Research explained
Sports science papers, read through a strength coach's eyes — with the evidence and how to apply it on the field.
2026-10-12 · Data & AI
Whose Data Trains Sports AI? A Review of 58 Studies Reveals a Youth Gap
AI is increasingly used to predict performance and injury risk in team sports. But 76% of the athletes studied were professionals, 10% were youth academy players and 3% were female. Here is what a 2019 systematic review means for coaches working with young athletes.
2026-10-12 · Fitness testing
Monitoring Fatigue With the CMJ: Use the Average, Not the Best Jump
When you use countermovement jumps to track fatigue and supercompensation, should you record the best attempt or the average? A 2017 meta-analysis of 151 studies and 531 effect sizes found the average is more sensitive.
2026-10-12 · VBT & strength
Can You Estimate 1RM Without Maxing Out? Load-Velocity Profiling With a Smartphone
Using a phone app to film the weight stack on a leg extension, this 2019 PLoS One study estimated 1RM from submaximal loads and found it closely matched the measured 1RM. Here is what it means for strength coaches.
2026-10-12 · Injury prevention
Does the Nordic Hamstring Exercise Really Halve Hamstring Injuries? Reading the Meta-Analysis and the Re-Analysis
A 2019 meta-analysis concluded that programs including the Nordic hamstring exercise roughly halve hamstring injuries. A 2021 re-analysis limited to properly randomized trials found the evidence inconclusive. Here is how to read both.
2026-10-12 · Speed & power
How Many Weeks Does Plyometric Training Take to Work? A Meta-Analysis of 1,499 Young Soccer Players
Plyometric jump training improved jumping and sprinting in young male soccer players, and 10 m sprint gains were larger with programs longer than 7 weeks and more than 14 sessions. A look at a 2020 meta-analysis of 33 studies.
2026-10-12 · Youth development
Are Late-Born Athletes Overlooked? Relative Age Effects in Female Sport
Within the same age group, athletes born earlier in the selection year tend to be picked more often. A 2018 meta-analysis of 57 studies across 25 sports found a small but significant relative age effect in female sport, larger at ages 14 and under and at higher competitive levels.
2026-10-12 · Speed & power
What Does Repeated Sprint Training Improve in Soccer Players? A Meta-Analysis of 17 Trials
Field-based repeated sprint training improved sprinting, change of direction and high-intensity running in soccer players, but not vertical jump or aerobic capacity. A look at a 2026 multilevel meta-analysis of randomized trials.
2026-10-12 · Warm-up
Should Athletes Static Stretch Before Competition? Why 60 Seconds Is the Line
Short static stretches of 60 seconds or less per muscle reduce strength and power by only 1–2%, while longer holds cost 4.0–7.5%. A 2019 review in Frontiers in Physiology clarifies the static stretching debate.
2026-10-12 · Load monitoring
What Should You Measure to Monitor Training Load? The International Consensus Statement
External load (what athletes did) and internal load (how their bodies responded). Based on the consensus statement from a 2016 expert meeting in Doha, here is how to keep load monitoring from becoming data collection for its own sake.
2026-10-12 · VBT & strength
Does Grinding Out More Reps Make You Jump Higher? 20% vs 40% Velocity Loss in the Squat
Stopping each set at 20% velocity loss produced the same strength gains as going to 40%, with about 40% fewer reps and a bigger jump improvement. A look at a classic velocity-based training study and what it means for power athletes.
2026-10-12 · Fitness testing
How Much Does a Yo-Yo Test Score Need to Improve? Norms From 248 Studies
A 2018 systematic review compiled Yo-Yo intermittent test results from 248 studies and 9,440 participants. Here is how the test variants differ, how scores vary by sport and level, and what counts as a meaningful change.
2026-10-06 · Load monitoring
Can the ACWR Predict Injuries? What Coaches Should Know Before Trusting the Number
Is an acute:chronic workload ratio above 1.5 really a red flag? A 2020 commentary in the Journal of Athletic Training lays out the conceptual and methodological pitfalls behind training load and injury research. Here is what it means on the field.