Tag Archive: sports science

1. Thinking Fast and Slow: Book Review

   23rd July 2013 4:56 pm Leave a Comment

   “What You See Is All There Is (WYSIATI)”

   is a common flaw we can all suffer from: our System 1 brain retrieves instant information and makes decisions based on currently activated ideas. Unfortunately it fails to allow for information outside of that.

   (Those of you who watch the immense self belief and ignorance of people on “The Apprentice” may recognise this!),

   Our System 2 brain is better at a more systematic and careful review of evidence, but is heavily influenced by System 1.

   This is thinking fast and thinking slow according to Daniel Kahneman in this excellent book.

   Danger of Overconfidence

   WYSIATI leads to overconfidence. If we make decisions based on our limited knowledge, then we build stories around that knowledge to justify our decision making.

   If we have made a decision and we feel good about it, then we can easily ignore any further information that comes our way that may counter our initial decision.

   In fact, people who only see one side of the argument (or limited evidence) are much more confident in their decisions than people who have seen all the evidence available.

   This is due to our brains being good at pattern recognition and formations. It makes sense from an evolutionary purpose to be able to quickly recognise danger and respond (System 1), compared to having to sit down and do a cost:benefit ratio analysis (System 2).

   The Muller Lyer illusion is an example of System1/ System 2 conflicts. Our initial impression is that the lines are different lengths.

   It is only when we measure them that we realise they are the same. However, we have to keep reminding our System 1 this is the case!

   This video shows a few examples of the System 1 and System 2 thinking and some exercises that will help you understand the concept.

   Plausable versus Probable

   One of the interesting themes of the book was our inability to understand statistics. This has major implications for our lives as politicians and policy makers also fail to comprehend the difference.

   People will ignore a statistical fact “50% of children drop out of sport at 16” but will remember individual stories of girls being give short thrift by their schools compared to boys.

   We also place a lot of faith in data collected from small samples (The pseudo sport science world is especially bad at this). The variances that occur in small samples mean that they often appear to be the best and worst cases. For example “people living in rural counties of the USA have the highest incidence of cancer“.

   Population density is lowest in these counties so a natural variance around the mean causes a blip. We pay attention to the story and so end up with a world belief that is simpler than it really is.

   Worst still, we then use System 1 thinking to explain this “fact”: it must be that rural people smoke and drink more than their better educated urban peers!

   Luck pays a big part in a lot of events, and Kahneman covers this in a lot of detail.

   He debunks the “hot hand” myth in sports: a good run of scores is likely to end with a regression to the mean. Similarly a good player who is scoring below average will return out of their “slump”.

   This has nothing to do with skill, changing their shoes, or even (much as I hate to say it) better coaching: it is a statistical anomaly.

   Summary

   A tough start to get into this book, but worth the effort. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) it has made me question my ability to make any decisions!

   What I had previously thought of sound judgement is probably littered with bias and errors of thinking. 

   The bottom line is that we need to switch between thinking fast and slow: both are necessary for our well being and to thrive. The trick is to recognise when to use which one. For me I can use fast thinking when coaching in the gym, based on my experience and lots of reading.

   When choosing a new car, or buying a house, I need to use slow thinking as I have little knowledge or expertise in these areas. In fact, using System 1 to make these decisions could be very costly.

   Recommended read: especially for students!

   See our further recommended reading for sports coaches and p.e. teachers

2. Book Review – Science of sports training by Thomas Kurz

   7th August 2009 8:43 am 4 Comments

   

   A little gem

   Science of Sports Training Book Review

   I have been meaning to get this book for a while, having read a lot of Thomas Kurz’s stuff on his website about flexibility training.

   The book is a bit old now, published in 2001, with most of the research quoted pre dating that. This would probably disqualify it from being used as an academic text book, but as a Coaching handbook it is very good.

   Kurz has an Eastern European training and coaching background, although he is now based in the USA. Most of the research comes from Eastern Europe as do the coaching philosophies.

   What comes through is the need for a massive preparation and general conditioning phase before specialising- what is commonly termed LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development ) over here.

   The book is split into 4 sections:

   1. Introduction to sports training
   2. Developing physical abilities
   3. Developing physical skills and mental toughness
   4. Planning and control of training

   As I was reading this book I could see mistakes I have made in my own training in the past, with diet and mesocycle planning being the obvious ones.

   But, more pointedly, I can see mistakes that coaches are making time and time again, operating within their own little bubbles and not knowing what they don’t know.

   A sample quote highlights this

   “Coaches who want quick success, even with young athletes, develop mainly the physical abilities that are dominant in a given athletic event. Some use so-called exercises of direct purpose or immediately applicable exercises.

   In such a system, a shot-putter practices technique only by putting shot, develops strength by standard weight lifting exercises, and speed by short sprints and starts.

   Such an approach results in considerable improvement of sport-specific performance in shot put but a stagnation of it in only a few years, after which permanent progress of the athlete is limited to strength as measured by standard weight lifting methods and speed measured by the standard 20-meter sprint from starting blocks.” (p42).

   Compare this with the how much can you squat, clean and bench press approach to fitness testing in the UK- and then making young athletes do this and comparing them with adults!!!

   Summary and Further Reading

   The book is pretty comprehensive, but easy to read. I especially liked the planning and cyclical aspects of training and how different training modes affect recovery and the next training session.

   This is probably because I have been looking to improve that area of my Coaching, and sometimes you find what you look for.

   It is an applicable book, with not much information wasted.

   This book makes the shortlist of my recommended books for sports coaches

   Read more on LTAD here: Training Young Athletes