Marginal Gains Reconsidered: How Sport Organizations Hold the Key to Boosting Sport Performance
The “aggregation of marginal gains” has become such a catchphrase that people have stopped questioning what it means. Science is meant to question, not to follow, and to look for the truth where it otherwise might be missed. What are “marginal gains”, really? Why have we been trained to look for them? How do they…
Can we better Retain Sport Officials by Asking Them to Do More? The Opportunity of “Stage-appropriate Officiating”
Having and keeping enough qualified officials is a challenge for many sport organizations. Could we retain them by asking them to do more? It may seem counter-intuitive, but research into the challenges faced by sport officials and what motivates them suggests “stage-appropriate officiating” may provide an opportunity to retain officials while supporting quality sport experiences…
The Car Ride Home
Parents[1] play an undeniably important role in the lives of young athletes. Parents have been described as socializers of athletes’ sport experiences – providing opportunities for participation, serving as role models, and helping athletes make sense of their sport experiences. Previous research about parent involvement in sport has examined the types of feedback that parents…
Managing Pain in Endurance Sports
Endurance athletes need to persevere through pain in training and competition. According to Kent University’s Samuele Marcora “our mind is what dictates our physical limits”. Exhaustion is not caused by muscle failure, but by the conscious decision to disengage from an endurance task. According to Marcora’s psychobiological model of endurance performance, perception of effort –…
Breaking the Silence: Championing Psychological Help-Seeking in Sport
Sometimes it seems like athletes have magical powers. As they plunge in the water and soar in the air, it can feel as though they are invincible. Their physical superiority, focused demeanour, and competitive spirit often radiate confidence and strength, influencing us to believe that they possess superhuman qualities. While they experience the throes of…
Key Nutritional Needs for Athletes
Most people are aware that athletes require adequate nutrition in order to keep their bodies in their best shape for training and competition. And while every athlete is an individual and may require specific things to meet their dietary needs based on individual physical characteristics, training and competition schedules, and overall nutritional goals, there are…
Key Nutritional Needs
Most people are aware that athletes require adequate nutrition in order to keep their bodies in their best shape for training and competition. And while every athlete is an individual and may require specific things to meet their dietary needs based on individual physical characteristics, training and competition schedules, and overall nutritional goals, there are…
IN BRIEF: Bio-Banding and Developmental Age
You’ve probably heard of the Relative Age Effect – the concept that when children are placed into groups such as school classes or sports based on their chronological age, those born early in the cohort may have physical or intellectual advantages compared to those born late, leading to selection for enriched opportunities that tend to…
Periodization: Planned Peaks and Targeted Training
Periodization is a systematic approach to training that involves varying training variables, like volume and intensity, over time. The objective of this planning is for the athlete to reach his or her peak at a specific, pre-determined time, while optimizing recovery to avoid overtraining and injury. Periodization is based on Hans Selye’s theory of biological…
Moisture-Wicking Athletic Apparel: A Matter of Style or Performance?
Moisture-wicking clothes act to keep athletes cool and dry. Because exercising in the heat can have a severe impact on physical fatigue, companies promote their moisture-wicking products as the difference-maker in these conditions. However, there has yet to be an independent, peer-reviewed study that conclusively demonstrates that performance apparel improves our thermoregulation and performance. How…