3 careers in sports science

There are few fields in which the importance of sports science is as crucial as in the field of sports. Of course, the name itself implies that the specific field of study of sports science is primarily in sports itself, but the field is just as crucial as skill development and teamwork for winning.

In India, the field of sports science is mostly barren. Even professional teams don’t have the desired level of professionals or facilities. Not to berate our trained workers, the point is that they need to be supplemented with adequate facilities, given incentives to learn and perform better, and have an adequate budget to work better. Our Indian basketball team did not have ice at hand once when a player went down with a sprain. There are only a handful of basketball players in India who have been a part of the Indian team for over a decade. And they are battling injuries along the way. Players like Anitha Pauldurai, Prashanti Singh etc. have had to make do with the best of what was available to them.

Sports science experts are generally appointed by a professional team or academy, or by individual athletes themselves. Generally, one assumes sports science is mostly populated by physiotherapists, but sports science comprises of various disciplines. Here are three of them explained:

Sports nutritionist

A sports nutritionist can make a world of difference in the performance of an athlete by aiding in their recovery from fatigue or injuries and improving their physical capability and increasing their longevity.

A common way a sports nutritionist sets about his/her task is by studying the calorie expended by an athlete on a day to day basis. They may ask you to or assist you in preparing a chart chronicling your daily activities. Eg- time of waking, time spent for personal hygiene, time spent eating breakfast, a detailed breakdown of the physical exertions performed by an athlete during the course of training or a match, time spent commuting and mode off commute, list of all food and drinks consumed, etc. Basically the entire range of activities of the athlete during a day is kept track of.

Using this information the sports nutritionist prepares a chart which lays out the total amount of calories ingested and expended. Based on the personal requirements of the athlete, they are provided a balanced diet plan which helps then optimize their diet and activities.

Sports psychologist

Franck Ribery (R) of Bayern Muenchen talks to sport psychologist Philip Laux (L)

Most of the sports require split second decisions from the athletes. All sports demand a tireless work ethic if an athlete is to get better. Teams are also interested in the psychological profile of prospective talent to see how they will fit in the team culture. A team like the Lakers with an alpha dog like Kobe won’t swing for anyone who is not willing to subvert their personal game in Kobe’s interest. If a team observes from a sports psychologist’s scouting report that two players of similar talent levels differ greatly in their work ethic, it can help the team choose the more promising prospect. A sports psychologist can try to pin down the drive and motivation of an athlete, allowing the team to better manage their talent.

For instance, the San Antonio Spurs have made it a point to surround their core players of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili with hard working, hard hustling, defensive minded players who are hungry to get better and to accept the role designated to them. In their outlier levels of consistency, they have juggled their roster endlessly. Duncan has seen over 100 teammates come and go himself. Yet the Spurs have never chased marquee free agents or sought out superstars via trade. Their incredible scouting staff is famed for picking diamonds in the rough.

Teams also make it a point to get savvy veterans who can have a calming and commanding voice on the younger and lesser experienced teammates. These players serve as the lynchpin during the storms faced by all teams when one needs a steady voice to rely on.

An architect chooses the construction materials with utmost care, needle eyed precision is required to assemble complimentary pieces of a structure. A professional sports team isn’t much different. Sports psychologists figure out what makes a player tick, so that the team can push the appropriate buttons to get the most out of them. They also classify different personality types to enable a team to mix and match its personnel for an optimal mix.

Biomechanic analysts

Sri Lankan spin bowler Muttiah Muralithar (R) is measured by biomechanics researcher Jacque Alderson (L) during a series of tests at the Human Movement department at University of Western Australia in Perth, 01 April 2004

A bio mechanics analyst specializes in studying the movement of the human body and figuring out the optimum efficiency of movement. Just like machines are endlessly calibrated during the course of production to arrive at the perfect range of motion, so are athletes studied and trained to help pin down the best possible motion for a particular task. For instance, a golf swing is one of the most unnatural motions a human body can emulate. We were not designed to twist and turn ourselves this way. A bio mechanics specialist can not only help in assessing the motion for better performance, they can also aid in reducing the propensity for injury. A golf swing develops one side of muscles in the body, a bio mechanics specialist can help in designing counter balancing exercises. These experts make a thorough study of the motions of the human body and seek to optimize them.

Not everyone with a passion for sports can make it at a high level by playing. But there are plenty of options for those seeking a career in a sport of their choice. The vast field of sports science is one of them.