I am watching a football game(–NY Jets vs. Chicago Bears).
It’s cold, with snow flurries.
The sportscaster comments on how the weather affects the game, and says" in this cold weather you can’t arm tackle like you can in warmer weather."
Why not? Why is a professional athelete with HUGE biceps suddenly made so much weaker by cold weather?
I’m totally unatheletic , but I’ve never noticed that my my muscles are weaker when I’m cold.
(mods–I put this in GQ not the Game Room, because I want to know about muscles, not specific football techniques.)
it doesn’t limit strength so much as mobility and flexibility. Have you ever been out in really cold weather? You stiffen up. Also, everything hurts more.
ETA arm tackling is a bad habit anyway. They need to wrap up no matter what the temperature is.
Sport Science tackles the subject.
Some of what you quoted is just idle chatter by announcers that have to fill air time. It’s somewhat like the weathermen embellishing a half inch snow storm.
Still, your car engine has less power when cold because there is an optimum temperature. You muscles have an optimum operating temperature as well. When it’s colder than a certain level, more blood goes to keeping your body warm and less goes to those muscles. Therefore, the muscles don’t come up to operating temperature until used more and this level might never be reached during a game. I’m amazed at how well the NFL players do in cold and snowy situations.