Why do scientists and coaches need to work together?
Agreed scientists & coaches need to work together to raise the bar for performance as well as minimize the risk of injury etc. Reason being finding coaches might coach their students based on past experience, competitors' pressures / tactics, winning strategies etc. & might overlook from scientific angles which are based on human body & mind constructs as well as empirical evidence. Seeing many sports coaches / stakeholders are seeking support from scientists or sports consultants.
Why do scientists and coaches need to work together?
Agreed scientists & coaches need to work together to raise the bar for performance as well as minimize the risk of injury etc. Reason being finding coaches might coach their students based on past experience, competitors' pressures / tactics, winning strategies etc. & might overlook from scientific angles which are based on human body & mind constructs as well as empirical evidence. Seeing many sports coaches / stakeholders are seeking support from scientists or sports consultants.
What I have seen in my 25 year of being a strength coach and 37 years as a competitive athlete, often times in the past science tended to discount what athletes and coaches do to get results. Even though their study didn't find a reason, athletes are still getting good results using the methods they use. For instance, for may years I was scoffed at by my nutrition professors because I felt high protein diets were beneficial to weight loss and muscle hypertrophy. Years later, we open our eyes, great athletes have been using high protein diets for a long time. How many years did I hear that linear periodization was the only scientific based training protocol? I used non linear undulating programs instead and got much results. I feel the job of science, it to find out why great athletes get the results they get from what they do. Sometimes coaches and athletes are just as guilty by doing things. just because that's who it's always been done. This gap could be bridged much easier if coaches, athletes and scientists work and communicate together. I do have to say that I have seen this change quite a big in the past 5-10 years. Athletes are usually open to trying anything that will give them an advantage. Getting research out and communicating on sites like this is a great way to communicate and bridge that gap between science and the trenches. Fortunately I have known many of the people doing some great research for many years now. They are always open to my ideas and questions and very generous with offering their ideas and opinions.