Sports Science and Technology in the Real World

Sports Science and Technology in the Real World — page 5
sports involve different movements A soccer player runs and kicks A baseball pitcher throws A football quarterback may run and throw at the same time A biomechanist can help guide an athlete’s training This can help athletes prevent new injuries Some biomechanists work for sporting goods manufacturers They design clothing and equipment Others work as consultants for teams They help athletes identify strengths and weaknesses They help correct 8 IN THE REAL WORLD Winning with Data Garrison Draper is the director of performance for the Philadelphia Union soccer team He works with the team’s coaches and sports scientists One of his job’s biggest challenges is making sure the team’s decisions are being driven by data In sports it is easy to follow tradition or culture Draper wants to follow the numbers instead This led him to a surprising discovery The team lost more frequently after traveling outside their time zone Knowing this his team made changes to help the players fight jet lag