30 September 2005

what is the best recovery strategy?

Recovery: what is the best strategy?@peak performance

Researchers from New Zealand and the UK compared the impact of active recovery, passive recovery, and contrast temperature water immersion on repeated treadmill running performance, lactate levels, and pH. They found that the type of recovery used had no significant effect on performance and pH levels. The post-exercise blood lactate level was lower with active recovery and contrast temperature water immersion compared to passive recovery.

25 September 2005

children need PE

Children Need Physical Education & Play@sport supplement

Trained children can better process information regarding their place in space and time (Chapan 2005)

The crocodile's immune system is much more powerful than that of humans

Crocodile Blood May Yield Powerful New Antibiotics@environmental news

several proteins (antibodies) in the reptile's blood killed bacteria that were resistant to penicillin, such as Staphylococcus aureus or golden staph

20 September 2005

science of kicking

‘Soccer Style Kicking’- A slow motion overview of the biomechanics@peak perfomance

- elite footballers use a refined and consistent movement pattern where novices use a variable and inconsistent one

- a 45-degree angle of approach produces the greatest peak ball velocity, compared to a 15-degree or 30-degree run-up

- the optimal foot plant position for accurate direction is perpendicular to a line drawn through the centre of the ball for a straight kick

- foot speed is governed by a combination of hip rotational torque, hip flexor strength and quadriceps strength

- elite athletes kick the ball further with less muscle activity and more relaxation during the swing phase, but greater eccentric antagonistic muscle activity than novices

- among elite soccer players, the contact point is further up the foot, closer to the ankle joint

Why football is good for children?

Why football is good for children@peak performance

The football players exhibited greater bone mineral content (BMC) in the legs and greater bone mineral density (BMD) in all bone-loaded regions at the end of the study compared to age matched controls. More specifically, they gained twice as much femoral neck and intertrochanteric BMC in the legs than the controls and increased their femoral neck BMD by 10% more and their mean hip BMD by a third more than the control group.

US SPORT SET FOR STEROID CRACK-DOWN

US SPORT SET FOR STEROID CRACK-DOWN@sportbusiness

Ireland experience

Ireland was a very beautiful country and I enjoyed drinking Guinness beer.
I've upload some of my photos to flickr.

For the Coach Conference, one of the presenters introduced two interesting studies which can be used for talent identification.

Musch and Grondin (2001): the relative age effects (RAE) are a pervasive phenomenon in competitive sports (eg soccer and ice hockey).

Cote et al (in press): birthplace can affect junior athletes' development and country boys are more preferable than city-bred ones to become elite athletes in future.