Innovation and translation in sports medicine and sports science research

Editorial: In recent issues of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, several papers have demonstrated how research can quickly be translated into practice. For example, concurrently with the journal publishing several papers that have explored and tested the use of global positioning systems (GPS) in a sporting context, we have witnessed a range of sporting teams training and playing with GPS devices attached to their players. In a range of team sports, sports science personnel are encouraging coaches to use GPS technology to track player variables such as movement, speed, direction, and distance as a way of understanding more clearly the demands of the sport, and to use such data to assist in the design of training activities and game tactics. The use of GPS devices is a clear demonstration of rapid uptake of new technology, or as I would like to see it, rapid translation of research findings into a practice setting.