Translational Gap between Laboratory and Playing Field: New Era to Solve Old Problems in Sports Science

Abstract

ABSTRACT “Bridging the gap” and “science into practice” have long been themes in high-performance sports training, conditioning, and monitoring. Recently, parallel developments in sports science and translational science in the United States have perhaps set the stage for a new era to solve old problems. This article will discuss the trends in sports science in the United States, provide an overview of translational science and knowledge management, summarize and align existing translational science research models, address problems and potential solutions in the translational sports science framework, and provide examples of research that have translated sports science research into practice. The objectives of this article are to stimulate collaborations between academics and practitioners and to provide solutions for harmonizing integrated sports performance models.