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