“Science of Champions”, put a scientist in your life to improve sports – Libertad Digital

Whereas years ago a good harmony between an athlete and his coach was the two limits necessary to improving athletic performance, today he has taken another step and joined the personal science team. Jose Manuel Lopez Nicholas evolve in hero flag (planet) This trend, while discovering chemistry, physics, mathematics or the technology behind sports. Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Murcia, Lopez Nicolas explains how mathematics relates to Ruth Petya’s medals, the importance of physiology to Lydia Valentine’s achievements or the relationship of engineering to World Cup achievement. South Africa through the Spanish national team.

“The aim of this book is to familiarize society with the presence of science in everyday life. Usually, when we talk about science we talk about scientific progress, the search for exoplanets or black holes, but science is behind even our hobbies. On the other hand, through a series of instructions, she explained that How to improve athletic performance through science; Finally, I try to promote scientific advocacy among young people, who see sports as a source of scientific culture”, explains the author digital freedom.

hero flag It’s not about soccer sports, but they pursued س Decisive moments in sports history That most of us remember, like the World Cup final won by Spain, Nadal’s great matches, Carolina Marin’s victories or Michael Jordan’s best plays. “I wanted to show that science was behind these victories and that when we saw them, we weren’t aware.”

With accessible language, he explains the basic concepts of thermodynamics by going down Legendary port of Tourmalt d’Endorain at the Tour de France in 1993 It reviews how many scientific studies have been conducted in recent years to find the most streamlined position for each rider. “The less friction with the air, the faster the speed. Really later on, when we see it on TV and learn about these techniques, it’s great to feel fun. Knowing why things are exciting,” he sums up.

At the end of The Wimbledon Championships that in 2008 faced Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer Find a good example of Newton’s first law. While the Swiss strikes were based on Newton’s first law, where the object is moving in the same direction and at the same speed until a force is applied that causes it to change direction; Spaniards blows did it in a second. The power that Nadal used to win Federer is called Magnus Power and the author explains, simply, what it consists of.

“Science is an added value,” he asserts, “without quality athletes it would be impossible to win.” Nowadays rackets have built-in mechanisms that read how you hit the ball and this allows us to study plays and learn how to improve them. There is a phrase I hate: ‘This athlete has talent.’ Gifts are trained based on scientific evidence Been there for the past few years.”

Another ridiculous phrase, in his opinion, was “Penalties are the lottery“.” Probability studies and statistics show that penalty kicks should be trained because it is known exactly when there is a higher probability of scoring. There are also studies on how the goalkeeper should wear, how he should move, how long to delay a shot to make a striker nervous or the order in which he should strike depending on the quality of the player. The one who doesn’t leave it to chance usually wins.”

Michael Jordan and Carolina Marine

But if there are two players who are a model for the intersection of science and sports, it is these two former NBA players Michael Jordan Spanish badminton player Carolina Marine. “In Jordan’s victories there were physics, chemistry, mathematics and psychology. And the famous attack of the triangle is mathematics and engineering. He also knew how to psychologically challenge competitors, the audience and his teammates. Psychology is one of the most neglected disciplines in the world. Sports “, he says.

Carolina Marin is The world’s leading exponent of big data application, collect and process data to learn how to play against each opponent, when to do what and predict their reaction. Lopez Nicholas says she has a great team with her that manages and passes this data on to her. “In elite sport, more and more scientific cadres are being integrated. Knowledge can give you that added value you need to better compete and improve your brands.”

Technological stimulants

One of the scientific disciplines most frequently used to increase the cognitive performance of an athlete is Neurology, where the part of the body associated with different abilities is stimulated to be faster, more alert, or react earlier.” Although much research continues to be done on it, there are those who think about it Technological stimulants, I do not. But it shows that innovation is behind things we can’t even imagine.”

Technological doping is considered by many to be what he did The United States skating team to prepare for the Pieonchang Games 2018. Using 360-degree cameras, they filmed the tracks months before and then used virtual reality headsets so the athletes could learn about the track, memorizing turns, turns and door stops. In addition, they used Vima REV goggles, strong goggles capable of reducing skaters’ vision to strengthen their less controlling eye.

“Looking into the future, the revolution could be extraordinary. Sports practice is improving with advances in material chemistry (new shoes or T-shirts), artificial intelligence to collect and then process data, or neuroscience.”

As for the upcoming Olympics, “the countries that invest the most in science will be the ones that can improve most quickly.” In Spain, despite the presence of great sports stars, “we should invest a lot more in science, and at least reach the EU average. We have a lot to improve, we are behind many countries.”

Jose Manuel Lopez Nicholas. The flag of heroes. Planet, 2021. 384 pages. 17 euros.