Position sense research in athletes

[SunSurfer]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/23/how-innovations-in-sports-science-can-help-identify-australias-future-gold-medal-winners

I found this article fascinating. It's about testing for the visual and physical control of movement in athletes. The actual description of some of the testing techniques is towards the end of the article.

[Corey]

That's wild to think that they can predict (even loosely) performance from a few simple tests. 

Now: Can they use this to validate which activities or exercises most improve a person's performance and/or reduce injury risk? Is it yoga? CrossFit? Olympic weightlifting? 75 Hard? Other fad de jour? I'm guessing that will become a trade secret that they sell to those big sports teams. 

[SunSurfer]

The emphasis wasn't on strength, but on the ability to detect movement (visual reflexes, and position sense at ankle). The overall system (proprioception) is human's ability to detect where our body is in space and how it is moving in relation to the objects in that space.

So can you train someone to be faster and better at this, OR are the elite outliers just outrageously faster and better at this?

Edited July 23, 2022 by SunSurfer

[Corey]

6 hours ago, SunSurfer said:

So can you train someone to be faster and better at this

Exactly, but go one more level up; can this tool be used to evaluate which method of training is most helpful? Or is it genetic and there's minimal effect of any program? Probably a mix of both, sadly. 

Every modality of training has its cheerleaders that promise improved everything if you just follow their 10 easy steps, and buy their e-book, supplements, etc. This might be able to cut through that. 

[Allee]

The elite outliers ARE just outrageously faster and better at this. I was just watching a video about an elite weightlifter, and they were discussing what made him so good. SO interesting. He's Chinese, and sport in China is a whole system where they ID these kids young and yank them into sports school pronto.

This is a use of data that people don't think about that much, but data is transforming sports. Some of the best coaches in the world now aren't necessarily the ones with eyes or talent, they're ones with the ability to capture and interpret data.