Search

This study determined stroke and movement accelerometry metrics from a wearable sensor and compared between court surface (grass vs. hard) and match outcome (win vs. loss) during competitive tennis match-play. Eight junior high-performance tennis players wore a trunk-mounted global positioning system, with in-built accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope during singles matches on hard and grass courts. The manufacturer software calculated accelerometer-derived total player load (tPL). A prototype algorithm classified forehands, backhands, serves, and "other" strokes, thereby calculating stroke PL (sPL) from individual strokes. Movement PL (mPL) was calculated as the difference between tPL and sPL, with all metrics reported as absolute and relative (min-1, %, and ·stroke). Analysis of accelerometer load and stroke count metrics was performed through a two-way (surface [grass vs. hard] × match outcome [win vs. loss]) analysis of variance (p < 0.05) and effect sizes (Cohen's d). No interaction effects for surface and match outcome existed for absolute tPL, mPL, and sPL (p > 0.05). Increased mPL% featured on grass courts, whereas sPL% was increased on hard courts (p = 0.04, d = 1.18[0.31-2.02]). Elevated sPL·min-1 existed on hard courts (p = 0.04, d = 1.19[0.32-2.04]), but no differences in tPL·min-1 and mPL·min-1 were evident for surface or outcome (p > 0.05). Relative forehand sPL (FH-sPL·min-1) was higher on hard courts (p = 0.03, d = 1.18[0.31-2.02]) alongside higher forehand counts (p = 0.01, d = 1.29[0.40-2.14]). Hitting demands are heightened on hard courts from increased sPL and counts. Conversely, increased mPL% on grass courts likely reflects the specific movement demands from point-play. Physical preparation strategies during training blocks can be tailored toward movement or hitting loads to suit competitive surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study conducted to determine various disorders associated with the male weightlifters of Australia including muscle dysmorphia, body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders. It is also aimed at determining the relation among these symptoms and providing a comparative assessment on them.

The article discusses research which investigated anthropometric characteristics, upper-body strength, and lower-body power of elite junior, sub-elite senior, and elite senior Australian Football (AF) players. Topics explored include the exercise protocol used to assess upper-body strength, the results of the physical performance testing of concerned AF players, and the statistical analyses of data gathered such as body mass, countermovement jump velocity, and squat jump velocity.

The article discusses research which compared activity and recovery profiles of State-of-Origin and National Rugby League (NRL) rugby league football matches. Topics explored include the physical challenges associated with rugby league games that need to be addressed by players, the risk of injury in State-of-Origin and NRL competitions, and the use of video recordings of these games for analyzing activity-recovery ratios.

The article discusses research which investigated how warm-up protocols acutely influence lower-body power of athletes. Topics explored include the way physiological preparations reduce risk of injury in athletes, the mean power values recorded for warm-up protocols such as band box squat, barbell box squat, and static stretches, and the negative implications of static stretches for acute jump power particularly in events requiring lower-body strength.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the physical and decision making demands of Australian football umpires during competitive matches. Researchers evaluated 29 umpires during 20 matches. They found that the average distance covered by umpires was 10,563 + or- 6.08 meters, that higher decision making requirements were seen in the midzone and that decision making may not be compromised by running demands.

The article reports on research which investigated and compared the effects of heavy and light weighted load sled towing and their impact on sprint acceleration ability. Researchers evaluated 21 physically active male subjects. They found that subjects with a heavy load improved their sprint times in the five and ten meter sprint.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the accuracy and reliability of global positioning systems (GPSs) in measuring sports specific movement patterns related to cricket, tennis and field-based team sports. Researchers evaluated three models of GPS devices with two male subjects who completed ten repetitions of sports drills. They found that the devices were not consistently reliable or accurate for measuring speed and distance.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate kinematic and kinetic improvements associated with action observation facilitated learning of the power clean technique in Australian football players. Researchers evaluated 15 players. They found that action observation combined with verbal coaching resulted in faster technique improvements and in improved playing performance.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the effects of a traditional speed and agility training program (TSA) and an enforced stopping program which emphasized deceleration (ESSA). Researchers evaluated both programs with 20 college athletes. They concluded that both programs offered their own benefits to athletes in terms of speed and athletic function.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate whether muscle activation increased in athletes performing eight sets of resistance exercise after a fatigue plateau was reached. Researchers evaluated 15 resistance exercise trained male subjects. They found that muscle activation did not increase after a fatigue plateau was reached.

The article presents research which examined the effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on exercise tolerance in 31 male soccer players when IMT was added to their preseason soccer training. The study found that IMT improved exercise tolerance but had no significant effect on soccer-specific fitness (SSF) indices other than a slight reduction in posttraining SSF test blood lactate.

The article evaluates repeated high-intensity exercise performance testing for training professional rugby league and rugby union players in Queensland, Australia. The reliability and sensitivity of the test was assessed with the correlation of test performance with sprint speed and intermittent running recovery measurements. Data was analyzed using statistical methods such as analysis of variance, repeated measures statistics, and descriptive statistics.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the impact that hydrotherapy had on the recovery of 24 experienced male rugby union players after a simulated game of rugby tracked over a week of training. Researchers found that hydrotherapy had little benefit in enhancing the recovery of the athletes after a week of rugby.

The article discusses research which was conducted to investigate the impact acute ingestion of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) loading had on well trained cyclists. Researchers evaluated eight male cyclists. They found that acute and serial NaHCO3 loading significantly improved the four minute cycling performance of cyclists.

The article reports on research which was conducted to determine the session ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of three popular training protocols: free sprint [FST], resisted sprint [RST] and plyometrics [PT]), designed to improve sprint acceleration in team sport athletes. Researchers evaluated 27 male athletes. They found that there were no significant differences in session RPE between the groups.

The article reports on research conducted to investigate performance changes and muscle architecture changes that occur in female softball players during competition and training which included resistance training (RT). Researchers evaluated 10 players. They found that gains in strength, power, and performance can occur during the season in elite softball players who are also engaged in a periodized RT program and that changes in muscle architecture resulted from performance improvements.

The article discusses research investigating the magnitude of changes in upper and lower body strength in highly trained professional rugby union players following two years of training. The study's experimental design and the authors' conclusion regarding the influence of starting strength level, lean mass index (LMI), and chronological age on the level of strength changes are presented.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the factors that affected exercise intensity in rugby-specific small-sided games. Researchers evaluated 20 semiprofessional rugby union players who participated in a series of small sided games. They found that small sided games with fewer players and large field sizes elicited greater physiological and perceptual responses and time-motion demands in players and that players' heart rates were the same in all field sizes.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the relationship between maximal lifting capacity and a self determined tolerable lifting limit and maximum acceptable lift across a range of military-relevant lifting tasks. Researchers evaluated 70 male soldiers from the Australian Army who performed seven strength based lifting tasks. They found that there was a consistent relationship between maximum lifting capacity and maximum acceptable lift for single lifting tasks.

The article presents the results of a study which investigated the effects of self-efficacy on the effort athletes put into strength training during an off season. An overview of related previous research is provided, detailing how low-load exercise may prime the central nervous system for favorable performance of explosive movements. Details of the experiment protocol are also presented, including counter movement jump and analysis of variance testing.

The article provides information on improving the weight distribution of the lower leg during the squat using portable and simple-to-use system of the Nintendo Wii Balance Boards (NWBBs). It discusses the method that measures including the mean mass difference (MMD) of the limbs, interlimb symmetry index (ISI) and the time spent favoring a single limb (TFSL) percentage. The method tested the NWBB system in real-time feedback for weight-bearing asymmetry (WBA).