Popular Mechanics Why a Curveball Curves: New & Improved Edition : The Incredible Science of Sports

An absorbing and enlightening inside look at sports secrets—now in an updated and expanded edition! What makes an athlete successful? Why do some players excel? In this new, expanded edition, the experts at Popular Mechanics , along with top athletes, coaches, and sports journalists, explore the science behind everything from the perfect curveball and Phelps's kick to gene doping. There's great new coverage on the recent doping scandals that rocked the Tour de France, as well as a new chapter on lacrosse, and the clear, understandable explanations come from people who really love their game. You'll even learn how to bend it like Beckham—or at least how Beckham did it. This book is for both the player and the fan, helping athletes become better prepared and giving enthusiasts a more complete appreciation of the subtle nuances of competition. Sports. They get our blood pumping and our hearts racing. Fans scream and cheer as their favorite athletes run, throw, pedal, dive, or swing their way to victory. But what makes an athlete successful? Why do some players excel when others fall behind? In Why a Curveball Curves , the experts at Popular Mechanics , along with top athletes, coaches, and sports journalists, explore the science behind sports. Fluid dynamics, biomechanics, and technology determine everything from speed in cycling to protection in football to performance measurement in all sports. This book is designed for both the player and the fan, helping athletes become better-prepared and giving enthusiasts a more complete understanding and appreciation of the subtle nuances of competition. The explanations are clear, entertaining, and written by people who really love their game. The issues discussed range from Tigers swing to Lances legs, from gene doping to the physics of why a seemingly straight kick curves drastically just before its targetin other words, how to bend it like Beckhamplus so much more. Among the specialists who weigh in Matt Bahr, who kicked the winning field goal in Super Bowl XXV; Bob Bowman, who coached swimmer Michael Phelps to a record-setting eight medals in the 2004 Olympics; Lou Piniella, manager of the Chicago Cubs; Peter Brancazio, Professor Emeritus of Physics at Brooklyn College and author of Sports Science ; and Jim Kaat, a major league pitcher for 25 years. Explores the science behind sports. This book is designed for both the player and the fan, helping athletes become better-prepared and giving enthusiasts a better understanding and appreciation of the subtle nuances of competition. What does Bernoulli's law have to do with curveballs? What does drag have to do with swimming? Will "gene doping" produce super athletes? Find out the science behind your favorite sport