Sport and Exercise

Imagine winning a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. No really, go ahead, close your eyes and visualize it. What did you see? Were you standing on the medal platform looking out at the crowd, waving and taking in the scene through your own eyes, or were you a spectator in the crowd watching yourself getting the medal put around your neck? This choice between "first-person" or "third-person" visualization actually makes a difference on our motivation to achieve a future goal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are as many as 300,000 sports and recreation-related concussions each year in the U.S., yet the diagnosis, immediate treatment and long-term effects are still a mystery to most coaches, parents and even some clinicians. So what i a concussion?

I always advocate publishing content (articles, blogs) on multiple web platforms, to really put it work as a marketing tool, so when I heard about Google Knol I was immediately interested. A 'Knol' is, according to Google, a unit of knowledge. Essentially Google Knol is a collection of articles, but the twist is that is that you can allow other users to edit your own 'Knols', either moderated or unmoderated.

How online business are finally waking up to the potential of the data that they hold...

How do people perceive the aesthetic value of Paralympic Sport?

Perfectionism is often seen as a bad thing, or even destructive. New research by Stoll and Stoeber (2008) however seems to suggest otherwise, and that it may even be beneficial to performance.

Visit any youth soccer field, baseball diamond, basketball court or football field and you will likely see them: parents behaving badly. What is behind this rage?

A bit of a rant, but and interesting perspective on body image and the role that the authorities play in solvign the problem (or not)

Interesting article by an NLP practitioner who is also a champion weightlifter, exploring the importance of the mind - body connection and awareness in sport.

For years, sport science and motor control research has added support to the fundamental assertions that "practice makes perfect" and "repetition is the mother of habit". However, many questions still exist as to exactly how we learn these skills. What changes happen in our brains when we teach ourselves a new task? What is the most effective and efficient way to master a skill? Do we have to be actually performing the skill to learn it, or could we just watch and learn?

We now know that Chambers won't be at the Olympics, but there's much more to this than a cheat getting his just deserts. I feel sorry for the guy, who was seduced into throwing away his career and living a life of regret - and allowed to do it by UK Athletics.

Sadly a third case of doping has been announced after just 10 days of the the Tour de France. This time it's Riccardo Ricco, a young Italian prodigy and already winner of two stages.

An interesting post about the role of the statistical guru in sports performance, from 'Moneyball' Billy Beane in baseball, to Opta and Match Analysis in soccer, and the APBR in Basketball. To what extent is use of statistical analysis to improve selection and performance becoming the orthodoxy in professional sport?

An interesting insight into how telecoms giants Telefonica are investing in technology that will help doctors to monitor rehabilitation from injury remotely.

Visualization is already used extensively in golf to improve performance. Usually, it is suggested to golfers that they visualize the shot at the same speed as in real-life to ensure accuracy and realism but new research suggests there may be more to the speed of the visualization than just keeping it real.

BBC Oxford News relayed a story last night of a non-medically qualified nutritionist who advised a female client to drink too much water. The nutritionist has been sued and an out of court settlement has been reached worth £880, 000. The client suffered organ failure and as a result suffered brain damage.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has confirmed that it will appear at the High Court tomorrow, for a Directions Hearing in respect of the case issued against the BOA by the sprinter Dwain Chambers. What is a directions hearing, and what is this case about?

In web 2.0, who should decide what counts as quality or knowledge in sport and exercise science?

What an incredible story. Dara Torres (41) has made her 5th Olympics after winning the 100m freestyle at the US Olympic Trials, becoming oldest female to compete in Olympic swimming, 8 years after being the oldest member of the US team in Sydney!

Motivational Interviewing is a client-centred approach to increasing people's intrinsic motivation to change. It an be used to help get people exercising, change unhelpful habits, or achieve new levels of commitment iStadia are hosting a 2 day course on Motivational Interviewing for Sports, Fitness and Health Professionals led by Charlotte Hilton, to be held at the University of East London, Stratford - close to the heart of the London 2012 Olympic site.