| Sport science is a collection of scientific disciplines | | | | of time. They have addressed the mental |
| that work together to improve the performance | | | | challenges to endurance as well as the physical |
| of a given athlete. This can cover the way an | | | | challenges to endurance. |
| athlete sleeps to the food they eat and when | | | | Qualifications involved with sports science |
| they eat it. It can also cover the cloth they wear | | | | The people that are involved in sport science are |
| and the manner in which they train and how often | | | | all professionals at what they do. They may be |
| they train. Sport science covers the facilities that | | | | doctors of various clinical specializations. They can |
| they perform in and how they are designed and | | | | also be dietitians, physical therapists, psychologists |
| built. | | | | and physiologists. |
| Finally, sport science also includes the mental | | | | Many will be engineers that focus on different |
| needs of the athlete. There can be great strides | | | | areas of the athletes performance and find ways |
| on the physical front to allow the athlete to go | | | | to get a little bit more out of the athletes efforts. |
| beyond what they think they can. The mental | | | | Some will design the training equipment or the |
| barriers also have to be moved to allow the | | | | actual equipment used to compete with or the |
| athlete to move that imaginary point they see as | | | | facilities they compete in. The one thing that all |
| their limit. | | | | these professionals have in common is a love for |
| Top consultants in the world | | | | the sport they are involved in and a desire to see |
| Currently the following people are listed as the top | | | | it go to the next level |
| consultants in the world on the subject of sports | | | | Benefited from sports science |
| science. They are Dr. Filippo Ongaro (Italy), who | | | | There have been many benefits for the general |
| works with endurance performance | | | | public because of sports science. Some of these |
| enhancements for elite athletes and astronauts, | | | | advances have included the way shoes are |
| Dr. Jacques Dallaire (USA/Canada), who works | | | | designed and the way they are built. We have |
| with mental and physical testing and performance | | | | seen changes in bicycle designs that have made |
| for athletes and professional racecar drivers and | | | | them lighter and stronger. We have even seen |
| Ric Charlesworth (New Zealand), who works with | | | | changes in the types of snacks that have been |
| high-performance management. | | | | made popular over the years. |
| Each of these people brings to the field of sport | | | | The benefits of sport science have also impacted |
| science a wide range of experience and | | | | the way our every day injuries are treated. |
| techniques that help to increase athletes abilities to | | | | There are new methods for physical therapy that |
| perform at their peak. They have, in fact, worked | | | | were developed to help elite athletes heal faster |
| to keep moving the point at which the athlete | | | | and better. The cloths we wear are warmer, |
| reaches their peak. This effort allows the athlete | | | | lighter and brighter because of the advances in |
| to perform faster, better and for longer periods | | | | sports science. |