400 distinct sources across 365 days and 52 start-here pages. Each day also shows its own sources on the last slide of its Learn tab. Where a figure is a physical constant or plain arithmetic, that is said rather than dressed up as a study.
Week 1 · Heart, breath and effort
Maximum heart rate, the zones, recovery, how hard it feels, and what you sweat.
Day 1 · Your maximum heart rate- Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37(1):153-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0735-1097(00)01054-8
- Standard deviation around age-predicted maxima is roughly 10 bpm (Tanaka et al. 2001).
Day 2 · The zones- Zone percentages of HRmax as used in endurance coaching (Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291).
- Cardiovascular drift of 5–10 bpm per hour at fixed workload (Coyle EF, Gonzalez-Alonso J. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2001;29:88-92).
Day 3 · Resting pulse and recovery- Karvonen MJ, Kentala E, Mustala O. The effects of training on heart rate: a longitudinal study. Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn 1957;35(3):307-315.
- Cole CR, Blackstone EH, Pashkow FJ, Snader CE, Lauer MS. Heart-rate recovery immediately after exercise as a predictor of mortality. N Engl J Med 1999;341(18):1351-1357. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199910283411804
Day 4 · How much oxygen you can use- Cooper KH. A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake: correlation between field and treadmill testing. JAMA 1968;203(3):201-204. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1968.03140030033008
- 1 MET = 3.5 ml O2/kg/min (Ainsworth BE et al. Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43:1575-1581).
Day 5 · How hard it feels- Foster C, Florhaug JA, Franklin J, et al. A new approach to monitoring exercise training. J Strength Cond Res 2001;15(1):109-115.
- Borg GA. Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1982;14(5):377-381.
Day 6 · Sweat and fluid- Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(2):377-390. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31802ca597
- Exercise-associated hyponatraemia from overdrinking (Hew-Butler T, et al. Statement of the Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference. Clin J Sport Med 2015;25:303-320).
Day 7 · Your effort card- Session-RPE load as a weekly total (Foster C, et al. J Strength Cond Res 2001;15:109-115).
- Polarised intensity distribution in endurance training (Seiler S. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291).
Week 2 · Fuel and fluid
Kilojoules burnt, the fuel you carry, carbohydrate an hour, what is in a sports drink, and eating after.
Start here · What a body runs on- 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ (SI definition of the thermochemical calorie).
- Atwater factors: carbohydrate and protein 17 kJ/g, fat 37 kJ/g (FAO. Food energy — methods of analysis and conversion factors. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 77, 2003).
Day 8 · What a session burns- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43(8):1575-1581. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821ece12
- 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal per kg per hour; consumer heart-rate devices show large individual error for energy estimates (Shcherbina A, et al. J Pers Med 2017;7(2):3).
Day 9 · The fuel you carry- Muscle glycogen ~300–500 g and liver ~80–120 g in trained adults (Jeukendrup A, Gleeson M. Sport Nutrition. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2018).
- Carbohydrate loading raises muscle glycogen by 50–100% (Bergström J, Hermansen L, Hultman E, Saltin B. Diet, muscle glycogen and physical performance. Acta Physiol Scand 1967;71:140-150).
Day 10 · Carbohydrate an hour- Jeukendrup A. A step towards personalized sports nutrition: carbohydrate intake during exercise. Sports Med 2014;44(Suppl 1):S25-S33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0148-z
- Glucose absorption saturates near 60 g/h; glucose–fructose mixtures raise oxidation to ~90 g/h (Jentjens RL, Jeukendrup AE. Br J Nutr 2005;93:485-492).
Day 11 · What is in a sports drink- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48(3):543-568.
- Sweat sodium concentration typically 800–1,500 mg/L with wide individual range (Baker LB. Sweating rate and sweat sodium concentration in athletes. Sports Med 2017;47(Suppl 1):111-128).
- Sodium chloride is 39.3% sodium by mass.
Day 12 · Eating after- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48(3):543-568.
- Post-exercise glycogen synthesis rates of ~1.0–1.2 g/kg/h (Burke LM, van Loon LJC, Hawley JA. Postexercise muscle glycogen resynthesis in humans. J Appl Physiol 2017;122:1055-1067).
- Protein dose ~0.3 g/kg per serving (Moore DR, et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:161-168).
Day 13 · Does the session justify the snack- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43(8):1575-1581. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821ece12
- Energy compensation after exercise is common and partly offsets the deficit (Melanson EL, et al. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2013;41:103-109).
Day 14 · Your fuelling plan- Jeukendrup A. A step towards personalized sports nutrition: carbohydrate intake during exercise. Sports Med 2014;44(Suppl 1):S25-S33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0148-z
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48(3):543-568.
Week 3 · Muscle, power and speed
Force, power, jump height, sprint splits, and where speed actually comes from.
Day 15 · Force, work and power- Velocity loss within a set as a fatigue marker (Sánchez-Medina L, González-Badillo JJ. Velocity loss as an indicator of neuromuscular fatigue during resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43(9):1725-1734).
- SI definitions of force, work and power.
Day 16 · Jump height and power- Sayers SP, Harackiewicz DV, Harman EA, Frykman PN, Rosenstein MT. Cross-validation of three jump power equations. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999;31(4):572-577.
- Flight-time method for jump height h = g·t²/8 (Bosco C, Luhtanen P, Komi PV. Eur J Appl Physiol 1983;50:273-282).
- Countermovement jump height as a fatigue monitor (Claudino JG, et al. J Sci Med Sport 2017;20:397-402).
Day 17 · Sprint splits- Usain Bolt's 2009 world record 10 m splits, fastest segment 0.82 s (IAAF Berlin 2009 biomechanical report).
- Acceleration to maximum velocity typically 40–70 m depending on level (Haugen T, et al. Sprint running: from fundamental mechanics to practice. Eur J Appl Physiol 2019;119:1273-1287).
Day 18 · Where speed comes from- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2014 (cadence observations from the 1984 Olympics).
- Increasing step rate by 5–10% reduces hip and knee loading (Heiderscheit BC, Chumanov ES, Michalski MP, Wille CM, Ryan MB. Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43(2):296-302).
Day 19 · The ten-second engine- Phosphocreatine resynthesis half-time ~30 s (Harris RC, Edwards RH, Hultman E, Nordesjö LO, Nylind B, Sahlin K. Pflugers Arch 1976;367:137-142).
- Repeated-sprint ability and recovery interval (Girard O, Mendez-Villanueva A, Bishop D. Repeated-sprint ability — part I. Sports Med 2011;41:673-694).
Day 20 · Power to weight- Climbing power and vertical ascent rate (Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291).
- Drivetrain and rolling losses on a climb typically 15–25% of rider power.
Day 21 · Your power card- Training volume load (tonnage) as a session descriptor (Haff GG, Triplett NT, eds. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 4th ed. NSCA/Human Kinetics, 2016).
- Mechanical efficiency of human muscle ~20–25% (Whipp BJ, Wasserman K. Efficiency of muscular work. J Appl Physiol 1969;26:644-648).
Week 4 · Strength in numbers
One-rep max from a set you did, the percentage table, where the volume is, adding a little each week, and strength for your size.
Start here · The number a programme is written in- Epley B. Poundage Chart. Boyd Epley Workout. Lincoln, NE: Body Enterprises, 1985.
- Brzycki M. Strength testing: predicting a one-rep max from reps-to-fatigue. JOPERD 1993;64(1):88-90.
- Prediction error grows beyond about 10 reps (LeSuer DA, McCormick JH, Mayhew JL, Wasserstein RL, Arnold MD. The accuracy of prediction equations for estimating 1-RM performance. J Strength Cond Res 1997;11:211-213).
Day 22 · Your one-rep max, estimated- Epley B. Poundage Chart. Boyd Epley Workout. Lincoln, NE: Body Enterprises, 1985.
- Brzycki M. Strength testing: predicting a one-rep max from reps-to-fatigue. JOPERD 1993;64(1):88-90.
Day 23 · The percentage table- Epley B. Poundage Chart. Boyd Epley Workout. Lincoln, NE: Body Enterprises, 1985.
- Reps in reserve and autoregulation (Zourdos MC, et al. Novel resistance training-specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:267-275).
Day 24 · Where the volume is- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. J Sports Sci 2017;35(11):1073-1082. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197
- Strength adaptations depend more on intensity and specificity than on volume (Ralston GW, Kilgore L, Wyatt FB, Baker JS. The effect of weekly set volume on strength gain. Sports Med 2017;47:2585-2601).
Day 25 · Adding a little each week- Linear progression and its limits in novice training (Rippetoe M, Baker A. Practical Programming for Strength Training. 3rd ed. Aasgaard, 2014).
- Early strength gains are largely neural (Sale DG. Neural adaptation to resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1988;20:S135-S145).
Day 26 · Strength for your size- Jaric S. Muscle strength testing: use of normalisation for body size. Sports Med 2002;32(10):615-631. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200232100-00002
- Allometric exponent near 2/3 for maximal strength (Batterham AM, George KP. Allometric modeling does not determine a dimensionless power function. J Appl Physiol 1997;83:2158-2166).
Day 27 · The warm-up ramp- Warm-up effects on performance (Fradkin AJ, Zazryn TR, Smoliga JM. Effects of warming-up on physical performance. J Strength Cond Res 2010;24:140-148).
- Post-activation and specific warm-up sets (Bishop D. Warm up II: performance changes following active warm up. Sports Med 2003;33:483-498).
Day 28 · Your strength block- Periodisation and the fitness-fatigue model (Zatsiorsky VM, Kraemer WJ. Science and Practice of Strength Training. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2021).
- Tapering and overreaching recovery (Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I. Effects of tapering on performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:1358-1365).
Week 5 · Recovery and sleep
Sleep hours and sleep debt, readiness against your own baseline, soreness, rest days, and what recovery methods really do.
Start here · The part that is not training- Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health 2015;1(1):40-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
- Mah CD, Mah KE, Kezirian EJ, Dement WC. The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. Sleep 2011;34(7):943-950.
Day 29 · How much sleep, and what you owe- Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health 2015;1(1):40-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
- Van Dongen HPA, Maislin G, Mullington JM, Dinges DF. The cumulative cost of additional wakefulness. Sleep 2003;26(2):117-126.
- Milewski MD, et al. Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes. J Pediatr Orthop 2014;34(2):129-133.
Day 30 · Sleep quality, in one number- Ohayon M, Wickwire EM, Hirshkowitz M, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep quality recommendations. Sleep Health 2017;3(1):6-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2016.11.006
- Consumer wearables track total sleep reasonably and sleep stages poorly (Chinoy ED, et al. Performance of seven consumer sleep-tracking devices compared with polysomnography. Sleep 2021;44(5):zsaa291).
Day 31 · Readiness, against your own baseline- Plews DJ, Laursen PB, Stanley J, Kilding AE, Buchheit M. Training adaptation and heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes. Sports Med 2013;43(9):773-781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0071-8
- Buchheit M. Monitoring training status with HR measures: do all roads lead to Rome? Front Physiol 2014;5:73.
Day 32 · Soreness, and what it tells you- Cheung K, Hume PA, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness: treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Med 2003;33(2):145-164.
- Repeated-bout effect (McHugh MP. Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2003;13:88-97).
Day 33 · How many hard days fit in a week- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5(3):276-291.
- Stöggl T, Sperlich B. Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables. Front Physiol 2014;5:33.
Day 34 · What the recovery methods actually do- Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;(7):CD004577.
- Roberts LA, et al. Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations to resistance training. J Physiol 2015;593(18):4285-4301.
- Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques. Front Physiol 2018;9:403.
Day 35 · Your recovery card- Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health 2015;1(1):40-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
- Plews DJ, Laursen PB, Stanley J, Kilding AE, Buchheit M. Training adaptation and heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes. Sports Med 2013;43(9):773-781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0071-8
Week 6 · Heat, cold and altitude
Playing at 1,700 m, the heat index, acclimatising, and what thin air does to a time.
Start here · The air you play in- Armstrong LE, Casa DJ, Millard-Stafford M, Moran DS, Pyne SW, Roberts WO. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exertional heat illness during training and competition. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(3):556-572.
- WBGT = 0.7 Tnwb + 0.2 Tg + 0.1 Tdb outdoors with solar load (Yaglou CP, Minard D. Control of heat casualties at military training centers. AMA Arch Ind Health 1957;16:302-316).
Day 36 · The heat index that decides whether to play- Armstrong LE, Casa DJ, Millard-Stafford M, Moran DS, Pyne SW, Roberts WO. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exertional heat illness during training and competition. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(3):556-572.
- World Athletics and World Rugby heat guidelines use WBGT bands for postponement and extra breaks.
Day 37 · What heat costs a time- Ely MR, Cheuvront SN, Roberts WO, Montain SJ. Impact of weather on marathon-running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(3):487-493. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31802d3aba
- Optimum ambient temperature for marathon performance ~10–12 °C, with larger decrements for slower finishers (El Helou N, et al. Impact of environmental parameters on marathon running performance. PLoS One 2012;7(5):e37407).
Day 38 · Acclimatising- Périard JD, Racinais S, Sawka MN. Adaptations and mechanisms of human heat acclimation. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2015;25(Suppl 1):20-38. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12408
- Decay of heat acclimatisation of ~2.5% per day away from the heat (Daanen HAM, Racinais S, Périard JD. Heat acclimation decay and re-induction. Sports Med 2018;48:409-430).
Day 39 · What thin air does- Fulco CS, Rock PB, Cymerman A. Maximal and submaximal exercise performance at altitude. Aviat Space Environ Med 1998;69(8):793-801.
- International Standard Atmosphere barometric formula (ISO 2533:1975).
- Oxygen is 20.95% of dry air at all altitudes.
Day 40 · Altitude, both ways- Fulco CS, Rock PB, Cymerman A. Maximal and submaximal exercise performance at altitude. Aviat Space Environ Med 1998;69(8):793-801.
- Péronnet F, Thibault G, Cousineau DL. A theoretical analysis of the effect of altitude on running performance. J Appl Physiol 1991;70(1):399-404.
- Mexico City 1968 results and the long jump world record of 8.90 m (World Athletics).
Day 41 · Cold and wind- Environment Canada / US National Weather Service wind chill index (2001): Twc = 13.12 + 0.6215T − 11.37V^0.16 + 0.3965TV^0.16.
- Thermal conductivity of water is roughly 25 times that of air (Toner MM, McArdle WD. Human thermoregulatory responses to acute cold stress with special reference to water immersion. Compr Physiol 2011).
Day 42 · Your conditions card- Ely MR, Cheuvront SN, Roberts WO, Montain SJ. Impact of weather on marathon-running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(3):487-493. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31802d3aba
- Fulco CS, Rock PB, Cymerman A. Maximal and submaximal exercise performance at altitude. Aviat Space Environ Med 1998;69(8):793-801.
Week 7 · Age, sex and the body's curves
Age grading, masters records, growing athletes, and the curves everyone travels.
Start here · The curves everyone travels- World Masters Athletics age-grading tables (age factors and age standards), current edition. https://world-masters-athletics.org/
- Age-grading bands in common use: 90%+ world class, 80%+ national, 70%+ regional, 60%+ local.
Day 43 · Age grading- World Masters Athletics age-grading tables (age factors and age standards), current edition. https://world-masters-athletics.org/
Day 44 · The curve with age- Tanaka H, Seals DR. Endurance exercise performance in masters athletes: age-associated changes and underlying physiological mechanisms. J Physiol 2008;586(1):55-63. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2007.141879
- Allen SV, Hopkins WG. Age of peak competitive performance of elite athletes: a systematic review. Sports Med 2015;45:1431-1441.
Day 45 · Masters records- Lepers R, Stapley PJ. Master athletes are extending the limits of human endurance. Front Physiol 2016;7:613.
- Ganse B, Degens H. Current insights in the age-related decline in sports performance of the older athlete. Int J Sports Med 2021;42:879-888.
Day 46 · Growing athletes- Malina RM, Bouchard C, Bar-Or O. Growth, Maturation, and Physical Activity. 2nd ed. Human Kinetics, 2004.
- Mirwald RL, Baxter-Jones ADG, Bailey DA, Beunen GP. An assessment of maturity from anthropometric measurements. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002;34(4):689-694.
Day 47 · The relative age effect- Cobley S, Baker J, Wattie N, McKenna J. Annual age-grouping and athlete development: a meta-analytical review of relative age effects in sport. Sports Med 2009;39(3):235-256. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939030-00005
- Bio-banding as a corrective (Cumming SP, Lloyd RS, Oliver JL, Eisenmann JC, Malina RM. Bio-banding in sport. Strength Cond J 2017;39(2):34-47).
Day 48 · Men and women- Thibault V, Guillaume M, Berthelot G, et al. Women and men in sport performance: the gender gap has not evolved since 1983. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9(2):214-223.
- Sandbakk Ø, Solli GS, Holmberg HC. Sex differences in world-record performance: the influence of sport discipline and competition duration. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2018;13(1):2-8.
Day 49 · Your age card- World Masters Athletics age-grading tables (age factors and age standards), current edition. https://world-masters-athletics.org/
Week 8 · How far a ball flies
Launch angle, the forty-five degree myth, drag, and the shape of every flight.
Day 51 · Why forty-five is wrong in air- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Optimum projection angles in athletics are well below 45° (Linthorne NP. Optimum release angle in the shot put. J Sports Sci 2001;19:359-372).
Day 52 · Drag- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Drag equation F = ½ρv²CdA; sphere drag crisis and golf ball dimples (Bearman PW, Harvey JK. Golf ball aerodynamics. Aeronautical Quarterly 1976;27:112-122).
Day 53 · Release height- Linthorne NP. Optimum release angle in the shot put. J Sports Sci 2001;19(5):359-372. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410152006135
- Range with release height: R = (v cosθ/g)(v sinθ + √(v²sin²θ + 2gh)).
Day 54 · Hang time- Projectile hang time T = 2v sinθ/g.
- Punt hang times of 4.0–4.5 s are regarded as elite in American football (NFL Scouting Combine punting metrics).
Day 55 · How far a human can send it- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Golf ball carry exceeds the drag-free prediction because of backspin-generated lift (Bearman & Harvey 1976).
Day 56 · Your flight card- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Typical launch speeds: driver clubhead-to-ball speeds ~70 m/s (USGA/R&A equipment studies); shot put release ~13–14 m/s (Linthorne 2001).
Week 9 · Spin, swing and swerve
The Magnus effect, an outswinger, topspin, and why a ball bends.
Start here · Why a ball bends- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Nathan AM. The effect of spin on the flight of a baseball. Am J Phys 2008;76(2):119-124. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2805242
Day 57 · The Magnus effect- Nathan AM. The effect of spin on the flight of a baseball. Am J Phys 2008;76(2):119-124. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2805242
- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Magnus HG. Über die Abweichung der Geschosse. Annalen der Physik 1853;164:1-29.
Day 58 · Topspin and backspin- Nathan AM. The effect of spin on the flight of a baseball. Am J Phys 2008;76(2):119-124. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2805242
- Typical tennis topspin rates of 2,500–5,000 rpm in the modern game (Cross R, Lindsey C. Technical Tennis. Racquet Tech Publishing, 2005).
- Driver backspin ~2,500–3,000 rpm, wedge ~10,000 rpm (Trackman/USGA launch monitor data).
Day 59 · Swing bowling- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Mehta RD. An overview of cricket ball swing. Sports Engineering 2005;8:181-192.
Day 60 · Reverse swing and the knuckleball- Mehta RD. An overview of cricket ball swing. Sports Engineering 2005;8:181-192.
- Knuckleball wake oscillation (Mizota T, et al. The strange flight behaviour of slowly spinning soccer balls. Sci Rep 2013;3:1871).
Day 61 · The free kick- Nathan AM. The effect of spin on the flight of a baseball. Am J Phys 2008;76(2):119-124. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2805242
- Laws of the Game: opponents must be at least 9.15 m (10 yards) from the ball at a free kick (IFAB).
- Analysis of the Roberto Carlos free kick (Dupeux G, Le Goff A, Quéré D, Clanet C. The spinning ball spiral. New J Phys 2010;12:093004).
Day 62 · Spin rates across sports- Launch monitor norms for golf spin (Trackman); tennis and table tennis spin measurements (Cross R. Physics of Baseball & Softball. Springer, 2011; and Cross & Lindsey 2005).
- Football free-kick spin rates of ~400–600 rpm (Asai T, et al. Fundamental aerodynamics of the soccer ball. Sports Engineering 2007;10:101-109).
Day 63 · Your spin card- Nathan AM. The effect of spin on the flight of a baseball. Am J Phys 2008;76(2):119-124. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2805242
- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008:229-331.
- Ball masses and sizes from the governing bodies: FIFA size 5 (410–450 g, 68–70 cm circumference), ITF tennis (56.0–59.4 g), R&A/USGA golf (max 45.93 g, min 42.67 mm diameter), MCC cricket (155.9–163.0 g), ITTF table tennis (2.7 g, 40 mm).
Week 10 · Bounce and grip
How high a ball comes back, what a surface takes out of it, and grip.
Start here · What the ground gives back- Cross R. The bounce of a ball. Am J Phys 1999;67(3):222-227. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.19229
- International Tennis Federation. Rules of Tennis, Appendix I: the ball (rebound 135–147 cm from a 254 cm drop onto concrete).
Day 64 · The coefficient of restitution- Cross R. The bounce of a ball. Am J Phys 1999;67(3):222-227. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.19229
- International Tennis Federation. Rules of Tennis, Appendix I: the ball (rebound 135–147 cm from a 254 cm drop onto concrete).
- FIBA Official Basketball Rules, ball rebound 1.20–1.40 m from 1.80 m.
Day 65 · What each surface takes- International Tennis Federation. Rules of Tennis, Appendix I: the ball (rebound 135–147 cm from a 254 cm drop onto concrete).
- ITF Technical Centre surface pace ratings (court pace index).
- High-altitude tennis balls are specified separately (ITF Rules of Tennis, Appendix I, Type 3 and high altitude).
Day 66 · The angle off the pitch- Cross R. The bounce of a ball. Am J Phys 1999;67(3):222-227. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.19229
- Cross R. Grip-slip behavior of a bouncing ball. Am J Phys 2002;70(11):1093-1102.
- ITF court pace index combines restitution and friction into one rating.
Day 67 · Grip and friction- Coefficients of friction for sports footwear and surfaces (Nigg BM, Segesser B. The influence of playing surfaces on the load on the locomotor system. Sports Med 1988;5:375-385).
- High rotational traction and lower-limb injury risk (Thomson A, Whiteley R, Bleakley C. Higher shoe-surface interaction is associated with doubling of lower extremity injury risk. Br J Sports Med 2015;49:1245-1252).
Day 68 · Cornering- Centripetal force and the friction limit: v_max = √(μgr) (standard mechanics).
- Bend running is slower than straight running on a 400 m track (Greene PR. Running on flat turns. J Biomech Eng 1985;107:96-103).
Day 69 · Rolling and green speed- United States Golf Association. Stimpmeter Instruction Booklet (release speed ~6 ft/s, reading in feet).
- Rolling resistance and putting distance (Penner AR. The physics of golf. Rep Prog Phys 2003;66:131-171).
Day 70 · Your surface card- Cross R. The bounce of a ball. Am J Phys 1999;67(3):222-227. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.19229
- International Tennis Federation. Rules of Tennis, Appendix I: the ball (rebound 135–147 cm from a 254 cm drop onto concrete).
Week 11 · The collision
Bat on ball, club on ball, the sweet spot, and where the energy goes.
Start here · A thousandth of a second- Nathan AM. Dynamics of the baseball–bat collision. Am J Phys 2000;68(11):979-990. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1286119
- Cross R. Physics of Baseball and Softball. Springer, 2011.
Day 71 · What happens in a collision- Nathan AM. Dynamics of the baseball–bat collision. Am J Phys 2000;68(11):979-990. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1286119
- Impulse–momentum theorem; contact times of 0.5–1.0 ms for bat and club impacts (Cross R. Am J Phys 1999;67:692-702).
Day 72 · The exit speed- Nathan AM. Dynamics of the baseball–bat collision. Am J Phys 2000;68(11):979-990. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1286119
- USGA/R&A limit the coefficient of restitution of driver faces to 0.830 (Rules of Golf, Equipment Rules, Part 2).
- Smash factor ≈ 1.48–1.50 for a well-struck driver (Trackman).
Day 73 · The sweet spot- Cross R. The sweet spot of a baseball bat. Am J Phys 1998;66(9):772-779. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.18989
- Perimeter weighting and the size of the effective hitting zone (Penner AR. The physics of golf. Rep Prog Phys 2003;66:131-171).
Day 74 · Heavier or faster- Cross R. Physics of Baseball and Softball. Springer, 2011.
- Optimal bat weight is lower than most players choose (Bahill AT, Karnavas WJ. The ideal baseball bat. New Scientist 1991;130:26-31).
- Nathan AM. Dynamics of the baseball–bat collision. Am J Phys 2000;68:979-990.
Day 75 · Where the energy goes- Nathan AM. Dynamics of the baseball–bat collision. Am J Phys 2000;68(11):979-990. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1286119
- Cross R. Physics of Baseball and Softball. Springer, 2011.
- Squash ball behaviour with temperature (World Squash Federation ball specifications).
Day 76 · Contact time and force- Contact times: golf ~0.45 ms (Penner 2003), baseball ~0.7 ms (Nathan 2000), tennis 4–6 ms (Cross R. Am J Phys 2000;68:1025-1031), football 8–10 ms (Asai T, et al. Sports Engineering 2002;5:183-192).
Day 77 · Your collision card- Nathan AM. Dynamics of the baseball–bat collision. Am J Phys 2000;68(11):979-990. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1286119
- Cross R. Physics of Baseball and Softball. Springer, 2011.
- Effective mass at the impact point is well below the implement's full mass (Cross R. Am J Phys 2001;69:1134-1139).
Week 12 · Speed guns and timing
Radar, photo finish, reaction time, and what a hundredth of a second is worth.
Start here · Measuring the moment- Doppler radar speed measurement: Δf = 2vf₀/c.
- World Athletics. Technical Rules, Rule 16 (starting): a reaction time under 0.100 s is a false start; and Rule 19 on fully automatic timing.
Day 78 · The speed gun- Doppler shift for a reflected wave: Δf = 2vf₀/c; sports radar typically X-band 10.5 GHz or K-band 24.1 GHz.
- Cosine error in radar speed measurement (NHTSA Speed-Measuring Device Performance Specifications).
Day 79 · Where the speed is measured- Exponential speed decay under quadratic drag: v(x) = v₀e^(−kx), k = ρCdA/(2m).
- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008.
Day 80 · The photo finish- World Athletics. Technical Rules, Rule 16 (starting): a reaction time under 0.100 s is a false start; and Rule 19 on fully automatic timing.
- Photo-finish line-scan cameras operate at up to 10,000 lines per second (World Athletics approved equipment).
- Munich 1972 400 m individual medley decided by 0.002 s; FINA subsequently ruled to the hundredth.
Day 81 · Reaction time- World Athletics. Technical Rules, Rule 16 (starting): a reaction time under 0.100 s is a false start; and Rule 19 on fully automatic timing.
- Hick WE. On the rate of gain of information. Q J Exp Psychol 1952;4:11-26.
- Land MF, McLeod P. From eye movements to actions: how batsmen hit the ball. Nat Neurosci 2000;3:1340-1345.
Day 82 · What a hundredth is worth- FINA/World Aquatics timing to 0.01 s and the acceptance of dead heats.
- World Athletics. Technical Rules, Rule 16 (starting): a reaction time under 0.100 s is a false start; and Rule 19 on fully automatic timing.
Day 83 · Hand timing against electronic- World Athletics. Technical Rules, Rule 16 (starting): a reaction time under 0.100 s is a false start; and Rule 19 on fully automatic timing.
- World Athletics Technical Rules: conversions of +0.24 s (≤400 m) and +0.14 s (400 m to 800 m) from hand to fully automatic timing.
Day 84 · Your timing card- World Athletics. Technical Rules, Rule 16 (starting): a reaction time under 0.100 s is a false start; and Rule 19 on fully automatic timing.
- Finishing speeds: 100 m ~10 m/s, marathon ~5.6 m/s at world-record pace, 50 m freestyle ~2.2 m/s, track sprint ~18 m/s.
Week 13 · Levers and technique
Torque, arm length, the kinetic chain, and why technique beats effort.
Start here · Why technique beats effort- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Third-class levers dominate human limbs: effort arm shorter than load arm, trading force for range and speed.
Day 85 · Torque- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Biceps brachii insertion approximately 3-5 cm from the elbow axis of rotation.
Day 86 · The body's levers- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Lever classes in human anatomy; second-class examples (plantarflexion at the ball of the foot) are uncommon.
Day 87 · Speed at the tip- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- v = ωr for a point on a rotating body.
- R&A and USGA Rule 4.1a: maximum club length 48 inches (46 for most competitions from 2022).
Day 88 · Swing weight- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Moment of inertia of a uniform rod about one end: I = mL²/3.
- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
Day 89 · The kinetic chain- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Putnam CA. Sequential motions of body segments in striking and throwing skills. J Biomech 1993;26(S1):125-135.
- Kibler WB, Wilkes T, Sciascia A. Mechanics and pathomechanics in the overhead athlete. Clin Sports Med 2013;32:637-651.
Day 90 · Effort against technique- Projectile range from a height: R = (v cosθ/g)(v sinθ + √(v²sin²θ + 2gh)).
- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Linthorne NP. Optimum release angle in the shot put. J Sports Sci 2001;19:359-372.
Day 91 · Your lever card- Nigg BM, Herzog W. Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal System. 4th ed. Wiley, 2007.
- Moment of inertia of a uniform rod about one end: I = mL²/3.
- Implement masses: cricket bat ~1.2 kg, driver ~0.31 kg, tennis racquet ~0.30 kg, baseball bat ~0.94 kg, hockey stick ~0.55 kg.
Week 14 · Water, wind and wheels
Drag in a pool, drafting on a bike, a tailwind, and the watts behind a speed.
Start here · What you are pushing- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Wilson DG, Papadopoulos J. Bicycling Science. 3rd ed. MIT Press, 2004.
Day 92 · Drag in water- Toussaint HM, Truijens M. Biomechanical aspects of peak performance in human swimming. Anim Biol 2005;55:17-40.
- Density of fresh water at 25 °C is 997 kg/m³; of air at sea level, 1.225 kg/m³.
- Gross mechanical efficiency in front-crawl swimming is commonly reported between 5 and 9 percent.
Day 93 · The power equation- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Wilson DG, Papadopoulos J. Bicycling Science. 3rd ed. MIT Press, 2004.
- Drivetrain efficiency of a clean, well-adjusted chain drive is typically 97-98 percent.
Day 94 · Drafting- Kyle CR. Reduction of wind resistance and power output of racing cyclists riding in groups. Ergonomics 1979;22:387-397.
- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Blocken B, Defraeye T, Koninckx E, Carmeliet J, Hespel P. CFD simulations of the aerodynamic drag of two drafting cyclists. Comput Fluids 2013;71:435-445.
Day 95 · The wind- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Wilson DG, Papadopoulos J. Bicycling Science. 3rd ed. MIT Press, 2004.
- World Athletics Technical Rules: a tailwind above 2.0 m/s invalidates a record in sprints, hurdles and horizontal jumps.
Day 96 · What more speed costs- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Wilson DG, Papadopoulos J. Bicycling Science. 3rd ed. MIT Press, 2004.
Day 97 · Rolling resistance- Wilson DG, Papadopoulos J. Bicycling Science. 3rd ed. MIT Press, 2004.
- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Rolling coefficients on smooth tar: racing clincher ~0.004, training tyre ~0.006, knobbly MTB tyre ~0.012.
- Tyre pressure above the surface's optimum raises total losses through vibration (the impedance breakpoint).
Day 98 · Your watts card- Wilson DG, Papadopoulos J. Bicycling Science. 3rd ed. MIT Press, 2004.
- Martin JC, Milliken DL, Cobb JE, McFadden KL, Coggan AR. Validation of a mathematical model for road cycling power. J Appl Biomech 1998;14:276-291.
- Kyle CR. Reduction of wind resistance and power output of racing cyclists riding in groups. Ergonomics 1979;22:387-397.
- Typical drag areas: upright ~0.40 m², hoods ~0.32, drops ~0.28, time-trial position ~0.22 m².
Week 15 · Football by the numbers
Expected goals, possession, shots, distance covered, and what a league table hides.
Start here · What a scoreline leaves out- Expected goals models assign each shot the historical conversion rate of comparable shots; see Opta/Stats Perform's published methodology.
- Rathke A. An examination of expected goals and shot efficiency in soccer. J Hum Sport Exerc 2017;12(S2):514-529.
- Penalty conversion in the major European leagues runs at about 75-77 percent.
Day 99 · Expected goals- Expected goals models assign each shot the historical conversion rate of comparable shots; see Opta/Stats Perform's published methodology.
- Rathke A. An examination of expected goals and shot efficiency in soccer. J Hum Sport Exerc 2017;12(S2):514-529.
- Penalty conversion in the major European leagues runs at about 75-77 percent.
Day 100 · The distribution behind it- Maher MJ. Modelling association football scores. Statistica Neerlandica 1982;36:109-118.
- Expected goals models assign each shot the historical conversion rate of comparable shots; see Opta/Stats Perform's published methodology.
- Poisson probability: P(k) = λᵏe^(−λ)/k!, the standard model for goals in a fixed period.
Day 101 · Possession- Collet C. The possession game? A comparative analysis of ball retention and team success in European and international football, 2007-2010. J Sports Sci 2013;31:123-136.
- Field tilt (share of final-third possession) is a standard derived metric in match analysis.
Day 102 · Shots and conversion- Rathke A. An examination of expected goals and shot efficiency in soccer. J Hum Sport Exerc 2017;12(S2):514-529.
- Expected goals models assign each shot the historical conversion rate of comparable shots; see Opta/Stats Perform's published methodology.
- Standard error of a proportion: √(p(1−p)/n).
Day 103 · Distance covered- Bradley PS, Sheldon W, Wooster B, Olsen P, Boanas P, Krustrup P. High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches. J Sports Sci 2009;27:159-168.
- High-intensity running is conventionally >19.8 km/h and sprinting >25.2 km/h in football match analysis.
Day 104 · The league table- Three points for a win: adopted by the Football League in 1981 and by FIFA for the World Cup in 1994.
- Title and survival thresholds in 38-match leagues run at roughly 2.2 and 1.0 points per game.
Day 105 · Your match card- Expected goals models assign each shot the historical conversion rate of comparable shots; see Opta/Stats Perform's published methodology.
- Rathke A. An examination of expected goals and shot efficiency in soccer. J Hum Sport Exerc 2017;12(S2):514-529.
- The average of per-match ratios differs from the ratio of the totals whenever the denominators differ (Simpson's arithmetic).
Week 16 · Rugby by the numbers
Territory, tackles, the set piece, log points, and the margins that decide a season.
Start here · Where the match is played- Vaz L, Van Rooyen M, Sampaio J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9:51-55.
- Bishop L, Barnes A. Performance indicators that discriminate winning and losing in the knockout stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Int J Perform Anal Sport 2013;13:149-159.
- World Rugby Game Analysis reports, which publish ball-in-play time, tackle counts and set-piece success by competition.
Day 106 · Territory and possession- Vaz L, Van Rooyen M, Sampaio J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9:51-55.
- Bishop L, Barnes A. Performance indicators that discriminate winning and losing in the knockout stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Int J Perform Anal Sport 2013;13:149-159.
- World Rugby Game Analysis reports, which publish ball-in-play time, tackle counts and set-piece success by competition.
Day 107 · The tackle- World Rugby Game Analysis reports, which publish ball-in-play time, tackle counts and set-piece success by competition.
- Vaz L, Van Rooyen M, Sampaio J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9:51-55.
- Tackle completion at international level is commonly reported between 85 and 90 percent.
Day 108 · The set piece- World Rugby Game Analysis reports, which publish ball-in-play time, tackle counts and set-piece success by competition.
- Bishop L, Barnes A. Performance indicators that discriminate winning and losing in the knockout stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Int J Perform Anal Sport 2013;13:149-159.
- Set-piece retention at international level: lineout on own throw typically 85-90 percent, scrum on own feed 90-95 percent.
Day 109 · The kicking game- World Rugby Game Analysis reports, which publish ball-in-play time, tackle counts and set-piece success by competition.
- Vaz L, Van Rooyen M, Sampaio J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9:51-55.
- Goal-kicking accuracy at international level typically runs between 70 and 85 percent; points from the tee commonly account for 35-50 percent of a team's total.
Day 110 · Log points- Competition regulations: 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 bonus for scoring four tries, 1 bonus for losing by seven points or fewer. The Six Nations adopted this system in 2017, with 3 extra points for a Grand Slam.
Day 111 · The margins- Competition regulations: 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 bonus for scoring four tries, 1 bonus for losing by seven points or fewer. The Six Nations adopted this system in 2017, with 3 extra points for a Grand Slam.
- Vaz L, Van Rooyen M, Sampaio J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9:51-55.
- In professional rugby union a third to two-fifths of matches typically finish within seven points.
Day 112 · Your season card- World Rugby Game Analysis reports, which publish ball-in-play time, tackle counts and set-piece success by competition.
- Vaz L, Van Rooyen M, Sampaio J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. J Sports Sci Med 2010;9:51-55.
- Bishop L, Barnes A. Performance indicators that discriminate winning and losing in the knockout stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Int J Perform Anal Sport 2013;13:149-159.
Week 17 · Cricket by the numbers
Averages, strike rates, the required rate, Duckworth-Lewis, and reading a scorecard.
Start here · Reading the card- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code (3rd edition, 2022): the definitions of runs, extras, overs and dismissals.
- Donald Bradman's Test record: 52 Tests, 80 innings, 10 not out, 6,996 runs, average 99.94.
Day 113 · The batting average- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code (3rd edition, 2022): the definitions of runs, extras, overs and dismissals.
- Donald Bradman's Test record: 52 Tests, 80 innings, 10 not out, 6,996 runs, average 99.94.
Day 114 · Strike rate- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code (3rd edition, 2022): the definitions of runs, extras, overs and dismissals.
- Typical strike rates: Test batting 45-60, one-day 85-95, Twenty20 130-150.
Day 116 · The resource method- Duckworth FC, Lewis AJ. A fair method for resetting the target in interrupted one-day cricket matches. J Oper Res Soc 1998;49:220-227.
- Duckworth FC, Lewis AJ. A successful operational research intervention in one-day cricket. J Oper Res Soc 2004;55:749-759.
- ICC Standard One Day International Playing Conditions, appendix on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method: the published resource table and the G50 constant.
Day 117 · The bowler's three numbers- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code (3rd edition, 2022): the definitions of runs, extras, overs and dismissals.
- The identity average = economy × strike rate ÷ balls per over follows directly from the definitions.
Day 118 · Reading a card- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code (3rd edition, 2022): the definitions of runs, extras, overs and dismissals.
- Extras typically account for four to eight percent of a Test innings total.
Day 119 · Your bowling card- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code (3rd edition, 2022): the definitions of runs, extras, overs and dismissals.
- The identity average = economy × strike rate ÷ balls per over follows directly from the definitions.
Week 18 · Athletics and the clock
Splits, personal bests, wind assistance, and how a race is paced.
Start here · The clock is the opponent- Abbiss CR, Laursen PB. Describing and understanding pacing strategies during athletic competition. Sports Med 2008;38:239-252.
- Riegel PS. Athletic records and human endurance. American Scientist 1981;69:285-290.
Day 120 · Splits- Abbiss CR, Laursen PB. Describing and understanding pacing strategies during athletic competition. Sports Med 2008;38:239-252.
Day 122 · Wind assistance- Linthorne NP. The effect of wind on 100-m sprint times. J Appl Biomech 1994;10:110-131.
- Mureika JR. A realistic quasi-physical model of the 100 m dash. Can J Phys 2001;79:697-713.
- World Athletics Technical Rules: a tailwind above 2.0 m/s invalidates a record in races up to 200 m and in the horizontal jumps.
Day 123 · The fade- Abbiss CR, Laursen PB. Describing and understanding pacing strategies during athletic competition. Sports Med 2008;38:239-252.
- Riegel PS. Athletic records and human endurance. American Scientist 1981;69:285-290.
Day 124 · How records fall- Men's 100 m: the first ratified world record was 10.6 s (Donald Lippincott, Stockholm, 1912); the current record is 9.58 s (Berlin, 16 August 2009).
- World Athletics world record progressions.
Day 125 · Lanes and the stagger- World Athletics Track and Field Facilities Manual: the standard 400 m track has a bend radius of 36.50 m, straights of 84.39 m and lanes 1.22 m wide; lane 1 is measured 30 cm from the kerb and lanes 2 to 8 are measured 20 cm from the inner line.
- Greene PR. Running on flat turns: experiment, theory, and applications. J Biomech Eng 1985;107:96-103.
- Centripetal acceleration is v squared over r, and the lean angle is the arctangent of that over g.
Day 126 · Your pacing card- Riegel PS. Athletic records and human endurance. American Scientist 1981;69:285-290.
- Abbiss CR, Laursen PB. Describing and understanding pacing strategies during athletic competition. Sports Med 2008;38:239-252.
Week 19 · Racquet sports
First-serve percentage, break points, rally length, and the scoring that magnifies a small edge.
Start here · A small edge, magnified- Klaassen FJGM, Magnus JR. Are points in tennis independent and identically distributed? Evidence from a dynamic binary panel data model. J Am Stat Assoc 2001;96:500-509.
- Newton PK, Keller JB. Probability of winning at tennis I. Theory and data. Stud Appl Math 2005;114:241-269.
- The probability of holding serve from a per-point probability p: p⁴(1 + 4q + 10q²) + 20p³q³ · p²/(1 − 2pq), where q = 1 − p. This is the standard game model with the deuce sequence summed as a geometric series.
Day 127 · The serve sum- Klaassen FJGM, Magnus JR. Are points in tennis independent and identically distributed? Evidence from a dynamic binary panel data model. J Am Stat Assoc 2001;96:500-509.
- O'Donoghue P, Ingram B. A notational analysis of elite tennis strategy. J Sports Sci 2001;19:107-115.
Day 128 · Holding- Newton PK, Keller JB. Probability of winning at tennis I. Theory and data. Stud Appl Math 2005;114:241-269.
- Klaassen FJGM, Magnus JR. Are points in tennis independent and identically distributed? Evidence from a dynamic binary panel data model. J Am Stat Assoc 2001;96:500-509.
- The probability of holding serve from a per-point probability p: p⁴(1 + 4q + 10q²) + 20p³q³ · p²/(1 − 2pq), where q = 1 − p. This is the standard game model with the deuce sequence summed as a geometric series.
Day 129 · What the format does- Newton PK, Keller JB. Probability of winning at tennis I. Theory and data. Stud Appl Math 2005;114:241-269.
- Best of three: s²(3 − 2s). Best of five: s³(1 + 3(1−s) + 6(1−s)²).
Day 130 · Rally length- O'Donoghue P, Ingram B. A notational analysis of elite tennis strategy. J Sports Sci 2001;19:107-115.
- Klaassen FJGM, Magnus JR. Are points in tennis independent and identically distributed? Evidence from a dynamic binary panel data model. J Am Stat Assoc 2001;96:500-509.
Day 131 · Break points- Klaassen FJGM, Magnus JR. Are points in tennis independent and identically distributed? Evidence from a dynamic binary panel data model. J Am Stat Assoc 2001;96:500-509.
- Newton PK, Keller JB. Probability of winning at tennis I. Theory and data. Stud Appl Math 2005;114:241-269.
Day 132 · Races of different lengths- Newton PK, Keller JB. Probability of winning at tennis I. Theory and data. Stud Appl Math 2005;114:241-269.
- A race to n points, ignoring the win-by-two rule, is the binomial probability of at least n successes in 2n − 1 trials.
Day 133 · Your serve card- Klaassen FJGM, Magnus JR. Are points in tennis independent and identically distributed? Evidence from a dynamic binary panel data model. J Am Stat Assoc 2001;96:500-509.
- Newton PK, Keller JB. Probability of winning at tennis I. Theory and data. Stud Appl Math 2005;114:241-269.
- The probability of holding serve from a per-point probability p: p⁴(1 + 4q + 10q²) + 20p³q³ · p²/(1 − 2pq), where q = 1 − p. This is the standard game model with the deuce sequence summed as a geometric series.
Week 20 · Golf by the numbers
Strokes gained, course and slope rating, driving distance, and putts that decide a round.
Start here · The only sport that handicaps you- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping (World Handicap System): Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - Par); the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the last 20 Score Differentials.
- USGA Course Rating System: the Course Rating is the expected score of a scratch golfer, the Bogey Rating that of a bogey golfer, and Slope Rating = (Bogey Rating - Course Rating) x 5.381 for men and x 4.24 for women, with 113 the standard and the range 55 to 155.
Day 134 · The course handicap- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping (World Handicap System): Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - Par); the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the last 20 Score Differentials.
Day 135 · Rating and slope- USGA Course Rating System: the Course Rating is the expected score of a scratch golfer, the Bogey Rating that of a bogey golfer, and Slope Rating = (Bogey Rating - Course Rating) x 5.381 for men and x 4.24 for women, with 113 the standard and the range 55 to 155.
- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping (World Handicap System): Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - Par); the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the last 20 Score Differentials.
Day 136 · Strokes gained- Broadie M. Assessing golfer performance on the PGA TOUR. Interfaces 2012;42:146-165.
- Broadie M. Every Shot Counts. Gotham Books, 2014.
Day 137 · Putting- Broadie M. Every Shot Counts. Gotham Books, 2014.
- Broadie M. Assessing golfer performance on the PGA TOUR. Interfaces 2012;42:146-165.
- Expected putts = 1p(make) + 2p(two) + 3p(three) = 2 - p(make) + p(three).
Day 139 · The shape of a round- Broadie M. Every Shot Counts. Gotham Books, 2014.
- A round's total is par - birdies + bogeys + 2 x doubles, by definition of each result.
Week 21 · Team sports on a court
Netball, basketball, hockey and volleyball: the rates that describe a court game.
Start here · The possession is the unit- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
- Kubatko J, Oliver D, Pelton K, Rosenbaum DT. A starting point for analyzing basketball statistics. J Quant Anal Sports 2007;3(3):Article 1.
Day 141 · Possessions- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
- Kubatko J, Oliver D, Pelton K, Rosenbaum DT. A starting point for analyzing basketball statistics. J Quant Anal Sports 2007;3(3):Article 1.
Day 142 · Efficiency- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
- Kubatko J, Oliver D, Pelton K, Rosenbaum DT. A starting point for analyzing basketball statistics. J Quant Anal Sports 2007;3(3):Article 1.
Day 143 · The centre pass- International Netball Federation match statistics: goals, attempts, goal percentage, centre pass receives and centre pass conversion.
- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
Day 144 · Effective shooting- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
- Kubatko J, Oliver D, Pelton K, Rosenbaum DT. A starting point for analyzing basketball statistics. J Quant Anal Sports 2007;3(3):Article 1.
- Effective field goal percentage = (FG + 0.5 x 3P) / FGA, which prices a made three at 1.5 made twos.
Day 145 · The side-out- Marcelino R, Mesquita I, Sampaio J. Effects of quality of opposition and match status on technical and tactical performances in elite volleyball. J Sports Sci 2011;29:733-741.
- Under rally scoring every rally scores, so a team's break-point rate is one minus the opponent's side-out rate.
Day 146 · The circle- International Hockey Federation match statistics: circle entries, shots, penalty corners and conversion.
- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
Day 147 · Your court card- Oliver D. Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis. Brassey's, 2004.
- Kubatko J, Oliver D, Pelton K, Rosenbaum DT. A starting point for analyzing basketball statistics. J Quant Anal Sports 2007;3(3):Article 1.
Week 22 · How much is enough
Training load, the acute-to-chronic ratio, and the honest weekly total.
Start here · Enough, and not too much- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50:273-280.
- Impellizzeri FM, Woodcock S, Coutts AJ, Fanchini M, McCall A, Vigotsky AD. Acute:chronic workload ratio: conceptual issues and fundamental pitfalls. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2020;15:907-913.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
Day 148 · Acute and chronic- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50:273-280.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
Day 149 · The workload ratio- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50:273-280.
- Impellizzeri FM, Woodcock S, Coutts AJ, Fanchini M, McCall A, Vigotsky AD. Acute:chronic workload ratio: conceptual issues and fundamental pitfalls. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2020;15:907-913.
- Wang C, Vargas JT, Stokes T, Steele R, Shrier I. Analyzing activity and injury: lessons learned from the acute:chronic workload ratio. Sports Med 2020;50:1243-1254.
Day 150 · Monotony and strain- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50:273-280.
Day 151 · The ten percent rule- Buist I, Bredeweg SW, van Mechelen W, Lemmink KA, Pepping GJ, Diercks RL. No effect of a graded training program on the number of running-related injuries in novice runners: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med 2008;36:33-39.
- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50:273-280.
Day 152 · The minimum dose- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
Day 153 · Where the benefit is- Arem H, Moore SC, Patel A, et al. Leisure time physical activity and mortality: a detailed pooled analysis of the dose-response relationship. JAMA Intern Med 2015;175:959-967.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
Day 154 · Your load card- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50:273-280.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
- Impellizzeri FM, Woodcock S, Coutts AJ, Fanchini M, McCall A, Vigotsky AD. Acute:chronic workload ratio: conceptual issues and fundamental pitfalls. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2020;15:907-913.
Week 23 · Getting faster
Intervals, pace zones, repeats, and what actually makes a time drop.
Start here · One race sets the week- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2013: training paces expressed as fractions of current race pace (easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition).
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
Day 155 · Paces from one race- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2013: training paces expressed as fractions of current race pace (easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition).
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
Day 156 · What a session is worth- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2013: training paces expressed as fractions of current race pace (easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition).
- Billat LV. Interval training for performance: a scientific and empirical practice. Part I: aerobic interval training. Sports Med 2001;31:13-31.
Day 157 · How many repeats- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2013: training paces expressed as fractions of current race pace (easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition).
- Billat LV. Interval training for performance: a scientific and empirical practice. Part I: aerobic interval training. Sports Med 2001;31:13-31.
Day 158 · Threshold from two trials- Jones AM, Vanhatalo A. The 'critical power' concept: applications to sports performance with a focus on intermittent high-intensity exercise. Sports Med 2017;47(Suppl 1):65-78.
- Monod H, Scherrer J. The work capacity of a synergic muscular group. Ergonomics 1965;8:329-338.
Day 159 · Time at intensity- Billat LV. Interval training for performance: a scientific and empirical practice. Part I: aerobic interval training. Sports Med 2001;31:13-31.
- Buchheit M, Laursen PB. High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle. Part I. Sports Med 2013;43:313-338.
Day 160 · Where a best comes from- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2013: training paces expressed as fractions of current race pace (easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition).
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
Day 161 · Your session card- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula. 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2013: training paces expressed as fractions of current race pace (easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition).
- Billat LV. Interval training for performance: a scientific and empirical practice. Part I: aerobic interval training. Sports Med 2001;31:13-31.
Week 24 · Getting stronger
Progressive overload, sets across a block, deloads, and the arithmetic of a programme.
Start here · Overload, written down- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 2016;38:42-49.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
Day 162 · Double progression- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 2016;38:42-49.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
Day 163 · Reps in reserve- Zourdos MC, Klemp A, Dolan C, et al. Novel resistance training-specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:267-275.
- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 2016;38:42-49.
Day 164 · Volume across a block- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
- Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernandez C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet 2022;81:199-210.
Day 165 · The landmarks- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
- Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernandez C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet 2022;81:199-210.
- The lower landmark is supported by the volume meta-analyses; the upper is a planning construct, individual and not established by a trial.
Day 166 · The deload- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
- Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernandez C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet 2022;81:199-210.
- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 2016;38:42-49.
Day 167 · A year of blocks- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 2016;38:42-49.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
Day 168 · Your block card- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2017;35:1073-1082.
- Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernandez C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet 2022;81:199-210.
- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 2016;38:42-49.
Week 25 · The long build
Base, build, peak and taper: planning backwards from a date.
Start here · Counting backwards from a date- Issurin VB. New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Med 2010;40:189-206.
- Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:1358-1365.
Day 169 · Counting backwards- Issurin VB. New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Med 2010;40:189-206.
Day 170 · The phases- Issurin VB. New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Med 2010;40:189-206.
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1182-1187.
Day 171 · The long run- Issurin VB. New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Med 2010;40:189-206.
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1182-1187.
Day 172 · The taper- Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:1358-1365.
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1182-1187.
Day 173 · What the taper is worth- Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:1358-1365.
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1182-1187.
Day 174 · When it goes wrong- Mujika I, Padilla S. Detraining: loss of training-induced physiological and performance adaptations. Part I: short term insufficient training stimulus. Sports Med 2000;30:79-87.
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1182-1187.
- Issurin VB. New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Med 2010;40:189-206.
Day 175 · Your plan card- Issurin VB. New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Med 2010;40:189-206.
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1182-1187.
- Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:1358-1365.
Week 26 · Injury in numbers
Risk, load spikes, return to play, and the numbers that keep you on the field.
Start here · Counted per hour, not per season- Ekstrand J, Hagglund M, Walden M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558.
- Fuller CW, Ekstrand J, Junge A, et al. Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries. Br J Sports Med 2006;40:193-201.
Day 176 · Incidence- Ekstrand J, Hagglund M, Walden M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558.
- Fuller CW, Ekstrand J, Junge A, et al. Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries. Br J Sports Med 2006;40:193-201.
Day 177 · Burden- Bahr R, Clarsen B, Ekstrand J. Why we should focus on the burden of injuries and illnesses, not just their incidence. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:1018-1021.
- Ekstrand J, Hagglund M, Walden M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558.
Day 178 · Reading a risk claim- Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med 2014;48:871-877.
- Bahr R, Clarsen B, Ekstrand J. Why we should focus on the burden of injuries and illnesses, not just their incidence. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:1018-1021.
Day 179 · What prevention delivers- van Dyk N, Behan FP, Whiteley R. Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes. Br J Sports Med 2019;53:1362-1370.
- Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med 2014;48:871-877.
Day 180 · The week-on-week jump- Ekstrand J, Hagglund M, Walden M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558.
- Fuller CW, Ekstrand J, Junge A, et al. Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries. Br J Sports Med 2006;40:193-201.
- Bahr R, Clarsen B, Ekstrand J. Why we should focus on the burden of injuries and illnesses, not just their incidence. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:1018-1021.
Day 181 · Availability- Hagglund M, Walden M, Magnusson H, Kristenson K, Bengtsson H, Ekstrand J. Injuries affect team performance negatively in professional football: an 11-year follow-up of the UEFA Champions League injury study. Br J Sports Med 2013;47:738-742.
- Ekstrand J, Hagglund M, Walden M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558.
- Fuller CW, Ekstrand J, Junge A, et al. Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries. Br J Sports Med 2006;40:193-201.
Day 182 · Your availability card- Bahr R, Clarsen B, Ekstrand J. Why we should focus on the burden of injuries and illnesses, not just their incidence. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:1018-1021.
- Ekstrand J, Hagglund M, Walden M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558.
- Hagglund M, Walden M, Magnusson H, Kristenson K, Bengtsson H, Ekstrand J. Injuries affect team performance negatively in professional football: an 11-year follow-up of the UEFA Champions League injury study. Br J Sports Med 2013;47:738-742.
Week 27 · Testing yourself
Time trials, the beep test, benchmarks, and retesting honestly.
Start here · Most improvements are noise- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
Day 183 · Measurement error- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
Day 184 · The smallest worthwhile change- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
Day 185 · The beep test- Leger LA, Mercier D, Gadoury C, Lambert J. The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. J Sports Sci 1988;6:93-101: VO2max = 31.025 + 3.238S - 3.248A + 0.1536AS, with S the speed in km/h and A the age in years, validated on 8 to 19 year olds.
- Ramsbottom R, Brewer J, Williams C. A progressive shuttle run test to estimate maximal oxygen uptake. Br J Sports Med 1988;22:141-144.
- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
Day 186 · Retesting honestly- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
Day 187 · Reading a percentile- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
- The logistic approximation to the normal distribution function, 1/(1+e^(-1.702z)), is accurate to about one percentage point.
Day 188 · What a test is for- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
Day 189 · Your testing card- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15.
- Hopkins WG. How to interpret changes in an athletic performance test. Sportscience 2004;8:1-7.
Week 28 · Reading a training week
A week on one page: sessions, loads, hard days, easy days, and the total.
Start here · A week on one page- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
Day 190 · The three currencies- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
Day 191 · Minutes in each zone- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
Day 192 · What the order costs- Banister EW, Calvert TW. Planning for future performance: implications for long term training. Can J Appl Sport Sci 1980;5:170-176: fitness and fatigue modelled as exponentially decaying responses to each training impulse.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
Day 193 · Density- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
Day 194 · Comparing two weeks- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
Day 195 · Four numbers for a week- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
Day 196 · Your week on one page- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5:276-291.
- Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:1164-1168.
- Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Coutts AJ, Sassi A, Marcora SM. Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1042-1047.
Week 29 · The field and its markings
Pitch sizes, the areas, the arcs, and what the lines are for.
Start here · Every line is an argument- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 1: the field of play is 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide, and 100-110 by 64-75 m for international matches; the penalty area extends 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m into the field; the penalty mark is 11 m from the goal line and the arc has a 9.15 m radius.
Day 197 · How big a pitch is- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 1: the field of play is 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide, and 100-110 by 64-75 m for international matches; the penalty area extends 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m into the field; the penalty mark is 11 m from the goal line and the arc has a 9.15 m radius.
Day 198 · The penalty area and its arc- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 1: the field of play is 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide, and 100-110 by 64-75 m for international matches; the penalty area extends 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m into the field; the penalty mark is 11 m from the goal line and the arc has a 9.15 m radius.
Day 199 · Area per player- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 1: the field of play is 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide, and 100-110 by 64-75 m for international matches; the penalty area extends 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m into the field; the penalty mark is 11 m from the goal line and the arc has a 9.15 m radius.
- FIBA Official Basketball Rules: the court is 28 by 15 m; the three-point line is an arc of 6.75 m from the centre of the basket, with parallel lines 0.90 m from the sidelines.
Day 200 · The three-point line- FIBA Official Basketball Rules: the court is 28 by 15 m; the three-point line is an arc of 6.75 m from the centre of the basket, with parallel lines 0.90 m from the sidelines.
Day 201 · The cricket circle- ICC Standard Playing Conditions: the fielding circle is formed by two semicircles of 27.43 m radius centred on the middle stump at each end, joined by parallel lines; boundaries are 59.43 to 82.29 m from the centre of the pitch.
- MCC Laws of Cricket: the pitch is 20.12 m between the bowling creases.
Day 202 · The wall- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 1: the field of play is 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide, and 100-110 by 64-75 m for international matches; the penalty area extends 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m into the field; the penalty mark is 11 m from the goal line and the arc has a 9.15 m radius.
Day 203 · Your field card- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 1: the field of play is 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide, and 100-110 by 64-75 m for international matches; the penalty area extends 16.5 m from each goalpost and 16.5 m into the field; the penalty mark is 11 m from the goal line and the arc has a 9.15 m radius.
- World Rugby Laws, Law 1: the field of play is a maximum 100 m long and 68 to 70 m wide, with in-goal areas beyond it.
- FIH Rules of Hockey: the pitch is 91.40 by 55.00 m.
- FIBA Official Basketball Rules: the court is 28 by 15 m; the three-point line is an arc of 6.75 m from the centre of the basket, with parallel lines 0.90 m from the sidelines.
- International Netball Federation Rules: the court is 30.5 by 15.25 m, divided into three equal thirds, with goal circles of 4.9 m radius.
Week 30 · The ball
Mass, size, pressure, seams, dimples, and the rules that fix them.
Start here · The object the rules fix- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 2: the ball is 68 to 70 cm in circumference, 410 to 450 g at the start of the match, and inflated to 0.6 to 1.1 atmospheres at sea level.
- MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 4: the ball weighs 155.9 to 163 g and measures 22.4 to 22.9 cm in circumference.
Day 204 · The tolerances- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 2: the ball is 68 to 70 cm in circumference, 410 to 450 g at the start of the match, and inflated to 0.6 to 1.1 atmospheres at sea level.
- MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 4: the ball weighs 155.9 to 163 g and measures 22.4 to 22.9 cm in circumference.
- R&A and USGA Equipment Rules: a golf ball may weigh no more than 45.93 g and must be at least 42.67 mm in diameter.
Day 205 · Pressure and temperature- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 2: the ball is 68 to 70 cm in circumference, 410 to 450 g at the start of the match, and inflated to 0.6 to 1.1 atmospheres at sea level.
- At fixed volume an ideal gas obeys P/T = constant, with both pressure and temperature absolute.
Day 206 · How dense a ball is- R&A and USGA Equipment Rules: a golf ball may weigh no more than 45.93 g and must be at least 42.67 mm in diameter.
- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008.
Day 207 · Dimples- Bearman PW, Harvey JK. Golf ball aerodynamics. Aeronaut Q 1976;27:112-122.
- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008.
Day 208 · Panels and seams- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008.
- The truncated icosahedron has 32 faces, 60 vertices and 90 edges, with circumradius (a/4)sqrt(58 + 18 sqrt 5) = 2.478a.
Day 209 · Solid or hollow- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008.
- Moment of inertia of a thin spherical shell is (2/3)mr squared and of a uniform solid sphere (2/5)mr squared.
Day 210 · Your ball card- Mehta RD. Sports ball aerodynamics. In: Sport Aerodynamics. Springer, 2008.
- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 2: the ball is 68 to 70 cm in circumference, 410 to 450 g at the start of the match, and inflated to 0.6 to 1.1 atmospheres at sea level.
- MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 4: the ball weighs 155.9 to 163 g and measures 22.4 to 22.9 cm in circumference.
- ITF Rules of Tennis, Appendix I: the ball is 56.0 to 59.4 g and 6.54 to 6.86 cm in diameter.
- R&A and USGA Equipment Rules: a golf ball may weigh no more than 45.93 g and must be at least 42.67 mm in diameter.
Week 31 · Shoes, studs and surfaces
Traction, drop, cushioning, and matching the shoe to the ground.
Start here · The only equipment you wear- Franz JR, Wierzbinski CM, Kram R. Metabolic cost of running barefoot versus shod: is lighter better? Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012;44:1519-1525.
- Hoogkamer W, Kipp S, Spiering BA, Kram R. Altered running economy directly translates to altered distance-running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48:2175-2180.
Day 211 · The drop- Sun X, Lam WK, Zhang X, Wang J, Fu W. Systematic review of the role of footwear constructions in running biomechanics. J Sports Sci Med 2020;19:20-37.
- Malisoux L, Chambon N, Delattre N, Gueguen N, Urhausen A, Theisen D. Injury risk in runners using standard or motion control shoes: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med 2016;50:481-487.
Day 212 · Cushioning- Sun X, Lam WK, Zhang X, Wang J, Fu W. Systematic review of the role of footwear constructions in running biomechanics. J Sports Sci Med 2020;19:20-37.
- Malisoux L, Chambon N, Delattre N, Gueguen N, Urhausen A, Theisen D. Injury risk in runners using standard or motion control shoes: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med 2016;50:481-487.
Day 213 · Studs- Sun X, Lam WK, Zhang X, Wang J, Fu W. Systematic review of the role of footwear constructions in running biomechanics. J Sports Sci Med 2020;19:20-37.
Day 214 · Grams on the foot- Franz JR, Wierzbinski CM, Kram R. Metabolic cost of running barefoot versus shod: is lighter better? Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012;44:1519-1525.
- Hoogkamer W, Kipp S, Spiering BA, Kram R. Altered running economy directly translates to altered distance-running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48:2175-2180.
Day 215 · Plated shoes- Hoogkamer W, Kipp S, Frank JH, Farina EM, Luo G, Kram R. A comparison of the energetic cost of running in marathon racing shoes. Sports Med 2018;48:1009-1019.
- Hoogkamer W, Kipp S, Spiering BA, Kram R. Altered running economy directly translates to altered distance-running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48:2175-2180.
Day 216 · When to replace them- Sun X, Lam WK, Zhang X, Wang J, Fu W. Systematic review of the role of footwear constructions in running biomechanics. J Sports Sci Med 2020;19:20-37.
- Malisoux L, Chambon N, Delattre N, Gueguen N, Urhausen A, Theisen D. Injury risk in runners using standard or motion control shoes: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med 2016;50:481-487.
Day 217 · Your shoe card- Sun X, Lam WK, Zhang X, Wang J, Fu W. Systematic review of the role of footwear constructions in running biomechanics. J Sports Sci Med 2020;19:20-37.
- Malisoux L, Chambon N, Delattre N, Gueguen N, Urhausen A, Theisen D. Injury risk in runners using standard or motion control shoes: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med 2016;50:481-487.
- Hoogkamer W, Kipp S, Frank JH, Farina EM, Luo G, Kram R. A comparison of the energetic cost of running in marathon racing shoes. Sports Med 2018;48:1009-1019.
Week 32 · Bats, clubs and racquets
Mass, balance, swing weight, string tension, and what a heavier tool costs.
Start here · Where the mass sits- ITF Rules of Tennis and ITF Technical: the balance point convention of one-eighth of an inch per point from even balance.
- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
Day 218 · The balance point- ITF Rules of Tennis and ITF Technical: the balance point convention of one-eighth of an inch per point from even balance.
- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
Day 219 · Moving the axis- The parallel axis theorem: the moment of inertia about any axis is the moment about the centre of mass plus the mass times the square of the distance between them.
- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
- Cross R. Customising a tennis racket by adding weights. Sports Eng 2001;4:1-14.
Day 220 · What a heavier racquet costs- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
- Brody H. The physics of tennis III: the ball-racket interaction. Am J Phys 1997;65:981-987.
Day 221 · String tension- Brody H. The physics of tennis III: the ball-racket interaction. Am J Phys 1997;65:981-987.
- Cross R. Customising a tennis racket by adding weights. Sports Eng 2001;4:1-14.
Day 222 · The trampoline- Brody H. The physics of tennis III: the ball-racket interaction. Am J Phys 1997;65:981-987.
- Cross R. Customising a tennis racket by adding weights. Sports Eng 2001;4:1-14.
Day 223 · Lead tape- Cross R. Customising a tennis racket by adding weights. Sports Eng 2001;4:1-14.
- The parallel axis theorem: the moment of inertia about any axis is the moment about the centre of mass plus the mass times the square of the distance between them.
- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
Day 224 · Your kit card- The parallel axis theorem: the moment of inertia about any axis is the moment about the centre of mass plus the mass times the square of the distance between them.
- Cross R, Bower R. Effects of swing-weight on swing speed and racket power. J Sports Sci 2006;24:23-30.
- Cross R. Customising a tennis racket by adding weights. Sports Eng 2001;4:1-14.
Week 33 · Protective kit
Helmets, mouthguards, padding, and the impact numbers behind a standard.
Start here · What a standard is buying- Helmet standards such as Snell and the ASTM bicycle standards use guided drop tests onto fixed anvils with a peak headform acceleration limit, commonly 300 g.
- BS 7928:2013, Specification for head protectors for cricketers: the ball is projected at the grille and the head at a specified speed, and the protector must neither fail nor allow the ball through.
Day 225 · The drop test- Helmet standards such as Snell and the ASTM bicycle standards use guided drop tests onto fixed anvils with a peak headform acceleration limit, commonly 300 g.
- BS 7928:2013, Specification for head protectors for cricketers: the ball is projected at the grille and the head at a specified speed, and the protector must neither fail nor allow the ball through.
Day 226 · How much travel padding needs- BS 7928:2013, Specification for head protectors for cricketers: the ball is projected at the grille and the head at a specified speed, and the protector must neither fail nor allow the ball through.
- Helmet standards such as Snell and the ASTM bicycle standards use guided drop tests onto fixed anvils with a peak headform acceleration limit, commonly 300 g.
Day 227 · The head also turns- Rowson S, Duma SM. Brain injury prediction: assessing the combined probability of concussion using linear and rotational head acceleration. Ann Biomed Eng 2013;41:873-882.
- Kleiven S. Why most traumatic brain injuries are not caused by linear acceleration but skull fractures are. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2013;1:15.
Day 228 · The mouthguard- Knapik JJ, Marshall SW, Lee RB, et al. Mouthguards in sport activities: history, physical properties and injury prevention effectiveness. Sports Med 2007;37:117-144.
- Rowson S, Duma SM. Brain injury prediction: assessing the combined probability of concussion using linear and rotational head acceleration. Ann Biomed Eng 2013;41:873-882.
Day 229 · The ball that gets through- BS 7928:2013, Specification for head protectors for cricketers: the ball is projected at the grille and the head at a specified speed, and the protector must neither fail nor allow the ball through.
Day 230 · When to replace it- BS 7928:2013, Specification for head protectors for cricketers: the ball is projected at the grille and the head at a specified speed, and the protector must neither fail nor allow the ball through.
- Knapik JJ, Marshall SW, Lee RB, et al. Mouthguards in sport activities: history, physical properties and injury prevention effectiveness. Sports Med 2007;37:117-144.
Day 231 · Your protection card- BS 7928:2013, Specification for head protectors for cricketers: the ball is projected at the grille and the head at a specified speed, and the protector must neither fail nor allow the ball through.
- Knapik JJ, Marshall SW, Lee RB, et al. Mouthguards in sport activities: history, physical properties and injury prevention effectiveness. Sports Med 2007;37:117-144.
- Rowson S, Duma SM. Brain injury prediction: assessing the combined probability of concussion using linear and rotational head acceleration. Ann Biomed Eng 2013;41:873-882.
Week 34 · The stopwatch and the sensor
GPS, heart straps, watches, accuracy, and what a tracker really measures.
Start here · What the device actually knows- Kaplan ED, Hegarty CJ. Understanding GPS/GNSS: Principles and Applications. 3rd ed. Artech House, 2017.
- Misra P, Enge P. Global Positioning System: Signals, Measurements and Performance. 2nd ed. Ganga-Jamuna Press, 2011.
Day 232 · How a fix is made- Kaplan ED, Hegarty CJ. Understanding GPS/GNSS: Principles and Applications. 3rd ed. Artech House, 2017.
- Misra P, Enge P. Global Positioning System: Signals, Measurements and Performance. 2nd ed. Ganga-Jamuna Press, 2011.
Day 233 · Why the distance inflates- Scott MTU, Scott TJ, Kelly VG. The validity and reliability of global positioning systems in team sport. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:1470-1490.
- Malone JJ, Lovell R, Varley MC, Coutts AJ. Unpacking the black box: applications and considerations for using GPS devices in sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2017;12(S2):S218-S226.
- Misra P, Enge P. Global Positioning System: Signals, Measurements and Performance. 2nd ed. Ganga-Jamuna Press, 2011.
Day 234 · Sampling rate- Malone JJ, Lovell R, Varley MC, Coutts AJ. Unpacking the black box: applications and considerations for using GPS devices in sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2017;12(S2):S218-S226.
- Scott MTU, Scott TJ, Kelly VG. The validity and reliability of global positioning systems in team sport. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:1470-1490.
Day 235 · The strap and the wrist- Gilgen-Ammann R, Schweizer T, Wyss T. RR interval signal quality of a heart rate monitor and an ECG Holter at rest and during exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 2019;119:1525-1532.
- Bent B, Goldstein BA, Kibbe WA, Dunn JP. Investigating sources of inaccuracy in wearable optical heart rate sensors. NPJ Digit Med 2020;3:18.
Day 236 · Smoothing- Malone JJ, Lovell R, Varley MC, Coutts AJ. Unpacking the black box: applications and considerations for using GPS devices in sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2017;12(S2):S218-S226.
- Scott MTU, Scott TJ, Kelly VG. The validity and reliability of global positioning systems in team sport. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:1470-1490.
Day 237 · What a tracker cannot know- Bent B, Goldstein BA, Kibbe WA, Dunn JP. Investigating sources of inaccuracy in wearable optical heart rate sensors. NPJ Digit Med 2020;3:18.
- Malone JJ, Lovell R, Varley MC, Coutts AJ. Unpacking the black box: applications and considerations for using GPS devices in sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2017;12(S2):S218-S226.
- Scott MTU, Scott TJ, Kelly VG. The validity and reliability of global positioning systems in team sport. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:1470-1490.
Day 238 · Your tracker card- Scott MTU, Scott TJ, Kelly VG. The validity and reliability of global positioning systems in team sport. J Strength Cond Res 2016;30:1470-1490.
- Malone JJ, Lovell R, Varley MC, Coutts AJ. Unpacking the black box: applications and considerations for using GPS devices in sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2017;12(S2):S218-S226.
- Misra P, Enge P. Global Positioning System: Signals, Measurements and Performance. 2nd ed. Ganga-Jamuna Press, 2011.
Week 35 · The clock and the scoreboard
Playing time, stoppages, ball-in-play time, and the scoring systems themselves.
Start here · The hour you actually watch- Published ball-in-play analyses: association football runs about 55 minutes of a 90-minute match, rugby union about 35 of 80, and American football roughly 11 minutes of live action in a three-hour broadcast.
Day 239 · Three clocks- Published ball-in-play analyses: association football runs about 55 minutes of a 90-minute match, rugby union about 35 of 80, and American football roughly 11 minutes of live action in a three-hour broadcast.
Day 240 · Stoppage time- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 7: allowance is made in each half for all time lost through substitutions, injuries, disciplinary sanctions, celebrations, reviews and deliberate time-wasting.
Day 241 · The shot clock- Shot clock rules: 24 seconds in the NBA and FIBA, reduced from 30 in FIBA in 2000 and from an unlimited clock in 1954.
Day 243 · When a lead is safe- Maher MJ. Modelling association football scores. Statistica Neerlandica 1982;36:109-118.
- Published ball-in-play analyses: association football runs about 55 minutes of a 90-minute match, rugby union about 35 of 80, and American football roughly 11 minutes of live action in a three-hour broadcast.
Day 244 · Extra time- Published ball-in-play analyses: association football runs about 55 minutes of a 90-minute match, rugby union about 35 of 80, and American football roughly 11 minutes of live action in a three-hour broadcast.
- Maher MJ. Modelling association football scores. Statistica Neerlandica 1982;36:109-118.
Day 245 · Your clock card- Published ball-in-play analyses: association football runs about 55 minutes of a 90-minute match, rugby union about 35 of 80, and American football roughly 11 minutes of live action in a three-hour broadcast.
- IFAB Laws of the Game, Law 7: allowance is made in each half for all time lost through substitutions, injuries, disciplinary sanctions, celebrations, reviews and deliberate time-wasting.
Week 36 · Making a fixture list
Round robins, pools, byes, and how many matches a format costs.
Start here · What a format costs- The circle method for constructing a round robin: fix one competitor and rotate the rest, which gives n-1 rounds for an even n and n rounds with one bye each for an odd n.
- In a single-elimination tournament every match eliminates exactly one competitor, so a draw of n needs exactly n-1 matches whatever the pattern of byes.
Day 246 · The round robin- The circle method for constructing a round robin: fix one competitor and rotate the rest, which gives n-1 rounds for an even n and n rounds with one bye each for an odd n.
Day 247 · Byes- The circle method for constructing a round robin: fix one competitor and rotate the rest, which gives n-1 rounds for an even n and n rounds with one bye each for an odd n.
Day 248 · Pools against a table- The circle method for constructing a round robin: fix one competitor and rotate the rest, which gives n-1 rounds for an even n and n rounds with one bye each for an odd n.
Day 249 · The knockout- In a single-elimination tournament every match eliminates exactly one competitor, so a draw of n needs exactly n-1 matches whatever the pattern of byes.
Day 250 · Groups then knockout- FIFA World Cup formats: 32 teams in eight groups of four with 64 matches from 1998 to 2022, and 48 teams in twelve groups of four from 2026.
- In a single-elimination tournament every match eliminates exactly one competitor, so a draw of n needs exactly n-1 matches whatever the pattern of byes.
- The circle method for constructing a round robin: fix one competitor and rotate the rest, which gives n-1 rounds for an even n and n rounds with one bye each for an odd n.
Day 251 · What a format costs- FIFA World Cup formats: 32 teams in eight groups of four with 64 matches from 1998 to 2022, and 48 teams in twelve groups of four from 2026.
- In a single-elimination tournament every match eliminates exactly one competitor, so a draw of n needs exactly n-1 matches whatever the pattern of byes.
Day 252 · Your fixture card- The circle method for constructing a round robin: fix one competitor and rotate the rest, which gives n-1 rounds for an even n and n rounds with one bye each for an odd n.
- In a single-elimination tournament every match eliminates exactly one competitor, so a draw of n needs exactly n-1 matches whatever the pattern of byes.
- FIFA World Cup formats: 32 teams in eight groups of four with 64 matches from 1998 to 2022, and 48 teams in twelve groups of four from 2026.
Week 37 · Rankings and seedings
Points systems, rating systems, and what a ranking can and cannot say.
Day 253 · A points ranking- Rolling points rankings, such as the ATP and WTA tours, total a player's results over a fixed window and require points earned a year ago to be defended.
Day 254 · Elo- Elo AE. The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present. Arco, 1978: the expected score is 1/(1 + 10^((Rb - Ra)/400)) and the update is K times the difference between the actual and expected score.
- FIFA Men's World Ranking technical documentation: the ranking moved to an Elo-based system in 2018, with the importance of the match setting the weighting.
Day 255 · The update- Elo AE. The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present. Arco, 1978: the expected score is 1/(1 + 10^((Rb - Ra)/400)) and the update is K times the difference between the actual and expected score.
- Glickman ME. Parameter estimation in large dynamic paired comparison experiments. J R Stat Soc Ser C 1999;48:377-394.
Day 256 · Seeding- Elo AE. The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present. Arco, 1978: the expected score is 1/(1 + 10^((Rb - Ra)/400)) and the update is K times the difference between the actual and expected score.
- Glickman ME. Parameter estimation in large dynamic paired comparison experiments. J R Stat Soc Ser C 1999;48:377-394.
Day 257 · How long a rating takes- Elo AE. The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present. Arco, 1978: the expected score is 1/(1 + 10^((Rb - Ra)/400)) and the update is K times the difference between the actual and expected score.
- Glickman ME. Parameter estimation in large dynamic paired comparison experiments. J R Stat Soc Ser C 1999;48:377-394.
Day 258 · What a rating cannot say- Glickman ME. Parameter estimation in large dynamic paired comparison experiments. J R Stat Soc Ser C 1999;48:377-394.
- Elo AE. The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present. Arco, 1978: the expected score is 1/(1 + 10^((Rb - Ra)/400)) and the update is K times the difference between the actual and expected score.
Day 259 · Your ranking card- Elo AE. The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present. Arco, 1978: the expected score is 1/(1 + 10^((Rb - Ra)/400)) and the update is K times the difference between the actual and expected score.
- Glickman ME. Parameter estimation in large dynamic paired comparison experiments. J R Stat Soc Ser C 1999;48:377-394.
- FIFA Men's World Ranking technical documentation: the ranking moved to an Elo-based system in 2018, with the importance of the match setting the weighting.
Week 38 · Chance in sport
Upsets, streaks, home advantage, and how much of a result is luck.
Day 260 · Splitting the variance- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
Day 261 · The upset- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
Day 262 · Streaks- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
- Gilovich T, Vallone R, Tversky A. The hot hand in basketball: on the misperception of random sequences. Cogn Psychol 1985;17:295-314.
Day 263 · Home advantage- Pollard R. Home advantage in football: a current review of an unsolved puzzle. Open Sports Sci J 2008;1:12-14.
- Leitner MC, Daumann F, Follert F, Richlan F. The cauldron has cooled down: a systematic literature review on home advantage in football during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manag Rev Q 2023;73:605-633.
Day 264 · Regression to the mean- Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011: regression to the mean and the illusion of causes.
- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
Day 265 · The hot hand- Gilovich T, Vallone R, Tversky A. The hot hand in basketball: on the misperception of random sequences. Cogn Psychol 1985;17:295-314.
- Miller JB, Sanjurjo A. Surprised by the hot hand fallacy? A truth in the law of small numbers. Econometrica 2018;86:2019-2047.
Day 266 · Your luck card- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
- Gilovich T, Vallone R, Tversky A. The hot hand in basketball: on the misperception of random sequences. Cogn Psychol 1985;17:295-314.
Week 39 · Records and how they fall
Progression, plateaus, technology, and why some records stand for decades.
Start here · Why the curve flattens- Nevill AM, Whyte G. Are there limits to running world records? Med Sci Sports Exerc 2005;37:1785-1788.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
- World Athletics record progressions. The men's 100 m record moved from 10.6 s in 1912 to 9.58 s in 2009; the mile record has stood since 1999, the long jump since 1991 and the high jump since 1993.
Day 267 · The plateau- Nevill AM, Whyte G. Are there limits to running world records? Med Sci Sports Exerc 2005;37:1785-1788.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
Day 268 · How long a record stands- Gembris D, Taylor JG, Suter D. Sports statistics: evolution of athletic records. Nature 2002;417:506.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
Day 269 · The size of the pool- Gembris D, Taylor JG, Suter D. Sports statistics: evolution of athletic records. Nature 2002;417:506.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
Day 270 · The step change- World Aquatics banned non-textile swimsuits from 2010 after 43 world records fell during 2009.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
Day 271 · Comparing eras- Gembris D, Taylor JG, Suter D. Sports statistics: evolution of athletic records. Nature 2002;417:506.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
- World Athletics record progressions. The men's 100 m record moved from 10.6 s in 1912 to 9.58 s in 2009; the mile record has stood since 1999, the long jump since 1991 and the high jump since 1993.
Day 272 · What it would take- World Athletics record progressions. The men's 100 m record moved from 10.6 s in 1912 to 9.58 s in 2009; the mile record has stood since 1999, the long jump since 1991 and the high jump since 1993.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
Day 273 · Your record card- World Athletics record progressions. The men's 100 m record moved from 10.6 s in 1912 to 9.58 s in 2009; the mile record has stood since 1999, the long jump since 1991 and the high jump since 1993.
- Gembris D, Taylor JG, Suter D. Sports statistics: evolution of athletic records. Nature 2002;417:506.
- Berthelot G, Sedeaud A, Marck A, et al. Has athletic performance reached its peak? Sports Med 2015;45:1263-1271.
Week 40 · Handicaps and fairness
Golf handicaps, age grading, weight-for-age, and making an uneven contest fair.
Start here · Making an uneven contest fair- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
Day 274 · The index- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
Day 275 · Net and Stableford- Stableford scoring: 2 points for a net par, 3 for a net birdie, 4 for a net eagle, 1 for a net bogey and none for worse, so a par round scores 36.
- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
Day 276 · The allowance- Rules of Handicapping, handicap allowances: 95 percent in individual stroke play, 100 percent in singles match play, 90 percent in four-ball and 50 percent of the combined difference in foursomes.
- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
Day 277 · Weight for age- British Horseracing Authority handicapping: a handicapper assigns weight so that the field would theoretically finish together, with a weight-for-age scale adjusting for a horse's age against the calendar.
Day 278 · Why the variable gain- For 20 normally distributed rounds, the mean of the best 8 sits about 0.966 standard deviations below the overall mean, which is the expected value of the lowest 40 percent of the distribution.
- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
Day 279 · Equalising a contest- For 20 normally distributed rounds, the mean of the best 8 sits about 0.966 standard deviations below the overall mean, which is the expected value of the lowest 40 percent of the distribution.
- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
Day 280 · Your fairness card- USGA and R&A Rules of Handicapping: the Handicap Index is the average of the best 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials, with caps and a low-index adjustment applied afterwards.
- For 20 normally distributed rounds, the mean of the best 8 sits about 0.966 standard deviations below the overall mean, which is the expected value of the lowest 40 percent of the distribution.
- Rules of Handicapping, handicap allowances: 95 percent in individual stroke play, 100 percent in singles match play, 90 percent in four-ball and 50 percent of the combined difference in foursomes.
Week 41 · Officiating by numbers
Review systems, margins, the benefit of the doubt, and measurement error.
Start here · Every decision has an error bar- ITF testing of electronic line-calling systems, which specifies a maximum permitted mean error for a ball-tracking call; published figures for approved systems are a few millimetres.
- The logistic approximation to the normal distribution function, 1/(1+e^(-1.702z)), is accurate to about one percentage point.
Day 281 · The margin of error- ITF testing of electronic line-calling systems, which specifies a maximum permitted mean error for a ball-tracking call; published figures for approved systems are a few millimetres.
- The logistic approximation to the normal distribution function, 1/(1+e^(-1.702z)), is accurate to about one percentage point.
Day 282 · The tolerance band- ICC Standard Playing Conditions, the Decision Review System: an on-field decision stands as umpire's call when the ball-tracking margins are within the stated tolerances.
- MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 8: the wicket is 9 inches, which is 22.86 cm, wide.
Day 283 · The offside chain- FIFA semi-automated offside technology tracks a large number of body points at a high frame rate and derives the moment the ball is played from the ball's own sensor.
- The logistic approximation to the normal distribution function, 1/(1+e^(-1.702z)), is accurate to about one percentage point.
Day 284 · How often a review overturns- ICC Standard Playing Conditions, the Decision Review System: an on-field decision stands as umpire's call when the ball-tracking margins are within the stated tolerances.
Day 285 · What a review costs- ICC Standard Playing Conditions, the Decision Review System: an on-field decision stands as umpire's call when the ball-tracking margins are within the stated tolerances.
- FIFA semi-automated offside technology tracks a large number of body points at a high frame rate and derives the moment the ball is played from the ball's own sensor.
Day 287 · Your officiating card- ITF testing of electronic line-calling systems, which specifies a maximum permitted mean error for a ball-tracking call; published figures for approved systems are a few millimetres.
- ICC Standard Playing Conditions, the Decision Review System: an on-field decision stands as umpire's call when the ball-tracking margins are within the stated tolerances.
- FIFA semi-automated offside technology tracks a large number of body points at a high frame rate and derives the moment the ball is played from the ball's own sensor.
- Cohen J. A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educ Psychol Meas 1960;20:37-46.
Week 42 · When the numbers mislead
Small samples, the hot hand, selective stats, and the honest reading.
Start here · The honest reading- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
Day 288 · Two numbers that are not different- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
Day 289 · The chosen window- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
Day 290 · Survivorship- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
Day 292 · The stat that had to exist- Benjamini Y, Hochberg Y. Controlling the false discovery rate: a practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J R Stat Soc Ser B 1995;57:289-300.
- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
Day 293 · Rate against total- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
Day 294 · Your misleading card- Wainer H. The most dangerous equation. Am Sci 2007;95:249-256: the standard error falls with the square root of the sample, and ignoring it is the commonest error in reading data.
- Mauboussin MJ. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. Harvard Business Review Press, 2012.
- Benjamini Y, Hochberg Y. Controlling the false discovery rate: a practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J R Stat Soc Ser B 1995;57:289-300.
Week 43 · What sport costs
Kit, club fees, travel, tournaments, and a season on a family budget.
Start here · A season on a family budget- Dunn CR, Dorsch TE, King MQ, Rothlisberger KJ. The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Fam Relat 2016;65:287-299: greater spending was associated with more perceived pressure and less enjoyment, not more.
- Statistics South Africa. Consumer Price Index (P0141), published monthly, including the recreation and culture basket. The rand figures in this week are illustrative starting points; replace them with your own.
Day 295 · The fixed bill- Statistics South Africa. Consumer Price Index (P0141), published monthly, including the recreation and culture basket. The rand figures in this week are illustrative starting points; replace them with your own.
- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play: annual reporting on youth sport participation, cost and access.
Day 296 · The travel bill- The Automobile Association of South Africa publishes vehicle running costs a kilometre, and SARS publishes a prescribed rate for reimbursive travel. The full rate, which includes depreciation and maintenance, is well above the fuel-only figure.
- Statistics South Africa. Consumer Price Index (P0141), published monthly, including the recreation and culture basket. The rand figures in this week are illustrative starting points; replace them with your own.
Day 297 · The tournament weekend- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play: annual reporting on youth sport participation, cost and access.
- Statistics South Africa. Consumer Price Index (P0141), published monthly, including the recreation and culture basket. The rand figures in this week are illustrative starting points; replace them with your own.
- The Automobile Association of South Africa publishes vehicle running costs a kilometre, and SARS publishes a prescribed rate for reimbursive travel. The full rate, which includes depreciation and maintenance, is well above the fuel-only figure.
Day 298 · Kit that wears out- Statistics South Africa. Consumer Price Index (P0141), published monthly, including the recreation and culture basket. The rand figures in this week are illustrative starting points; replace them with your own.
- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play: annual reporting on youth sport participation, cost and access.
Day 299 · The costs nobody invoices- Dunn CR, Dorsch TE, King MQ, Rothlisberger KJ. The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Fam Relat 2016;65:287-299: greater spending was associated with more perceived pressure and less enjoyment, not more.
- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play: annual reporting on youth sport participation, cost and access.
Day 300 · An hour of play- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play: annual reporting on youth sport participation, cost and access.
- Dunn CR, Dorsch TE, King MQ, Rothlisberger KJ. The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Fam Relat 2016;65:287-299: greater spending was associated with more perceived pressure and less enjoyment, not more.
Day 301 · Your family sport budget- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play: annual reporting on youth sport participation, cost and access.
- Dunn CR, Dorsch TE, King MQ, Rothlisberger KJ. The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Fam Relat 2016;65:287-299: greater spending was associated with more perceived pressure and less enjoyment, not more.
- Statistics South Africa. Consumer Price Index (P0141), published monthly, including the recreation and culture basket. The rand figures in this week are illustrative starting points; replace them with your own.
Week 44 · What sport pays
Prize money, salaries, sponsorship, and the shape of a sporting income.
Start here · The shape of a sporting income- Rosen S. The economics of superstars. Am Econ Rev 1981;71:845-858: where a performance can be reproduced at almost no extra cost, small differences in ability produce very large differences in reward.
- Frick B. The football players' labour market: empirical evidence from the major European leagues. Scott J Polit Econ 2007;54:422-446: earnings are highly skewed, with a small share of players taking a large share of the payroll.
Day 302 · The prize pool- Rosen S. The economics of superstars. Am Econ Rev 1981;71:845-858: where a performance can be reproduced at almost no extra cost, small differences in ability produce very large differences in reward.
- Frick B. The football players' labour market: empirical evidence from the major European leagues. Scott J Polit Econ 2007;54:422-446: earnings are highly skewed, with a small share of players taking a large share of the payroll.
Day 303 · What a career pays- Rosen S. The economics of superstars. Am Econ Rev 1981;71:845-858: where a performance can be reproduced at almost no extra cost, small differences in ability produce very large differences in reward.
- Scully GW. Pay and performance in Major League Baseball. Am Econ Rev 1974;64:915-930: the first careful estimate of what a player's contribution is worth against what the player is paid.
Day 304 · The cap and the squad- Scully GW. Pay and performance in Major League Baseball. Am Econ Rev 1974;64:915-930: the first careful estimate of what a player's contribution is worth against what the player is paid.
- Deloitte. Annual Review of Football Finance, published yearly: wage-to-revenue ratios and squad cost across the major leagues.
Day 305 · What a sponsor buys- Rosen S. The economics of superstars. Am Econ Rev 1981;71:845-858: where a performance can be reproduced at almost no extra cost, small differences in ability produce very large differences in reward.
- Deloitte. Annual Review of Football Finance, published yearly: wage-to-revenue ratios and squad cost across the major leagues.
Day 306 · A fee as an investment- Scully GW. Pay and performance in Major League Baseball. Am Econ Rev 1974;64:915-930: the first careful estimate of what a player's contribution is worth against what the player is paid.
- Deloitte. Annual Review of Football Finance, published yearly: wage-to-revenue ratios and squad cost across the major leagues.
- Frick B. The football players' labour market: empirical evidence from the major European leagues. Scott J Polit Econ 2007;54:422-446: earnings are highly skewed, with a small share of players taking a large share of the payroll.
Day 307 · Median against mean- Pareto V. Cours d'economie politique. Lausanne, 1896: the power-law description of income distributions, still the standard model for skewed earnings.
- Frick B. The football players' labour market: empirical evidence from the major European leagues. Scott J Polit Econ 2007;54:422-446: earnings are highly skewed, with a small share of players taking a large share of the payroll.
- Rosen S. The economics of superstars. Am Econ Rev 1981;71:845-858: where a performance can be reproduced at almost no extra cost, small differences in ability produce very large differences in reward.
Day 308 · Your income card- Frick B. The football players' labour market: empirical evidence from the major European leagues. Scott J Polit Econ 2007;54:422-446: earnings are highly skewed, with a small share of players taking a large share of the payroll.
- Pareto V. Cours d'economie politique. Lausanne, 1896: the power-law description of income distributions, still the standard model for skewed earnings.
- Deloitte. Annual Review of Football Finance, published yearly: wage-to-revenue ratios and squad cost across the major leagues.
Week 45 · Crowds and venues
Capacity, attendance, noise, parking, and moving a crowd.
Start here · Moving a crowd- Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (the Green Guide), 6th edition: the maximum density for standing accommodation and the rates of passage used to size exit systems.
- Fruin JJ. Pedestrian Planning and Design. Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners, 1971: the level-of-service framework for pedestrian flow, still the basis of crowd movement design.
Day 309 · Capacity and area- Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (the Green Guide), 6th edition: the maximum density for standing accommodation and the rates of passage used to size exit systems.
- Neufert E, Neufert P. Architects' Data. 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012: spectator areas, circulation and parking provision.
Day 310 · Filling it- Neufert E, Neufert P. Architects' Data. 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012: spectator areas, circulation and parking provision.
- Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (the Green Guide), 6th edition: the maximum density for standing accommodation and the rates of passage used to size exit systems.
Day 311 · The noise- ISO 1999: Acoustics - Estimation of noise-induced hearing loss. The permitted exposure time halves for every 3 dB of additional sound level.
- Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (the Green Guide), 6th edition: the maximum density for standing accommodation and the rates of passage used to size exit systems.
Day 312 · Getting everyone out- Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (the Green Guide), 6th edition: the maximum density for standing accommodation and the rates of passage used to size exit systems.
- Fruin JJ. Pedestrian Planning and Design. Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners, 1971: the level-of-service framework for pedestrian flow, still the basis of crowd movement design.
Day 313 · Parking and arrival- Neufert E, Neufert P. Architects' Data. 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012: spectator areas, circulation and parking provision.
- Fruin JJ. Pedestrian Planning and Design. Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners, 1971: the level-of-service framework for pedestrian flow, still the basis of crowd movement design.
Day 314 · The sightline- John G, Sheard R, Vickery B. Stadia: A Design and Development Guide. 5th ed. Routledge, 2013: the C-value method for sightlines and the geometry of a rake.
- Neufert E, Neufert P. Architects' Data. 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012: spectator areas, circulation and parking provision.
Day 315 · Your venue card- Sports Grounds Safety Authority. Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (the Green Guide), 6th edition: the maximum density for standing accommodation and the rates of passage used to size exit systems.
- Neufert E, Neufert P. Architects' Data. 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012: spectator areas, circulation and parking provision.
- Fruin JJ. Pedestrian Planning and Design. Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners, 1971: the level-of-service framework for pedestrian flow, still the basis of crowd movement design.
Week 46 · Sport on screen
Broadcast hours, streaming data, camera angles, and the numbers on the graphic.
Start here · The numbers behind the picture- Segmented streaming (HLS and DASH) holds a buffer of about three segments before playing; low-latency variants cut the segment length, which is why the buffer, not the network, sets the delay.
- The major streaming services publish recommended bitrates; 8 megabits a second for 1080p and 25 for 2160p are the figures used for planning, and the actual rate varies with the scene.
Day 316 · What it costs to watch- The major streaming services publish recommended bitrates; 8 megabits a second for 1080p and 25 for 2160p are the figures used for planning, and the actual rate varies with the scene.
Day 317 · What a stream uses- The major streaming services publish recommended bitrates; 8 megabits a second for 1080p and 25 for 2160p are the figures used for planning, and the actual rate varies with the scene.
Day 318 · Pixels on a player- Hartley R, Zisserman A. Multiple View Geometry in Computer Vision. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2004: the projective geometry behind every calibrated camera system used in sport.
- The normal eye resolves detail of about one arcminute, which is the basis of the 6/6 line on a Snellen chart.
Day 319 · The camera off the line- Hartley R, Zisserman A. Multiple View Geometry in Computer Vision. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2004: the projective geometry behind every calibrated camera system used in sport.
Day 320 · Why the neighbour cheers first- Segmented streaming (HLS and DASH) holds a buffer of about three segments before playing; low-latency variants cut the segment length, which is why the buffer, not the network, sets the delay.
Day 321 · Your screen and where you sit- SMPTE's recommended practice for viewing distance puts a screen at about 30 degrees of horizontal field of view; THX recommends 36 to 40 degrees for cinema seating.
- The normal eye resolves detail of about one arcminute, which is the basis of the 6/6 line on a Snellen chart.
Day 322 · Your screen card- The major streaming services publish recommended bitrates; 8 megabits a second for 1080p and 25 for 2160p are the figures used for planning, and the actual rate varies with the scene.
- SMPTE's recommended practice for viewing distance puts a screen at about 30 degrees of horizontal field of view; THX recommends 36 to 40 degrees for cinema seating.
Week 47 · Sport and health
Activity guidelines, risk against benefit, and what a season does for you.
Start here · The years, and what they cost- Lee DC, Pate RR, Lavie CJ, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;64:472-481: runners had about 30 percent lower all-cause mortality and roughly three years greater life expectancy, with benefit already present at five to ten minutes a day.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
Day 323 · The years against the hours- Lee DC, Pate RR, Lavie CJ, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;64:472-481: runners had about 30 percent lower all-cause mortality and roughly three years greater life expectancy, with benefit already present at five to ten minutes a day.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
Day 324 · Breaking up the sitting- Ekelund U, Steene-Johannessen J, Brown WJ, et al. Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than one million men and women. Lancet 2016;388:1302-1310.
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43:1575-1581: the MET values used throughout this course.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
Day 325 · The weekend warrior- O'Donovan G, Lee IM, Hamer M, Stamatakis E. Association of 'weekend warrior' and other leisure time physical activity patterns with risks for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. JAMA Intern Med 2017;177:335-342: one or two sessions a week carried nearly the same benefit as activity spread across the week.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
Day 326 · The season and the year- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43:1575-1581: the MET values used throughout this course.
Day 327 · Where the injuries are- Ekstrand J, Haegglund M, Waldén M. Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:553-558: about 27.5 injuries per 1,000 match hours against 4.1 per 1,000 training hours, with a mean absence of around eighteen days.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
Day 328 · Strength, the other half- Momma H, Kawakami R, Honda T, Sawada SS. Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2022;56:755-763: 10 to 17 percent lower risk, with the association strongest at around 30 to 60 minutes a week.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
Day 329 · Your sporting life card- Lee DC, Pate RR, Lavie CJ, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;64:472-481: runners had about 30 percent lower all-cause mortality and roughly three years greater life expectancy, with benefit already present at five to ten minutes a day.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and muscle-strengthening on two or more days.
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011;43:1575-1581: the MET values used throughout this course.
Week 48 · Sport in South Africa
Participation, facilities, school sport, and the country's own numbers.
Start here · The country's own numbers- Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates (P0302) and the General Household Survey (P0318), published annually: the population figure used here is about 63 million, and the participation questions in the GHS are the national source for who plays what.
- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
Day 330 · The denominator- Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates (P0302) and the General Household Survey (P0318), published annually: the population figure used here is about 63 million, and the participation questions in the GHS are the national source for who plays what.
- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
Day 331 · The funnel- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
- Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates (P0302) and the General Household Survey (P0318), published annually: the population figure used here is about 63 million, and the participation questions in the GHS are the national source for who plays what.
Day 332 · A field's catchment- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
- Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates (P0302) and the General Household Survey (P0318), published annually: the population figure used here is about 63 million, and the participation questions in the GHS are the national source for who plays what.
Day 333 · School sport- Department of Basic Education. School Realities, published annually: the counts of public ordinary schools, learners and educators. The figures used here, about 24,500 schools and 13 million learners, are of that order; take the current release for the exact numbers.
- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
Day 334 · Against what a household earns- Statistics South Africa. Living Conditions Survey and the Income and Expenditure Survey: the source for household income by decile, which is what the affordability day needs.
- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
Day 335 · What one coach can reach- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
- Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates (P0302) and the General Household Survey (P0318), published annually: the population figure used here is about 63 million, and the participation questions in the GHS are the national source for who plays what.
Day 336 · Your provision card- Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population estimates (P0302) and the General Household Survey (P0318), published annually: the population figure used here is about 63 million, and the participation questions in the GHS are the national source for who plays what.
- Department of Basic Education. School Realities, published annually: the counts of public ordinary schools, learners and educators. The figures used here, about 24,500 schools and 13 million learners, are of that order; take the current release for the exact numbers.
- The facility counts, club numbers, coach numbers and household incomes in this week are ILLUSTRATIVE defaults, not published statistics. They are there so the arithmetic runs. Replace every one of them with your own district's real figures, which your municipality, federation or school district can supply.
Week 49 · Getting a child into sport
Hours, cost, early specialising, and what long-term development means.
Start here · What the evidence actually asks of you- Ericsson KA, Krampe RT, Tesch-Roemer C. The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychol Rev 1993;100:363-406: the study behind the ten-thousand-hour idea, which was about violinists and never proposed a threshold.
- Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ, Oswald FL. Deliberate practice and performance in music, games, sports, education, and professions: a meta-analysis. Psychol Sci 2014;25:1608-1618: deliberate practice accounted for about 18 percent of the variance in sport performance.
Day 337 · The ten thousand hours- Ericsson KA, Krampe RT, Tesch-Roemer C. The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychol Rev 1993;100:363-406: the study behind the ten-thousand-hour idea, which was about violinists and never proposed a threshold.
- Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ, Oswald FL. Deliberate practice and performance in music, games, sports, education, and professions: a meta-analysis. Psychol Sci 2014;25:1608-1618: deliberate practice accounted for about 18 percent of the variance in sport performance.
Day 338 · Early specialising- Jayanthi NA, LaBella CR, Fischer D, Pasulka J, Dugas LR. Sports-specialized intensive training and the risk of injury in young athletes: a clinical case-control study. Am J Sports Med 2015;43:794-801: highly specialised young athletes carried higher odds of serious overuse injury, and the practical rules that follow are that weekly organised hours should not exceed a child's age in years and that three months a year should be free of the sport.
- Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ, Oswald FL. Deliberate practice and performance in music, games, sports, education, and professions: a meta-analysis. Psychol Sci 2014;25:1608-1618: deliberate practice accounted for about 18 percent of the variance in sport performance.
Day 339 · Sampling- Guellich A, Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ. What makes a champion? Early multidisciplinary practice, not early specialization, predicts world-class performance. Perspect Psychol Sci 2022;17:6-29: world-class athletes had more childhood practice in OTHER sports than national-class athletes did, not less.
- Cote J, Baker J, Abernethy B. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: Tenenbaum G, Eklund RC, eds. Handbook of Sport Psychology. 3rd ed. Wiley, 2007: the sampling years and the developmental model of sport participation.
Day 340 · The dropout curve- Cote J, Baker J, Abernethy B. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: Tenenbaum G, Eklund RC, eds. Handbook of Sport Psychology. 3rd ed. Wiley, 2007: the sampling years and the developmental model of sport participation.
- Dunn CR, Dorsch TE, King MQ, Rothlisberger KJ. The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Fam Relat 2016;65:287-299.
Day 341 · The week that fits- Jayanthi NA, LaBella CR, Fischer D, Pasulka J, Dugas LR. Sports-specialized intensive training and the risk of injury in young athletes: a clinical case-control study. Am J Sports Med 2015;43:794-801: highly specialised young athletes carried higher odds of serious overuse injury, and the practical rules that follow are that weekly organised hours should not exceed a child's age in years and that three months a year should be free of the sport.
- Cote J, Baker J, Abernethy B. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: Tenenbaum G, Eklund RC, eds. Handbook of Sport Psychology. 3rd ed. Wiley, 2007: the sampling years and the developmental model of sport participation.
Day 342 · The three rules- Jayanthi NA, LaBella CR, Fischer D, Pasulka J, Dugas LR. Sports-specialized intensive training and the risk of injury in young athletes: a clinical case-control study. Am J Sports Med 2015;43:794-801: highly specialised young athletes carried higher odds of serious overuse injury, and the practical rules that follow are that weekly organised hours should not exceed a child's age in years and that three months a year should be free of the sport.
- Cote J, Baker J, Abernethy B. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: Tenenbaum G, Eklund RC, eds. Handbook of Sport Psychology. 3rd ed. Wiley, 2007: the sampling years and the developmental model of sport participation.
- Guellich A, Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ. What makes a champion? Early multidisciplinary practice, not early specialization, predicts world-class performance. Perspect Psychol Sci 2022;17:6-29: world-class athletes had more childhood practice in OTHER sports than national-class athletes did, not less.
Day 343 · Your child's year- Jayanthi NA, LaBella CR, Fischer D, Pasulka J, Dugas LR. Sports-specialized intensive training and the risk of injury in young athletes: a clinical case-control study. Am J Sports Med 2015;43:794-801: highly specialised young athletes carried higher odds of serious overuse injury, and the practical rules that follow are that weekly organised hours should not exceed a child's age in years and that three months a year should be free of the sport.
- Guellich A, Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ. What makes a champion? Early multidisciplinary practice, not early specialization, predicts world-class performance. Perspect Psychol Sci 2022;17:6-29: world-class athletes had more childhood practice in OTHER sports than national-class athletes did, not less.
- Cote J, Baker J, Abernethy B. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: Tenenbaum G, Eklund RC, eds. Handbook of Sport Psychology. 3rd ed. Wiley, 2007: the sampling years and the developmental model of sport participation.
- Dunn CR, Dorsch TE, King MQ, Rothlisberger KJ. The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Fam Relat 2016;65:287-299.
Week 50 · A short history of sports numbers
From the stopwatch to the tracker: how sport learnt to count itself.
Start here · How sport learnt to count itself- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
- The volume figures here are worked from published capture rates: ball tracking at about 25 frames a second and optical player tracking at about 10 samples a second per player. The hand-scoring figure is the number of entries a scorer writes for a ball.
Day 344 · The tie that resolution removed- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
- The volume figures here are worked from published capture rates: ball tracking at about 25 frames a second and optical player tracking at about 10 samples a second per player. The hand-scoring figure is the number of entries a scorer writes for a ball.
Day 345 · What a match costs to count- The volume figures here are worked from published capture rates: ball tracking at about 25 frames a second and optical player tracking at about 10 samples a second per player. The hand-scoring figure is the number of entries a scorer writes for a ball.
- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
Day 346 · Freezing the moment- Motion blur is the subject's speed multiplied by the exposure time. The cinema convention of a 180-degree shutter gives an exposure of half the frame interval.
- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
Day 347 · The decathlon tables- World Athletics. Scoring Tables for Combined Events: every event's points are a constant times the difference from a baseline, raised to a power, with its own three constants.
Day 348 · The gun and the speed of sound- The speed of sound in dry air at 20 degrees Celsius is about 343 metres a second, which is why every starting block now carries its own speaker.
- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
Day 349 · The yards that became metres- Athletics retired its imperial records in 1976. A yard mark and a metric mark are not the same performance, and converting between them needs a speed model rather than a ratio.
- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
Day 350 · Your measurement card- Quercetani RL. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. Oxford University Press, 1964: the record book's progression from hand timing in fifths of a second to fully automatic electronic timing.
- The speed of sound in dry air at 20 degrees Celsius is about 343 metres a second, which is why every starting block now carries its own speaker.
- Athletics retired its imperial records in 1976. A yard mark and a metric mark are not the same performance, and converting between them needs a speed model rather than a ratio.
Week 51 · The numbers that changed sport
The measurements and models that altered how games are actually played.
Start here · When the arithmetic won- Romer D. Do firms maximize? Evidence from professional football. J Polit Econ 2006;114:340-365: the expected-points analysis showing that teams punt and kick far more often than the arithmetic supports.
Day 351 · Fourth down- Romer D. Do firms maximize? Evidence from professional football. J Polit Econ 2006;114:340-365: the expected-points analysis showing that teams punt and kick far more often than the arithmetic supports.
Day 352 · The sacrifice- Tango TM, Lichtman MG, Dolphin AE. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Potomac Books, 2007: the run expectancy and scoring probability tables. The values here are of the published order; put your own league's in.
Day 353 · The flop- Dapena J. The high jump. In: Zatsiorsky VM, ed. Biomechanics in Sport. Blackwell Science, 2000: the flop lets the body's centre of mass pass at or below the bar, which the straddle could not do.
Day 354 · Who kicks first- Apesteguia J, Palacios-Huerta I. Psychological pressure in competitive environments: evidence from a randomized natural experiment. Am Econ Rev 2010;100:2548-2564: the reported advantage to kicking first in a shootout. Later and larger studies have found the effect much smaller or absent, which is the honest state of it.
Day 355 · The pacing light- Foster C, Schrager M, Snyder AC, Thompson NN. Pacing strategy and athletic performance. Sports Med 1994;17:77-85: even pacing is optimal for events of this length, and the penalty for variation grows with its square.
Day 356 · What a rule change is worth- Romer D. Do firms maximize? Evidence from professional football. J Polit Econ 2006;114:340-365: the expected-points analysis showing that teams punt and kick far more often than the arithmetic supports.
- Apesteguia J, Palacios-Huerta I. Psychological pressure in competitive environments: evidence from a randomized natural experiment. Am Econ Rev 2010;100:2548-2564: the reported advantage to kicking first in a shootout. Later and larger studies have found the effect much smaller or absent, which is the honest state of it.
Day 357 · Your change card- Romer D. Do firms maximize? Evidence from professional football. J Polit Econ 2006;114:340-365: the expected-points analysis showing that teams punt and kick far more often than the arithmetic supports.
- Apesteguia J, Palacios-Huerta I. Psychological pressure in competitive environments: evidence from a randomized natural experiment. Am Econ Rev 2010;100:2548-2564: the reported advantage to kicking first in a shootout. Later and larger studies have found the effect much smaller or absent, which is the honest state of it.
- Foster C, Schrager M, Snyder AC, Thompson NN. Pacing strategy and athletic performance. Sports Med 1994;17:77-85: even pacing is optimal for events of this length, and the penalty for variation grows with its square.
Week 52 · The year in sport
Your own season in numbers: what you did, what it cost, and what to keep.
Start here · The year in one page- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
Day 358 · Your year in hours- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
Day 359 · Your year in rands- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
Day 360 · What actually moved- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15: the typical error, and why a change must clear it twice over before it means anything.
- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
Day 361 · The year you can repeat- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
Day 362 · Next year, honestly- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
- Hopkins WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Med 2000;30:1-15: the typical error, and why a change must clear it twice over before it means anything.
Day 363 · Your year's card- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
Day 364 · Your year of months- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
Day 365 · What to keep- This week is a synthesis. Every calculation here combines methods from earlier weeks: the cost arithmetic of week 43, the data and screen figures of week 46, the health return of week 47, and the typical error of week 27.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1451-1462.
- Lee DC, Pate RR, Lavie CJ, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;64:472-481.