BI Service, the cloud-based platform complementing Power BI, facilitates collaboration by allowing users to share reports and dashboards securely. Coaches, analysts, and players can access insights from anywhere, fostering a collaborative and data-driven approach to performance optimisation.

How to learn Power BI

Embarking on a journey to master Power BI is facilitated through our comprehensive course tailored explicitly for sports professionals. The course covers a spectrum of topics, from connecting to databases to advanced DAX calculations. Real-world examples from sports science scenarios ensure practical applicability, providing a competitive edge in the dynamic landscape of sports analytics. ‘Power BI for Sports’ allows you to understand the full use and potential of Power BI, creating visually appealing reports to help you answer performance questions.

In the course, datasets are provided which will allow you to answer questions such as:

• What was the output of a training session?
• How does the athlete’s wellness scores compare to their average scores?
• What has the athlete done in comparison to their max data over a period of days?

This course is broken down into 15 sections:

1. About the tutor
2. Introduction to Power BI
3. Objectives
4. The Set Up
5. Calculated Columns
6. Visualisation and Designing
7. Creating Measures
8. Conditional Formatting
9. Creating Tables and Compare to average
10. Advanced Tips and Tricks – Images
11. Advanced Tips and Tricks – AC Ratios
12. Advanced Tips and Tricks – Weekly Variances
13. Advanced Tips and Tricks – Z-Scores
14. Exporting your Report and Conclusion
15. Quiz & Certificate

There are also plenty of resources posted daily on LinkedIn and other professional platforms, giving access to sample data allowing for practice creating reports and dashboards; hands on experience is invaluable. Connect with professionals who use Power BI on LinkedIn and join relevant professional groups to stay updated and network with others in your field. 

Access our mini-course on Power BI for Sports Science today for free when you start a 7-day free trial.

Conclusion

As a tool, Power BI goes beyond being a mere data visualisation platform; it becomes a strategic tool for sports organisations seeking to unlock the full potential of their data and athletes.

From integrating datasets to creating dynamic dashboards, from elevating performance metrics with DAX to monitoring workloads for injury prevention, Power BI proves to be a versatile and indispensable component for data & performance departments. Its user-friendly interface, seamless integration, and collaborative features position it as a catalyst for innovation in sports science.

As sport science continues to evolve, the role of Power BI will likely become even more pivotal. Its adaptability to the unique needs of sports organisations, coupled with its capacity to turn raw data into actionable insights, makes it a driving force in shaping the future of sports analytics.

The post Power BI for Sports Science appeared first on Science for Sport.

Virtual reality for sports training is becoming an option for many athletes. While it’s not for everyone, it does have potential to help support the development of technique and even help minimise some injury risks.

By Dr. Tom Brownlee
Last updated: February 29th, 2024
7 min read

Virtual reality for sports training: Should you dive into ‘VR’?

November 22, 2003 was the date of one of England’s greatest sporting achievements of the modern era. In Sydney, Australia they dramatically won the Rugby World Cup in the last minute of extra time with a drop goal from Jonny Wilkinson.

The team that played that night quickly became legends across the country, with many receiving honours from the Queen. One of them was hooker Steve Thompson. You would expect that World Cup win was the greatest of Thompson’s life, yet in 2020, he said in an interview he didn’t even remember playing in the match. This wasn’t just a case of adrenaline blurring out the details as we hear from sports stars after victories either. This was very likely CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, coupled with early-onset dementia. CTE is a gradual shrinking of certain key areas of the brain and it is not uncommon in athletes.

There has been a lot in the news in recent years around concussion in sport. Maybe you’ve seen the 2015 Will Smith film Concussion that considered how repeated blows to the head while playing American football can add up to cause some very serious consequences. It is likely the multiple concussions and blows to the head Thompson received during his career had contributed to his condition.

Perhaps you’re already putting two and two together in your head? Contact sports like American football, rugby and Australian rules football are hugely physical – maybe this was inevitable?
However, perhaps even more frightening (given the nature of the sport), is the increasing frequency with which soccer players are reporting signs of dementia. This is thought to be linked not to impact with other players, but to heading the ball. Many high-profile players have spoken out about this, including former England captain Terry Butcher, who called for the gradual phasing out of heading to prevent “catastrophic” brain injuries.

As a result of the growing awareness around head injuries, there are many new protocols in place across sport. These range from the use of independent doctors in some sports to ensure player safety is prioritised ahead of team needs following a knock, to a reduction in the amount of heading allowed in youth soccer practice in the US.

More recently, advances in technology have helped, offering training alternatives to hopefully reduce the incidence of head injuries altogether. Additionally, such advances may help with diagnosis and monitoring of head injuries should they occur. One such technology that you may not have considered in this fight is virtual reality.

What is virtual reality supposed to do?

For a lot of us, we hear words like Alzheimer’s and dementia and place them in the same bracket as sorting out your pension – something we don’t need to think about as they’re the concern of old people.

In reality, though, when you consider the number of ex-athletes who are being diagnosed with such issues, it certainly is something we should pay a lot more attention to. This is especially the case when you consider many of these diagnoses are not linked to crunching tackles in rugby or body-rattling collisions in contact sports. In fact, as is the case in soccer, they’re a result of many accumulating small head impacts, such as simply heading a ball throughout a career.

Often, in fact, these repetitive head impacts (RHI), also known as subconcussive impacts, are so innocuous they do not even register to the player or staff that they’ve occurred. But they add up.

This is where virtual reality may come in. It has attracted much interest as a training solution because it not only allows safe, repeatable training tasks, but it affords complete control over the training environment. Before sport, these benefits made virtual reality a favourite for training surgeons. Obviously, this is an environment where you don’t get much wiggle room to make mistakes!
Although, it’s accepted this removes the vital stress elements of the task, which we might equate to playing in front of 80,000 people, but it does provide a useful learning platform. It is with these reward-without-risk benefits that there is potential of carryover to sport.

One key factor here though is realism. As humans, we have a great ability to disengage from the unrealistic, which is why as computer games graphics continue to improve, their popularity continues to grow. Virtual reality technology now is at a point where our brains are willing to accept what we see when we are immersed in that space. This can go as far as to even include the details of opposition players,  specific stadia and the ability to program in actual events that took place in yesterday’s match.

This enables a multitude of uses across a growing number of sports. Briefly, this could be replaying a set piece where an error was made in the match at the weekend or allowing a rehabilitating player to immerse themselves in recent action so they can still consider their decision-making during such plays.

But back to concussion. There is growing evidence that skill acquisition (the way we improve at the technical and tactical side of a sport) and virtual reality can co-exist. So, let’s have a look at the evidence to see how sportspeople in the near-future might be able to continue to hone their skills while reducing the risks associated with head injuries.

The science of virtual reality for sports training

Research into virtual reality and sport has typically focused on closed skills such as golf putting and goalkeepers catching crosses rather than more chaotic match play. The reason for this has been due to limitations in technology. But as stated above, this is quickly becoming less of an issue. In fact, a recent paper found virtual reality technology is now sufficiently good that it can differentiate between novice and professional players. This is really important, as it means if professionals want to use the technology, it will actually recognise their ability level and respond more critically.

This may be different to the experiences of those who can remember the good old Nintendo Wii where anyone could bowl a strike or serve an ace! In fact, such platforms may have potential for use especially with athletes who are injured and need to maintain a level of perceptual-cognitive skill while avoiding the physical load experienced in real environments. And this, of course, is key with head injuries.

If we are able to train soccer players how to head a ball without the impact, or train an AFL player how to ‘mark’ a high ball without the genuine threat of being smashed by the opposition, or train a running back how to pick a line through the defence without having their head taken off, then we could really be onto something. Couple this with an increasingly immersive experience, and use of technologies could soon become the norm.

Is ‘VR’ something that might work for you?

This technology is rapidly improving and for some of these more complex tasks it’s reasonable to think it isn’t far away at all. Some of the top sports teams in the world are already using some of the more advanced technologies. The advantages will go one step further than solely helping to prevent brain injuries as well.

Practically speaking, real-world training is always subject to constraints of time, geography, equipment, weather, or number of participants. These could all be remedied by the option of playing in a virtual world.

It’s also important to point out that of course virtual reality won’t be replacing training entirely! Of course, there is still the fitness side of any sport to consider that can’t be achieved without getting a sweat on while on the field.  It does, however, have huge potential to help support the development of proper technique which, as has been suggested across the research, could help promote safer options when it finally comes to game situations.

‘VR’ and sports: Take-homes

A growing body of evidence supports negative consequences for some players as a result of repetitive head impacts that occur in both training and matches. Sporting authorities continue to fund further research into the area as well as issuing new guidelines to make current practices safe.

However, by reducing the opportunities to practice certain important skills, concerns about a lack of technique when in game situations have been raised. Virtual reality offers a solution by allowing players to practice in a realistic and safe environment. This means if players are to compete normally, it can hopefully be done in a safer way with good technique, improved partly virtually, to help reduce head impact forces.
CTE can currently only be diagnosed after someone has died and the brain can be examined. Steve Thompson has now pledged his brain for research after his death. As tragic as his and others’ stories are, perhaps advances in technology now mean that in the future such incidents will be far less common.

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Dr. Tom Brownlee

Tom is an assistant professor in applied sports sciences and has worked with elite sports for over 10 years. Previous roles include working as a sports scientist at Liverpool F.C., where he completed his Ph.D., and working across a number of other sports. He is passionate about physiology, coach communication, and high-performance strategy and systems.

Tom graduated with a BSc in 2011 before undertaking an MSc at Loughborough University. He has published 25 academic papers on strength and conditioning, nutrition, and youth development in Sports Medicine, the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, and others. Tom also now supervises a number of his own Ph.D. students around the world embedded within sporting organisations.

More content by Tom

The post Virtual reality for sports training: Can VR help athletes? appeared first on Science for Sport.

• Load management is one of the most important factors when it comes to reducing the risk of injuries in youth athletes.
• Research shows load changes of more than 15% from the week prior can increase the risk of injury by close to 50%.
• There are two types of loads to be aware of: internal and external loads.

Load management: It’s not just for the elite level of sport

Coaches of young athletes must be aware of their athletes’ physical training loads to minimise injury risk, a leading high-performance coach says.

While it’s not possible to completely prevent injuries, knowing exactly how much and how hard athletes were training was one way to help keep them fit and healthy.

“Injuries are often out of our control, but if we can educate people and train them in the right ways, then that should hopefully reduce injuries,” Sean Potter, an Australian-based high-performance coach with extensive history training young athletes, said during his mini-course on ‘Youth Injury Reduction’.

“[Load management is] one of the most important factors when it comes to reducing the risk of injuries in youth athletes. There’s not one short way to prevent injuries, other than load management. Injuries will occur, but we just hope that when all the right systems are in place, it reduces that risk.”

Know what data to look for

Potter said there are two types of load to be aware of: internal and external.

External load is the external stimulus applied to the athlete, such as work completed, distance run or weight lifted. Internal load is the individual psychological and physiological response to the external load.

Potter said there were various methods to track internal load, including sessional Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), heart rate, and wellness questionnaires. In terms of tracking external load, GPS units and activity trackers were the best simple options for younger athletes.

Tracking loads helped coaches be aware of any changes in workload, with a difference of 15 percent from the previous week increasing the risk of injury by almost 50 percent.

“That is massive. That is a huge potential injury risk by just going a little bit above or below and then trying to compensate,” Potter said.

The importance of strong coach-athlete relationships

Developing strong coach-athlete relationships and instilling knowledge were also vital in the fight to prevent injuries, Potter said.

“Get to know your athletes – they’re people, not just your athletes, and they will have things that will make them tick or make them angry just like everyone else,” he said.

How coaches, teachers and youth athletes can best work together

“It’s really important to meet them at their level and build those relationships – once you start to build relationships, they’re more likely to open up to you and tell you what’s going on in their lives [and] you get a picture as to whether you can push them harder or pull back a little bit.

“It doesn’t take much to tip these athletes into some really big overtraining due to the other stresses going on in their lives.

“And if we can build their [athletes’] knowledge base as to the whys around what we’re doing, they’re more likely to take ownership of their own programs. At the end of the day, we’re all striving to develop them and help assist them to move onto the next stage of their careers within their sports.

“And stick to the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) method – you don’t need to create elaborate programs and plans, we’re working with youth athletes with some pretty significant limitations. We need to make sure it’s simple and effective.” 

The post How load management can help reduce injury risk in youth athletes appeared first on Science for Sport.

The exact mechanisms behind music and exercise performance aren’t well understood. However, it does seem the tempo of your music may affect your strength and endurance performance.

By James de Lacey
Last updated: March 1st, 2024
5 min read

Music in sport and exercise: Performance-enhancer or placebo?

Picture this: It’s your personal record set of squats. You approach the barbell, psyching yourself up as you visualise a successful lift. As you get under the bar, Katy Perry starts blasting through the gym speakers.

Complete mood killer (or enhancer, if you’re into it). So, you ask yourself, “why did I forget my headphones on my heavy squat day?” and secondly, “does listening to my favourite music even improve my exercise performance?”
While I can’t tell you why you forgot your headphones, I can certainly try to explain whether music helps or hinders performance.

Does music tempo impact exercise performance?

You might be someone who likes to plan your tracklist based on where you are within your workout. Maybe you like a bit of Celine Dion while you warm up and then work your way into some Linkin Park or harder dance music as you approach your working sets. Or perhaps you just blast your favourite hardcore tunes as soon as you set foot in the gym.

Interestingly, it seems that the tempo of your music may affect your strength and endurance performance. For example, it has been found that listening to stimulative music can lead to greater strength as opposed to sedative music or white noise.

What is considered stimulative music, you ask? Anything approximately 134 beats per minute (BPM), which would be equivalent to a typical house music track. Sedative music, on the other hand, is approximately 90BPM, a similar tempo to your grandad’s favourite jazz jam.

Another reason to pump up the tunes like it’s a Saturday night out and not a lazy Sunday is that listening to sedative music has been shown to produce strength values even lower than white noise! So, it seems you’re better off listening to no music than slower, more relaxing tunes.

But what about music of even faster tempos? Will that enhance your exercise performance even further? Listening to music at tempos of 170-190BPM (drum and bass tempo and higher) not only makes exercise feel easier than when listening to slower music, but can also help increase one rep maxes!
While the tempo of music seems to influence exercise performance (at least within the general population), what if the music that psyches you up the most is actually low tempo?

How does your favourite music affect exercise performance?

Some of you just may not like fast tempo music and the thought of suffering through music that you hate, in the hope that it will make you stronger or go longer, is nauseating.

Luckily, it seems there is another factor at play. That is, choosing the music you like. Self-selecting your favourite music has been shown to increase jump squat take-off velocity, rate of force development, bench press performance, and feelings of vigour before exercise compared to listening to no music.

Music-associated gains aren’t just limited to the gym, though. On the bike, your preferred music may also help you cycle further at high intensities, and if you’re a rower, it could even help shave a few seconds off your time trials.

So why is it that music has a performance-enhancing benefit on exercise?

Music’s impact on exercise performance

The exact mechanisms behind music and exercise performance aren’t well understood. However, some research suggests arousal and motivational factors are improved with music, and may play a part in the associated performance benefits.

Others have suggested it’s the rhythmic nature of music that plays an important role in cyclic endurance activities such as cycling, rowing, or maximum repetitions of the bench press. Further, this rhythmic pattern can help correct errors during movement and facilitate task execution by influencing coordination and emotional responses.

In fact, music can be such a powerful stimulant to the brain that it is more difficult to ignore it than it is to interact with it.

For example, during a three-year study, elite weightlifters listened to music during their training and 89% of them improved the quality of their training. Additionally, 97% and 98% of the lifters increased the number of sets and reps they performed and could lift more weight when training with music.

While self-selection and tempo of music seem to enhance exercise performance, it’s natural to question whether it’s simply the music itself leading to these positive effects, or whether it’s something more.

How self-selection may be your secret weapon

The act of self-selecting your music may in fact be a more potent performance enhancer than the type of music itself. The motivating effect of a specific song may be very influential in exercise performance because of the way it makes you feel. For me, deep rolling baselines get me through any heavy, gut wrenching set. The deeper and darker, the better. Overthinking – Kasra, Enei, & DRS is a great example.

This influential effect is not exclusive to music, though. It seems to carry over into other areas where self-selection can be used. For example, it’s been found that self selecting punch combinations can help increase how fast and hard world champion kickboxers can punch.

Choosing how much your loads are increased by (and decreased by if failing an attempt) during a 1RM squat test can lead to lifting more, and choosing which hand you start with during a grip-strength test can help you squeeze even harder.
But it doesn’t stop there! Professional basketball players have jumped higher and produced more force when jumping after self-selecting how many squat jumps they performed during testing.

The moral of the story here is that self-selection can be a powerful tool for improving all kinds of exercise performance, music selection included. So, when it comes to organising your playlist for a training session, pick the songs you love!

Music in sport and exercise: Key points

1. Choose your favourite music tracks for your big training sessions. These ideally should be your favourite faster tempo songs. Drum and Bass music is approximately 174BPM, making it a great high tempo genre choice, if you enjoy it. But don’t be limited by tempo!
2. Periodise your music based on your training cycle. Slower BPM for easier weeks and faster BPM for harder weeks. Or it could even be your absolute favourite songs of all time on your harder weeks and other songs you only somewhat enjoy on easier weeks. This will help prevent music ‘burnout.’

Bonus track: Here are some of my favourite tunes to train to

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James de Lacey

James was the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Romanian Rugby Union. He has previously worked in America’s professional rugby competition Major League Rugby with Austin Elite and the NZ Women’s National Rugby League Team. He is a published author and has completed a MSc in Sport & Exercise Science from AUT, Auckland, NZ.

More content by James

The post Music and exercise: Can your favourite tunes really improve performance? appeared first on Science for Sport.

Compression garments are everywhere nowadays, from elite athletes down to the average Joe. But what are they supposed to do, do they work, and should you be using them to improve your recovery?

By Dr. Tom Brownlee
Last updated: February 29th, 2024
9 min read

Compression garments: Crucial recovery aid, or just a fashion trend?

I first started taking sport seriously more than 20 years ago now – that makes me feel very old. Back then, I was a track and field athlete – a triple jumper in fact. I was okay at it, but I definitely took it seriously. I trained three to five times a week, on the track and in the gym, and I wanted to be the best I could be. I was a member of my local team, which had a strong pedigree and provided a good environment for me to improve.

As young sportspeople do, I began to pick up some of the traits of my peers at the club – buying similar spikes to them and also copying some of the other clothing choices they made. This included lycra. I don’t remember really considering this to be unusual, but I think at the time it probably was. Back then, unless you did gymnastics, cycling, track and field or were a keen aerobics participant (a type of group exercise class – ask your mum or dad) lycra wasn’t really all that common. How times have changed…
I’m not going to stray into fashion here and start talking about activewear but now, lycra is a staple in most people’s wardrobes. Whether this is to go to the gym in, to wear under your shorts for rugby training, a full kit for the ‘MAMILs’ amongst us, or those weird sleeve-only things that NBA players wear, there’s a lycra option for your needs! 
Rather than listen to my sartorial musings, we’re going to focus today’s blog on a particular kind of lycra clothing – the compression garment. Added to the list of massage guns and GPS devices, one of the most commonly seen bits of sports technology across social media, where so much advertising is done these days, are compression garments. They are supposed to aid with recovery through squeezing the muscles in a way to rid them of their evils – or something like that. They mainly come in the form of socks, shorts and short- and long-sleeve tops and are worn under your normal gear, or sometimes standalone. They’re sold by pretty much all of the big hitters and are also pretty tight – obviously.

So, let’s consider what is going on here. What are they supposed to do, do they work, should you be using them to improve your recovery and was I ahead of my time as a 15-year-old in full-length lycra trousers all those years ago?!

Fresh as a daisy…

When we exercise, especially when we do something we haven’t done before or we ramp up the challenge, we get sore. This soreness is a sign that our body has done something difficult, and it has to repair in a way that makes it able to cope with it should it experience it again. This principle of overload, when sustained during an exercise program, is what enables us to get fitter, stronger, bigger etc. This soreness usually only lasts a day or two but during that period it’s advised that you don’t work those muscles again at a high intensity.

Depending on your goals, this can be frustrating and not aligned to what is required of you. For most of us, this isn’t a huge issue, as we can take a little extra time between sessions. If you’re a professional though, and you have a soccer match on a Sunday and another on a Tuesday, or a tennis Grand Slam match that occurs over two days, you may not appreciate that soreness much at all! As such, methods to relieve this soreness including massage, foam rolling, ice baths and compression garments have crept into use. Some professional soccer clubs now even have members of staff dedicated to heading up recovery strategies, such is the importance of having the best players firing on all cylinders during key periods of the year.

The science of the squeeze

The theory behind the use of compression garments is that they have two main periods of use – during and, more commonly, after exercise. During exercise, it is thought they aid improved blood flow, therefore providing working muscles with more oxygen. The theory here is that as the blood returning from the lower body is having to work against gravity, squeezing the veins increases that pressure, a bit like how squeezing a hosepipe increases the water pressure – it aids the system in becoming more efficient. This would reduce the perceived difficulty of exercise at a given intensity, which we would all appreciate. It is also thought that the factor of wearing tighter-fitting clothing aids our proprioception, or our ability to know where our body is in space. This might sound a little odd but it is thought this will improve our ability to maintain a correct posture, which can help to make us more efficient.

Following exercise, as we’ve alluded to, compression garments aim to minimise delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This is the specific muscle ache we have the day after a hard session. It is thought this is achieved through some of the same mechanisms as having a massage. It is thought they also increase the temperature of the muscle they are around. This also promotes blood flow and can promote healing.

Lastly, there are some rumblings that compression garments are able to reduce injury risk. This is linked to the fact that by aiding the warming of our muscles, we may be less likely to strain or pull a muscle.

Wouldn’t it be great if all of that were backed by science? Well, let’s see what we can unearth.

Starting off with the claims for use during exercise, it doesn’t seem like we are off to a great start. From the limited evidence out there, typically looking at runners, it doesn’t seem there’s much linking compression garments and improved running performance directly. This is likely because our bodies are already pretty good at what they do. When we exercise, the muscles, as well as propelling us around, are squeezing the blood back to our hearts. As a consequence, the addition of a compression garment doesn’t really add much to this system.

It was also hoped that by stopping our muscles from shaking too much when we hit the ground during running, this too may limit the micro-trauma to the muscle, which is associated with soreness. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like there’s too much to this one either. Also, though some studies have found that wearing tighter garments during exercise does indeed improve our proprioception, this hasn’t translated to better performance. Maybe this could be an advantage for those who are trying to overcome serious technique issues but as is often the case with science, we can’t say that for sure just yet.

So, let’s shift our hopes to recovery, and perhaps more where we think these types of clothing can benefit us. Thankfully, here we’re on slightly more solid ground. It does seem there is a link between the wearing of compression garments and reduced muscle soreness and fatigue. This likely is based on more solid foundations as its history lies in the medical rather than sporting realm. Compression has been used for years to reduce swelling after an operation by pushing pooled fluids and blood away from the specific area. This isn’t enough to improve performance during running, as we’ve said, but can be useful during recovery. Often such research points to weight training though, where there is obviously a huge muscular load. The evidence for improved recovery — measured by an ability to reproduce a performance during a 24-hr recovery phase in cycling and running — is limited. There is also limited evidence to suggest that DOMS duration or intensity is reduced following use of compression garments.

Compression garments for sport: Adaptation vs. recovery

One interesting point to consider when thinking about if you need or want compression garments in your life relates to the very thing they are trying to achieve. Compression garments are attempting to rid the system of the chemicals that make us feel sore and stiff. As we said at the start of this blog though, those chemicals are involved in the process of helping us to adapt. This is obviously less of an issue if we’re between matches at Wimbledon or we’ve got the Olympic 100m final tomorrow, but what if we’re trying to train for a four-hour marathon? Surely then we want those chemicals to help us to get fitter, not to dull them down so that we have a few hours where we aren’t so sore.

And this isn’t just the case of elite athletes versus us normals. Consider warm weather training camps that endurance athletes might do, or soccer or rugby players’ pre-seasons – they are very much aiming to adapt. So, this is quite an important consideration for your use of compression garments in sport. But not only that – this logic also applies to ice baths, foam rolling and massage. Sometimes there may be a balancing act between recovery and allowing adaptation but be mindful of your broader goals before you slap on every bell and whistle in pursuit of being 100% for the next session. If your program is correctly periodised and planned, then you won’t always need, or indeed want that to be the case!
Another thing to consider is the specificity of the products themselves. In many of the studies I’ve referred to in this blog, the investigators do not mention the tightness of the products used. As such, it is hard to know how tight they are supposed to be. Potentially, some studies with no positive findings may simply have not used tight enough garments. Scientists do suggest we’re looking for a Goldilocks effect here – it must be tight enough to increase blood flow but not too tight as to stop it. Frustratingly, it doesn’t seem we’re too sure where that level of tightness sits at the moment though.

Despite all of this, I know that some will be confused by reading this. On the other side of this argument is the case for what is probably the strongest reason for compression garments working – the strength of the placebo effect. Maybe the evidence isn’t strong enough to talk you all into purchasing compression garments. And in fact, a lot of them are pretty expensive. But for others, the slightly limited evidence shown here will be irrelevant, as you know it just “works for me”. I would rephrase that as “feel” it works for you rather than “know”, but there’s no doubting the power of placebo.

Maybe I’ll rewrite this in a few years with some more robust studies and we can be more sure one way or the other. For now though it seems that psychological benefits are likely near the top of the list for mechanisms behind any successes linked to compression garments.

Take-home points

It is a shame there isn’t a tighter case to make for the use of compression garments. Having said that, it certainly isn’t the worst sports technology evidence I’ve ever considered. It seems that use during exercise is not as well backed up as it is during post-exercise. It seems that through impacting blood flow, there are positive outcomes in helping people to feel less sore following certain types of exercise. Now you just need to consider whether you actually want to blunt some of these markers of overreaching or whether you’d rather put up with them to benefit from the associated adaptation.

As with so much of sports science, I’m afraid this is a bit of an ‘it depends’ situation. But hopefully now you’re a little clearer on what compression garments are supposed to do, and how close they might be to achieving that.

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Dr. Tom Brownlee

Tom is an assistant professor in applied sports sciences and has worked with elite sports for over 10 years. Previous roles include working as a sports scientist at Liverpool F.C., where he completed his Ph.D., and working across a number of other sports. He is passionate about physiology, coach communication, and high-performance strategy and systems.

Tom graduated with a BSc in 2011 before undertaking an MSc at Loughborough University. He has published 25 academic papers on strength and conditioning, nutrition, and youth development in Sports Medicine, the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, and others. Tom also now supervises a number of his own Ph.D. students around the world embedded within sporting organisations.

More content by Tom

The post Compression garments: Do they actually work? appeared first on Science for Sport.

As Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.” That quote can easily apply to the management and monitoring of training load.

By Cody Roberts
Last updated: March 2nd, 2023
7 min read

Original study

Ryan, G. A., Snarr, R. L., Eisenman, M. L., & Rossi, S. J. (2020). Seasonal Training Load Quantification and Comparison in College Male Soccer Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Rese
Click here for abstract

Background & Objective

Periodising and planning training load (TL) is a great start and important step in the process of setting up a team to be prepared for a competitive season. However, the management and monitoring of said plan is arguably more important, as what looks great on paper does not always play out as expected. As Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.”
When the appropriate variables are collected and managed properly (e.g. modulating training to increase readiness), coaches and athletes succeed. This is done through a combination of measuring both internal and external variables, as well as leaning on both subjective reports (e.g. rating of perceived exertion (RPE) or total quality of recovery (TQR) and objective measures (e.g. total distance (TD) or time spent above a certain speed).

Monitoring multiple TL variables is a constant pursuit that provides coaches with actionable feedback towards each athlete’s response to workload, and it is important to recognise the context, interaction, and specificity of this insight. Therefore, researchers assessed multiple subjective and objective TL measures (e.g. TQR, RPE, heart rate (HR), TD, speed) for a NCAA Division-I men’s soccer, assessing variations based on position across a season.

What They Did

A team of 21 male soccer players (age 19.4±1.4-yr) were assessed over a 14-wk period during their NCAA Division-I season. Players were separated by position (centre forward, centre midfielder, wide midfielder, centre back, and wide back), excluding goalkeepers.

Only full-team (starters and reserves) practices were monitored using heart rate and global positioning system (GPS) technology.

The 14-wk testing period included pre-season (6-wk) and in-season (8-wk) blocks. The pre-season was divided into two 3-wk phases (Pre1 and Pre2), and the in-season block into four 2-wk phases (In1, In2, In3, In4) in order to provide context on competitions during each phase and relative comparison.

Players reported a TQR score upon arrival to training, and an RPE in the 15-30-min post-practice, as subjective-internal measures. RPE was later multiplied by the session duration to provide an ‘RPE Load’ metric. Time spent >85% predicted HRmax, time between 65-85% HRmax, and time <65% HRmax were analysed (%HRhigh, %HRmid, %HRlow, respectively) to represent an objective-internal load measure. Lastly, running speed was measured as time spent(min) >7.2km*h-1 (SZupper) and ≤7.2km*h-1 (SZlower), as well as total distance covered(m) as the objective-external GPS metrics.

The various metrics were analysed for comparison between playing position, as well as phase of the season.

What They Found

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Practical Takeaways

Cody Roberts’ Comments

“The purpose of monitoring is to provide specific feedback relative to the efforts and workloads of an athlete and team. With this insight, coaches can provide training that sufficiently prepares them for competitive demands, prescribing and modifying loads based on recovery needs and readiness level. The most effective way to go about this involves collecting multiple measures to provide context and understanding. Therefore, when aiming to understand an athlete’s psychophysiological state, it is important to collect both subjective (athlete perception) measures, which leans heavily to the psychological component, as well as objective measures, which are direct measurements of an athlete’s physiological output. Likewise, these metrics should provide an accurate representation of the intensity of workload. For example, the upper and lower speed zones identified in this research were arguably limited in identifying high-intensity running, seeing that it was polarised to separate out walking and jogging paces (<7.2-km/h) and anything above being acknowledged as ‘upper speed zones.’ Therefore, critical consideration should be given to identifying truly high-intensity demands (>85%-maximum) for a better understanding of demands and performance.

“By pairing metrics, coaches can support their expectations (e.g. prescribing a high-intensity practice, receiving high RPE reports and noting ample time spent in %HRhigh) and gain understanding (e.g. identifying potential fatigue if RPE and HR is high with speeds and distances decreased). This lends itself to the concept of being ‘data informed’ versus ‘data driven,’ where monitoring data can help to feed expectations and guide training decisions.

“But it is critical to appreciate the complexity of recovery, performance and all the athlete is balancing.”

Want to learn more? Then check these out…

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Want more research reviews like this?

Every coach understands the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest sports performance research like this, but none have the time, energy, or even enjoys spending hours upon hours searching through PubMed and other academic journals. Instead, your precious time is better-spent coaching, programming, and managing all the other more important aspects of your job.

The solution…

The Performance Digest
The Performance Digest is a monthly summary of the latest sports performance research reviewed by our team of hand-selected experts. We sift through the 1,000+ studies published in the realms of sports performance every, single month and review only those which are important to you. Each monthly issues contains 15 research reviews in all of the following disciplines:

This comprehensive topic base ensures you’re constantly expanding your knowledge and accelerating your career as quickly as humanly possible. The reviews are also hyper-focused, 1-page summaries, meaning there’s no jargon or wasted time. We cut right to the chase and tell you what you need to know so you can get back to coaching.

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Cody Roberts

Cody has been a strength and conditioning coach within NCAA Division I sports since 2008. He currently works in Olympic sports at the University of Iowa. He holds a Masters degree in Exercise Science from the University of Kansas (‘10). A former collegiate discus and hammer thrower (University of Kansas ‘07), Cody has also served as an adjunct professor within the Health & Human Physiology department at Iowa, as well a written over 200 research reviews for the Performance Digest since joining the Science for Sport team in 2019.

Cody is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, and a USAW Certified Sport Performance Coach from USA Weightlifting.

The entire psychophysiological process of coaching and athletic development is what drives Cody to learn and engage others daily to best serve and develop the athletes he works with. In his role, he has numerous resources at his disposal (e.g. GPS, force plates, tensiomyography, and other testing/monitoring tools). His experience and application of these tools, implementing consistent and sustainable monitoring strategies, make him an excellent resource for all things technology and monitoring. Aiming to maximize the quest for optimal performance through a holistic and scientific approach.

More content by Cody

The post Training load monitoring: How coaches can effectively monitor multiple variables appeared first on Science for Sport.

High-performance teams are only for the elite level of sport, right? Wrong. You can actually build some great systems for peanuts, even at the lowest levels of sport.

By Matt Solomon
Last updated: February 29th, 2024
1 min read

High-performance teams: Only for elite sport?

Even amateur-level teams are looking to get the edge on their opponents – ideally, with the smallest possible price tag. The secret most clubs don’t know is that you can do this for peanuts, even at the lowest levels of sport.

In episode 100 of the Science for Sport Podcast, sport science legend Dave Tenney joined us to share his one-of-a-kind experience in team infrastructure innovations.

Tenney has worked with a range of professional organisations including the NBA’s Orlando Magic, and the MLS’ Seattle Sounders. He is currently Director of Performance at Austin FC.

Uniquely, Austin FC has just been formed, and Tenney played a pivotal role in the development of its sports performance department. If you want to hear the full story on that, you’ll need to check out the full episode.

During the podcast, Tenney let us in on key performance aspects that any team can improve by adjusting their systems and processes, regardless of whether they have a $40 million training facility like him, or if they train on a cow field the local farmer has lent them.

The importance of strength & conditioning

His first recommendation is the prioritisation of strength training. This appears to still be a debate even at top clubs, but one thing is for sure: at the lowest levels, the local Lionel Messi can make more impact with some additional strength.

“A lot of organisations have infrastructure issues because they’re not prioritising space for something like strength training,” Tenney said.

For professional teams with the cash to splurge on a nice gym, this is an easy solution, but for those that don’t have the backing of the latest Sheikh, there might be a simple solution.

Performing some on-pitch strength and conditioning work could be a simple way to make easy performance gains. This might take the form of some additional sprint work after the warm-up, or bodyweight exercises after the technical session. You could do this by using free resources on the web (cough, Science for Sport, cough).

For teams on a budget that want to take their performance up a notch, a trainer might be available in the local area to write a strength and power program for the whole team, and/or assist in some on-pitch work. The monthly cost could be as little as one post-match beer per person when split over a team.

On an even tighter budget, the local university might be able to offer students who can help for a fraction of the price of an experienced coach.

Invest in recovery

This appears to be an under-addressed area of performance, even at top teams.

“Most people above us [in the organisation] focus on the work being performed, and I think oftentimes they’re not really focusing on the recovery side,” Tenney said.

Recovery is essential if you want to perform at your best, we all know this and have heard it thousands of times. For elite teams, this might mean throwing cash at ice baths, compression boots, or napping rooms.

“Recovery is probably the area where I see the most innovation happening by practitioners,” Tenney said.

Obviously sleeping (get your eight hours) and eating like a grown-up are essential parts of the recovery process. This is true for any athlete at any level. But when you’re on a budget and can’t afford a chef, what are the possibilities?
Well in my experience of amateur sport, most post-match meals are deep-fried rubbish, which makes it hard to believe that clubs are taking the health, recovery, or performance of their players seriously. A simple adjustment here would be to make a home-cooked meal packed with carbs, protein, and some veggies. Everyone can make spaghetti bolognese, which begs the question: why aren’t Sunday league teams giving their players a good recovery meal?

Another option could be the addition of a cool down after the game – most amateur teams skip this entirely, despite it being a great option to relax the players and maybe even improve performance aspects like mobility.

As most trends trickle down to amateur sport, it seems like the renewed focus on recovery at the highest level might find its way to your local club sooner rather than later.

“A lot of the innovation I see is how teams are using infrastructure to create recovery spaces,” Tenney said.

Just don’t expect the latest state-of-the-art facilities like Dave has at his disposal.

Some more tricks of the trade

If you want to hear more budget-busting tips and how Dave developed a high-performance department from scratch, hit the link below to listen to episode 100 of the Science for Sport Podcast.

You can download the podcast on any of the big hosting services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or just use this link: https://scienceforsport.fireside.fm/100
Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and be sure to give us a review and rating too!

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Matt Solomon

Matt is a strength and conditioning coach at Team NL (Dutch Olympic Team). He was also the Lead Academy Sports Scientist/Strength and Conditioning coach at Al Shabab Al Arabi FC. For Science for Sport, Matt works as the group manager for the Coaches Club and is the host of the Science for Sport Podcast.

More content by Matt

The post How to unlock high performance on a budget appeared first on Science for Sport.

Concussion is an ever-growing area of concern in many collision sports, but cutting-edge mouthguard technology is being developed in the hope of helping prevent or minimise head trauma.

By Matt Solomon
Last updated: February 29th, 2024
4 min read

Concussion technology – the mouthguards hoping to protect athletes

Massive hits are part of the adrenaline-filled entertainment package that many people love seeing in contact sports. These impacts have been par for the course in combat and field sports for many years but increasing evidence shows serious long-term effects of these impacts. Research suggests that repeated concussions can lead to issues with memory and fine motor coordination.

It is therefore imperative that clubs and organisations better measure these impacts for the health and safety of their players.

That’s why we got Chris Turner (CEO of Sport & Wellbeing Analytics) and Eoin Power (Head of Medical Services at Gloucester Rugby) on episode 95 of the Science for Sport Podcast.

Turner and Power combine years of experience in sport technology with practical advice from the top level of rugby to discuss how player health and performance can be improved with cutting-edge mouthguard technology.

It’s all about the accelerometer chips…

Until recently, a mouthguard was just a piece of plastic that many of us all swiftly spat out during PE lessons as kids. But the pros certainly don’t.

But why did Turner choose the mouthguard in an attempt to improve athlete safety? Well, it turns out this is the perfect place to insert tiny accelerometer chips.

“Previous research used sensors in helmets to try and measure collisions. But the problem you’ve got is that the skin and the hair move independently of the skull,” Turner said.

This means that what a helmet accelerometer reads, and what actually happens, can be drastically different. But cometh the hour, cometh the sport tech.

“So inevitably, that leads to a mouthguard because when you put a mouthguard in, it’s anchored to the teeth and that’s anchored into the skull. And that therefore moves as one,” Turner said.

How this technology helps the pros, and one day amateurs, too

So, what does the mouthguard actually measure? Well, there are loads of potential options, but one simplified measure is ‘contact load’, where many variables are combined to give a total load of the impacts received.

“What we’re measuring is rotational acceleration, which is measured in rads per second, which is gobbledygook to most people. But it also measures linear acceleration in G forces. So we combine those two to create something called a contact load,” Turner said.

With the help of Power, these mouthguards and metrics are transforming the way top teams monitor head impacts in both training and matches. Power gives the example of one of Gloucester’s key players, and how they have adjusted his weekly contact load.

“If we are aware that on a Saturday he’s going to achieve X amount of contacts or X amount of contact load, we’re confident we can reduce his overall contact training from Monday to Friday, to try to keep him fresh. Just exposing him to that minimum dose-response before playing that game. So that’s a really, really useful kind of metric that we use,” Power said.

READ MORE: How can you fast-track your recovery after a concussion?
It’s not only used in player monitoring throughout the week but in rehabilitation, especially after a concussion.

“This software allows us to prescribe exact quantities of contact at incremental periods and add at incremental contact loads, optimising the rehab process,” Power said.

Unfortunately, this technology is not yet available for all levels of sport but provided it’s well researched, it may well be in the future.

“We must start at the right level in a very well-regulated, managed, and monitored environment. And only then do we bring it down to the kids, much as we would love to do that right now. It’s important to take it in the right order,” Turner said.

Is this the future of fighting concussion?

So there you have it, it could be the future of fighting concussion in combat and field sports. However, for now, it’s only available to the pros. But keep your eyes peeled in the future for its release at sub-elite levels.

If you want to hear more from Turner and Power about how these mouthguards are used at the highest level, hit the link to listen to the full podcast.

You can download the podcast on any of the big hosting services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or just use this link: https://scienceforsport.fireside.fm/89
Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and be sure to give us a review and rating too!

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Matt Solomon

Matt is a strength and conditioning coach at Team NL (Dutch Olympic Team). He was also the Lead Academy Sports Scientist/Strength and Conditioning coach at Al Shabab Al Arabi FC. For Science for Sport, Matt works as the group manager for the Coaches Club and is the host of the Science for Sport Podcast.

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The post Concussion technology: The high-tech mouthguards trying to combat concussion appeared first on Science for Sport.

Just a few years ago, suggesting virtual reality as a training method would have got you laughed out of the room – now, many elite and amateur athletes are using it.

By Matt Solomon
Last updated: March 1st, 2024
4 min read

Virtual reality for sports training – is it a legit option?

Virtual reality is changing the way you play and watch sport, whether you like it or not. The only real choice is whether you get on board or watch your opponents outclass you with their superior vision, skill, and performance under pressure.

Just a few years ago suggesting virtual reality as a training method would have got you laughed out of the room – now English Premier League players, among many elite leagues, are using it before they go on to the pitch.

We needed to know how the pros are using this futuristic kit, and how the everyday athlete can use VR to make an impact at all levels. That’s why we welcomed Andy Etches onto episode 99 of the Science for Sport Podcast.
Etches has vast experience in the sport science and data world and is the founder and sport director of Rezzil, a VR software company that works with top athletes throughout the world, including in the Premier League and NBA.

So why would these world-class pros use VR software? Well, firstly, it allows them to review game footage in a realistic environment.

“Premier League teams will use it for the situation analysis – to recreate moments of the game looking at what could have been done better; you know, taking a viewpoint of a player’s actual position in real-time from the game on Saturday,” Etches said.

This has been done for years to improve a player or team’s tactics and decision-making, but until now, never from the player’s own perspective.

So from a real-world perspective, a player can not only better learn how and where they can improve, in fact, they can practice the situation over and over again using VR to replicate the game.

What about VR for rehabilitation?

The second key situation VR is used is during rehabilitation.

“More often (players) will use it for rehabilitation. We can pretty much get you on your feet interacting with a football six weeks post-surgery, maybe a little sooner (even for) an ACL (reconstruction) – we’ve done that with a lot of different clubs, we’ve had some great success,” Etches said.

Clearly, top professionals are doing all they can to improve their game and get a big W on the weekend. But could you really imagine players with VR headsets on, in the changing rooms before a game? Imagine no longer, it’s reality.

“There’s a Premier League goalkeeper who uses it for warm-up and reaction time training,” Etches said.

Passing the pressure test…

It’s not just tactics and reaction times – VR can be used to put players into high-pressure situations such as full stadiums, where they can start to acclimatise to the pressure put on them during a match.

Alternatively, game situations could be sped up in VR, so playing a real game feels like a walk in the park.

“If you’re in a Premier League academy and about to move onto a first team, then we can show you what first-team speed is like and how fast it is. We can also … make it (the game speed) 120 percent. So every player is 120 percent of Cristiano Ronaldo. Then when you’re on the field, everyone else just feels like they’re so slow. You feel ‘I can deal with this, no problem’,” Etches said.

And what about the fans?

The technology isn’t just for elite-level professionals though – players at all levels and in a range of different sports could benefit from training using VR.

“And if you’ve never even headed a ball in your life, there’s UEFA pro coach-designed drills in there that will teach you how to head the ball correctly, and then will also get you moving around a little bit and teach you to position your feet better, for better and better execution of the ball,” Etches said.

So athletes of all ages and abilities could benefit from a wide range of mental, tactical, and technical improvements, but what about using VR to enhance our experience watching sport?
“We’re doing this. So, this is a bit of a reveal. Let’s say you’re sitting on the sofa, and there’s a big miss in the game. And then your mate next to you says ‘I could have scored that’ – all right, put this headset on and let’s see if they can. Literally five minutes after that’s happened, they’ll be able to take part in that and see if they can get on the end of that cross,” Etches said.

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The complete picture for VR and sports training…

So there you have it – if you’re anything like me, you’ve got thousands of thoughts flying through your brain about how VR could be used to improve your own performance or that of the athletes you work with.

These are just a few of the possibilities Etches outlines in the podcast, if you want to hear the full show, just hit the link below.

You can download the podcast on any of the big hosting services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or just use this link: https://scienceforsport.fireside.fm/99
Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and be sure to give us a review and rating too!

Matt Solomon

Matt is a strength and conditioning coach at Team NL (Dutch Olympic Team). He was also the Lead Academy Sports Scientist/Strength and Conditioning coach at Al Shabab Al Arabi FC. For Science for Sport, Matt works as the group manager for the Coaches Club and is the host of the Science for Sport Podcast.

More content by Matt

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Many gym-goers wear trainers or sneakers, but some wear special weightlifting shoes with a built-up heel. And some may have no shoes at all. What is this witchcraft?

By Dr. Tom Brownlee
Last updated: March 1st, 2024
7 min read

What are weightlifting shoes?

There is generally somewhat of a timeline you work through when you first join a gym. You’ve likely found yourself there in the first place as you want to make some kind of a change – you want to be healthier, fitter, stronger … the list goes on. So, you enter.

For many, that timeline begins with the use of cardio equipment or some weight machines. They’re relatively simple to navigate and you may have even used them before. From there, you may catch a glimpse of the free weights section. You may have been told of the benefits or simply have a desire to go over there and give it a shot. And you should, it’s awesome – but that’s for a different blog. This blog will discuss one of the things you might see when you get there.

Often, you’ll see plenty of accessories on the inhabitants of the free weights section that you may not have seen before. Some lifters may have weightlifting belts, or even belts where you add weight to make pull-ups or dips more taxing. You may see chains hanging from the ends of the bars, or straps around the lifters’ wrists to strengthen their grip. But that really is just the start.

Today, we’re going to discuss what happens south of the ankle. What do these guys and girls have on their feet? Some will have the same as you, likely trainers or sneakers. But some may have special weightlifting shoes with a built-up heel. And some may have no shoes at all. What is this witchcraft? Is this the secret of the weights room that’s been shielded from the cross trainers and rowing machines for so long?
Well, we are going to have a look through the science to help us understand the pros and cons of these approaches and figure out which might be the best one for you to get the most out of your sessions.

A brief weightlifting intro

Allow me first to address something that I’m a bit of a stickler for. Weightlifting and weight lifting are different. Weightlifting is what you see in the Olympic Games. It’s the snatch and the clean and jerk. Weight lifting is anything where you pick something heavy up for some kind of athletic reason, often in the gym – confusingly, this can also include weightlifting! The reason for this pedantry is to clarify  what I’m talking about throughout the rest of  this blog.

What do weightlifting shoes do?

Firstly, it’s important to point out that no non-weightlifter needs weightlifting shoes. If they aren’t in your budget right now, then don’t worry – you can still master solid techniques without them. In fact, some coaches actually recommend not using them at first, so you don’t become overly reliant on their benefits. But what are those benefits and why do people wear weightlifting shoes?
We mentioned earlier that weightlifting shoes have a built-up heel – this is the secret to their benefit. If you’ve ever performed a squat, you may have struggled to get as low as you were aiming. This is often a result of having poor mobility at the ankle. It’s something that can be improved over time but certainly isn’t something that will change overnight. A raised heel helps with this by increasing the tibial (shin) angle, meaning that for the same bend at the ankle, you’re able to get down lower. In fact, when wearing weightlifting shoes, you actually bend your ankle less and compensate by bending more at the knee and hip than when wearing normal trainers.

This can also lead to helping more experienced lifters to maintain a more upright torso during some lifts – something that can be really advantageous as it keeps the centre of mass towards the middle of our base of support (basically, directly above and in the middle of our feet). This is especially important as the load increases because it prevents us from losing balance and dropping the weight in front or behind us. It also makes the lift a little easier too.

These changes in position are not to come at the expense of improved mobility and technique, though. In fact, this trunk position benefit has not been shown in less trained back squatters wearing weightlifting shoes. However, considering all we’ve discussed, it seems weightlifting shoes would be advantageous in either of the Olympic lifts as well as other similar movements, including squat and leg press variants.

Beyond the change in shin angle provided by the heel, the wedge itself is very firm. So, unlike a cushioned trainer, when you push down hard during a lift, none of that force is absorbed into the shoe. This is really effective when you get to your heavier loads as you can utilise all produced force in the lift and not lose any through the compression of your shoe heel. It’s the same principle that led to some very quick sprint times at the recent Olympics. In Tokyo, it was the track track that was firm, meaning all force the athletes produced was rebounded back by the springy soles of their shoes, keeping them moving quickly.

Having said that, it’s important to highlight that weightlifting shoes are not essential. Similarly, it’s also important to point out that you don’t need to be an advanced lifter to want to own a pair either. If you’re enjoying lifting and would like some of the benefits, then go for it.

What about lifting barefoot?

We mentioned at the start of this blog that you may have spotted some people lifting in the gym with no shoes on at all. That seems fairly counter-intuitive, keeping in mind what we’ve just said about the benefits of a weightlifting shoe. However, again, this is all about putting you into a better position during the exercise you’re doing. If you’re deadlifting for example, you don’t want to be too far from the floor (as you would be with an elevated heel) because it’d be much harder to get low enough to pick the weight up. In this case, you want to be as low as possible, so you have to move the weight over as small a distance as possible.

This is why many opt for barefoot lifting or wearing very thin-soled shoes, like Converse. Beyond these positional benefits of lifting barefoot, some also suggest it can lead to greater increases in strength. This may be a result of having to work harder when lifting like this, as it requires you to constantly stabilise yourself (a job typically made easier by your shoes), which may be beneficial depending on your goals.

As hopefully you know by now, these blogs are based around science, so let’s have a quick skim around the research to see how that influences our decisions around barefoot lifting. It does indeed appear there are benefits to deadlifting barefoot for the reasons previously stated. The need to lift weight over a greater distance when wearing shoes does lead to an increased force requirement, whereas lifting barefoot makes shifting the same load easier by decreasing that distance, hence, the force required. Having said that, these small differences are likely only of value when lifters are very close to their personal bests. Interestingly, some individuals also prefer squatting barefoot despite the evidence above for a heel raise helping such movements. This may be a preference of some, but it seems that there is no biomechanical advantage obtained in doing so.

While we’re on barefoot lifting, it’s worth a quick public safety announcement to say to be careful when doing so – accidents in the gym do happen!

Some other options

If you’re interested in weightlifting shoes and their benefits but aren’t totally sure about buying some just yet, you might be wondering whether there are any other other options. Well, one quick fix is to use an external wedge under your heel to bring about some of the same advantages. You may have seen this in the gym too, and not really know why people were doing it. The easiest way is to use a small (1.25 or 2.5kg) weight plate under each heel. This has been shown to provide a beneficial position, especially if you’re new to moves such as squatting. This gives the benefit of a more advantageous ankle position before you’ve acquired your new pair of shoes. 

How should weightlifting shoes fit?

If you are interested in purchasing a pair of weightlifting shoes, then ideally, you want to try some out to see how they fit and feel. Brands such as Nike, Inov-8, Risto, Reebok, and Adidas are good places to start. A good retailer will let you try them on and even go through a few unweighted moves to give you the best chance of bagging a pair that feels comfortable and works for you.

Take homes

Weightlifting shoes can offer a real benefit in some of the big lifts in the gym. They can also help if you have mobility issues, though shouldn’t be used at the expense of working on any mobility deficiencies. You shouldn’t feel limited without them or compelled to get a pair, though. Plenty of exercises are not aided by them, and there are even alternatives, such as using an external heel raise if you’d prefer. Barefoot lifting also has some benefits – just be careful not to drop anything on your feet! 
If you are interested in investing in a pair, it is best to try on a few different brands to see how well they fit you and how they feel when you go through the key movements. If you do end up wearing a pair in your local gym, just remember one thing: It doesn’t mean you no longer have to re-rack your weights, no matter what anyone tells you!

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Dr. Tom Brownlee

Tom is an assistant professor in applied sports sciences and has worked with elite sports for over 10 years. Previous roles include working as a sports scientist at Liverpool F.C., where he completed his Ph.D., and working across a number of other sports. He is passionate about physiology, coach communication, and high-performance strategy and systems.

Tom graduated with a BSc in 2011 before undertaking an MSc at Loughborough University. He has published 25 academic papers on strength and conditioning, nutrition, and youth development in Sports Medicine, the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, and others. Tom also now supervises a number of his own Ph.D. students around the world embedded within sporting organisations.

More content by Tom

The post Weightlifting shoes: Are they really needed (and what about going bare feet)? appeared first on Science for Sport.

Optimising and reporting GPS data can feel like a never-ending task, with thousands of metrics and the need for highly specific reporting, so how on earth do you select the right key performance indicators?

By Matt Solomon
Last updated: February 29th, 2024
3 min read

What is the best option for GPS analysis?

Optimising and reporting GPS data can feel like a never-ending task, with thousands of metrics and the need for highly specific reporting, so how on earth do you select the right key performance indicators (KPIs)? If you need to take your GPS monitoring to the next level, episode 76 of the Science for Sport Podcast is essential listening.

In this episode, Mat Pell, applied sport scientist at Catapult Sports, brings amazing insights from the world of American football and explains how these can be used to prepare teams across a range of sports.

REPORT: HOW TO USE ATHLETE MONITORING IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Pell starts by explaining the importance of individualising the data and the reporting process. It sounds obvious, but not all athletes can be measured using the same metrics.

First things first – understand your athletes

“Understanding the positional demands is critical,” Pell said.

This makes intuitive sense – a wide receiver will be covering loads of distance at high speeds, but a defensive linemen won’t be very happy if you asked the same of them. These gargantuan humans fight ferociously, with huge impacts, but they do it in a very small space. When we look at how these athletes can be assessed using GPS technology, we are comparing apples and oranges. Or maybe celery and oranges.

This leads Pell down two very different paths – firstly the path of the wide receiver.

“I’ve been really surprised by the capacity that these guys have. When we look at sprinting, it’s sometimes double what you would see in an AFL [Australian Football League] game,” Pell, who boasts an extensive work history in the AFL industry, said.

Here Pell is using running KPIs, which may include total sprints, sprint distance, and high-speed running. By controlling these factors from a physical perspective, the sport science team can reduce the risk of injuries, which may occur when athletes perform too much high-speed work.

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The other path is that of the really really big blokes.

“Your inside guys are just getting bashed and crashed continually,” Pell said.

These athletes aren’t running very much, which means Pell has to find another metric to ensure that they can quantify the training load.

“Our player load KPI is a validated metric – it’s really good, especially in the management of the bigger players. That’s where player load from a volume perspective [comes in], and then going deeper into that with the respective bands, that is really critical,” Pell said.

How GPS data is used within elite teams

It’s easy to see the depth of analysis and attention to detail that goes into training these athletes and managing their load. In this example, it’s not only the player load that is taken into account but the intensity bands within that KPI. This means the load will be split up into bands of increasing intensity, so sport scientists and coaches can see exactly how much work a player performs, and how much of that is at the highest intensities.

“Player load is just one number, and then we can dive into the detail around the planning aspect of that, which is specific towards each position group. And we need to go deep into that as to how we are managing those individual players,” Pell said.

Pell goes on to discuss some of the inner workings of high-performance teams, specifically how teams can best use communication and data to drive more intelligent solutions and programming. The podcast concludes with a rundown of how Pell would organise his team if he was given a perfect world.

So if you want a glimpse behind-the-scenes in elite level American football or want to get some juicy GPS details, hit the link below to download the podcast now!
You can download the podcast on any of the big hosting services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or just use this link: https://scienceforsport.fireside.fm/76
Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and be sure to give us a review and rating too!

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Matt Solomon

Matt is a strength and conditioning coach at Team NL (Dutch Olympic Team). He was also the Lead Academy Sports Scientist/Strength and Conditioning coach at Al Shabab Al Arabi FC. For Science for Sport, Matt works as the group manager for the Coaches Club and is the host of the Science for Sport Podcast.

More content by Matt

The post GPS analysis: How coaches and athletes can get the most out of it appeared first on Science for Sport.