The Real Science of Sport Podcast

At first glance the story of New Zealand's Zane Robertson is just another web of lies. But is it? The team take a close look at one of the most tragic doping cases in recent times. Plus World Athletics recently announced new rules regarding transgender and DSD athletes. We ask how does the decision impact world sport and particularly the International Olympic Committee?SHOW NOTES:Patron Joshua Stacey the long jump that never quite caught on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp7BclslUyoArticle on the underarm basketball throw that also didn’t catch on: https://www.sportscasting.com/rick-barrys-underhand-free-throws-and-why-nba-players-today-dont-follow-suit/From Patron Travis Hawkins, on the Norwegian protest of their own athlete’s shoe: https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/the-world-triathlon-protest-against-the-norwegians-was-filed-by-the-norwegians/From Patron Travis Hawkins, on the Norwegian protest of their own athlete’s shoe: https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/the-world-triathlon-protest-against-the-norwegians-was-filed-by-the-norwegians/World Athletics’ policy on trans and DSD athletes: Transgender athletes: https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=f911778e-5bfa-4d49-b044-9920fc743216.pdf&urlslug=C3.5A%20%E2%80%93%20Eligibility%20Regulations%20Transgender%20Athletes%20%E2%80%93%20effective%2031%20March%202023DSD athletes: https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=2ffb8b1a-59e3-4cea-bb0c-5af8b690d089.pdf&urlslug=C3.6A%20%E2%80%93%20Eligibility%20Regulations%20for%20the%20Female%20Classification%20%E2%80%93%20effective%2031%20March%202023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past few years English schools have begun to introduce non-competitive sport in an effort to be more inclusive. But is that the right strategy when it comes to producing future champions and developing a 'winning' mentality? The team take an in-depth look into the evidence surrounding the debate and examples of countries that have already rolled out similar plans.> Jump to 45:17 for the main topic.PLUS RED-S in male athletes / Bicarb in endurance sport / shinty drug testing / Remembering Dick Fosbury, the inventor of modern high jumping.SHOW NOTES:Caught My Eye SegmentJake Smith’s Instagram post about his RED-SThe 1984 study on bicarbonate as a performance enhancerA 1993 meta-analysis on bicarbonateA 2022 systematic review on bicarb and performanceA recent article that contains some of Maurten’s promises and promotionsPrimoz Roglic’s glowing endorsement of bicarb. “With 600W it always hurts, huh?"The BBC piece on Shinty’s drug testing plansDavid Epstein’s article on Dick FosburyMain SegmentArticle on how early specialisation and training rather than fun increases injury risk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher McDougal's latest book, Born To Run 2, revisits the barefoot and minimalist movement that upended the world of running over a decade ago when he published his first book Born To Run in 2009. But what does the latest research say and is running barefoot the key to running nirvana?SHOW NOTES:Sean Ingle’s report after UK Athletics announced a “non-policy” recognition of the trans women issue and were corrected by EHRC: The statement by the Equality and Human Rights commissionThe Peter Bol doping story, as submitted by Patron Joshua StaceyThe Connor Benn doping clearance story, with much to be discussed and determinedThe WADA study on clomiphene in eggs: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19440049.2021.1949497The twitter thread that speculates about the use of biomechanics as a way to identify a doperThe article that is skeptical about barefoot runningStudy on stiffness of tendons in cushioned vs minimalist runnersOne of the reviews showing no injury risk difference between shod and barefoot runnersStudy showing successful transition to barefoot running in 71% of runners with a 20 week transition programmeNic Tam’s study on individual responses to barefoot runningNic’s second paper on how individuals respond to a barefoot running programmeNic’s third paper on the effect of fatigue on biomechanics when barefoot vs shod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and motivator Richard Sutton talks about his experiences working with some of the world's best tennis players and within the Chinese Olympic structure. Sutton's unique insight makes for a fascinating discussion on what really motivates success and how it plays out at the top level of sport. Sutton recently released his third book 'Thrive: The Power of Resilience" where he draws on his experience to empower individual and business leaders.SHOW NOTES:Caught My EyeKara Goucher's tweet about Brody Buffington's banning for over-celebration Article on Camille Herron's long run views, with some really interesting discussion on bone stress in response to training, as submitted by Patron Edward PriceArticle mentioning Eilish McColgan’s rebound hypoglycaemia, submitted by Julia Littlefair and hopefully a topic for future explorationStory on South African women's cricket player being left out of national team after failing fitness test, sent in by Graeme Smith as a Caught my Eye Topic.Main InterviewAmazon link to the Richard Sutton's book Richard Sutton's website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.