This week in the world of sports science, here’s what happened…
- Owen Farrell steps away from International rugby
- Importance of squat strength for handball players
- Poor research practices and fake writers…
Owen Farrell steps away from International rugby
The rugby union community was rocked this past week by news on England captain, Owen Farrell. Farrell has decided to take a break from international rugby and ruled himself out of the 2024 Six Nations. He cited prioritising his and his family’s mental well-being for his decision.
Being constantly booed in front of packed stadiums with his family present during the recent rugby World Cup and relentless social media abuse are speculated as major contributors to his decision. His dad Andy, the head coach of Ireland, said it was disgusting what his son has had to go through.
This poignant story illustrates the horrendous challenges some athletes and their families face. From us, here at SFS Weekly, we send our best wishes to Owen Farrell and his family during his sabbatical from international rugby. Let’s hope we see Owen Farrell return to international rugby in the future and that fans can appreciate his exceptional talent and leadership.
Here at Science for Sport, we have some excellent mental health resources worth checking out.
- Wellness in sports: How to prioritise and maximise your mental health
- Mental health in sport: A guide for coaches and athletes
- Are you OK, coach? Starting the conversation about the mental health of coaches
- Coaches and adolescent mental health
Importance of squat strength for handball players
A practical study was published this past week on the significance of squat strength for knee injury prevention in elite handball players. The subjects were 15 male and 7 female elite handball players. Subjects performed a unilateral drop jump test whereby they were assessed for their knee control ability based on their knee valgus angle. Subjects then performed a one-repetition maximum (1RM) back squat test.
Based on their back squat 1RM relative to bodyweight, subjects were classed as either “weak” or “strong”. Subjects deemed as “weak” were eight to 27 times more likely to display knee valgus during the drop jump test than those deemed as “strong”. Despite the 1RM squat test being relative to body weight, males were still significantly stronger than females.
The findings of this study further highlight the important relationship that maximum squat strength has with dynamic knee control. We now live in a world with many fancy and innovative exercises but don’t overlook some good old-fashioned squats!
Poor research practices and fake writers…
Disappointedly, a new study reviewing research in the Journal of Sports Sciences was published this week. The new study found that a recent journal issue had only a median sample size of just 19. The study also reported that test statistics, effect sizes, and confidence intervals used in the journal were suboptimal.
The study argues that research from the journal is limited in reproducibility and replicability. This is very dissatisfying for all involved in sports science. Hopefully, this highlights the importance of tightening up on the research practices and improving future research quality.
Also, this week, the world-renowned and award-winning Sports Illustrated were accused of having fake writers. Multiple sources have reported that Sports Illustrated has used AI-generated images and fake names for some of their writers. Sports Illustrated deny this, but sources report that suspected fake authors have since been deleted.
Let’s hope sports science research and sports reporting can improve its operating practices. (Before anyone suspects, yes, I am Eric Curry, and I am me!)
From us this week:
>> New course: Upgrading Athletic Movement
>> New podcast: How To Upskill And Land Your Dream Job In S&C
>> New infographic: Cluster Sets
>> New article: 6 Key Attributes That Make A Great S&C Coach
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I hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup of the hottest sports science news, and as always, we’ll be back next week with more to keep you at the forefront of the industry.
