The Real Science of Sport Podcast

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.

The question as to whether disabled athletes with prosthetic limbs can compete in able-bodied events has been steeped in controversy since the days of Oscar Pistorius in 2009. But since American Blake Leeper hit the headlines in 2019 the debate has been re-ignited with two groups of scientists on opposing sides. We speak to one of the world's foremost biomechanical experts - Dr Peter Weyand, Professor of applied physiology and biomechanics at Southern Methodist University in Dallas - to break down his side of an intriguing15-year-old saga.SHOW NOTESThis week’s caught my eye, on Triathlon’s inaction on shoe technology: https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/world-triathlon-confirms-idens-imwc-shoes-not-illegal-no-rules-on-running-shoes/Some background on the Kenyan doping cases this year, including the “new drug” (old to cycling fans), triamcinolone: https://www.letsrun.com/news/2022/10/2021-boston-marathon-champ-diana-kipyokei-suspended-and-her-agent-doesnt-hold-back-diana-is-completely-guilty-i-am-sorry/Peter Weyand’s Locomotor lab YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/LocomotorLabSMUPeter Weyand’s most recent article on double amputees and sprint performance: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220397The “compromise” paper by Weyand et al prior to the debate and split in the research team: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00174.2009Peter Weyand’s counterpoint response that concludes a 12s advantage to Pistorius: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/japplphysiol.01238.2009aThe CAS Decision on the first Leeper appeal, including the remarkable claims about Leeper’s true ability (372 & 373): https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Award__6807___for_publication_.pdfThe World Athletics Mechanical Aid Review Panel decision when Leeper appealed the first CAS decision: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/world-athletics-panel-decision-application-from-blake-leeperCAS Summary of the second decision in the Leeper appeal: https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_7930.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few have studied protein in sports as much as Prof Stuart Phillips, from the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Together with the team, Phillips shares some of the latest research on the value of protein in exercise sports, discuss whether protein supplementation has any real value in enhancing recovery and performance and what the best type of protein is to consume.SHOW NOTES:CAUGHT MY EYE SEGMENT:WADA bans tramadol, now that the proverbial horse has bolted (The horse is from Colombia, and rides a bike): https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/wada-outlaws-tramadol-use-2024-maintains-cannabis-ban-2022-09-23/#:~:text=SYDNEY%2C%20Sept%2023%20(Reuters),on%20cannabis%20after%20a%20review.Good piece by Matt Lawton on the boxing controversy, the fight that ended up not happening: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cadf7aae-44e9-11ed-8885-043c27446b97?shareToken=0fd65796afe945e5ad8a6e6c98d2c4f3Article on the doping suspension and investigation of a Portuguese pro team leading to numerous bans: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/seven-portugese-riders-banned-over-dopingA detailed article on the angling cheating scandal: https://www.yahoo.com/news/lead-weights-and-lie-detectors-the-scandal-that-rocked-a-cleveland-fishing-tournament-and-became-worldwide-news-033353103.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMnouSCoCuNO7biPeFoeAg4JzCiXcWAF2pp0quSL3c5pBqL2HG-R8-UB2ZoJ5LEuhkcvZTC-2jUHv3LRIRoqgS5hDosIKtpYqGG3hXj3aRedy08l82XfFNjDo3zi3gt8v73hjXjuAiY9IGDwv99bCPg3xzqa4VJ_b8zHMWDK6I3rMAIN INTERVIEWThe article mentioned by guest Stuart Phillips on protein supplementation requirements: https://www.clalit.co.il/he/lifestyle/sport/fitness/Documents/2004_ProteinRequirementsandSupplementationinStrengthSports.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the young talents of US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz and Tour of Spain champion Remco Evenepoel to the good and the bad of commentators, the team wrap up a week of sporting action plus delve into how sugars are processed by the body during exercise and how to best to make them work for you.SHOW NOTES:Marine Doping Controversy link to story on the New York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/us/navy-seal-training-death.html?unlocked_article_code=kiOrYVUmlzRdYjELh6prnMUVKRd2FVeZeOXb0NEm5THQ_FBpuuWKjDnBz-WafQLeOf1ALVzBSCrnGiIHsINBjfrO5ZRM5Bc12Lo5RkjYBoSM__xSlOImFPjkKpr25dq0dWUiLGucxRQD4Qwp2dZ1lyDPEsWGl8cS1KJ1eurUlIqEw-reYerQfvzUZL-oS1uRC53q5WBhbzsvWMqjLjZtaqVaL7DInOA722CpT6UyphjF5i5Vv9G4tQimDGSKfKPmoytPjEHKicR2n1e0MwZAOJk9fkiaMsra5Z1TtaCU_kus9WOkKOYA5VGjek1XIl0lFNOMpFlaDEG0mITzrQ&smid=share-urlBest To Follow On Cycling Analysishttps://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily?s=11&t=a7EZLuz7EjR6jo1Tj6mQZQhttps://twitter.com/naichacacycling?s=11&t=a7EZLuz7EjR6jo1Tj6mQZQhttps://twitter.com/cyclinggraphs?s=11&t=a7EZLuz7EjR6jo1Tj6mQZQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elite ultra runner Jenna Challenor made headlines during the recent 89km (56-mile) Comrades Marathon when she crawled across the finish line on all fours to finish fourth. Mike Finch talks to her about her Comrades experience, how she dealt with debilitating long Covid, training and pacing strategies and how to tough it out.SHOW NOTES: Jenna Challenor's dramatic Comrades finish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULZQiAZF03A Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team take a look at the world of endurance running after the recent Comrades Marathon and discuss why humans are so successful at long distance running. We discuss adaptations and physiology, how muscle is affected by long distance running and why long distance trail events are so different from long road events from a physiological perspective.SHOW NOTESCaught My Eye SegmentThe article on the ball controversy at the US Open: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/aug/29/us-open-tennis-balls-row-iga-swiatekScience of Ultras SegmentLetsRun article on the Triple Crown of Ultra running, including Comrades and UTMB: https://www.letsrun.com/news/2019/06/the-greatest-ultramarathons-in-the-world-the-triple-crown-of-ultras-comrades-western-states-utmb/The study by Millet et al that was discussed on the show, showing how muscle function is affected by UTMB: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0017059A scientific review on physiology and pathophysiology of Ultra running: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00634/fullA Guardian piece on men and women in Ultra marathons: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/03/female-ultra-athletes-leading-field-women-less-ego Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team speak to cardiopulmonary physiotherapist Samantha Holtzhausen about the role of effective breathing in life and exercise. Holtzhausen explains why good breathing can aid performance, reduce illness and even make you happier, and then gives some practical advice on how to improve your breathing.SHOW NOTES:Caught My Eye Topic:A paper that describes the second wind in patients with McArdle’s disease, who can’t break down glycogen: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24651984/#:~:text=Patients%20with%20McArdle's%20disease%20(McA,a%20few%20minutes%20of%20exercise.Another more recent study on McArdle Disease, including the case that was described on the show, whose HR and effort levels both drop when the oxidative fuel supply kick in: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/782745On Breathing For ExerciseWebsite on the concepts discussed on show: https://www.bradcliff.com/Samantha Holtshauzen on Instagram: @samanthaholtz, @nhhpulmonaryrehabHer practice on Facebook: NHH Pulmonary RehabilitationPractice website: www.nhhphysio.co.zaArticles on the breathing issues discussed:Breathing pattern disorders and physiotherapy: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265887552_Breathing_pattern_disorders_and_physiotherapy_inspiration_for_our_professionBreathing chemistry and carbon dioxide: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242546547_Better_Chemistry_Through_Breathing_The_Story_of_Carbon_Dioxide_and_How_It_Can_Go_WrongRespiratory health in susceptible athletes: https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/11/26/13993003.03722-2020Managing respiratory problems in athletic individuals: https://thorax.bmj.com/content/77/6/540 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.