The Real Science of Sport Podcast

This week World Rugby announced that they will be including head accelerations measured by smart mouthguards into the sport's head injury assessment protocols used at the top level of the game to help identify potential head injuries during a game. This is how they work, why the tech could be a game changer and the challenges facing their adoption.Credits: Opening clip Rugby World Cup Youtube channel SHOW NOTESSean Ingle’s piece on the instrumented mouthguard technologyTwo articles that explore the elusive (and likely impossible) concussion threshold And journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/fulltext/2011/01000/biomechanics_of_sport_concussion__quest_for_the.3.aspxRuss Petty tweet on playing time of the semi-finalistsMy article on the iMGs from the Patron page, now public Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keith Lewis is the Laws Co-ordinator at World Rugby and Founder of RugbyReferee.net and is at the fulcrum of many of the law changes in the world of rugby union. The team scrum down to discuss how the laws have changed the game over the years, how to manage the balance between player safety and spectator entertainment and how new laws are introduced into the game. PLUS Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa established a new women's world marathon record at the Berlin Marathon. But how much of a factor is the shoe tech and how do we measure the athletic performance?SHOW NOTES:The article we discussed in the context of how running shoes have undermined all trust in the human contribution to running records, by Knopp The comparison between different shoes, showing large differences within the same runner in different shoes, and between shoesThe paper that Jordan Santos-Concejero commented on, showing that reducing shoe mass makes a difference to running economyThe link between running economy and performanceGuest Keith Lewis’ details:Email: Laws@worldrugby.orgX: @keithlewisrugbyLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/keithlewisrugbyWebsite: rugbyreferee.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Dobson, one of South Africa's celebrated rugby coaches, talks about tactics, halftime pep talks, coaching communication, and bug-free coaching boxes. The podcast explores cauliflower ears, lifting in line-outs, potential rule changes, player welfare, strategic alternatives, and building team culture.

Having just returned from a week at the Rugby World Cup, Prof. Ross Tucker explains the amazing tech used to spot concussions during RWC matches. Plus the team discuss how the tackle rule is not a perfect science and if 'bomb squad' tactics further threaten player safety. PLUS latest doping news and a Vuelta a Espana update.SHOW NOTES:Simona Halep’s 4 year ban announced by ITIA: Paul Pogba’s testosterone failureArticle on the concussion experienced by the AFL player discussion on the showThe piece that describes the “duty of care” arguments and whether such injuries should be thought of as footy incidents or preventable brain injuries, and at what cost to the nature of the sportThe first of three articles that Ross published on how head injuries happen in rugbyThe study that found, among other things, that higher contact tackles are more likely to cause head injuriesThe Head Contact Process Currently used by World Rugby for adjudicating high tackles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ron Rutland, a seasoned adventurer, shares his remarkable cycling journey around the world, covering 100,000 km and 115 countries. The podcast touches on fitness gains, calorie deficits, unique diets, challenges overcome, lessons learned, and life philosophies. Topics also include caddying in Mongolia, nutrition challenges, cycling through mountains, planning and adaptability, reflections on the past decade, altitude's impact on oxygen levels, physical effects on the body, and mechanical problem-solving.

Sean Ingle, Guardian Chief Sports Reporter, discusses the state of anti-doping in sport, conflicts in the media zone, the marketability of the sport and its athletes, and his family history in boxing. They also touch on the upcoming Rugby World Cup and the challenge of preventing and managing head impacts.

Why the Owen Farrell incident may well have saved rugby / Remco Evenepoel takes on the best stage racers at this year's Vuelta a Espana: Can he dominate? / All the best performances and stories from the World Athletics Championships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast explores the effectiveness of the Q-Collar in preventing concussions, debunking its claims and lack of evidence. They discuss woodpeckers showing signs of brain injury, the misinterpretation of altitude's role in protecting against concussions, and the ineffectiveness of the Q-Collar in preventing concussions. The hosts also debunk the pseudoscientific digit ratio theory and highlight the reproducibility crisis in sports sciences.

Day 5 from the World Athletics Championships threw up some intriguing storylines. An upset in the men's 1500m, as history repeated in the GB (actually Edinburgh Athletic Club) vs Ingebrigtsen rivalry, Karsten Warholm returned to the top step of the 400m hurdles podium, and there was an agreed tie for gold in the Women's Pole vault. We discuss the physiological fragility of the 1500m event, ponder fatigue and pacing strategies in the field events, compare Lyles 2023 to Bolt 2009, and Mike gives us insights on Hungarian goulash! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike is on the ground in Budapest, and the duo are doing LIVE Instagram chats every morning, discussing the big stories from the World Athletics Championships. In this episode, we go back to Night 3 to talk about the women's 100m champion and a press conference that Mike attended (and asked a question that got a prickly answer!), and discuss Sha'Carri Richardson's volatile relationship with the media, in contrast to her huge potential upside to the sport. We also talk about Faith Kipyegon's absolute dominance of middle distance running (bordering on invincibility), the heat and humidity in Budapest as a challenge to everyone from the schedule-creators to the shot-putter to the marathon runner. We also open the door on some anti-doping stories, including the potential for a new tool, and a brewing doping controversy.These episodes have been recorded every day on Instagram live (so apologies for some scratchy sound, live from the field), and then all of them are uploaded as Patron exclusives, so if you're enjoying our coverage and feel like being part of the Science of Sport patron community, check us out and consider donating here!Show notes:The article about a tilted runway in the pole vault - Mike and his spirit level are on it!Systematic review on cannabis and its effects on exercise performanceThe Sean Ingle piece about AIU and the new antidoping toolA brief article on Tobi Amusan's whereabouts failure and the prospect of AIU appealing the decision (the full decision is out today, more to come, no doubt) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.