It has been deployed to make armies march faster, slaves work quicker and help groups of strangers to come together. Now scientists are suggesting using music on the football pitch after discovering that, played at a particular rhythm and synchronously to the whole team, it can significantly improve their performance.
Researchers at the institute for sports science at the University of Hanover in northern Germany recently presented the findings, showing that footballers raised their game when fed music of a set rhythm through headphones.
They experimented with two teams who played three short games against each other. The first game was without music. In the second game, one team were given headphones and music was transmitted to them from the sidelines and synchronised to within a thousandth of a second. The other team were also given headphones, each player receiving music of differing rhythm. During the third game, the music situation was reversed.
The scientists concluded: the team hearing synchronised music played “significantly better” from a statistical point of view,” said Gerd Schmitz, one of the study’s authors. (Guardian service)
Final-day blues as Murphy just misses out on medal in Florida
Annalise Murphy lost out on a medal on Saturday in the final medal-race rounds of the Miami Olympic classes regatta in Florida, her first world cup event on the road to Rio 2016.
Admitting she had a “disastrous” final day in spite of a consistent showing all last week, the 23-year-old Dubliner had to make do with fourth overall as local Paige Railey took gold on Biscayne Bay. A yellow flag scoring penalty for the Irish girl as she led down the final leg of the second medal race gave Railey the final home waters advantage.
Railey was outstanding in the medal rounds. The 2012 Olympian and 2006 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year was the most consistent competitor, winning the first two races of the day and placed fourth in race 15.
The Floridian won by 14 points over world number five Tuula Tenkanen of Finland, who won silver. Canadian Isabella Bertold secured the bronze medal.
Murphy had to make do with scores of 10, 16, 14 in the new format double counting, no discardable medal races and this pushed her off the podium and into fourth overall. DAVID O’BRIEN
Carey in winning form in Austria
Ireland’s Shane Carey was in winning form at the three-star show in Villach, Austria on Saturday, rounding off a double in the 1.50m Grand Prix qualifier with Ballymore Eustace.
Owned by Jackie Bolger and Mel Sutcliffe, the grey gelding posted the fastest double clear in 40.68 beating Switzerland’s Paul Estermann into second (40.91) with the Irish Sport Horse Castlefield Eclipse, an 11-year-old by OBOS Quality 004. In the morning, Limerick-born Carey, who turned 35 earlier in the week, won the 1.40m speed class with Susanne Falkenberg’s Spice Girl.
Saturday 1.40m speed – 1, Ireland's Spice Girl (Shane Carey) 0, 55.31; 2, Romania's Carlo 281 (Andy Candin) 0, 56.44, 1.50m Grand Prix jump-off qualifier – 1, Ireland's Ballymore Eustace (Shane Carey) 0/0, 40.68; 2, Switzerland's Castlefield Eclipse (Paul Estermann) 0/0, 40.91. Margie McLoone
Steyn tears through Pakistan
Pakistan reached a second innings 183 for four at the close of play yesterday on day three of the first Test against South Africa at the Wanderers.
On Saturday Dale Steyn produced one of the fiercest spells of fast bowling seen to tear through the Pakistan batting and reduce the visitors to their lowest Test score.
Steyn bagged figures of six for eight as the Proteas dismissed Pakistan for 49 on day two of the first Test at the Wanderers on a wicket that although helpful to the seamers, was certainly no minefield. It is the third time in two seasons South Africa have bowled another team out for under 50, a run of success last achieved by England 125 years ago.
The attack, led by Steyn, is drawing comparisons with the West Indies pace battery of the 1970s and 1980s.
