8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

1/17

Race and athletic

performance

Applied Exercise PhysiologyBtec Sport and Exercise Science

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

2/17

Learning objectives

Define Race Role of Genetics in physiology

Current Race and Sportpreconceptions

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

3/17

Why is it that people

of a certain race orgenetic background

seem to performbetter at certain

sports than others?

Many scientists,

coaches and otherexperts have askedthis question andtried to explain it.

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

4/17

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

5/17

Definiation

A local geographic orglobal human

population

distinguished as a

more or less distinct

group by genetically

transmitted physical

characteristics.

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

6/17

Task

It is evolution thatis likely responsible

for genetics role in

athletic

performance.

What qualities dowe need for good

athletic

performance?

What role could

Genes play in

determining

these?

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

7/17

Rapid acceleration

Strength/muscle strength

Short sprints

Endurance

Extended stamina

Rapid Recovery

And the ability to interchange

on demand

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

8/17

If you are part of a race or

tribe that over many tens of

thousands of years has to,out of need for survival,

engage in certain regular

behaviours then over time...

.......What should happen?

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

9/17

Genetics are the

fundamental code that gives

people their eye colour

limb length

Height

bodily proportions

reaction time

hair colour

lung capacity,

weight distribution

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

10/17

Cup and Water approach

Cup represents your genetic potential and the water you fill it withyour training effect.

A short stocky well trained runner will obviously beat untrainedthin runner type but will have a lower potential for improvementand future elite performance at marathon running

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

11/17

Racially Dominated sports and public

misconception

Peoples conception of race and sport iswarped by the media why do you think this

is?

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

12/17

The Weightlifting Example

Current conception of weightliftingis that it is dominated by theChinese and that Chinese are giftedweightlifters.

In the the 70s 80s it was Russians

And 50s and 60s USA that hadhighest medal totals.

Interestingly china have yet toproduce a medaling heavyweightclass lifter. Think back to the Cupand water example.

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

13/17

Chinese weightlifters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y9w_9EsKFM&feature=player_embedded#!

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

14/17

Provides weight to the training

argument

It could be argued that maybe Chineseweightlifters just train harder or longer than

their counterparts

A common lay misconception you hear isblack people have more fast twitch fibres

If this where true then surely they should

dominate power sports like weightlifting?

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

15/17

The Marathon Runner Example

East African runners are associated withabsolute dominance of their sport, and

theories are abounding to why.

What do you think the reasons are?

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

16/17

(For Kenyans) there isnt much else besides

running.Trisha Steidl Seattle University

East African holds every major record from the

800-meter race to the marathon.

In 1986, 48.3% of the top 20 performances in

the major distance events were held by

Europeans.

By 2003, 85% of these top 20 performances

were held by runners of African descent, 55.8%

of which were Kenyan.

8/8/2019 Race and Athletic Performance

17/17

Summary

Race has both scientific meaning and socialmeaning

Genetics determine our physical potential to

some extent, but training and psychologymatter too

A lot of people have preconceptions of race

and how it effects performance.