The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance [Hardcover]

John Brenkus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2010

What's the fastest a human can run the 100-meter sprint?
What's the longest a human can hold his breath?
What are the limits of human performance?
Welcome to The Perfection Point.

Until 1954, common wisdom and scientific knowledge considered a sub-four-minute mile an impossible feat for a human. But then Roger Bannister broke that mark, followed quickly by a host of other athletes. Today the world record stands at 3 minutes, 43 seconds, yet even that number doesn't tell the full story of how fast humans can run a mile—records are a mark of how well people have done, not how well they can do. What's the actual limit? The answer lies in The Perfection Point.

In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, John Brenkus, the host, co-creator, and executive producer of ESPN's Sport Science, ventures across the sports world to provide an in-depth look at the absolute limits of human performance. Beginning with the current world records for a variety of sports, Brenkus finds the “perfection point” for each, zeroing in on the speeds, heights, distances, and times that humans will get closer to but never exceed.

Combining cutting-edge science with the fundamentals of each sport, Brenkus answers questions as old as competition itself, exploring the outer realm of what's possible in athletics. Using engrossing and accessible language, he applies statistics, physics, and physiology to uncover perfection points such as:

• the highest dunk
• the longest home run
• the fastest mile
• the longest golf drive
• the heaviest bench press

Intriguing, detailed, and controversial, the answers that Brenkus provides are essential reading for every sports fan. For years, coaches, pundits, and experts have speculated about the extremes of human ability. The Perfection Point finally provides the answers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Here’s a fascinating exploration of the limits of human athletic ability. The author, host of ESPN’s Sport Science, begins with Roger Bannister’s 1954 breaking of the four-minute mile. Many people had seriously wondered if this landmark could ever be achieved, but after Bannister did it, more than 300 people followed suit over the next decade. That happened not only because Bannister proved it could be done (and so inspired others to try) but also because human beings are getting faster and stronger, and athletic techniques are constantly being refined and augmented. The book is full of startling facts: the current U.S. record for holding one’s breath, for example, is a breathtaking 7 minutes and 21 seconds. But here’s the book’s most arresting element: using a variety of disciplines, including physics and physiology, Brenkus extrapolates into the future, showing us when we will reach our absolute limit of performance. For example, he posits that the fastest time a human will ever post in the hundred-yard dash will be 8.99 seconds, about 900 years from now (he also explains why this will be the absolute limit); similarly, somewhere around 2672, breath-holding ability will top out at about 14 minutes and 47 seconds. Sure to spark debate in sporting and scientific circles, the book is engagingly written, well argued, and—even when the conclusions seem almost science fictiony—entirely plausible. --David Pitt

Review

“Fascinating...Sure to spark debate in sporting and scientific circles, the book is engagingly written, well argued, and-even when the conclusions seem almost science-fictiony-entirely plausible.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“This stuff is catnip to a sports fan.” (The Week )

“[Brenkus] busts out some Hawking-like equations in an effort to calculate the outer limits of human athletic performance.” (New York Times Book Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061845450
• ISBN-13: 978-0061845451
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, informative and fun, November 17, 2010

By 

R. V. Hatcher (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book. I picked it up at the library after reading the review in the Wall Street Journal, who liked it too. I like that there are self-contained chapters, that you don't need to read all of them. It's also really interesting to put your guess in at the start of the chapter. Chapters I enjoyed the most were the 100-yd dash, how far a golf ball can be hit, and how high can a basketball rim be that can still be dunked on.

If you like sports, and like sports science, then you will like this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting study for those who love sports, September 9, 2010

By 

Mariusz Skonieczny "Author" (Schaumburg, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance (Hardcover)

Length:: 1:32 Mins

This is a video review about The Perfection Point.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun book. A must for sports fans., August 31, 2010

By 

Ex-pat Brit (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance (Hardcover)

My 14-year old science-loving son enjoys watching "Sport Science" clips on YouTube, plus he constantly asks questions about the limits of human performance. What is the highest possible dunk? The fastest possible 100m? The mightiest possible power lift? I thought that this book would be a definite hit for him. We pre-ordered the book and it arrived yesterday. I got a chance to read it before my son got home and knew that he would really enjoy it. When he saw the book he immediately rushed to read it. Of course, he wanted to just get to The Numbers at first:) John Brenkus (who is the host of Sport Science) does a wonderful job of making this topic fun and interesting, plus he does a nice job on the analytical bits where he explains how he (or rather the experts he quotes) actually get to The Numbers.

One quibble: The book keeps on going on about what we could theoretically eventually achieve in time, but - hey - we will be a different species by then given our rate of evolution. Huh? According to one expert, we are a different species than we were 200 years ago and we will certainly be a different species in a 1000 years. Hmmm. Strange.

Remember this book is full of statistical models about theoretical maximums. [Note: I am a statistician by training so I appreciate statistical models for what they are.] There is certainly no guarantee that humans will reach these theoretical maximums, but remember these are just that - theoretical maximums. A human will NEVER run a 100m faster than 8.99 seconds. Will he ever reach the theoretical maximum? Maybe, maybe not. He will approach the theoretical maximum, but he never will surpass it because he never can surpass it due to human limitations. (This is where the different species stuff comes in; a different species of human - one more "evolved" - would have different limitations, and, thus, different theoretical maximums and all that).

Now that man has goals to aim for, he will certainly have a better shot at reaching the theoretical maximums. Thank you, John Brenkus, and good luck, mankind!