Heat stress from the environment can be detrimental to sporting performance, challenging the limits of the human cardiovascular system, temperature regulation and altering body fluid balance (Samuel et al., 2010). Human temperature regulation is at the forefront of maintaining core body temperature and has the ability to do this over a narrow range even with […]
Gareth Southgate: “I’ve only taken one penalty before, for Crystal Palace at Ipswich. It was 2-2 in the 89th minute, I hit the post and we went down that year . But I think I’d be far more comfortable now than I was then”, said shortly before England’s penalty shootout loss to Germany in Euro […]
The penalty kick is widely considered the most anxiety-provoking situation in all of football. Whether it be a schoolyard match at the local grade school or the final of the World Cup, the pressure on the goalkeeper or the shooter can cause players to second-guess their abilities, shatter their confidence, and ultimately fail the situation […]
We’ve all seen it or heard about it – stories of top football coaches shouting, throwing things all in the name of getting the best out of their players. From Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary temper in the changing rooms, to Graham Taylors’ touchline fury broadcast in the 1994 BBC documentary ‘An Impossible Job’, you could […]
Penalites. It is one of the cruellest methods of deciding a victor in any sport. Both ecstasy and agony in a heartbeat. A hero and a villain. One team running to celebrate with dedicated fans, and another team in despair, disappearing down a dark tunnel. After 120 minutes of intense end-to-end football the game must […]
With the 2014 World Cup in Rio rapidly approaching, it is of great interest to reflect of the 2010 World Cup winners, Spain, and what may have helped them achieve victory over the Dutch. Throughout the World Cup, many teams reported difficulty with the playing conditions, particularly at altitude. The stadium in Pretoria (South Africa) […]
Continuing with the theme of penalties, this time I will explore whether there is any skill involved in goalkeepers trying to save them or whether it is pure chance. Firstly, it is important to point out an important difference between amateurs and experts. An amateur performer in ‘ball’ sports tends to focus on the trajectory of the […]