Sport Science

Effects of an intensifed competition period on neuromuscular function in youth rugby union players

This research examines neuromuscular fatigue responses to playing 3 rugby union matches in 5 days.

To screen or not to screen, what a question…?

Should we be spending valuable time and effort screening our athletes? What value do these tests have?

Determining athlete maturity to inform coaching practice

This article discusses how to estimate levels og maturation in youth athletes

Dynamic oscillatory stretching efficacy on hamstring extensibility and stretch tolerance; a randomized controlled trial

A comparision of different therapeutic modalities for increasing hamstring extensibility

How strong is strong enough?

Strength is an important quality for sports, but it is subject to diminishing returns - as you get stronger, it requires progressively more work to continue improving. This article discusses at which point athletes would benefit more from focusing on other fitness qualities.

Impact of Fatigue on Positional Movements During Professional Rugby Union Match Play

Movement patterns of rugby players in different positions are effected differently by fatigue

How much work can athletes do before injury becomes inevitable?

I was asked this question recently by one of the South African Super Rugby franchises, who were concerned about how to manage their players into the end stages of the season. Below are my thoughts on the theoretical threshold for injury

Strength Training for Coaching Success

This talk explores a robust process for prioritising training goals for athletes participating at a semi-professional, university level. The process described advocates for first developing movement proficiency, before developing, strength, power and energy system capacities. The second half of this talk explores the use of various technologies to inform the training process.

Modelling Training to Prevent Injury

Modeling training to prevent injury. Athletes walk on a tight rope - if they don't train exceptionally hard, they won't be competitive. If they train too hard they start suffering from fatigue and maladaptation. This talk explores contemporary methods of assessing and reporting athletes response to training to guide them through this process.

Data driven decisions you can rely on

This article examines the impact of variability in athletic performance tests and how to quantify and interpret this