Is it important to have a solid foundation in mathematics to excel in the field of sports science, if so, what subjects? I’m currently a student and I’d like to know this to make a career plan.
Thank you for your time.
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Hi @Berk ,
Of course it depends on your specific field and specialty, however I think as we transition into this age of AI, its becoming quite apparent that strength in the area of mathematics and computer science alongside sport science is where the future jobs will reside. @andreazignoli may also want to comment but that is what I am seeing.
Best of luck in your career,
Paul
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Yeah. Look at teams like Visma Lease a Bike or UAE to see how they are optimizing every aspect of the riders life to get every ounce of performance out.
WEDU did an interview with Matteo Jorgensen and he mentioned now that he’s at Visma he’s lost weight, gained power, and is less fatigued in a given day.
And having won Paris Nice, he’s clearly in good form.
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Thanks @Berk for the question. Thanks @Prof for involving me.
My 2c.
Unfortunately, the disappointing answer is: it depends. What are you trying to accomplish, or what kind of professional figure would you like to become? What are you trying to optimise for and what kind of work/job/activity is the best for you? What you derive joy and purpose from?
If it’s a position in the sports applied fields, being a generalist is most likely the best strategy. So therefore there will be a limited amount of time you will be able to devote to study vertical and technical subjects such as mathematics or computer science. You do not want to lose traction on the subjects that are mandatory in the field, such as physiology, biomehcanics, psychology, etc. Early days of studying are truly instrumental in shaping and wiring the mind to be flexible in a job on the field or to be sharp in a more technical job behind a screen. Technical jobs often require a more vertical development, so therefore investing time in studying stats, coding principles and maths might be a good idea. Then it depends what “solid” means. And what field of math you are talking about. To enhance communication with tech people, having a basic understanding of how things work is enough to establish a productive communication. For our master students in sports science, we think that a high-school level of mathematics is enough to understand pretty much all the statistical methodologies applied today out there, and this can give you access to all the sports sci literature. Stats will soon bring machine learning principles, and then deep learning principles. Knowing enough about these topics to establish a productive communication with tech people might the goal here.
Sorry for the long message. I guess that my brief answer would be: to not bet everything on mathematics, but rather applied mathematics (e.g. stats, coding and computer science principles) is the best bet for someone who would like to excel in sports science, because you do not to lose your essential skills. Becoming unique for a combination of multiple skills is more likely a successful strategy than betting everything on the same vertical topic. Betting everything on the same topic/subject is a convenient strategy for the highly specialised individuals that are at the top 5% in a technical field.
Hope this helps 
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Thank you very much for your wishes and your answer to the question!
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Thank you for your time and for providing a detailed answer. It’s great to have the opportunity to contact you. Thank you very much again!
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I’m not a sports scientist but my (old) degree is in maths.
What I’d say is that the particular maths subjects / areas are less important than to develop an ease with the subject. It’s about developing a plasticity of mind when it comes to mathematical concepts. You find maths everywhere, sometimes in the most unexpected places.
A student might say, what use is it learning this particular topic? Sometimes it is not the topic that is important. It’s about developing your ability to think critically in different ways to give you that flexibility of mind, that plasticity and ability to assimilate and use new data or information, to produce fresh knowledge.
Remain curious and willing to learn throughout your life and you won’t go far wrong. Who knows what it will look like in 30 years?
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I agree with you. I think math is the foundation of science. It’s nice to get an answer from a person with a degree in math Thanks!
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There is wisdom accross all spectrums here 
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Hello, I’m wondering if it’s better to learn algebra before diving into statistics. What do you think?
Thanks again.
Algebra is an earlier foundation to equations and statistics. Generally algebra is something you would learn up to age 16, then statistics is something you’d learn aged 16-18. The equations of statistics are expressed using algebra.
Should you also want to learn the fundamentals of programming / coding then you will use algebra in that.
This may be a useful resource should you wish to do some extra study beyond school
Don’t forget to get out and find a form of exercise you like as well. To prosper we need both physical and mental exercise.
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