Marc Portus PhD EMBA BHMS(Hons)

Praxis Performance Group | Pace Doctor

Gold Coast, New South Wales, Australia

Research Expertise

Sport Ecosystems

Cricket Fast Bowling Biomechanics, Performance and Injury

About

Dr. Marc Portus is a highly skilled and experienced sports science professional with over 20 years of experience in the field. He holds an Executive MBA in Strategy & International Leadership, a PhD in Cricket fast bowling biomechanics, and a Bachelor of Human Movement Studies (Honours) in Biomechanics & Exercise Physiology. Dr. Portus is a specialist in the field of cricket biomechanics, with a particular focus on bowler performance, injury prevention, and ball speed. He has worked with top-level athletes and teams, including Cricket Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport, and Papua New Guinea Rugby League. Dr. Portus is also the founder of Pace Doctor, a company that provides biomechanical analysis and training programs for fast bowlers. With his extensive education and experience, he is a leading authority on sports performance and strategy.

Publications

Expert Performance in Sport and the Dynamics of Talent Development

Sports Medicine

2010

Validity and Reliability of GPS Units to Monitor Cricket-Specific Movement Patterns

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

2009

Comparison of three types of full-body compression garments on throwing and repeat-sprint performance in cricket players

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Movement patterns in cricket vary by both position and game format

Journal of Sports Sciences

2010

Injuries to elite male cricketers in Australia over a 10-year period

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2006

Fast Bowlers in Cricket Demonstrate Up to 3- to 4-Week Delay Between High Workloads and Increased Risk of Injury

The American Journal of Sports Medicine

2009

Modified perceptual training in sport: A new classification framework

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2018

Cricket fast bowling performance and technique and the influence of selected physical factors during an 8-over spell

Journal of Sports Sciences

2000

ANTHROPOMETRIC AND STRENGTH CORRELATES OF FAST BOWLING SPEED IN JUNIOR AND SENIOR CRICKETERS

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

2006

Volume-Dependent Response of Precooling for Intermittent-Sprint Exercise in the Heat

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

2011

Changes to injury profile (and recommended cricket injury definitions) based on the increased frequency of Twenty20 cricket matches

Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine

2010

The associations between fast bowling technique and ball release speed: A pilot study of the within-bowler and between-bowler approaches

Journal of Sports Sciences

2007

Comparison of Player Movement Patterns Between 1-Day and Test Cricket

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

2011

Performance accuracy and functional variability in elite and developing fast bowlers

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2012

Cold‐water immersion decreases cerebral oxygenation but improves recovery after intermittent‐sprint exercise in the heat

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports

2013

Analysis of Twenty/20 Cricket performance during the 2008 Indian Premier League

International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport

2008

Comparison of Training and Game Demands of National Level Cricketers

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

2011

Quantifying positional movement patterns in Twenty20 cricket

International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport

2009

Partial Heat Acclimation in Cricketers Using a 4-Day High Intensity Cycling Protocol

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

Variability in Movement Patterns During One Day Internationals by a Cricket Fast Bowler

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

2009

Acquisition of expertise in cricket fast bowling: Perceptions of expert players and coaches

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2014

Quadratus lumborum asymmetry and lumbar spine injury in cricket fast bowlers

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2012

Enhancing cricket batting skill: implications for biomechanics and skill acquisition research and practice

Sports Biomechanics

2011

Duration-dependant response of mixed-method pre-cooling for intermittent-sprint exercise in the heat

European Journal of Applied Physiology

2012

Mixed-method pre-cooling reduces physiological demand without improving performance of medium-fast bowling in the heat

Journal of Sports Sciences

Analysis of performance at the 2007 Cricket World Cup

International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport

2008

Effects of mixed-method cooling on recovery of medium-fast bowling performance in hot conditions on consecutive days

Journal of Sports Sciences

2012

Detection of throwing in cricket using wearable sensors

Sports Technology

2011

Cricket Fast Bowlers Without Low Back Pain Have Larger Quadratus Lumborum Asymmetry Than Injured Bowlers

Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine

2013

Exact moment of a gastrocnemius muscle strain captured on video

British Journal of Sports Medicine

2002

Battlezone: An examination of the physiological responses, movement demands and reproducibility of small-sided cricket games

Journal of Sports Sciences

2013

Peak outward acceleration and ball release in cricket

Journal of Sports Sciences

2014

Part 2

Strength & Conditioning Journal

2014

Pace bowlers in cricket with history of lumbar stress fracture have increased risk of lower limb muscle strains, particularly calf strains

Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine

2010

Does performance level affect initial ball flight kinematics in finger and wrist-spin cricket bowlers?

Journal of Sports Sciences

2017

Injury Prevention of Elite Wheelchair Racing Athletes Using Simulation Approaches

The 12th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association

2018

The influence of field size, player number and rule changes on the physiological responses and movement demands of small-sided games for cricket training

Journal of Sports Sciences

2013

Part 1

Strength & Conditioning Journal

2014

Quadratus lumborum asymmetry is not isolated to the dominant side in junior cricket fast bowlers

British Journal of Sports Medicine

2011

Wearable sensors for the monitoring of bowling action in cricket

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2010

Inertial sensor orientation for cricket bowling monitoring

2011 IEEE SENSORS Proceedings

2011

Placement effects of inertial measurement units on contact identification in wheelchair racing

Sports Biomechanics

2018

Cricket Australia 2003 injury report

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2003

Essay: Biomechanical support in sport

The Lancet

2005

The influence of upper-body mechanics, anthropometry and isokinetic strength on performance in wrist-spin cricket bowling

Journal of Sports Sciences

2019

Monitoring seating interface pressure in wheelchair sports

Sports Engineering

2018

Does stride length play a role in cricket fast bowling performance outcomes? An observational, cross-sectional study

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

2016

The effects of Cricket-specific footwear on lower limb kinematics and kinetics in fast bowling

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2010

An analysis of Factorial structure of Kinematic variables in Bowling

Korean Journal of Sport Biomechanics

2002

A practical assessment of wheelchair racing performance kinetics using accelerometers

Sports Biomechanics

2019

The Effects of Personalized Versus Generic Scaling of Body Segment Masses on Joint Torques During Stationary Wheelchair Racing

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

2019

Illegal bowling actions contribute to performance in cricket finger‐spin bowlers

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports

2018

Intra-Stroke Profiling of Wheelchair Propulsion Using Inertial Measurement Units

The 12th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association

2018

The ‘crunch factor’ as a risk factor for sporting spinal injuries

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2017

Kinematic Perturbation in the Flexion-Extension Axis for Two Lumbar Rigs During a High Impact Jump Task

Journal of Applied Biomechanics

2011

Estimating the Maximum Isometric Force-Generating Capacity of Wheelchair Racing Athletes for Simulation Purposes

Journal of Applied Biomechanics

2019

Poster Session II, July 14th 2010 — Abstracts

Comparison of Twenty20 game demands in the early season versus the peak competitive season

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2010

‘Keeping you active’—the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians

British Journal of Sports Medicine

2016

Cricket injuries

Oxford Medicine Online

2013

Links between musculoskeletal screening and lower back/lower limb injury in Australian first class cricketers: A 3 year prospective study

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2010

Towards the Development of a Conceptual Model of Expertise in Cricket Batting: A Grounded Theory Approach

Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

2009

Development of evidence based coaching guidelines to reduce the risk of lower back injury in cricket fast bowlers

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

2003

Education

Queensland University of Technology

Executive MBA, Strategy & International Leadership / 2017

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

University of Western Australia

PhD, Cricket fast bowling biomechanics, trunk injury and ball speed / 2007

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Australian Catholic University

Bachelor of Human Movement Studies (Honours), Biomechanics & Exercise Physiology / 1999

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Experience

Praxis Performance Group

Managing Director | Strategy Lead / 2011 — Present

Sport consultancy business advising on strategic planning, sport science and performance systems design for elite sports. Clients include professional sports bodies such as the International Cricket Council, Cricket Australia, Cricket NSW, Queensland Rugby League and the National Rugby League (NRL)

Papua New Guinea Rugby League

General Manager - Performance Systems Implementation / January, 2023 — December, 2023

One year on the ground contract to implement Australian government funded programs (AU$7M) in High Performance and the Digicel Cup for the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League

Australian Institute of Sport

Head of Movement Science / July, 2013 — June, 2018

Head of Department containing ~30 staff and scholars providing sport science services and research to Australian Olympic sports including Athletics, Swimming, Sailing, Rowing, Water Polo, Canoe/Kayak, Equestrian and Shooting

Cricket Australia

Head of Science & Medicine / July, 2005 — December, 2010

Manager of sport science and medicine services, research and innovation for Australian cricket high performance squads and pathways and the Centre of Excellence.

Cricket Australia / Australian Institute of Sport

Biomechanist / Sport Science Officer / July, 2000 — 2005

Biomechanist for Australian cricket with primary responsibility for 3D biomechanical testing and services for elite and pathway fast bowlers. Coordinated the Australian cricket sport science research program.

Pace Doctor

Founder & Biomechanist / May, 2022 — Present

Pace Doctor offers specialised online services to help cricket bowlers, their coaches and their support staff reduce their risk of injury, bowl faster, swing the ball or manage illegal bowling action issues. More at www.pacedoctor.com.au

Links & Social Media

Sport Consultancy Website - Praxis

Cricket Fast Bowling Website - Pace Doctor

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