Jan 2, 2019 · 57m · a16z
a16z Podcast | Sports, Tech, and What We Can All Learn from the Latest Performance Science
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this episode of the a16z podcast, host and author Mark McClusky discuss his book 'Faster, Higher, Stronger,' exploring how cutting-edge science, technology, data analytics, genetics, and cognitive optimization are revolutionizing elite athletic performance and redefining human physical limits.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →
The host as informed peer 3.4 Guest teaching 3.8 Guest disagreement 1.1 The host pushing back 1.1
speaking balance: gold is the host, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 3:48 Direct dismissal of host's athletic potential
When the host jokingly asks if he could train to become a world-class athlete, the guest immediately and flatly shuts him down with a blunt 'No' before explaining genetic barriers.
Hardest push from the host ▶ 7:52 Host redirecting focus to East African marathon dominanceThe host refuses to let the guest's generalized genetics explanation pass without addressing the specific real-world anomaly of East African marathon dominance.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 25:31 Central Governor Theory breakdownThe guest reframes the host's understanding of fatigue by explaining that exhaustion stems from the central nervous system withholding muscle fiber recruitment rather than muscular breakdown.
The host holds their own ▶ 30:39 Host demonstrates insider NBA data analytics knowledgeThe host establishes domain expertise by detailing first-hand meetings with tech startups processing real-time SportVU NBA player movement vectors.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | The host as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | The host pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historical Performance Gains and the Baseline Escalation | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | The host demonstrates preparation by citing specific lines from the guest's book regarding performance baselines. The guest elaborates on performance improvement curves and vintage NBA footage. | |
| Nature versus Nurture in Elite Athleticism | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | The host brings up bobsledding examples and asks about East African runners. The guest bluntly shuts down the host's humorous inquiry about becoming an elite athlete before unpacking genetics versus altitude culture. | |
| Personalized Biomechanics and Sparta Sports Science | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | The guest explains force plate analysis at Sparta Sports Science and his personal assessment experience. The host listens attentively and prompts transitions. | |
| Aggregation of Marginal Gains in British Cycling | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | The host introduces British Cycling's 'aggregation of marginal gains' concept and asks about the surrounding cult mystique. The guest details heated pants, custom pillows, and psychological games with the French team. | |
| Motor Skill Learning and Game-Condition Practice | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | The host touches on sports-specific training tools. The guest details motor skill learning and free throw practice routines. | |
| Cognitive Pattern Recognition and Video Game Simulation | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | The host demonstrates strong familiarity with football examples, citing DeSean Jackson and NFL quarterbacks from Texas 7-on-7 leagues. The guest details how EA Madden builds visual pattern recognition. | |
| Sleep Optimization as an Active Performance Enhancer | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | The host cites a Stanford basketball sleep study and notes the SF Giants' playoff plate discipline. The guest reinforces sleep as an active performance enhancer. | |
| Neurological Fatigue and the Central Governor Theory | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | The guest educates on the Central Governor Theory and how the brain limits muscle recruitment to protect the body. The host chips in with jokes and mentions the female observer experiment. | |
| Big Data and Spatial Tracking in Professional Sports | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | The host demonstrates expertise by detailing personal meetings with startups analyzing NBA SportVU positional data. The guest expands on Kirk Goldsberry's shot chart mapping. | |
| Doping Ethics, The Goldman Dilemma, and Regulatory Boundaries | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | The host discusses Tyler Hamilton's cycling memoir and shares personal experience with altitude performance gains. The guest contrasts anti-doping policies with altitude tents and beet juice. | |
| Human Physiological Limits and Real-Time Telemetry Tech | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | The guest details Australian Institute of Sport innovations and Catapult telemetry technology. The host highlights how player union regulations constrain technological implementation. | |
| Q&A: Evolving Body Types, Consumer Wearables, and Privacy | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Audience members ask about evolving athlete body types and consumer wearables. The guest characterizes current wearables as recreational tools compared to pro hardware. | |
| Q&A: Performance Anomalies, Anti-Aging Regimens, and Personal Genetics | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | An audience member asks about Madison Bumgarner and anti-aging regimens. The guest explains individual genetic responder variance in aerobic training. | |
| Q&A: US Soccer Development, Genetic Modification, and Youth Specialization | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Audience questions focus on US soccer, genetic modification limits, and early sport specialization. The guest warns against early specialization due to injury risk and lack of athletic sampling. |
Statements from this episode (28)
McClusky: 100m freestyle swimming times improved 49% over a century
“Over the past hundred years, our performance, if you look at things like the hundred meter freestyle were 49% faster than we were in 19 oh nine.”
McClusky: Some women's field events show over 100% performance improvement
“Some women's field events are actually, we've had more than a hundred percent performance improvement in those events.”
McClusky: Elite athletic performance gains curve is starting to flatten
“What's interesting is that curve's starting to flatten out a little bit.”
Superior genetics beat superior training in elite sports
“I think it's probably easier to be, A world-class athlete with great genetics and bad training than it is to be a world-class athlete with bad genetics and great training, if that makes sense.”
McClusky: Genetics matter most in pure physiological sports over skill sports
“Genetics seem to make the most difference in sports that are really physiologically determined, so, so running, cycling, rowing, things that really There are tactics and there is training, but a lot of it comes down to sort of how much oxygen you can process a…”
McClusky: Athletes have won high jump world titles within three years of starting
“There are people who have won world championships in the high jump three years after they high jumped for the first time.”
McClusky: Athletes have won Olympic rowing gold two years after starting
“There are people who won Olympic rowing gold medals two years after sitting in a boat for the first time.”
McClusky: Phil Wagner rebuilt NBA star Jeremy Lin before Linsanity
“There's a guy named Phil Wagner who runs a gym called Sparta Sports Science and he works with started working with a lot of baseball players. He also worked a lot with Jeremy Lin before Lin Sanity. He sort of rebuilt Jeremy as an athlete.”
Decathlete Ashton Eaton hadn't run two miles in five years
“I got a chance to meet Ashton Eaton, who's the world record holder in the decathlon for this book, and we actually went for a run, and we ran like two miles. And it's the longest run he'd done in five years.”
McClusky: Athletic gains now rely on aggregating marginal improvements, not breakthroughs
“There aren't any magic bullets anymore. That we've made all the big leaps in performance that we're going to make physically. And that the only way to really find a competitive advantage now is to find lots and lots of little tiny improvements over dozens of t…”
McClusky: Eight percent of athletes fell ill at 2012 London Olympics
“Eight percent of athletes who competed in London got sick during the Olympics.”
McClusky: NBA teams train free throws during high-intensity drills
“Peter Vint, who works at the USSC, works with some NBA teams, and they now practice free throws just like that. Like, they're doing a drill, or they're doing something else, and the coach We'll grab a player, and he'll go and shoot two free throws and go back …”
McClusky: Madden Gamers See More Plays Than 1960s NFL Hall of Famers
“The average twelve-year-old Madden fanatic has seen more professional football plays develop visually than probably a pro football Hall of Famer in the sixties did.”
McClusky: Sports Simulations Now Directly Feed Back into Real-World Tactics
“This simulation of the sport has fed back into the sport itself.”
Stanford study: Sleep extension improved performance across all basketball metrics
“Every member of the team ran faster. Every member of the team shot free throws better. Every member of the team shot three-pointers better.”
San Francisco Giants improved plate discipline throughout the 2012 season
“Most teams over the course of the season, their plate discipline decreases. Teams will swing at worst pitches over the course of the year. The Giants, so I don't have data for 2014. In 2012, the Giants plate discipline got better over the course of the season.”
Only 40% of muscle fibers fire at the point of exhaustion
“The latest research is that that's probably not true, because at that moment that I can't do that last rep, only 40% of the muscle fibers in that muscle are firing.”
SportVU captures 3D positional data 25 times per second in NBA games
“Sport View, which is a system in the NBA that captures three-dimensional positional data on every player in the ball and officials 25 times a second during a game.”
McClusky: Most sports franchises have no idea how to handle big data
“To crunch those numbers, you need a data scientist. You need people who are used to, like, crazy big data sets, and most franchises, frankly, have no idea what to do with this.”
Sports analytics remains early because continuous-motion sports are harder to analyze
“We're so at the infancy of this movement, because, you know, baseball, Again, that's where the start is. Baseball is easy because it's state-based. It's very discreet moments. Basketball is continually moving in fluid. Soccer, football, hockey. I mean, those t…”
80% of elite athletes would take a fatal drug for Olympic gold
“If you could take a drug that would guarantee you an Olympic gold medal, but you would die in five years, would you take it? And crazy percentages said yes. Like, 80, 90% said yes.”
McClusky: Anti-doping rules exist to protect clean athletes, not just catch cheats
“You're not trying, it's not about catching the cheat. It's about protecting the ability of the clean athlete to be competitive.”
McClusky: US sports leagues will see major changes adopting overseas performance tech
“We're actually really far behind in the U.S. On a lot of this, and so seeing some of the things that have happened in Australia and the U.K. Make their way into major U.S. Team sports, I think we're going to see a lot of changes in NBA, NFL.”
McClusky: US pro sports unions block real-time tracking during games
“So, none of the US team sports has allowed any of that yet. Some of the biggest pushback is from the players' unions.”
McClusky: Elite Athletes Generally Outlive the General Population
“But generally, as a population, elite athletes do live longer than the rest of us, even with what their bodies have been put through.”
McClusky predicts NFL popularity will decline over next decade due to concussions
“I think in 10 years, like, I'd be short NFL right now if I were a betting man, because I think we're gonna start taking a harder and harder look at the consequences of playing American football.”