Sport Science’S Vital Role In Any Nfl Team’S Success

Few sports in the world are quite as demanding on their players as American football. The season may be relatively short, but within those few months, the players face considerable challenges in terms of their physical and mental resilience.

So, teams have always looked for ways to support them. In the old days it used to be though painstaking training regimes. Today, sports science has become an equally vital element for success.

It started to be recognized as potentially beneficial in the mid-1970s, and its influence and importance have grown ever since.

As with many areas of sport, the harnessing of data has helped to bring about this revolution – and it’s data that hasn’t simply been of use to the teams. Many betting fans have also started to crunch the numbers in an effort to predict better match results and even point spreads.

Unlike in some sports, NFL teams only play once a week, which has an essential effect on the power of sports science. The downtime between games allows different aspects to come into play to create a blend of recovery from the previous gam and preparation for the next one.

How sports science plays its part

There are three main areas in which scientific approaches have an effect on player performance and, unsurprisingly, the key one is in the enhancement of fitness.

Every player undergoes rigorous checks, looking at everything from resting heart rate to the maximum power they can exert in play. Other biomechanical analyses are made to pinpoint potential weaknesses and, therefore, parts of their body that may be particularly susceptible to injury.

This allows the backroom staff to develop tailored training regimes for each player. This is particularly important given the many different requirements placed on various positions. For example, a quarterback needs physical capabilities that are very different from those of a linebacker or wide receiver.

It’s also an unfortunate and undeniable fact about the sport that injuries do occur. However, sports science can reduce downtime and minimize the rehabilitation period needed before a player can be back on the field of play.

An essential element of sports science also comes in the form of nutrition.

Whereas previous generations of players may simply have relied on a high-protein diet with plenty of pre-match carbs for quick-release energy, sports nutritionists can now devise bespoke diets to optimize performance and maximize the effects of training.

The third element of sports science that has come to play a vital role is that of psychology. Every NFL team will sometimes call on a sports psychologist’s services to work with individuals or the squad.

The role of a sports psychologist is a complex one. Through techniques such as positive visualization, they can get players and teams to achieve feats that they never otherwise manage. This can be particularly effective for cases where underperformance is an issue. Often, even though fitness and skill levels are at the required standard, the obstacle can lie in players’ minds. But a trained and experienced psychologist should be able to unblock the problem. 

The role of technology

The key to developing the efficacy of sports science has been the ability to track the performance of individual players. As in so many areas of life, the technological revolution of recent decades has played a vital part.

Now, wearable tech is available to constantly monitor almost every aspect of a player’s physical state and ability, whether on the field of play or off it. Using the information that this provides, ever more accurate training and preparation solutions can be devised. 

Add to this the enormous amount of data that every game now generates, and it all adds up to an accurate 360-degree picture of what a player and a team need to do in order to enhance their performance.

The wider benefits

Of course, sports science doesn’t just benefit the team’s performance. 

Players who are fitter and more able make for more exciting gameplay as well as more wins for the team. This leads to more fans being attracted to the team in question. Increased ticket sales and a greater demand for official merchandise are two of the key ways that the NFL makes money.

More fans and a higher profile will also attract bigger and better sponsors for an individual team, which inevitably affects their bottom line.

So while using sports science inevitably involves a considerable investment for a team, it will almost inevitably pay dividends.

Looking ahead, therefore, it’s set to become an even more critical element in the game, particularly for teams that want to maximize their chances of Super Bowl success.