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Sports Science and the 76ers

If you follow the 76ers, no doubt by now you've become aware of the emphasis the team has placed on sports science. Fitness, nutrition, and recuperation are cornerstones.

What is sports science?

It’s a conglomerate of various disciplines working together in regards to the human body and how it performs while participating in sports. It can consist of athletic training, strength and conditioning, exercise physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, physical therapy, sports psychology, and nutrition.

Technology more than ever has played an integral role in sports science. From player performance systems, to anti-gravity treadmills, and sport specific clothing; to aide in training, recovery, and the prevention of injuries. Sport scientists and performance consultants are growing in demand, with the ever-increasing focus within the sporting world on achieving the best results possible. Through the study of science and sport, researchers have developed a greater understanding on how the human body reacts to exercise, training, different environments and many other stimuli.

What priority do the 76ers give Sports Science?

Brett Brown on Sirius XM radio just before the 76ers announced the hiring of Dr. David Martin:

"It's a double-edged powerful asset that we're going to deliver to the market place soon. It's all pointed to the health of our players, bottom line. Next year we're going into a $75 million practice facility. I think we're last in pro sports. We always said, 'if we're going to be last, we better be best.' And best we will be. You've got to fill the chairs, fill the people in the offices who can mirror the values of the club. Wellness and sports science is number one with development of the players a close second.."

Sam Hinkie on the hiring of Dr. David Martin:

"Building up our sport science capabilities has been an important focus of the Sixers under Josh Harris and David Blitzer," said Sixers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie. "To give our players every opportunity to be healthy and remain healthy, while also allowing them to perform at their best, we have made many investments – adding staff and integrating outside experts, partnering with pioneers in sports science and technology, and adjusting our day-to-day training, practice and recovery plans."

"But none like David Martin. He is a scientist. He is also a coach to some of the world’s highest performing, most resilient athletes and coaches. We are delighted to add someone of his immense talents to lead and grow our efforts."

So who is Dr. David Martin?

With over 21 years of experience working with elite athletes and widely recognized as an innovator and leader in high performance sport, Martin is widely recognized as an accomplished applied sport scientist with more than 100 publications investigating topics such as talent identification, development of power, fatigue management, competition analysis, altitude training, and thermoregulation (body heat regulation - ask King James if this was important against the Spurs?).

Will it make a difference?

Proponents believe it has in other sports, but the truth is in basketball it's relatively new. In time data will indicate if organizations committed to state of the art sports science have less injuries, better injury recovery, and can play at increased pace for extended periods of time.

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