As a boy, I wanted to play baseball professionally. But, alas, talent was not within me, and I became one of the few people in the world who chose physics as a career because something else was too hard. Part of my career as a scientist is learning new things; another part is teaching and, hopefully, imbuing students with a love of science. The sports science books here all taught me a great deal, and I have recommended them to several of my students. Sports can be an excellent vehicle for learning some science, and such learning about a sport one loves can make watching the sport even more fun.
The first edition of Adair’s book came out in 1990. I was an undergraduate physics and mathematics major at Vanderbilt University at the time. The title alone drew me because I once thought of playing baseball and was already in love with physics.
I devoured Adair’s book! More than any other book, it got me thinking, “Maybe I could combine sports and physics into a career.”
By the time the third edition came out in 2002, I was teaching a Physics of Sports course. I had my students read the book. Many of them loved it. Adair's book kept me reading—and wanting more—from pitching to hitting, to the flight of the ball, to many other facets of baseball.
Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising -- and always illuminating.
This newly revised third edition considers recent developments in the science of sport such as the neurophysiology of batting, bat vibration, and the character of the "sweet spot." Faster pitchers, longer hitters, and enclosed stadiums also get…
The publisher asked me to review this book before its publication. I had been a sports physicist for a few years, but I had never been that interested in ice hockey. Haché’s passion for the sport helped to change that. I thoroughly loved seeing physics applied to a sport that I had never played.
Learning about the science behind the various pieces of equipment was especially illuminating for me. I do not claim to be an avid ice hockey fan, but Haché’s love for the sport allowed me to go outside my comfort zone and have an exciting time with a book.
From the moment the first player steps onto the ice, every conceivable principle of science is in play. To understand hockey - fully understand it - Alain Hache argues that you must first learn how ice reacts to a passing blade, how the trajectory and aerodynamics of the puck affect its chances of getting into the net, how the tension on the stick transfers energy to the puck, and dozens of other details of the game. Slap Shot Science is an under-the-hood, behind-the-scenes, action-packed romp through special moments in the game as seen from the perspective of science and explained…
I confess that I know Trevor Lipscombe, but I would add his book to this list if I did not know him. Like Haché’s book on ice hockey, I was out of my comfort zone while reading a book on rugby. As I write this, I am in the midst of my third sabbatical year. All three of my sabbatical years have been spent researching at universities in Sheffield, England. People are enthusiastic about rugby in England as well as in other parts of the world.
Not only did this book introduce me to a new way to apply physics, but it also taught me so much about rugby that I can cheer with mates in a pub while watching a match! It is the go-to book on rugby science.
What if Einstein played rugby? Surely Time Magazine's "Man of the Century" might offer useful tips and techniques to defeat the opposition? In this book, the world of physics joins forces with the world of rugby, to show you how to tackle harder, pass safer, run faster, and scrum better - all the things you need to do to win. Blending simple physics, the kind you meet in high school, with anecdotes and stories from the world of rugby, Trevor Lipscombe takes us on a journey from scrum ruck and maul, to the running and passing of the offence, the…
How could I be a sports physicist and know next to nothing about soccer, the world’s most popular sport? After a student wanted to research soccer physics with me, I knew I had to get up to speed on the beautiful game. Wesson’s book was my choice, and it was a smart choice! From the simple, like the bounce of the ball, to the complex, like the flight of the ball during a free kick, Wesson touches on all the important aspects of soccer.
Anyone can read the book, and for those of us who yearn for the mathematical details, Wesson’s last chapter does not disappoint.
Updated and revised throughout, this new edition of The Science of Soccer applies scientific analysis to football, giving us the answers to questions like "what's the chance of a team that wins the Premiership also winning the Cup? Can you predict how many goals will be scored? What's the best height for footballers? Is the team that wins the league the best team?"
Starting with a qualitative description of the basic physics that relate to the ball and its bounce, the author then moves through kicks and throws, to a simple account of the more complex physics of a ball…
As a quinquagenarian, I needed this book! Our bodies change so much as we age, and those changes obviously affect how well we perform athletically. Nutrition science has made great strides over the past several decades.
Antonucci’s book incorporates the latest that nutrition science has to offer so that those of us who are not professional athletes can strategically fuel ourselves, avoid dehydration, and eat healthier. I work out better, and I recover faster using Antonucci’s book. I was not looking for a slew of biochemistry when I picked up her book. I could get right to the scientific results and implement them into my own life.
It's an undisputed fact that the body's physiological needs change as you age. But that doesn't mean you can't continue to compete and perform at your best. In High-Performance Nutrition for Masters Athletes, you'll find practical advice for fueling your active lifestyle-now and for decades to come.
The key to effectively adapting your nutrition plans is first understanding how needs change over time and how expected results shift through the decades. Explore the science behind proper fueling for training and competition with the current guidelines for carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake plus advice on proper hydration, avoiding the dangers of…
My first book combines two of my great loves: sports and science. Sports fans experience jaw-dropping moments while watching elite athletes perform at the pinnacles of their métiers. But all of us see the world differently. As a physicist, I marvel at athletes who can push the laws of physics to their limits. I analyzed several great sports achievements through a physicist’s lens.
Ever wonder how Tour de France cyclists climb those glorious mountains? Want to know what it takes to complete a Hail Mary in football? Do you love those fast spins skaters use to finish Olympic routines but have no idea how they pull them off? I delve into such feats and examine sports as different as diving and sumo.
I have been to, and loved, North, Central, and especially East Africa for over fifty years. Only six times have I been to Africa on holiday; more often, perhaps twenty or more times, as a television producer. Working in Africa gains a perspective of reality that the glories of vacation do not. Each has its place, each its pitfalls like stalled plane rides with emergency landings in the bush or attacks by wildlife. But, in the end, the magic of the “otherness,” what an old friend called “primitava” captures one’s soul and changes your life.
Keen to rekindle their love of East African wildlife adventures after years of filming, extreme dangers, and rescues, producer Pero Baltazar, safari guide Mbuno Waliangulu, and Nancy Breiton, camerawoman, undertake a filming walking adventure north of Lake Rudolf, crossing from Kenya into Ethiopia along the Omo River, following a herd of elephant making their annual migration.
Stumbling onto an elephant poaching, the team become embroiled in true financing of terrorism for al Shabaab –ivory sales–and are determined to stop the slaughter at any cost. Ivory trade financing terrorism involves UN refugee camps with two hundred thousand displaced Somali persons, powerful…
A documentary team hiking through East Africa collides with a gang of deadly poachers, in this gripping adventure by the author of Kidnapped on Safari.
Years of filming, extreme dangers, and daring rescues have taken their toll on documentary producer Pero Baltazar and his team. To relax and reconnect with the East African wildlife they love, Pero organizes a walking safari for him, his camerawoman Nancy Breiton, and their elite guide Mbuno Waliangulu. Still, Pero has trouble truly disconnecting from work. When the team comes across a herd of elephants making their annual migration north of Lake Rudolf, Pero decides…
