Grounded Research Library
Evidence, translated for performance.
Peer-reviewed sports science, carefully summarised for Irish athletes, coaches and clubs.
Research supported
Preventive effect of foam rolling on muscle soreness after exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Foam rolling after training is a reasonable, low-risk tool to modestly reduce next-day and 2-3 day post-exercise soreness. It is not a cure for soreness and effect sizes are small-to-moderate.
Research supported
A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Foam Rolling on Performance and Recovery
Foam rolling can be used as part of a warm-up (does not reduce power/speed, may modestly help) and as a recovery tool post-session; benefits are real but small in magnitude.
+111 min
The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players
Prioritizing sleep duration (aiming for ~9-10 hours in bed) can meaningfully improve sport-specific speed, shooting accuracy and mood in athletes who are otherwise under-slept.
1.6 g/kg
A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults
During a structured strength program, hitting roughly 1.6 g/kg/day total protein (spread across meals) supports meaningfully greater strength and lean mass gains than training alone; intakes beyond this show diminishing average benefit.
41% lower
Efficacy of the FIFA 11+ Warm-Up Programme in Male Youth Football: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Replacing a generic warm-up with the structured FIFA 11+ program before training/matches is one of the best-evidenced, low-cost ways to cut injury rates in youth and adult footballers; consistent compliance matters for full benefit.
Research supported
Effect of specific exercise-based football injury prevention programmes on the overall injury rate in football: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the FIFA 11 and 11+ programmes
Across multiple independent RCTs and settings, structured neuromuscular warm-up programmes consistently lower injury incidence in football, reinforcing the FIFA 11+ single-trial finding above as a generalizable effect, not a one-off result.
~50% lower
Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes
Adding Nordic hamstring curls to a team's strength/prevention program roughly halves hamstring injury rates — one of the strongest single-exercise injury-prevention effects in sports science, directly relevant to GAA, soccer, and rugby.
Research supported
Epidemiology and moderators of injury in Gaelic football: A systematic review and meta-analysis
For GAA-specific recovery/prevention programming, hamstring and other lower-limb muscle injuries should be the top priority, and match-day preparation (warm-up, hamstring strength work) deserves more attention than training-day load alone.
15× higher
Incidence of Injury in Gaelic Football: A 4-Year Prospective Study
Match play carries roughly 15x the injury rate of training in elite Gaelic football, and hamstrings are by far the single biggest injury target — supports prioritizing hamstring-specific prevention (e.g., Nordic curls) and second-half conditioning/fatigue management.