Using Science to Improve Performance – Exclusive Interview with Dr. Amber Murphy
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Rooted in decades of groundbreaking research alongside legendary track figures. This interview explores how data-driven biomechanics can unlock peak athletic speed while protecting against injury. Discover practical advice on front-side mechanics, the role of AI in elite coaching, and actionable strategies to build faster, healthier athletes.
Dr. Amber Murphy, Chief Executive Officer
What first drew you from competing as a collegiate hurdler into a career studying the science of speed?
I began collaborating with my father, former 400-meter hurdle World Record holder and 1972 Olympic silver medalist, Dr. Ralph Mann, as a child, filming track meets. Then, when he began to research and build our proprietary software, I digitized the film by hand and did statistical analysis as a teen. As an adult, I worked beside him applying biomechanics on the track. My experience as an athlete and my love for track and field motivated me to stay in the field and pursue my doctorate in exercise science. My experience in collegiate athletics has helped me when working with sprinters and hurdlers on the track and with combine athletes. Understanding the collegiate athletic experience has enabled me to be a better biomechanics teacher for our current collegiate athletes.
After more than 20 years researching sprint mechanics, what discovery has had the biggest impact on how athletes train today?
The biomechanical discovery that has had the biggest impact on how athletes train for sprinting today is that front side mechanics are faster than backside mechanics. Front side mechanics means that the sprint motion occurs in front of the body as much as possible, not behind the body, which is backside mechanics. This enables the athlete to go from low to high in the sprint and start. The motion of the legs in front of the body allows the athlete to get a higher knee position while in the air so they can attack the ground at touchdown. This facilitates a pulling motion on and off the ground instead of pushing. As an added bonus, front side mechanics help prevent Achilles and hamstring injuries compared to backside mechanics.
You have worked alongside the late Dr. Ralph Mann and co-authored The Science of Speed. What do you hope coaches take away from the decades of research behind the book?
I hope coaches feel empowered by The Science of Speed. Too often, science and math are only accessible to academics. My main goal in authoring this book was to make the science behind performance and injury prevention understandable and accessible to everyone who has a curiosity about it. Coaches can be armed with knowledge and be confident they are teaching proper mechanics while improving their athletes' performance and helping them prevent injury. I also wrote this for athletes because often athletes train because their coach tells them to, but they do not understand why. This book can help athletes buy into training and, in turn, help coaches get them excited about getting faster.
AI is becoming more common in sport. Where do you believe it can genuinely improve coaching, and where should human expertise still lead the way?
We began using AI about 6 years ago, well before it was mainstream. What is misunderstood about AI is that it is a tool that can be used well or misused. I had to teach our AI program about mechanics. I would do an analysis, and it would do the same one, and I would tell it what it was doing wrong. We did this over and over until it stopped making mistakes. So, if a coach is using AI, the question should be, who taught this AI model about coaching? If it is a good, well-taught AI model, then it is a tool that a coach can use, combined with their knowledge. Another piece is that AI does not understand the complexity of human relationships, so the human element is not there. We call that the art of coaching, and that can never be replaced.
Speed is often viewed as a natural talent. Which biomechanical factors do you think are most misunderstood by athletes and coaches?
Talent is important. That is a given, but applying proper mechanics to running can make anyone faster. One biomechanical factor that is misunderstood by coaches and athletes is the importance of proper foot strike. Foot strike is how you land on your foot when you first touch the ground. We like all of our runners to land on their fifth metatarsal, which is the outside of the front of the foot by the pinkie toe. Once they land on the fifth metatarsal, we like them to roll over to the big toe at takeoff from the ground. This utilizes the natural spring of the big toe. If the athlete lands on the midfoot or heel, not only do they sacrifice that natural spring, but they also spend longer on the ground because they have to roll through the foot to get to takeoff.
When you analyze an athlete using CompuSport's technology, what are the first movement patterns you look for that reveal both performance potential and injury risk?
Once we measure the athlete and build their sprint model, we have them run through the cameras, and we film the run. The athlete and coach then come over, and we look at the run. The first thing we do is take the athlete to touchdown. At touchdown, when they first touch the ground, we are looking for three things. First, we look at foot strike, are they on their fifth metatarsal? Next, we look at the knees, are they together at touchdown? Finally, we look at the trunk, is it too flexed or too extended? All those body positions are indicative of speed potential and injury risk. The wonderful thing is we have ways of correcting these body positions, and we teach the coach and athlete about them.
For coaches without access to advanced biomechanical tools, what practical changes can they make to help athletes run faster and stay healthier?
Practical changes that can help athletes include getting educated in all aspects of coaching and having resources to refer to when an athlete needs specific help. From a biomechanics standpoint, this can include coaches and athletes reading "The Science of Speed." Next, apply the concepts in the book on a daily basis in training. There are biomechanical concepts discussed in the book that do not require any tools except filming on a cell phone. This empowers coaches and athletes to diagnose and work on certain body mechanics errors. In addition, if the resources allow, having a paid biomechanics consultant who helps periodically with mechanics and feedback when needed. The same concept can be applied to all the other aspects of coaching, including strength, nutrition, general health, flexibility, and all the other factors discussed in chapter 9 of the book.
Throughout your career, how has your philosophy of "better movement creates faster, healthier athletes" shaped the way you approach both research and coaching?
My philosophy, "better movement creates faster, healthier athletes," has informed my research and on-track teaching in a specific way. I have gathered an immense amount of data on elite and sub-elite athletes. I have done extensive statistical analysis on these data. My analysis has shown what body angles and performance data, like ground time, are most closely correlated with velocity. In addition, I have done research on the mechanisms of hamstring and Achilles injuries in running. So, when I go out on the track, I am giving informed feedback based on all this research. The mechanical variables I teach are not based on my opinion, they are based on hard data. When I am on the track, I share my knowledge and teach and empower athletes and coaches to see and fix mechanical errors so they can continue to get faster and stay healthy after I leave.
If every coach could embrace one principle from sports biomechanics, what would you want that principle to be and why?
If every coach could embrace one principle from sports biomechanics, it would be that teaching proper running mechanics is as important as fitness, race management, strength, recovery, and all other elements of a coaching program. The benefits of front side mechanics versus backside mechanics cannot be overstated. If a coach is not teaching front side mechanics in daily training, they are missing a big piece of the performance improvement and injury prevention puzzle. Injuries in athletes, especially young athletes, can be physically and mentally devastating and potentially career-ending. Why not add the element of running mechanics to a coaching program to not only improve performance, but also avoid these injuries? Getting well educated in running mechanics and then using that information on the track will go a long way toward this goal.
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