The Real Science of Sport Podcast

Respected sports journalist and writer Clinton van der Berg talks about his journey writing his book 'Guns And Needles: A Journey into the heart of South Africa's sport's steroid and drug culture." Van der Berg shares how he managed to get sports people, accused and convicted of doping, to tell their story; how he found out about the shocking incidences of doping in school and junior sport and why both young and old are susceptible to the performance benefits of illegal supplements and drugs. It's a cautionary tale for amateurs and professionals alike no matter what country you come from.Note: We are aware the sound on this one from Clinton is really poor. We had major connectivity problems over the recording and try as we might to correct it post-recording, we just couldn't. We are really sorry, it's hugely frustrating and does detract from the listen and the content. We can only apologize for it and commit to making sure it doesn't happen again in future. SHOW NOTESAn article about the "sport" of powerslap, as discussed in the Caught my Eye segment If you've got the stomach, here are some examples of why slap fighting is so indefensibleBuy Clinton's book on Amazon here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From sudden death in exercise to risk factors, screening and heart health in sports, the team talk to Dr Jonathan Drezner, Director of the University of Washington's Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology and co-Chair of the UW Medicine Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention Programme. He is Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Sports Medicine and serves as a team physician for the Seattle Seahawks, OL Reign, and UW Huskies.Show notes:Four second power output and performance improvements studyArticle on "exercise snacking" as discussed in the podcastPrevalence of Inflammatory Heart Disease Among Professional Athletes With Prior COVID-19 Infection Who Received Systematic Return-to-Play Cardiac ScreeningPrevalence of Clinical and Subclinical Myocarditis in Competitive Athletes With Recent SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results From the Big Ten COVID-19 Cardiac RegistryA meta-analysis of myocarditis in athletes recovering from Covid 19Really good epidemiologist article on Covid and sudden deaths Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) recently announced a new tackle law which could have far-reaching ramifications for the safety of the game and, potentially, the style of play. The radical change, due to be instituted in the amateur game on July 1, 2023, has met with controversy but will it really put an end to rugby concussions?SHOW NOTESProf Ross Tucker's view on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/posts/lowering-legal-77489775BBC story on Nigel Owens' reaction to the tackle lawhttps://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/64365045#:~:text=Former%20international%20referee%20Nigel%20Owens,from%20the%20Premiership%20and%20Championship.The Guardian story on the new lawshttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jan/20/rugbys-authorities-hit-a-new-low-with-unworkable-change-to-tackle-rulesThe article we discuss with Jordan’s soundbite in Caught my Eye: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17461391.2023.2171907?journalCode=tejs20Two other pieces on the studies and the desire to lower tackle height, in the elite game: https://sportsscientists.com/2018/10/nudge-a-data-driven-attempt-at-reducing-concussion-risk-in-rugby-a-process-explained/?doing_wp_cron=1674539567.3949980735778808593750https://sportsscientists.com/2019/08/protecting-the-rugby-players-head-the-paradox-of-tackler-height-and-head-injury/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode in 2023, the team discuss the pros and cons of early specialisation, alcohol and exercise, ketones and what caused American footballer Damar Hamlin's sudden cardiac arrest in the middle of a game.SHOW NOTES:The bicycling magazine article on alcohol in cycling: https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrition/a42259477/cycling-drinking-alcohol-effects/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_byc&utm_medium=email&date=010223&utm_campaign=nl30130268&user_email=011b810884e3e70b55fc3ab4cdb827f5f8bcb56bf8fd283524686fb8195fcc2f&utm_term=AAA%20--%20High%20Minus%20Dormant%20and%2090%20Day%20Non%20Openers%20%28NEW%29Armand Duplantis documentary: https://www.svtplay.se/video/jxkavqg/armand-duplantis-born-to-fly?position=10&id=jxkavqgZwift Academy documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wGa8Cc1P3oMy Patron article on sudden cardiac arrests and death in young athletes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sudden-cardiac-76864053Commotio cordis article describing how the events happen: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194700Good summary of Commotio Cordis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24760424/Fascinating article on the Italian criminal case brought against a player after a Commotio cordis death: https://vault.si.com/vault/1993/12/06/a-cruel-blow-a-seemingly-harmless-slash-to-the-chest-resulted-in-the-death-of-a-hockey-player-in-italy-now-jimmy-boni-will-go-on-trial-for-manslaughterThe Ketone study showing how ketone ingestion increased EPO levels: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpendo.00264.2022 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team are joined by Sean Ingle, chief sports writer for The Guardian, to talk through the highs, lows, dramas and celebrations from one of the busiest years in world sport. From outrageous cheating and doping scandals to top performances at the World Athletics championships, the ongoing transgender debate, the state of marathon running and super shoes and who really is the great footballer of all time after this year's World Cup?Follow the discussion on Twitter @sportsscipod and on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thescienceofsport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British football journalist Ben Lyttleton literally wrote the book on football penalties. As the author of 'Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty' and 'Edge: What Business Can Learn From Football', Lyttleton is arguably the world's leading authority on the subject. His encyclopedia-like and passionate knowledge of both the game of football and the controversial penalty, make this one of the most entertaining podcasts we have done yet. SHOW NOTES: Caught My Eye The obituary of anti-doping pioneer Werner Franke: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/sports/werner-franke-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShareMain InterviewThe Twitter handle of our guest Ben Lyttleton: @benlyt, or https://twitter.com/benlytBen’s website, Twelve Yards: https://twelveyards.substack.com/Article on where to aim, high or low: https://twelveyards.substack.com/p/high-or-low-where-to-aimFascinating article with video on Neymar’s now illegal stop-start method, and his adjustments: https://twelveyards.substack.com/p/what-neymar-did-nextThe curse of the superstar - why stars miss more penalties: https://twelveyards.substack.com/p/mbappe-culture-and-the-superstarThe study on English players’ failure in shootouts that kicked off this interview: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19058088/Emotional contagion paper, and how player celebrations affect shootout results: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20544488/The most famous penalty miss ever? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8WtxgFvvj0The original panenka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxXWIZULgyw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With World Cup football in the air, the team talk to sports data specialist Omar Chaudhuri, Chief Intelligence Officer of the Twenty First Group, about the stats and data that matter in world football. Chaudhuri explains how data has changed the game, what the numbers say about the best players in the world and who the form teams are for major events like the World Cup. Football fans... this is for you!SHOW NOTES:The home page of Twenty First Group, the company of which OMAR is CIO: https://www.twentyfirstgroup.com/Twenty First Group’s World Cup Hub: https://www.twentyfirstgroup.com/tfgs-fifa-world-cup-2022-hub/One example (of many) that do football analytics including expected goals, xG, as discussed on the show: https://www.infogol.net/enThe Caught my Eye subject - women’s boots and balls: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-63636201 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team gets to grips with the inner workings of a top professional football team in an interview with Nick Chadd, the Head of Sport Science and Strength and Conditioning at Portuguese giants Benfica. Chadd offers a unique perspective when it comes to player management, rest and recovery, talent identification and, most importantly, managing performance. Chadd has previously worked for the City Football Group and Manchester City, the English Institute of Sport, Wasps and Sheffield United. SHOW NOTESArticle on fatigue in football: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18416591/Good concise summary of some of the scientific and physiological elements of football: https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/sse-125-physiological-demands-of-footballLink to the Special Football edition of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/17/9/ijspp.17.issue-9.xml?rskey=U0Zy5b&result=1One article from that special edition, which details how muscle soreness and sleep quantity affect injury risk: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/17/9/article-p1399.xml Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does playing contact sports make you more likely to suffer long-term damage later in life? And does it matter? During the recent International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Prof. Ross Tucker witnessed two sides to a controversial story that has both legal and ethical implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first of a three-part series on rugby union, we discuss the women's game with passionate rugby journalist Jess Hayden. We delve into the rapid growth in participation, viewership and interest in the last five years, and discuss the unique medical and welfare challenges faced by women, and the research that needs to be done to reduce risks to players. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.