Science after the sports successes of Rafa Nadal or Carolina Marín

Doing sports is putting science into practice. Physics, mathematics, nutrition, botany, neuroscience, chemistry, psychology, nanotechnology or big data, in addition to many other scientific disciplines, cross in physical exercise with the aim of improving our sports performance.

Thanks to this, today we walk faster, we jump higher, we get stronger, dive deeper and set more goals than a few decades ago, just like we have better recovery methods, prevention of injuries or arbitration. A few days after starting the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, we judge different ‘milestones’.

“Genetics and personal characteristics have a major influence on sports capacity, but they are not useful if there is no good training in the light of improving the performance and prevention of injury, for which science is indispensable” Biomechanics Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences of Physical and Sports activity (IneF), in Madrid and Doctor of Physical Sciences and in Sciences of physical activity and sport.

He clarifies it with an example: «Cristiano Ronaldo has impressive physical skills, but without scientific help he would never have become what he is. It needs good physical and psychological preparation, adequate food, an individualized type of recovery … and everything that is not given at birth ».

Another case is Rafa Nadal. «Few people know that one of the tennis improvements that Mallorcan has had in recent years comes from telemetry (technology that makes external measurement of physical magnitudes possible). Due to gear meters, gyroscopes and vibration sensors embedded in their racket, the coaches of Nadal records countless data of what happened in every match, “says José Manuel López Nicolás, a Doctor of Chemical Sciences from the University of Murcia and author of the book ‘The science of the champions’ (Planet), a compendium of curiosities on science and sport. «Thanks to these tools, it was how the tennis player realized that Rafa’s were less powerful. The solution was to increase the weight of his racket frame, using lead listing ribbons, allowing it to print a large gear at the ball, “he adds.

In tennis, botany is also very useful, as shown in the Wimbledon tournament, which has a whole team of scientists who focuses on the care of the grass of the tracks.

In the women category he leads the list of examples Carolina Marín. One of the great support of the Bádminton player is artificial intelligence and big data. “His technical team has analyzed more than 240,000 games and has obtained an average of 52,000 data from each of them, so that more than 12.5,000 million data can become,” says López Nicolás. «This information helps them to plan the matches, which influence the weaknesses of the rivals and know their own weaknesses and strengths of the player. In addition, a small sensor that carries Marín behind her offers very valuable data on his degree of wear and fatigue, its state of concentration, the number of hours he sleeps … from which he is designed daily training that minimizes the risk of injuries ».

In the lesions, precisely, one of the studies in which Navarro works in the Inef Biomechanics Laboratory is framed: «We are currently investigating how changes in the activation of the hamstring muscles can be a symptom for football players to injure this muscle group. Our conclusions are published in scientific journals and with that information technical teams can implement prevention programs for their players ».

Another remarkable milestone is how nanotechnology is applied, via sensors, to prevent the most common follow -up to American football: chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease similar to Alzheimer who arises as a result of the strokes in the head suffered by players.

However, not every triumph is in a good technique. It is also a consequence of the materials with which the tools that can train us are manufactured. For example, there is science in bicycles. «The passage of steel cycling to aluminum was a revolution; But even more the transition from aluminum to carbon fiber, making them lighter and aerodynamics, making a higher speed in the descents possible, “says López Nicolás.

It also benefits from this progress synchronized swimming. “Technology has made it possible to create hydrocromic bathing suits – which changes the appearance, which increases the spectacularity of choreographies,” the author reveals. The same applies to the jelly that applied in the hair, the make -up ‘waterproof’ (waterproof) or the porcelain nails that complete the clothing of the swimmers, all subject to physio -quimal properties.

Likewise, the Navarro team is immersed in “The creation of Golf Sneakers that improve the performance of athletes, by helping them carry out the swing – moving that runs when the ball is hit with the stick – easier.”

That is the progress of these materials that in some cases have exceeded the limit of what is permitted by the regulations of the various sports disciplines and ‘technological doping’. This led to the International Swimming Federation limiting the use of Speedo LZR Racer Swimsuit, so that the controversy unleashed whether they had falsified the sports match, because it was the swimsuit that dragged 23 out of 25 swimmers those world brands in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Criticism also raised the Nike AlphaFly shoes that the Keniano Eliud Kipchoge became the first man who ran a marathon in less than two hours. The model is currently forbidden by the world athletics by considering them not allowed in the race. «In my opinion you must analyze each item of clothing or device separately. Not everything is valid, but you can’t place fences on the field. If so, few records of the world would have been broken, because most are the result of the application of new technologies, “says López Nicolás.

New technologies have also crept into arbitration systems. The VAR in Football, The Hawk Eye in Tennis or Pitchf/X in baseball allows it to resolve quickly controversy games.

Moreover, it also served for the public and viewers to live a more enriching experience during competitions. For example with immediate repetitions or real time comparisons of the results of a party with other historical data.

Apart from the progress, we cannot forget that the Spirit plays a fundamental role in sport. “Psychology is one of the most important scientific disciplines in sport, but also one of the most abandoned,” the author complains. “For example, Lydia Valentín Liler -athlete must be very strong psychologically, despite seeing how her rivals get medals and recognition doping, are not tempted.”

Outside the track, psychology has also helped many athletes to recover from injuries, not to lose concentration against a decisive game or to tackle the pressure of the media and fame.

Both interviewees agree that science and technology will continue to make great contributions to the sport. “Who knows, the human body and science are incredible, but in some cases the progress will be millimeters, as in 100 meters smooth or long, as the Inef researcher.

For his part, López Nicolás remembers that: «Neither the most modern technologies can prevent a garrafal failure from the best athlete in the world. Not everything is science or technology in sport. Happiness and especially the quality of athletes have a lot to say ».

Criminals are not a lottery

These launches are determined by mathematics, statistics, biochemistry and psychology. «Different studies show that, normally, the team that throws the first penalty is champion, so it is advisable to place the best pitcher at the start of the batch. Other studies indicate the optimum speed with which the shot must be made: 70-80 kilometers per hour. Moreover, if a player launches a decisive fine, knowing that if he marks his team, he passes the draw, he succeeds in 93% of the cases, but if his failure implies the elimination of the equipment, only 44% of the shots ends in the goal, “says López Nicolás.