Practice doesn’t always make perfect – that’s why you’re not in the Olympics
Martha Gill
Don’t put your faith in the 10,000-hour rule – some athletes are born with talents the rest of us will never have
November 2023
Other lives
David Webster obituary
Other lives: Sports administrator in Scotland who was an influential figure in strength sports and in Commonwealth Games administration
September 2023
University Guide 2024
Best UK universities for sports science – league table
The scientific study of exercise, health and sport
July 2023
Notes and queries
Is talent or hard work more important to making it as a professional sportsperson?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts
September 2022
University Guide 2023
Best UK universities for sports science – league table
The scientific study of exercise, health and sport
November 2021
Other lives
John Bowen obituary
Other lives: Physical recreation officer at Aston University who was responsible for building up its extensive sports facilities
October 2020
Other lives
Gerta Vrbova obituary
Other lives: Professor of neuroscience who had escaped from the Gestapo in the second world war
September 2020
University Guide 2024
University subject profile: sports science
The scientific study of exercise, health and sport, and why these matter to society
May 2020
Football's return from enforced layoff means a whole new mind game
The psychological hurdle players have to clear to be ready after the Covid-19 lockdown may be as tricky as any other challenge
October 2019
Higher, faster, stronger, better ... is there no end to what humans can do?
As the two-hour marathon barrier is breached and with records tumbling every year, weexplore sport’s science, skill and sheer guts
July 2019
It's not just tennis players – grunters are everywhere. And they're not to be trusted
André Spicer
Why do people feel the need to accompany hard work with a grunt, asks behavioural professor André Spicer
June 2019
University Guide 2020
University subject profile: sports science
The scientific study of exercise, health and sport, and why these are important features of society
March 2019
The five
Five advantages of being left-handed
From playing hard to thinking hard, a southpaw bias can have a major impact on performance
November 2018
'Stick to the plan!' Analytics, the Ryder Cup and the lessons for other sports
Sean Ingle
Last week Thomas Bjørn admitted analytics played a big part in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory – the best teams are open to ideas no matter where they come from
September 2018
To coach elite child footballers, size – not age – matters
Young players develop best if coached in bands picked by height, rather than age
April 2018
The treatment of Caster Semenya shows athletics' bias against women of colour
Katrina Karkazis and Rebecca Jordan-Young
‘Sex-testing’ rules on testosterone levels in female athletes disproportionately affect athletes from the global south, say academics Katrina Karkazis and Rebecca Jordan-Young
February 2018
Multiple choice
Should schools sell sports supplements to pupils?
We ask whether it is right to encourage the use of muscle-building supplements
January 2018
Sportblog
Mind games promise a sporting edge but may miss the heart of the matter
Sean Ingle
Brain power is increasingly a major battleground in sports science as elite athletes search for a critical edge
November 2017
Why are left-handers treated as outsiders? It’s just not right
Richard Easterbrook
Why do left-handers excel at certain elite sports but not others?
