Volleyball Swing Volumes
Overuse injuries are common in volleyball. Research reported in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy discovered that women collegiate volleyball athletes performed twice as many overhead swings, serves, and hits during practice, compared to volumes during games (with both games and practices lasting approximately 2 hours). This has important implications for managing training, especially…
Super-Elite Athletes
Evidence suggests that a number of preconditions are necessary to achieve at the highest levels of sport, including a family culture of striving and achievement, positive sport-related experiences during early development, late sport specialization, and an ability to “push yourself to the maximum” in competition and practice. But what differentiates elite athletes (those that compete…
Raptors Nutrition
Wondering what role nutrition played in the Raptors’ NBA Championship? This interview with Jennifer Sygo, registered dietitian and performance nutritionist with the Toronto Raptors, Athletics Canada and Swimming Canada, talks about the nutrition needs of high performance athletes and provides some key takeaways for recreational athletes.
Motor Units & Aging
As humans age, they lose muscle. More specifically, the number of motor units that make up each muscle are gradually reduced. However, new research suggests that long-term endurance and strength training expands the size of the remaining motor units to compensate for the decline in motor units in older age – more evidence to support…
Small-sided Games and Goalies
Under the age of 12, Soccer Canada’s Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) model is built around small-sided games. A large body of research has demonstrated the benefits of this approach for players’ skills and confidence. However, little was known about the affects for goalies – until now. A new study has shown that goalies have more…
Endurance Races and Myocardial Strain
Researchers in Spain are investigating the link between endurance races and elevated levels of key biomarkers that signal myocardial strain. This is particularly important for “weekend warriors” that participate in marathons without proper training. A high proportion of all exercise-induced cardiac events occur during marathons, especially in men 35 years of age and older.
Athlete Burnout and Early Specialization
Research from the University of Alberta discovered athlete burnout may have more to do with the social environment than early specialization. Athlete burnout depends on many factors, including opportunities to participate in other sport and non-sport activities, confidence and engagement in skill building, the nature of relationships with coaches and teammates, and having a choice…
Pitching Policies
Excessive pitching is one of the main risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries among adolescent baseball pitchers. While some organizations have policies in place that limit the number of innings or pitches, these policies may not consider the additional pitches in the bullpen or during warm-up.
Managing the Risk of Athlete Burnout With or Without Early Specialization
Parents who dream of their children becoming professional athletes, and coaches who believe that single-minded dedication is the only way to reach the top of their sport, have contributed to an increase in early sport specialization. However, there are many researchers, coaches, and athletes who have been pushing back on this trend, citing a range…
Choking Under Pressure
Facing elimination, do teams elevate their performance or stumble under the pressure? A study of NBA games from 33 seasons revealed that most teams “choked”. Findings suggest coaches should refrain from deliberate building of high-pressure environments with hopes of achieving performance enhancement effect among their teams.