Sports Science MDID – the Multidisciplinary / Interdisciplinary Approach to Performance Science.

Published by Wayne Goldsmith on

These are the most common arguments for why the MD/ID approach to sports science will not work:

However, the single counter argument to refute all these is this:

Performance is multidisciplinary and multi-factorial by nature. Performance is the balanced integration of physical, mental, technical, tactical, cultural, genetic and other factors. Nothing exists in isolation. 

And therefore a multidisciplinary  needs a multidisciplinary solution.

This is a fundamental shift in the way sports science is conducted all over the world.

And like all fundamental shifts in any industry, this idea has in the past and continues to receive strong resistance and ridicule from the  – (I should publish my email Inbox sometime – some of the language from some very intelligent and well credentialled people would shock you!!!)

However, the MDID concept

At the moment the most popular way of operating is to reduce sports performance to a single element, e.g. oxygen dynamics, blood chemistry, joint angles, diet, muscle strength etc, research it, then try to incorporate the findings into the performance of the athlete.  Any why doesn’t this make any sense?

Because the assumption is that all other performance elements will remain constant and that is too much of an assumption for anyone to make.

For example, the current sports science operating paradigm a

In the next post: Making in work: Sports Science MDID in practice and performance.

Wayne Goldsmith


Wayne Goldsmith

Wayne Goldsmith is a performance focused coaching professional with more than 25 years experience working with some of the world's leading athletes, coaches and teams. Wayne offers a wide range of coaching services for professional coaches, corporate executives and organizational leaders which are based on his experience delivering winning performances in high pressure sporting environments across the globe.

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