Now Available: Summer 2020 SIRCuit

The 2020 Summer SIRCuit in now available! Browse our newest collection of articles, offering timely and relevant research and insights relating to leadership, athlete development, and high performance sport.

High-top Shoes & Ankle Injury

High-top basketball shoes are often marketed for their ability to minimize the risk of ankle injuries, however this claim is not supported by the evidence. Instead, increased risk has been linked to prior ankle injuries. Experts recommend wearing whatever feels the most comfortable and supportive.

Randomized Practice Structure

“Skills learned slowly are forgotten slowly” is an aphorism that should be used to coaches to inform practice structure. While a blocked practice structure may improve short-term practice performance, a randomized practice structure poses a greater challenge to learners resulting in enhanced motor learning and thus better long-term performance.

The Psychological Implications of Returning to Sport Post-Isolation

As public health restrictions begin to lift across the country, the return to some form of sport participation will require adjustment and adaptation. As athletes return to sport, the virus is still present, and so is the uncertainty. The cancellation of sport events and the imposition of stay-at-home and physical distancing protocols over the last…

Nutrition & Injury

Did you know eating more fish could help protect you from brain injury? The SIRCuit explores the promise of omega-3 fatty acids, creatine, vitamin D, curcumin, high quality fats and carbohydrates, and good hydration in protecting athletes from sub-concussive injury.

Novel Approach to Concussion Return-to-Play Decisions Based on Canadian Research

New research from Université Laval is setting the stage for quicker return-to-play decisions that satisfy all the necessary player safety protocols by tapping into the expertise of licenced health care providers involved as team therapists. The four-year research project was led by Dr. Pierre Frémont, a practising sport physician and one of Canada’s leading authorities…

Team Norms and Playing Through Injury in Sport

This blog is the first in a series in collaboration with Queen’s University. As an assignment to build knowledge mobilization skills, Dr. Luc Martin, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, tasked students in his third year team dynamics course to write a SIRC blog. The top five were submitted to SIRC,…

Football Canada and Concussions

Coaches and officials play an important role in Football Canada’s concussion prevention and management strategy. “Athletes need to know how to perform the skills properly, which means we have to give our coaches the tools to teach those skills and our officials the tools to deal with it effectively in competition.” Learn more in the…

Coaching Strategies to Maximize Long-Term Learning and Performance for Athletes

At a time when athletes and coaches have been inundated with pseudoscientific ideas about the importance of accumulating 10,000 hours of practice, the importance of practice quality often does not receive the attention it should. Contrary to popular belief, there is significant evidence that improvements in sport-specific skills during practice do not always yield the…

Coaching & Athlete Mental Health

Coaches can support the mental health of their athletes by creating a culture in which athletes feel safe disclosing psychological distress. This includes adopting a holistic coaching philosophy, building strong relationships, role modeling supportive behaviours for all team and staff members, and initiating confidential check-ins with struggling athletes.