The Perfection Point: Sport Science Uncovers the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance - Hardcover

Until 1954, common wisdom and scientific knowledge considered a sub-four minute mile impossible for human physiology. And then Roger Bannister broke the mark, followed quickly by a host of other athletes. Today, the world record stands at 3 minutes 43 seconds. But even that number doesn't tell the full story of how fast humans can run a mile. While world records are a mark of how well people have done, they don't explain how well people can do - or what the absolute limits of human performance are. Now, in "The Perfection Point", John Brenkus, the host, creator, and executive producer of ESPN's "Sport Science", provides an in-depth look at the outer edge of what's possible for a variety of sports. In breezy, highly readable style and easy-to-comprehend language, Brenkus applies statistics, physics, and physiology to explore such questions as: What's the highest someone can dunk a basketball? What's the most weight someone can bench press? What's the farthest we can hit a baseball or drive a golf ball? What's the fastest a human can run 100 meters? Beginning with current world records, Brenkus seeks to find the limits of human ability to pinpoint the perfection point - a speed, a height, a distance that humans can get closer and closer to but never exceed. For years coaches, pundits and fans have speculated about the extremes of human performance. "The Perfection Point" finally provides the answers.