Welcome to the Science of Sport where we bring you the second, third, and fourth level of analysis you will not find anywhere else.
Be it doping in sport, hot topics like Caster Semenya or Oscar Pistorius, or the dehydration myth, we try to translate the science behind sports and sports performance. Consider a donation if you like what you see here!
soccer world cup // Posts tagged as "soccer world cup"
It’s Spain!
Spain are the World Champions. A tense, highly dramatic final in Johannesburg went all the way to the wire, through 90 minutes and very nearly through extra-time, but an Andreas Iniesta goal in the 116th minute gave Spain a well deserved win. 46 fouls (compared to only 16 in the equally competitive semi-final) and 13 […]
More feedback on football and cycling
I have too little energy (and time) for a proper, in-depth post, but as promised, analysis from last night’s World Cup final is now done, courtesy Zonal Marking. It’s another great analysis, from a site that has really increased my enjoyment of the tournament, and you can read it here. I wish that all sports would […]
The World Cup Final and leTour 2010 hits the Alps
62 games down, 2 to go. And the final game, on Sunday night, will see a first-time world champion crowned when either the Spanish or Dutch claim the World Cup. Gladiators in a Colosseum It will be an incredible match at an incredible venue. I was fortunate enough to watch World Cup matches at Loftus […]
Football analysis: Altitude and goal scoring
Amazing to think that we’re now done with 60 out of 64 matches, and by this time next week, the World Cup will have left South Africa. It’s been a month-long celebration here in SA, and while the disruption to work and traffic and general life will be over, we’re bracing ourselves for the mother […]
Football – the world’s most immoral sport
Tomorrow is the start of the Tour de France. For the next three weeks, media coverage will comprise a mix of adulation and condemnation. Adulation for the efforts of men who propel themselves over 3,000km of mountains, cobbles and windy flat roads in the world’s most demanding sporting event. And condemnation because all the while, […]
FIFA and goal-line technology
The Round of 16 has produced three great matches so far, and one highly controversial moment. England v Germany was a fabulous match, end to end, and far more open than many might have expected, given the history of penalties between the sides. In the end, Germany won handsomely, and for good reason – they […]
2010 World Cup: South Africa, France & Nigeria
The 23rd of June was always going to be a significant day for South African sport, if not our history. Either we would be waking up with the euphoria of having booked a place in the Second Round of the tournament, or we would know that we’d become the first host nation in history to […]
FIFA 2010 World Cup: Goals and tactics
We’re now into the final round of matches in the group stages of the 2010 World Cup, and the number of goals being scored has certainly increased. Goals were a rarity in the first round – only 25 in the first 16 matches, by far the lowest in any round of a World Cup, at […]
Altitude: Arriving and adapting
In the last few posts, I’ve been looking at the . It’s an impact that extends beyond the simple “less oxygen” argument, because there are effects on the flight of the ball. However, we’ve looked primarily at how the player’s physiology may be affected, and how this might impact on their performance. The logical question […]