Recovery & Sleep · September 15, 2026
Breath Meditation: A Beginner's Guide to Daily Practice
A plain guide to starting breath meditation, weaving it into daily life, and what to expect at a multi-day retreat in Australia.
meditation / breathing↗
A living performance stream
The Research Desk
Notes on studies, testing, training and the quieter decisions that shape performance over time.
Filed recently
Read the latest notes
Every note names its source trail and its practical boundary.
Speed & Endurance · September 15, 2026
Commuting by Bike: Gear, Routes, and Health
A plain look at what daily bike commuting asks of riders: tested gear lists, quiet route planning, employer programs, and the health questions that come with
cycling / commuting↗
Training & Strength · September 15, 2026
Elbow Rules: Muaythai, Kickboxing, K-1
Elbows are legal in muaythai but banned in kickboxing and K-1. A look at round counts, the five-second clinch limit, and where these rules come from.
combat / rules↗
Movement & Biomechanics · September 15, 2026
The First Herding Instinct Test, Explained
A plain guide to the first herding instinct test: age, gear, cost, sheep or ducks, reading the dog, and what comes after a pass or a fail.
dogs / assessment↗
Research & Protocols · September 15, 2026
Family Medicine Basics: First Visits and Portals
What to bring to a first family practice visit, what an annual physical covers, and when a patient portal beats a phone call in rural care.
clinical / checklists↗
Testing & Technology · September 15, 2026
Heart Basics: Pulse, Pressure, Cholesterol
A plain-language look at how the heart pumps, what pulse and blood pressure numbers mean, and the weekly habits public health agencies actually recommend.
cardio / measurement↗
Research & Protocols · September 15, 2026
Herding Trials: How Sheepdog Runs Are Judged
A plain look at herding dog competition: the outrun, lift, fetch, drive, shed and pen, plus classes, rules and what handlers do before the run.
dogs / scoring↗
Testing & Technology · September 15, 2026
Imaging Methods: X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound
How X-ray shadows, CT slices, MRI magnets and ultrasound echoes build a medical image, and what happens from request to report in UK imaging.
imaging / technology↗
Research & Protocols · September 15, 2026
Infection Control Plans for Small Premises
How small businesses write an infection control plan, what belongs on a customer notice, and what a fair staff sickness and return to work policy looks like.
prevention / protocols↗
Recovery & Sleep · September 15, 2026
Onsen Towns: Bath, Walk, and Steam-Cooked Food
A plain look at how Japanese hot spring towns work: reading a source, walking the streets, and food cooked by geothermal steam, with Unazuki Onsen as the
travel / recovery↗
Research & Protocols · September 15, 2026
Guided Label Reading: A Reader's Map
How to find MedlinePlus drug page sections, search DailyMed by generic or brand name, and know what a Medication Guide contains and when to read it.
medication / sources↗
Speed & Endurance · September 15, 2026
The Real Cost of Owning a Bicycle
A plain look at what a bicycle costs to keep, buy used, and run electric, with checks and numbers tied to public sources.
cycling / budget↗
Training & Strength · September 15, 2026
Shoe Types and How Runners Choose Them
A plain guide to running, football, and hiking shoes: how uppers, fit, and surfaces decide what a buyer should look for.
equipment / running↗
Speed & Endurance · September 15, 2026
The Snaefell Mountain Course: A Rider's Map
The Isle of Man TT course runs 37.73 miles over closed public roads. Here is where it starts, which corners carry names, and why Bray Hill matters.
motorsport / circuit↗
Movement & Biomechanics · September 15, 2026
Working Lines and Show Lines: How Dog Registries Diverge
A plain look at how FCI, AKC and UK Kennel Club rules differ on health, breeding and litter control, and what that means for working dog buyers.
dogs / breeding↗
Speed & Endurance · September 12, 2026
Seven Thousand Feet: What a Week at Altitude Does
Real altitude is a measurable stressor: the slow first day, the dry air, the poor sleep and the output that comes back late.
altitude / endurance↗
Testing & Technology · September 11, 2026
Field Measurement Without a Lab
A scale, a ruler and a dated notebook is a field lab. The method is what makes a field number a number you can trust.
measurement / methods↗
Speed & Endurance · September 10, 2026
What a School Track Season Asks of a Young Runner
A track season is a structured load for a teenager: calendar, meets, eligibility and a weekly volume that has to fit a school day.
youth / running↗
Testing & Technology · September 9, 2026
The World Handicap System Turns a Course Into Numbers
The World Handicap System is a field measurement of a course: rating and slope turn difficulty into a number that travels.
measurement / golf↗
Recovery & Sleep · September 8, 2026
The Paperwork After the Injury: Bills and Codes
Recovery includes the bills: the itemized statement, the codes, the duplicates and the federal limits on what can be charged.
recovery / admin↗
Speed & Endurance · September 7, 2026
What an Indoor Team Sport Actually Demands
Handball read as a load profile: short sprints, contacts, jumps and effective playing time, measured by position.
team-sport / load↗
Training & Strength · September 6, 2026
Cotton, Merino, or Synthetic: Choosing Base Layers by Fabric
A base layer is a materials decision: how the fabric handles sweat, repeat sessions and a hundred washes decides its real cost.
equipment / durability↗
Speed & Endurance · September 5, 2026
Canicross as a Measurable Training Load
Running with a dog is structured aerobic work with a second engine. Pace, heart rate and format make it countable.
running / conditioning↗
Research & Protocols · September 4, 2026
Repeatable Precision in a Fixed-Distance Sport
A precision routine is a protocol before it is a habit. What makes it repeatable is that it is written down.
protocols / precision↗
Movement & Biomechanics · September 3, 2026
The Hold Under Pressure: What a Damp Hand Does to the Grip
Grip is a measurable interface. Humidity changes the friction, the squeeze and the confidence in the same minute.
grip / biomechanics↗
Testing & Technology · August 24, 2026
Countermovement Jump Protocol: A Practical Guide
A repeatable field setup for the jump test, with the choices that make a score worth keeping.
testing / neuromuscular↗
Training & Strength · August 23, 2026
Velocity-Based Training: What the Evidence Says
Velocity feedback can sharpen load decisions, but the research does not support a universal replacement for percentage-based training.
strength / evidence↗
Movement & Biomechanics · August 22, 2026
Force-Velocity Profiles: From Test to Decision
A force-velocity profile is a model of a task, not a complete portrait of an athlete.
biomechanics / power↗
Recovery & Sleep · August 21, 2026
Sleep Tracking for Athletes: Signal or Score?
Wearables can make sleep visible, but a neat readiness number can hide uncertainty in the measurement.
sleep / wearables↗
Speed & Endurance · August 20, 2026
Sprint Acceleration Testing Without a Lab
A timing gate is only as useful as the start rule, distance, surface and repeatability around it.
speed / testing↗
Movement & Biomechanics · August 19, 2026
Movement Screening: What It Can Tell You
Screens can organise a conversation about movement. They cannot predict an individual future from one score.
movement / screening↗
Recovery & Sleep · August 18, 2026
Deloading for Performance: A Decision Framework
A deload is a change in training stress made for a reason, not a ritual week on a calendar.
recovery / programming↗
Speed & Endurance · August 17, 2026
Threshold Training Without the Hype
Threshold is a useful training idea only when the intensity, duration and purpose are named.
endurance / conditioning↗
Training & Strength · August 16, 2026
Plyometric Training: Readiness Before Volume
The quality of a jump or landing session depends on more than a contact count.
power / readiness↗
Testing & Technology · August 15, 2026
What Sports Wearables Measure, and Guess
A sensor can collect data without making the interpretation valid.
technology / data↗
Movement & Biomechanics · August 14, 2026
Landing Mechanics: A Field Guide
Observe the landing task in context before assigning a label to the athlete.
biomechanics / jumping↗
Recovery & Sleep · August 13, 2026
Readiness Is Not a Score
Readiness is a decision context made from repeated signals, not a coloured ring on a dashboard.
monitoring / recovery↗
Speed & Endurance · August 12, 2026
Running Economy: Field Notes
Running economy is a relationship between speed and cost, not a single technique cue.
running / testing↗
Research & Protocols · August 11, 2026
Test-Retest Reliability: What Dashboards Hide
A test that cannot repeat under the same conditions should not drive a precise decision.
measurement / methods↗
Research & Protocols · August 10, 2026
How to Read a Sports Science Study
A short reading workflow for moving from an abstract to a decision without overstating the evidence.
research / reading↗
Training & Strength · August 9, 2026
Velocity Loss and Strength Training Fatigue
Velocity loss can describe fatigue within a set, but a cut-off is not a universal prescription.
strength / fatigue↗
Recovery & Sleep · August 8, 2026
Sleep Duration and Performance: Start With Baseline
Sleep advice becomes useful when it begins with opportunity, regularity and the person’s real schedule.
sleep / performance↗
Testing & Technology · August 7, 2026
Heart Rate Variability Needs Context
HRV is a signal shaped by measurement conditions, physiology and life outside training.
monitoring / physiology↗