What makes one athlete more successful than others? In this enlightening inside look at sports secrets, the experts at Popular Mechanics, along with top athletes, coaches, and sports journalists, explore the science behind everything from the perfect curveball and Michael Phelps's kick to how to "bend it like Beckham." Surveying such sports as soccer, basketball, tennis, hockey, boxing, lacrosse, cycling, and golf, this illustrated overview takes stock of how professional sports have changed over the decades, and examines the long-term effects of steroids and improved technology and training on the sports world.