Interdisciplinary study of physical activity
Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and 7️⃣ how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives.
The study of sports science traditionally 7️⃣ incorporates areas of physiology (exercise physiology), psychology (sport psychology), anatomy, biomechanics (sports biomechanics), biochemistry, and kinesiology.
Sports scientists and performance consultants 7️⃣ are growing in demand and employment numbers, with the ever-increasing focus within the sporting world on achieving the best results 7️⃣ possible.
Through the scientific study of sports, researchers have developed a greater understanding of how the human body reacts to exercise, 7️⃣ training, different environments, and many other stimuli.
Origins of exercise physiology [ edit ]
Sports science can trace its origins to ancient 7️⃣ Greece.
The noted ancient Greek physician Galen (131–201) wrote 87 detailed essays about improving health (proper nutrition), aerobic fitness, and strengthening 7️⃣ muscles.[1][2]
New ideas upon the working and functioning of the human body emerged during the Renaissance as anatomists and physicians challenged 7️⃣ the previously known theories.
[3] These spread with the implementation of the printed word, the result of Gutenberg's printing press in 7️⃣ the 15th century.
[4] Allied with this was a large increase in academia in general, universities were forming all around the 7️⃣ world.
[5] Importantly these new scholars went beyond the simplistic notions of the early Greek physicians, and shed light upon the 7️⃣ complexities of the circulatory, and digestive systems.
[6] Furthermore, by the middle of the 19th century, early medical schools (such as 7️⃣ the Harvard Medical School, formed 1782) began appearing in the United States, whose graduates went on to assume positions of 7️⃣ importance in academia and allied medical research.[7]
Medical journal publications increased significantly in number during this period.
In 1898, three articles on 7️⃣ physical activity appeared in the first volume of the American Journal of Physiology.
Other articles and reviews subsequently appeared in prestigious 7️⃣ journals.
The German applied physiology publication, Internationale Zeitschrift fur Physiologie einschliesslich Arbeitphysiologie (1929–1940; now known as the European Journal of Applied 7️⃣ Physiology and Occupational Physiology), became a significant journal in the field of research.
A number of key figures have made significant 7️⃣ contributions to the study of sports science:Austin Flint, Jr.
, (1836–1915) One of the first American pioneer physicians, studied physiological responses 7️⃣ to exercise in his influential medical textbooks.[8]
Edward Hitchcock, Jr.
, (1828–1911) Amherst College Professor of Hygiene and Physical Education, devoted his 7️⃣ academic career to the scientific study of physical exercise, training and the body.
Coauthored 1860 text on exercise physiology.[9]
George Wells Fitz, 7️⃣ M.D.
(1860–1934) Created the first departmental major in Anatomy, Physiology, and Physical Training at Harvard University in 1891.[10]
August Krogh (1874–1949) Won 7️⃣ the 1920 Nobel prize in physiology for discovering the mechanism that controlled capillary blood flow in resting or active muscle.[11]
Per-Olof 7️⃣ Åstrand (1922–2015) Professor at the Department of Physiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
Wrote a seminal paper which evaluated the physical working capacity 7️⃣ of men and women aged 4–33 years.[12]
Study of sports science [ edit ]
A notable amount of research in the field 7️⃣ of sports science is completed at universities or dedicated research centers.
[13] Higher-education degrees in Sports Science or Human Physiology are 7️⃣ also becoming increasingly popular with many universities now offering both undergraduate, postgraduate and distance learning degrees in the discipline.
[14] Opportunities 7️⃣ for graduates in these fields include employment as a Physical Education teacher, Dietician or Nutritionist, Performance Analyst, Sports coach, Sports 7️⃣ therapist, Fitness center manager, Sports administrator, Strength and Conditioning specialist or retail manager of a Sports store.
Graduates may also be 7️⃣ well-positioned to undertake further training to become an accredited Physiotherapist, Exercise Physiologist, Research Scientist and Sports Medical Doctor.
Sports science may 7️⃣ also be useful for providing information on the aging body.
[15] Older adults are aware of the benefits of exercise, but 7️⃣ many are not performing the exercise needed to maintain these benefits.
[16] Sports science provides a means of allowing older people 7️⃣ to regain more physical competence without focusing on doing so for the purposes of anti-aging.
[15] Sports science can also provide 7️⃣ a means of helping older people avoid falls and have the ability to perform daily tasks more independently.[15]
In Australia the 7️⃣ majority of sports science research from 1983 to 2003 was done in laboratories and nearly half of the research was 7️⃣ done with sub-elite or elite athletes.
[17] Over two-thirds of the research was done regarding four sports: rowing, cycling, athletics, and 7️⃣ swimming.
[17] In America, sports play a big part of the American identity, however, sports science has slowly been replaced with 7️⃣ exercise science.
[18] Sports science can allow athletes to train and compete more effectively at home and abroad.[18]
José Mourinho, a football 7️⃣ manager who won UEFA Champions League twice, reflected his studies of sport science as "sometimes it is difficult to understand 7️⃣ if it is sport or if it is science".[19]
Academic journals in sports science [ edit ]
Reproducibility [ edit ]
A 2018 7️⃣ study criticized the field of exercise and sports science for insufficient replication studies, limited reporting of both null and trivial 7️⃣ results, and insufficient research transparency.
[20] Statisticians have criticized sports science for common use of magnitude-based inference, a controversial statistical method 7️⃣ which has allowed sports scientists to extract apparently significant results from noisy data where ordinary hypothesis testing would have found 7️⃣ none.
[21]See also [ edit ]
