- Running shoe tech: The Emperor’s clothes, and the issues for the integrity of runningIt’s been so long since I wrote anything here, I fear I’ve forgotten how. All I’ve written in the last few months is academic analysis of concussion data for scientific journals, so here’s hoping this doesn’t come out that way. But here goes… The failure to regulate “super shoes” hurts ... read more12 months ago
- Head injury risk in rugby: U20 World Champs case studyLast week, I posted a lengthy but detailed article explaining how the current initiatives to sanction high tackles in rugby arose. It was an article that described a process, start to finish, that led experts to advise that head injury risk for both players might be reduced if high tackle ... read more1 year ago
- Protecting the rugby player’s head – the paradox of tackler height and head injuryWhy a red card? The tackle shown to the right saw New Zealand’s Scott Barrett sent off this past weekend against Australia, and it has triggered substantial discussion. The red card was the result of the application of a new World Rugby High Tackle Sanction Framework by referees, ... read more1 year ago
- Guest article: Prof Erik Boye on the bias in power in anti-dopingThis is a guest post. Something I’d love to host more of in the future. So if you’re reading this and thinking “I’d sure like to have a say on Topic XYZ”, then feel free to email me at ross.tucker@nullmweb.co.za, and if the pitch sounds right, and it’s a topic ... read more1 year ago
- The Sun Yang-Mack Horton-FINA affair: Don’t stare too long at the Sun (sorry…)OK, I’ll try to be brief, but I need to cover important context, so may fail… But I have to share some thoughts on this controversy that at first glance looks to be between swimmers – Sun Yang the common denominator, Mack Horton the first protagonist, Duncan Scott the latest. ... read more2 years ago
- The Semenya Decision: Full CAS report brief thoughtsSo the Court of Arbitration for Sport have released their full decision in the Caster Semenya-IAAF case. You can read all 632 points of it here, and then evaluate the arguments offered by both sides in your own time! It is, as we all know, an incredibly complex case, made ... read more2 years ago
- Short thought on sport: Introducing The Science of Sport PodcastAbout 6 weeks ago, we launched The Science of Sport Podcast, and today’s short thought is just a push towards that and a brief overview of what we are about. “We” is Mike Finch and me. Mike is a journalist, editor of the SA Runners World and Bicycling magazines for ... read more2 years ago
- Flawed evidence, robust research and scientific integrity in the IAAF’s DSD RegulationsThis is a guest post, sort of. Well, it’s a post that was co-authored by myself, along with two other academics – Roger Pielke Jr from the USA and Erik Boye of Norway. You may recall that last year, about this time actually, the three of us tried to look ... read more2 years ago
- On DSDs, the theory of testosterone, performance the CAS ruling on Caster SemenyaPrepare for a long read. Do it in instalments if it helps! I’ve written it as a list, I don’t know if that helps or hinders. But these are my thoughts, start to finish, on the DSD in sport issue, as pertains to Caster Semenya and others, and the CAS ... read more2 years ago
- A short thought on sport: Evaluating Eliud. Is Kipchoge a next-gen 2:02 marathoner, or a mid-2:04 runner in a technologically superior shoe? Who knows?I want to try to explain the conceptual problem for the integrity of runing performance because of the potential of a shoe to enhance performance by upwards of 2%. Let me try to do this by asking you to consider the following two statements, A and B. What you need ... read more2 years ago
Ross Tucker – The Science of Sport
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