How can sports science support improvement through professional exercise? What other abilities are affected by the unique training work that is run by experts and is measured precisely?
Dávid Horváth, the head of the research, and his colleagues from Fit4race, the Hungarian University of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Tohoku University and the University of Michigan, were looking for the answer to this question and among others in their research.
During the research, they examined the effect of the high-intensity reactive agility training program they developed on cognitive ability (e.g. decision-making ability, visual memory, anticipation) and physiological variables (body composition, VO2 max, anaerobic threshold). In addition, the research was intended to help car racers prepare for the next season through the training program.
Dávid has been working with the Fit4Race team since 2018, where at first, he worked with motorsport competitors. Fit4Race's ideology is to bring out the best in everyone. This environment inspired Dávid to organize such studies so they could use the results to improve the performance of their athletes.
The planning and development of the program began in 2019. During the research, they met many difficulties, for example, the pandemic caused by the COVID virus, but eventually, they managed to accomplish the program. Hard work paid off and their article was published in Sports Medicine-Open (Q1, 6.76 IF), one of the highest categories of sports science journals. Dr David P. Ferguson, who carries out well-known work in studying the human side of motorsport, also provided a helping hand in creating the final form of the article.
