Athletes and sports teams alike have always sought to gain an advantage over their rivals. Sir Alex Ferguson, a serial winner, was known for perpetually seeking ways to gain an advantage over his opponents.
It is no exaggeration to say that he was one of the pioneers of popularising sports science in the sporting world. With the demands of elite sports, Sir Alex employed Nick Littlehales, a sports sleep coach, at Manchester United to guide his players on the optimal recovery in between pre-season training sessions. Soon to be copied by rival coach, Arsene Wenger.
Since then, other sports clubs and athletes have sought the help of Littlehales to gain whatever advantage they could get their hands on. Consequently, sports science has gathered so much momentum in the past decade or so that, today, all leading professional teams and sports associations employ scores of sport scientists to help give their team an advantage over their rivals and fiercest competitors.
However, sports science is not a recent trend, fashion or industry suddenly blooming thanks to the advancements of technology. Sports science has been around for decades.
But, after all, what is a sports scientist? In short, a sports scientist is someone who provides expert advice and support to athletes and coaches to aid in understanding and enhancing sports performance through evidence-based and quality-assured practice.
This is done while developing effective strategies and interventions during training and competitions.
A sport scientist should have a foundational knowledge in anthropometry, biomechanics, motor control and learning, physiology, psychology and training methodology.
Exercise physiologists are often seen as the quintessential sport scientists. The role of an exercise physiologist is much more than just testing athletes’ capabilities of strength, speed, power and endurance.
Sir Alex Ferguson, a serial winner, was known for perpetually seeking ways to gain an advantage over his opponents- Luigi Sammut
They deal with anything under the umbrella of performance. Be it from the number of hours of sleep and recovery quality to the dose and frequency of supplementation and fluid intake, before, during and after training or competition.
An exercise physiologist will get into the nitty-gritty of an athlete’s performance and help build a tailored programme to optimise the respective athlete’s performance.
No man is an island and an exercise physiologist is not an exception to the rule. Supporting an athlete requires a team of dedicated professionals. Through constant and clear communication, this would ensure that the athlete would have the optimal holistic support system required to achieve the best results they can attain.
However, the support team can never make decisions for the athlete, it can only suggest directions. It all comes down to the coach’s openness to let data and evidence-based practice guide their periodical plan for the athlete.
Unfortunately, Malta is yet to tap into the potential of sports scientists. We fail to understand the potential for such a profession on the island and funding for such a position within different sports associations is lacking.
For sport scientists to be able to work and carry out their job efficiently, we need to understand that the sport scientist is there to help bring about an optimal training regime for both the coach and the athlete as well as to prepare for competitions.
It must be said that the local sports scene is improving to become more professional, albeit, very slowly.
Luigi Sammut is an exercise physiologist who recently graduated from St Mary’s University, Twickenham. He was awarded a Malta Sports Scholarships Scheme financed by the Government of Malta.