Search

Objectives: Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears are prevalent in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers and cause significant loss of time with varying reports of impact on performance. Revision UCL reconstruction (UCLR) is increasingly common, with little known about the effects on both fastball (FB) velocity and usage (%) in this setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of revision UCLR on MLB pitchers with respect to post-operative FB % and velocity at one and two years after return-to-play. The hypothesis was that post-operative FB usage (FB%) and velocity would significantly decrease versus pre-injury levels in the revision UCLR group, and that revision UCLRs would result in significantly decreased FB % and velocity in comparison to a matched group of MLB pitchers after primary UCLRs. Methods: Public records were used to identify MLB pitchers from 2008 to 2020 who underwent a revision UCLR. The PITCHf/x system, which was installed in 2007 and is a standardized recording of all pitches thrown in MLB stadiums, collected FB velocity for four-seam (4FB) and two-seam (2FB) fastballs and total FB % for pitchers in the pre-injury year as well as the first two years after return. A matched control group of pitchers who underwent primary UCLR was used for comparison. Results: Nineteen pitchers fit the study criteria. There were no significant differences in the revision UCLR group in FB velocity between pre-injury levels (4FB 92.87 mph, 2FB 91.43 mph) and years one (4FB 92.55 mph, p=.375) (2FB 91.2 mph, p=0.448) and two (4FB 93.38 mph, p=.695) (2FB 91.59 mph, p=0.806) after return (Table 1). There were also no significant differences in FB % usage between the pre-injury season (60.4) and first (56.5, p=.095) or second years (52.5, p=.053) after return (Table 1). In terms of walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), strikeouts per 9 innings (K/9), and walks per 9 innings (BB/9), the only significant difference between pre-injury and post-injury outcomes was a significant higher K/9 in the first season after return (p=0.031) (Table 1). There were no significant differences between FB velocity or % usage between the revision and primary UCLR groups at any time point (Tables 2-4). There were also no significant differences in the revision and primary UCLR groups between WHIP, K/9, or BB/9 with the exception of lower WHIP (p=0.015) and K/9 (p=0.001) in the pre-injury season (Tables 2-4). Conclusions: In pitchers that return to the MLB level, there were no significant differences in FB velocity versus their pre-injury levels or in comparison to pitchers after primary UCLR. While not statistically significant, a trend was demonstrated that there was a clinically relevant decrease in FB % usage, potentially suggesting less confidence in their FB. Table 1. Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) between pre-injury and post-operative performance. The pre-injury performance was collected for the year prior to injury while the post-operative performance was collected for the first and second years after return-to-play. Statistical comparisons were made between pre-injury performance versus the performance at 1 and 2 years after return to the MLB. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph). WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significant Table 2. Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) pitchers with revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) versus a group of primary UCLR (controls) in their pre-injury season prior to their respective surgical intervention. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph).. WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significant Table 3. Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) pitchers with revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) versus a group of primary UCLR (controls) in their first season after return to play. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph). WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significant Table 4. Comparison of major league baseball (MLB) pitchers with revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) versus a group of primary UCLR (controls) in their second season after return to play. Fastball (FB) velocity reported as a mean in miles-per-hour (mph). WHIP- walks and hits per inning pitched, BB/9-walks per 9 inning, K/9- strikeouts per 9 innings, *-statistically significant [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport Vision is a speciality of multidisciplinary interest aimed at improving the performance of the visual system to achieve benefits in practiced sports, as well as in daily life and in preventive care. The type of training practiced by the athlete, his or her physical condition, cognitive level, and level of fatigue condition affects the speed of the reaction time and, consequently, the speed of motor response. Specific orthoptic exercises, the use of technological devices, the recovery of static and dynamic postural stability by using unstable platforms and the dual-task paradigm can help to achieve the expected results. The aim of this systematic review of Sport Vision was to assess the overall existing literature on Sport Vision, paying particular attention to the effects of visual training and its application in different sports and in rehabilitation and preventive settings. We analysed published English language studies about the role of sport vision in athletic performance from 1950 to 2023. We searched through the Medline database. The PRISMA 2020 checklist was used to assess the transparency and reproducibility of this review. The enrolled papers were evaluated with the Jadad Scale, Amstar 2 Scale and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. 25 (16 studies, 5 reviews, 2 comments, 1 editorial, 1 descriptive paper) out of 476 studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to the variability in the age of the samples, the different techniques, the treatments among the participants in the studies and the finding of non-evaluable articles, a meta-analysis was not conducted. The limitations of this review are the single database research, the studies analyzed contain a non-statistically representative sample size and the lack of a control group. There is no standardized test to measure performance. It was shown that the development of visual skills can benefit athletes in injury prevention, and can lead to improved sports performance and motor function at any age, acquiring adaptive motor behaviour even when the visual system is impaired, due to task repetition and familiarity of the gesture. We intended to identify a multidisciplinary approach and a manual treatment scheme to optimize the circuitry involved in sport vision in order to increase the results that are achieved, but further studies will be needed to this end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of sports performance mainly depends on the scientific degree of sports training. The best monitoring and control of the whole process of sports training is an important guarantee for improving the scientific degree of training. For the scientific monitoring of sports training process, many scholars have carried out research from many aspects. Current research still finds that athletes still have many problems with the protection of their own physical endurance. (1) The monitoring of the sports training process by coaches and athletes is still mainly spontaneous. The monitoring of athletes has not yet formed a system. (2) At present, the monitoring of athletes is mainly carried out from a single discipline or a certain field, and there is no systematic monitoring system. (3) There are many common problems in the monitoring items of the training process in the existing research. Existing studies have relatively little content on specific characteristics. In this paper, a dynamic monitoring system for the training process of elite rock climbers is established, and a training operation mode for rock climbers is established. (1) This paper sorts out the various subsystems of the training system. The monitoring system of sports training process mainly includes target system, personnel organization system, and software and hardware system. In addition, the sports training system proposed in this paper also includes monitoring content system, implementation system, and evaluation system. The sports training process monitoring system also includes a subsystem for monitoring the development of athletic ability of athletes. We take on the training load condition monitoring subsystem; daily physical function state and psychological state monitoring subsystem; and physical and mental health monitoring subsystem. (2) In addition, this paper establishes an operation mode dominated by "scientific research leaders." The model includes three parts: "Administrative Managers, Scientific Research Leaders, and Coaches." (3) Finally, this paper establishes five basic guiding ideologies for the evaluation of training process monitoring results. This paper establishes three reference standards for the evaluation of monitoring indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate the impact of early(<6 months) vs standard(>6months) return to play(RTP) on the rate of failure, volume of play, and career longevity following ACL reconstruction in a cohort of professional European soccer players. It was hypothesized that athletes returning to professional competition earlier than 6 month after ACL reconstruction would not have an increased risk of failure, volume of play, and a shorter professional career. Methods: Professional soccer players treated for anterior cruciate ligament tear by a single surgeon were included in this retrospective study. The study was approved by the institutional review board. The inclusion criteria were that the patient was a (1) male, (2) professional soccer player with an (3) injury of the anterior cruciate ligament. Exclusion criteria were revision ACL, extra-articular ligamentous reconstruction, and previous contralateral ACL reconstruction. A total of 178 players who were all in the first or second division of their league met criteria for the study over a ten year period. Time from intervention to return to the first official game was recorded in days. Information if the patient was able to return to the same season was recorded, as well as the number of games and total and average minutes played in the return season. Number of seasons played after injury and if the player was active at the time of data collection (September 2019) was also recorded. If the player was still active, the player's current club was recorded. Results: 90-early RTP and 88 standard RTP players were identified. Players in the early RTP group returned to professional level soccer at a mean of 4.76 months, which was significantly sooner than players in the standard RTP group who returned at a mean of 9.21 months (p < 0.01) following ACLR. A significantly greater number of players in the early RTP group returned during the same season of intervention (n = 56/92, 60.9%) than in the standard RTP group (n = 18/88, 20.5%) (p < 0.01). Players in the early RTP group competed in an average of 11.5 games during their return season while those in the standard RTP group competed in an average of 12.9 games (p > 0.05). The early RTP group played, on average, a total of 759.2 minutes and 56.5 minutes/game in their return season, while the standard RTP group played an average of 812.8 total minutes and 50.0 minutes/game in their return season (p > 0.05). Players in the early RTP group had significantly longer careers following ACLR, averaging 5.62 seasons, compared to those in the standard RTP group who competed in an average of 4.75 seasons after surgical intervention (p < 0.01). The early RTP group had 4 failures while the late RTP group had 1 failure failure. Conclusions: Professional European soccer players who return to play earlier than 6 months after ACL reconstruction returned more frequently during the same season, played the same number of games and minutes during their return season, had longer careers, but had more ACL graft failures when compared with those who returned greater than 6 months after surgery. Professional European soccer players who returned early after ACL reconstruction (<6 months) did not appear to have poorer outcomes, however caution should be taken before extrapolating this to the general population as these athletes have exceptional resources, fitness, and athletic capacity. Decision on return to play ultimately lies with the patient/athlete as prolonged RTP has significant financial and career consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic interest in athletic performance is ongoing. To examine the correlation between athletic performance and athletes' personality types, data extraction in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was completed in October 2021, and a meta-analysis was performed using 180 data from 18 selected papers using the "meta" package version 4.8-4 of R Studio 3.3.3. As a result, these selected studies proved to have reliable quality in proceeding with this study via quality assessment. The overall effect of personality on athletic performance (AP) was ESr = 0.124, p < 0.01. Furthermore, only conscientiousness (ESr = 0.178, p < 0.001) and extroversion (ESr = 0.145, p < 0.01), among the five personality types, showed statistically significant results, and these two personality types had a positive correlation with performance. In the publication bias test, this study found that (a) agreeableness had a publication bias; but, with an additional test using trim-and-fill, (b) the effect was not significant enough to be considered. In addition, the analysis of the moderating effects was conducted in four aspects, and all moderating effect analyses showed statistically significant differences between the groups, demonstrating the heterogeneity of this study. Therefore, this study found a significant relationship between personality and athletic performance and showed the importance of conscientiousness and extroversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Severe equine asthma (SEA) is an important respiratory disease affecting a large number of horses worldwide. This chronic disease induces cough and respiratory distress compromising the animals' athletic ability and welfare. A wide variety of diagnostic tests have been described for researching and diagnosing SEA, but not all are commonly available outside of large research or specialized diagnostic centers. Moreover, in routine ambulatory practice the process of decision making is not always easy, especially in more complex medical cases, but its importance is pivotal for individualized patient care. Thus, the aim of this paper is to develop a flow-chart to assist equine practitioners in the process of decision making associated with diagnosing and monitoring SEA. Decision making consists of gathering quality data in order to correctly assess a situation and determine the best course of action. This process is a fundamental part of medicine and is what enables practitioners to accurately diagnose diseases and select appropriate treatment protocols. Despite severe equine asthma (SEA) being a highly prevalent lower respiratory disease amongst equids, clinicians still struggle with the optimization of routine diagnostic procedures. The use of several ancillary diagnostic tests has been reported for disease identification and monitoring, but many are only suitable for research purposes or lack practicality for everyday use. The aim of this paper is to assist the equine veterinarian in the process of decision making associated with managing SEA-affected patients. This review will focus on disease diagnosis and monitoring, while also presenting a flow-chart which includes the basic data that the clinician must obtain in order to accurately identify severely asthmatic horses in their everyday routine practice. It is important to note that European and American board-certified specialists on equine internal medicine can provide assistance in the diagnosis and treatment plan of SEA-affected horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative age effect (RAE) has been the subject of many studies, but no relevant literature has discussed the phenomenon of RAE in Chinese tennis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that RAE significantly contributes to brain drain and other occurrences that create inequity. This paper analyzes the birth dates and year-end rankings of all male players (N = 2697) who participated in China's junior tennis tournaments (U12, U14, U16) between 2014 and 2019 and who were selected for China's National Junior Team in 2019 and 2020; the paper classifies the birth dates into quarters and semesters. One of the research objectives of this study is to analyze whether RAE exists in Chinese junior men's tennis and whether RAE exerts an effect on athletes' performance. Differences between the observed and expected birthdate distributions were tested using chi-square statistics, and subsequent calculations were tested using odds ratios. The study found that RAE was present in all Chinese junior male tennis sports groups (p<0.001). The percentages of athletes born in the first half of the year were 56.4% (U12), 60.4% (U14), and 60.4% (U16), and the percentages of those born in the first quarter were 34.1% (U12), 36.4% (U14), and 37.1% (U16). Athletes with birth dates closer to the beginning of the year had a higher probability of achieving excellent athletic performance as a result of RAE, whereas those who were born near the end of the year had a more difficult time achieving strong athletic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying appropriate training loads in accordance with the defined objectives promotes optimal physical and physiological adaptations, reduces the likelihood of illness and injury and, therefore, increases the possibility of success during Rugby. The aim of this review was to compile and systematise the information in the literature on the association between training load variables (internal and external) and performance outcomes in Rugby. As such, the main objective will be to conduct a systematic review of the published literature to identify the physical and physiological performance variables in Rugby sport to monitor the training load. Following the preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) and PICOS approach, the search was adapted and conducted systematically only in the PubMed database, which, in itself, also restricts the search spectrum of the paper, thus conferring a limitation to the present academic work. The search was conducted in PubMed throughout the possible temporal spectrum since there is still little robustness in the literature about rugby sports performance. Articles were selected by pre-defined selection criteria, including observational, randomised clinical and clinical trial studies. After further screening, and based on the inclusion criteria of the papers, the result of the analysis of the relevance of the studies, the final set of analysis resulted in 16 articles. From the studies compiled in this review, there seems to be a strong correlation between the perceived exertion (RPE) and the prescription and definition of the training load applied in Rugby athletes. The RPE reflects the most used and analysed variable throughout all the studies. Several articles reflect a strong relationship between the training load, the inter-individual capacity of each athlete and their tolerance to the load (player load). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: High cumulative workloads and spikes in player workloads have been associated with an increased risk of injury in soccer and other sports. These studies, however, have all been conducted with data from male soccer players or male athletes in other sports, with few studies investigating female athletes. Using metrics collected from GPS units to monitor cumulative load and distance may be valuable for injury prevention. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between injury risk and workload as collected from wearable GPS units in NCAA Division I women's soccer players. Methods: Lower extremity injury incidence and GPS workload data (player load, total distance, and high-speed distance) of 65 NCAA Division I women's soccer players were collected over 3 seasons. Accumulated 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-weekly loads and acute: chronic workload ratios (ACWR) were classified into discrete ranges by z-scores. ACWR was calculated using rolling averages and exponentially weighted moving averages (EWMA) models. Binary logistic regression models were used to compare the 7:28 rolling average and EWMA ACWRs between injured and non-injured players for all GPS/accelerometer variables. The prior 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-weekly accumulated loads for all GPS/accelerometer variables were compared between the injured and uninjured cohorts using two-sample t -tests with an alpha level of 0.05 set as significant. Results: There were a total of 53 lower extremity injuries that resulted in lost time recorded (5.76/1000 hours 'on-field' exposure time; 34 non-contact and 19 contact injuries). The prior 2-week (7,242 vs 6,613; p=0.02), 3-week (10,533 vs 9,718; p=0.02), and 4-week (13,819 vs 12,892; p=0.04) accumulated player loads and 2-week (62.40 vs 57.25 km; p=0.04), 3-week (90.97 vs 84.10 km; p=0.03), and 4-week (119.31 vs 111.38 km; p=0.05) accumulated total distances were significantly higher for injured players compared to non-injured players during the same timeframes. There were no significant differences in player load, total distance, or high-speed distance ACWR between injured and non-injured players for both the rolling averages and EWMA calculations. Conclusions: Higher accumulated player load and total distance, but not ACWR, are associated with injury in women's soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the return to sport (RTS) rate and performance upon RTS in professional baseball players who underwent biceps tenodesis. A secondary purpose was to compare the postoperative performance of the group of players who underwent biceps tenodesis to a group of matched controls. Methods: All professional baseball pitchers who underwent biceps tenodesis between 2014 and 2017 were included. Players with concomitant rotator cuff repair were excluded. Demographic and performance data (preoperative and postoperative) were recorded for each player. Performance metrics were then compared between the biceps tenodesis and matched control (no history of biceps tenodesis) groups. Results: 14 players (average age 27±4 years; 12 pitchers, 2 position outfielders) were included. Most (79%) were open subpectoral tenodeses while two were arthroscopic biceps transfers, and one was an arthroscopic suprapectoral tenodesis. Fixation methods included cortical button (42%), interference screw (25%), suture anchor (25%) and drill holes (8%). Most players (79%) underwent concomitant procedures (43% underwent SLAP repairs). Among the 14 players, 2 were unable to RTS, 5 RTS but to a lower level, and 7 RTS at the same or a higher level. Thus, overall, while 86% (12/14) were able to RTS, 50% (7/14) RTS at the same or a higher level and 50% were either unable to return or returned to a lower level. Among pitchers, 100% (12/12) were able to RTS, but only 50% (6/12) were able to return to the same or a higher level. For those players who did return to play, it took 245±84 days, and their performance following RTP was unchanged and did not differ from matched controls. Conclusions: While 86% of professional baseball players returned to sport following biceps tenodesis, only 50% returned to the same or higher level. No decline in performance was noted in players who successfully returned. Open subpectoral tenodesis is the most common tenodesis technique performed on professional baseball players UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/c7753b55-d658-4847-a8e7-7b70c6cad84f/1/Table%5f1.docx UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/961efbc8-aedb-4cfe-b18f-6b8c07d93ec7/1/Table%5f2.docx UPLOAD-https://planion-client-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AOSSM/blobs/36fbb55a-f22f-468e-a8a3-e7a29979b4b8/1/Table%5f3.docx None [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several reviews have examined the health benefits of participation in specific sports, such as baseball, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, downhill skiing, football, golf, judo, rugby, running and swimming. However, new primary studies on the topic have recently been published, and the respective meta-analytic evidence needs to be updated. Objectives: To systematically review, summarise and appraise evidence on physical health benefits of participation in different recreational sports. Methods: Searches for journal articles were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SpoLit, SPORTDiscus, Sports Medicine & Education Index and Web of Science. We included longitudinal and intervention studies investigating physical health outcomes associated with participation in a given sport among generally healthy adults without disability. Results: A total of 136 papers from 76 studies conducted among 2.6 million participants were included in the review. Our meta-analyses of available evidence found that: (1) cycling reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 16% (pooled hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80, 0.89), all-cause mortality by 21% (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.84), cancer mortality by 10% (HR = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.96) and cardiovascular mortality by 20% (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.86); (2) football has favourable effects on body composition, blood lipids, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, cardiovascular function at rest, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone strength (p < 0.050); (3) handball has favourable effects on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.050); (4) running reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 23% (HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.85), cancer mortality by 20% (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.89) and cardiovascular mortality by 27% (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.94) and improves body composition, cardiovascular function at rest and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.010); and (5) swimming reduces the risk of all-cause mortality by 24% (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.92) and improves body composition and blood lipids (p < 0.010). Conclusions: A range of physical health benefits are associated with participation in recreational cycling, football, handball, running and swimming. More studies are needed to enable meta-analyses of health benefits of participation in other sports. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021234839. Key Points: We found a reduced risk of all-cause mortality associated with cycling (–21%), running (–23%) and swimming (–24%). Running also improves body composition, cardiovascular function at rest and cardiorespiratory fitness, while swimming also improves body composition and blood lipids. Football improves body composition, blood lipids, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, cardiovascular function at rest, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone strength, while handball improves body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Intermittent fasting (IF) is most simply defined as periods of eating alternating with periods of not eating. It has become one of the most popular weight-loss diets in recent years. One reason for the rapid growth in popularity of intermittent fasting may be its simplicity, as this dietary regimen does not require a change in a person's current eating patterns, nor a change in foods. Aim of the study This review aims to present the current state of knowledge about intermittent fasting and answer the question of what effect this form of diet has on the human body and sports results and its benefits to health. Materials and methods The paper was created based on the Pubmed database. The literature was reviewed using the keywords: "intermittent fasting", "16/8 fasting" and "diet standards". The current state of knowledge It has been shown that intermittent fasting can be helpful in controlling body weight and reducing metabolic diseases as a result of better glucose regulation and reduced inflammation. Weight reduction can also result in improved athletic performance. In addition, IF has positive effects on the cardiovascular system, specifically improving blood pressure, lowering heart rate, and regulating the body's lipid metabolism indicators. Summary Although there is evidence of the beneficial effects of intermittent fasting, more research needs to be conducted to evaluate the mechanisms, efficacy in humans, target populations, and safety of intermittent fasting. Undoubtedly, a certain group of people may benefit greatly from this type of diet, as it does not require a change in current eating habits due to the simplicity of this diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 24‐h ultramarathon (UM) race is one of the most demanding competitive sports in terms of muscular and physiological exertion. In this context, predictors of UM athletes' physical performance are in high demand; however, data on the predictive capabilities of hematological variables are still sparse. In the present paper, we retrospectively took into consideration the pre‐race blood biomarker levels (including basic blood count, leukocyte subpopulations, markers of inflammation and organ function, metabolic profile, and electrolytes) of 50 UM athletes (M = 33, F = 17) who completed a 24‐h competition in order to identify a combination of analytes capable of predicting the athletic performance in terms of distance covered during the 24‐h run. The multiple regression analysis produced a model that explained a significant portion of the variance in the dependent variable, with an adjusted R‐squared value of 0.783 (F(13, 36) = 14.58, p < 0.001). A greater race distance was correlated with higher pre‐race values of hematocrit, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total cholesterol, HDL/LDL ratio, and triglycerides and lower levels of monocytes, eosinophils, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT), total proteins, and sodium. This study represents the first of its kind conducted on 24‐h UM athletes that investigated the association between blood markers and endurance performance. Our model, given its promising predictive power, would serve as a starting point that will require refinement and integration with other traditional performance prediction measures, in order to support athletes and coaches in better managing the training loads during the race‐approaching phases. Highlights: A combination of pre‐race hematological parameters was found to predict the 24‐h ultramarathon race distance in ultra‐endurance athletes.A greater race distance was correlated with higher pre‐race values of hematocrit, lactate dehydrogenase, total cholesterol, HDL/LDL ratio, and triglycerides, and lower levels of monocytes, eosinophils, alanine aminotransferase, gamma‐glutamyl transferase, total proteins, and sodium.The predictive model generated by the multiple regression analysis explained a significant portion of the variance in the dependent variable (race distance), with an adjusted R‐squared value of 0.783. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate interplay between plant-based nutrition, antioxidants, and their impact on athletic performance forms the cornerstone of this comprehensive review. Emphasizing the pivotal importance of dietary choices in the realm of sports, this paper sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of how stress and physical performance are interconnected through the lens of nutrition. The increasing interest among athletes in plant-based diets presents an opportunity with benefits for health, performance, and recovery. It is essential to investigate the connection between sports, plants, and antioxidants. Highlighting the impact of nutrition on recovery and well-being, this review emphasizes how antioxidants can help mitigate oxidative stress. Furthermore, it discusses the growing popularity of plant-based diets among athletes. It elaborates on the importance of antioxidants in combating radicals addressing stress levels while promoting cellular health. By identifying rich foods, it emphasizes the role of a balanced diet in ensuring sufficient intake of these beneficial compounds. Examining stress within the context of sports activities, this review provides insights into its mechanisms and its impact on athletic performance as well as recovery processes. This study explores the impact of plant-based diets on athletes including their types, potential advantages and challenges. It also addresses the drawbacks of relying on plant-based diets, concerns related to antioxidant supplementation and identifies areas where further research is needed. Furthermore, the review suggests directions for research and potential innovations in sports nutrition. Ultimately it brings together the aspects of sports, plant-based nutrition, and antioxidants to provide a perspective for athletes, researchers and practitioners. By consolidating existing knowledge, it offers insights that can pave the way for advancements in the ever-evolving field of sports nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Action recognition is the basis of intelligent sports training and has a unique role in improving athletes' sports training ability. Traditional motion recognition cannot accurately identify changes in human skeletal motion, and the generalization ability is weak, which cannot meet the needs of modern sports. This paper is aimed at studying a new method of human motion recognition and better realizing the intelligent development of the Institute of Physical Education. This paper proposes an improved recognition mode of spatiotemporal graph convolutional network, builds a human skeleton feature recognition model, learns the changes of human skeleton motion, and masters the laws of human skeleton motion changes. This paper comprehensively compares the differences of action recognition of several different algorithms and proves the superiority of this method. Afterwards, a comprehensive comparison of 2D and 3D information data and a comparison of whole body and local action recognition methods were conducted to investigate the experience of athletes and trainers. The experimental results of this paper show that the spatiotemporal graph convolutional network can better realize the recognition of motion features, improve the sports training ability of athletes by 20%, and promote the development of sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article 30 (5a) of the UNCRPD states that participation in mainstream sport should be a right for all individuals. However, many disabled people still face barriers to participation, and provision remains segregated and/or determined, at least in part, by the nature and degree of impairment. This paper explores the Mixed Ability (MA) model as an innovative approach to facilitating disabled people's participation in, and engagement with, mainstream sport. It outlines findings from an evaluation of the Sport England-funded Mixed Ability Sport Development Programme, which saw the MA model trialed in a variety of sports. A participatory research design was employed to generate data with key stakeholder groups involved in the design and delivery of programme activities, as well as with MA participants. Analysis of the data identified three core themes: (i) defining MA sport; (ii) the impacts of MA sport; and (iii) challenges and enablers of MA sport. In discussing these, it is argued that the MA model can be a powerful approach to inclusion and help to shape meaningful change. Indeed, the data suggest that the impacts of MA activities can extend beyond the individual level and influence shifts in both sports club culture and wider perceptions around disability. The paper closes by considering the implications of the research and outlines recommendations for future practice in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Training staff and volunteers is an important aspect of successful program implementation. This paper follows Part A of an evaluation of the Special Olympics Canada (SOC) Coaching Young Athletes Training course. Consistent with Kirkpatrick's four-level model of training evaluation, Part A evaluated program leaders' reactions to (level 1) and immediate learning from (level 2) the training. This Part B paper covers "on the job" behavior (level 3). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth program leaders (n = 11) from eight provinces. Overall, participants felt that more training related to working with children with autism and promoting positive athlete behavior was needed. The findings also lead us to suggest that program leaders need to develop a more fulsome understanding of how to foster skill mastery, including how to practice the same skill in many and varied ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a known cause of hip pain and dysfunction in young, active patients and can be successfully managed with hip preservation surgery. For athletes with FAI, however, there is inconsistent data regarding the ability to return to competitive sport after surgery and how performance level is impacted. The purpose of this study is to evaluate patient factors contributing to return to sport after hip preservation surgery. Methods: Study Design: Retrospective cohort We retrospectively reviewed patients aged 14 to 44 who underwent hip preservation surgery between December 2018 and May 2021 and who participated in a competitive or recreational sport pre-operatively. All patients underwent formal return-to-sport (RTS) testing between 4 and 6 months after surgery. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were obtained at initial RTS testing using the International Knee (Hip) Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire, Hip Outcome Score – Sports Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS), and Hip Return to Sport After Injury (Hip-RSI) scale. Regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between RTS tests, PRO's, BMI, pre- and post-operative alpha angles, and degree of correction. Degree of correction was the difference between pre- and post-operative alpha angles measured on Dunn view hip x-rays. Results: We identified 40 patients, 47 operative hips (34 females, 85%). Three patients (4 hips) were excluded for incomplete testing data. Mean age was 17.73 ± 2.7 years. All patients underwent hip arthroscopy for FAI including one case of single-stage bilateral hip arthroscopy. The most common primary sports were dance (7), softball (6), and basketball (5). Mean alpha angles were 67.15 ± 10.9° pre-operatively and 41.37 ± 4.5° post-operatively. Average time from surgery to first RTS testing was 26.79 ± 6.5 weeks (median 25.1 weeks). Mean HOS-SSS score at initial testing was 85.98 ± 11. Posteromedial (PM) and posterolateral (PL) reach on Y-balance test were significantly associated with HOS-SSS score at initial testing (PM: r=0.54, p<0.001; PL: 0.53, p<0.01). Composite Y-balance score was also significantly associated with HOS-SSS score (r=0.6, p<0.01). All other comparisons between PROs and RTS tests were not significantly associated. Similarly, there were no significant associations between time to initial RTS testing and BMI, pre-operative alpha angle, or degree of correction. Conclusions: Higher Y-balance scores at initial RTS testing are associated with improved PROs and perceived readiness to return to sport. This test can be easily incorporated into an assessment for safe return after FAI surgery; further prospective studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of society, the number of autistic children in China is increasing, which not only makes the family's happiness very low, but also seriously affects the development of teenagers and society. Among the symptoms of autistic children, early childhood communication skills have received extensive attention. In traditional rehabilitation training, with a lack of parents' participation, most of the training cannot arouse the interest of autistic children, so the treatment effect is not obvious. Based on this, this paper proposes the application of family sports games to improve the early communication ability of autistic children. This article aims to investigate the role of family sports games in promoting the development of early communication skills in autistic children. This paper uses the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to score the comprehensive ability of family sports games. The experimental results of this paper show that before the experiment, the comprehensive scores of children's communication ability in the control group and the experimental group were 18.92 and 18, respectively, which were generally low, and there was no significant difference. This shows that the communication skills of the two groups of children before the experiment are relatively poor. After the test, the children's comprehensive score of communication ability in the experimental group increased by 35.8 points, and the difference was significant, indicating that family sports games have a great impact on the development of children's communication ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the teaching innovation goal of "cultivating comprehensive talents" in international education, various topics that need to be answered in the development of Wushu teaching are selected. Using the methods of literature review and theoretical logic analysis, this paper clearly puts forward the latest idea of establishing the core quality framework system of Chinese traditional national physical education curriculum. The main research results point out: First, the core quality system of Chinese traditional national sports curriculum is mainly composed of three levels of martial ethics quality, martial arts quality, and health quality, including six basic elements. Secondly, the cultivation of martial arts morality attaches great importance to stimulating students' interest in martial arts, and advocates that students internalize martial arts morality in martial arts practice and comprehensive teaching of historical and humanistic education. The training strategy of martial arts quality is to cultivate students' panoramic and in-depth martial arts sports ability; the training strategy of quality is not only to pay attention to the design and dissemination of "characteristic" localized health professional knowledge. In addition, it is necessary to realize the comprehensive shaping of health care behavior of school teachers in the process of integrating skills and life. Therefore, in view of the teaching concept and teaching quality, this paper proposes a Wushu Sanda teaching mode based on computer data analysis, which can guide students from different aspects and greatly promote the development of Wushu Sanda education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China has repeatedly achieved excellent results in world-class sports events, the country attaches great importance to sports training, among which weightlifting is an advantageous sports event in China. Physical fitness is also the main sports ability to evaluate the function of weightlifters, which has a direct impact on their competitive ability in sports competition. However, there are some problems in evaluating the physical fitness of weightlifters, such as unclear indicators and unclear weight. Therefore, this paper establishes the physical fitness evaluation system of weightlifters based on the analytic hierarchy process and evaluates the physical fitness of weightlifters from three aspects: body shape, body function, and sports quality. In addition, it briefly introduces the calculation process of the analytic hierarchy process, analyzes the constituent factors of weightlifters' physical fitness, defines the indexes of weightlifters' physical fitness evaluation system, and calculates the weight of each index. This study performed many experiments by selecting 10 weightlifters to substitute the relevant data into the evaluation index system and analyzed the body shape of weightlifters. In addition, the results showed that the highest blood testosterone was 926.7 ud/dl, with a score of 95 points, and the lowest was 690.3 ud/dl, with a score of 65 points. The results also show that the highest high snatch with score 95 is 123 kg and the lowest high snatch with score 60 is 98 kg. According to the above research results, the overall physical fitness of Chinese weightlifters is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the basketball theory and provide theoretical and intellectual support for the scientific, mental health, and sustainable development of basketball, we propose to take the development dynamic mechanism of juvenile basketball as the research object and make a systematic and in-depth study on the dynamic mechanism, the cultivation of Chinese and foreign juvenile basketball reserve talents, and the dynamic dilemma and influencing factors of juvenile campus basketball development by using the methods of literature, questionnaire, and expert interview. A method of cultivating the ring tone of juvenile basketball is proposed. This method is based on Chan algorithm. When the target is close to each base station, the first estimation also needs an initial value to solve the initial solution estimation matrix. The method is also based on multivariate Taylor algorithm, taking into account the measured distance between the targets to be measured, so it will get some useful information, which will improve the positioning accuracy. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the algorithm used in this paper is more than 85%. However, the accuracy of rebounding and passing recognition and prediction is low. The recognition accuracy and prediction accuracy of the test set are slightly lower than that of the effective set, which shows that the performance of the target detection system model in this paper can be further improved through more significant training examples. It is proved that the algorithm based on Taylor ring can meet the needs of teenagers in the basketball coordination and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract:Introduction: Concern about mental health is an increasingly relevant topic in high-performance sport. In this regard, because burnout can be harmful to both the health and performance of athletes, it is of particular importance. Although a great deal of time and effort has been dedicated to the study of athlete burnout, there are still issues that require further work. Therefore, in the present paper, we aim to highlight what, in our perspective, are the most important unsolved issues regarding burnout in athletes. Methods: We brought together expert athlete burnout scholars to offer their perspectives on five unresolved issues in this research area. Results: We describe the following five issues that require further research attention: (i) burnout as a syndrome, (ii) the negative consequences of burnout, (iii) the role of recovery in burnout, (iv) the importance of the social environment, and (v) developing effective interventions to reduce/prevent burnout. Conclusion: Our commentary provides suggestions for future research to help solve these problems, advance our understanding of athlete burnout, and ultimately safeguard the mental health of athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to present a critical review of the existing literature on the effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports athletes. This study conducted a systematic literature review by PRISMA guidelines. Various well-known academic and scientific databases were used for research collection, including PubMed, EBSCOhost, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Out of 27 relevant studies, 10 were selected for inclusion in this systematic review, all meeting the required inclusion criteria. The quality of each study was assessed using the PEDro scale, with scores ranging from 3 to 5 for the selected studies. HIIT was found to improve racket players' VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake), running and repetitive sprint performance, jumping performance, and hitting speed during play. Current findings indicate that HIIT can significantly benefit athletic performance. Long-term HIIT allows athletes to enhance their power while improving crucial variables related to both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. This anaerobic endurance and explosive power type is particularly vital for racket sports players. For example, athletes in table tennis and badminton must exert maximum effort during high-intensity middle and back-court play. Racket athletes also need to maintain a stable state while preserving ball speed and positioning, and must quickly recover to prepare for the next rally. This training mechanism can assist athletes in honing their skills and achieving more efficient hitting quality. Therefore, this paper recommends that racket sports athletes incorporate HIIT into their regular training routines. The suggested frequency is three times per week, with each training session lasting 30–40 minutes, and a total duration of six to eight weeks. Trial registration. Systematic Review Registration: [https://inplasy.com/], identififier[INPLASY20230080]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Italian Journal of Health Education, Sport & Inclusive Didactics is the property of Edizioni Universitarie Romane and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper adopts virtual reality technology to conduct in-depth research and analysis on sports rehabilitation training, designs a corresponding sports rehabilitation training program, and applies it to practice. An AR algorithm based on dynamic target tracking under VSLAM is proposed. The algorithm can effectively reject dynamic targets in static scenes while ensuring that the virtual objects registered based on dynamic template target tracking are still in the world coordinate system of VSLAM. To facilitate patients' hand function rehabilitation training, this paper uses OpenPose for 2D gesture pose recognition, combines camera pose information and depth information provided by VSLAM to map key points of the hand into the world coordinate system, and then completes the interaction by collision detection algorithm. The virtual interaction module is implemented in this paper to meet the demand for multiuser off-site interaction in virtual training. This paper uses the Unity3D software and Photon Server server to create a VR virtual scene and design a user interaction mechanism to realize a system that supports multiple users to train together online, which effectively extends the application scope of the VR training system. The module utilizes Unity3D's VR development capabilities to develop VR virtual basketball gym scenes and single-player offline interaction mechanisms such as virtual user single shooter and shooter; then, Photon Server is used to design and implement a multiuser remote login system and a multiuser interpass mechanism, thus achieving the effect of multiplayer remote online interaction in the same VR space. Finally, the proposed module was validated, and the results proved the effectiveness of the sports rehabilitation training program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sports injury is a subject that every athlete will face, and it is the easiest to happen in training and competition, especially for basketball players. Moreover, the excessive fatigue caused by sports not only reduces the person's ability to play sports, but also it reduces the person's participation in normal training and competition. Sugar and fat play a dominant role in energy metabolism, while protein only plays an auxiliary role. For competitive sports, sugar is the most important energy, and the main components of honey are glucose and fructose. Therefore, this paper attempts to explore the effect of honey on the physical recovery and nutritional supplement of basketball players. In this paper, 10 basketball players in our city were selected as the experimental objects and the data of their physiological and biochemical indexes were analyzed. The results showed that the average hemoglobin of the experimental group decreased from 14.45 g·100 ml−1 in the first week to 13.23 g·100 ml−1 in the second week, increased to 14.25·100 ml−1 in the third week, and increased to 15.79.100 ml−1 in the fourth week. Adding honey can improve the content of HB and CK of basketball players in higher vocational colleges and reduce the increase of BUN, to slow down fatigue and accelerate the speed of physical recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological Skill Training (PST) for optimal performance in sports has received extensive attention from athletes, coaches, and experts, and numerous studies have been conducted, but despite this interest, it has not been the subject of any bibliographic analysis. The analysis covered 405 articles and reviews that were located in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science (Core CollectionTM) between 1992 and 2021. These papers were published by 1048 authors from 543 different universities across 54 countries in 107 different journals. The fundamental bibliometric calculations and co-word networks were completed. As a result, the following thematic elements were grouped into four clusters: (1) PST for stress, mental toughness, and coping, (2) PST for anxiety, motivation, self-confidence, and self-efficacy, (3) PST for flow and mindfulness, and (4) PST for emotions. From the results of this study, it was confirmed that the topic of PST is converging toward the best performance, with various approaches, such as stress management, anxiety control, and coping as techniques for PST. Furthermore, mindfulness and positive psychology studies emphasize athletes' quality of life, so coaches and experts should pay more attention to improving athletes' quality of life in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multisport engagement is positioned as the antithesis to specialization within youth development pathways. However, different terms are used to describe the multisport pathway, which may create confusion regarding what the pathway should look like. This review investigated all published research examining the multisport pathway, with a focus on terminology, and how different terms have led to varying interpretations of this research. Four databases were searched for all peer reviewed studies published up until December 2021. All included papers were full text, in English, and focusing on multisport athlete engagement. In total, 1974 abstracts were screened for inclusion eligibility, resulting in 82 articles included within this review. General results showed most studies are empirical (71%, n = 58) and looked at athlete development pathways using retrospective questionnaires aimed at investigating the specific pathway to sporting excellence. However, despite the consensus that multisport athletes play many sports in their lifetime, there is little investigation into when and the level of intensity (play versus practice) at which these sports are being played. Further, inconsistencies in the terminology used to describe this pathway have made it difficult to understand potential mechanisms that lead to any positive or negative effects. It is recommended that differences between the key terms of diversification and sampling are clarified and should not be regarded as synonymous as they may represent different paths within multisport development based on varying levels of intensity of play and practice. Key Points: This scoping review considers all published work considering the multisport pathway in athlete development. It was found that there are multiple terms being used to describe the multisport pathway with different operationalizations of those terms. This is turn leads to confusion regarding what the multisport pathway looks like and what mechanisms make this pathway potentially more beneficial to youth athletes. This research proposes a distinction between the commonly used multisport terms sampling and diversification by taking into consideration the different intensity levels of multisport engagement athletes may be involved in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of sports event risk and Olympic sports cooperation spirit, as well as the systematic analysis and research of sports event risk management, are still in their early stages in China's sports theory circle. Institutions for developing sports talent also disregard programmes designed to increase the risk awareness and Olympic spirit of sports workers. This essay provides an overview of the concepts of sports event risk and Olympic sports cooperation spirit based on reality. This paper examines the interaction of risk management of large-scale sporting events and Olympic sports cooperation spirit from the perspective of event organization managers, using the pertinent theory of risk management and the random forest algorithm in machine learning. The experimental results show that, according to the analysis of injury occurrence according to different positions, it is discovered that forward athletes suffer the most injuries, with an average of 54 forwards in injury situations, followed by guards with an average of 43 guards in injury situations, and finally centres with an average of 38 guards in injury situations. Combining risk management for major sporting events with the cooperative Olympic sports spirit has significant practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baseball itself is a new sport. In the process of training, teachers often use traditional training methods, which leads to unsatisfactory training results. High-intensity intermittent and intensive interval training can better improve the efficiency of athletes' oxidation and energy supply and ultimately play a positive role in improving athletes' performance. This paper takes the influence of high-intensity and intensive interval training on the special endurance of baseball players as the research object. A series of functional training programs are developed through adaptive training, testing, coordination training, and recovery training. Through the use of experimental means to understand the influence of high-intensity interval training and intensive interval training on the physical fitness of baseball players, the paper is aimed at providing ways and means to improve the physical fitness level of baseball players in the future. Based on the experimental test data, functional training is different from traditional training methods to make up for the lack of training research. It is to improve the competitive ability of our baseball players and promote the development of our baseball. It plays an active role in improving the specific endurance, speed, and intermittent endurance of baseball players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Soccer is unique among sports because it is the only sport that involves purposeful use of the head to control, pass, or shoot the ball. Over the previous five years, a relationship between lower extremity (LE) injury and sports related concussion (SRC) has been established in various sporting populations. Athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels have demonstrated a greater risk for sustaining a LE injury post SRC. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationship of the SRC with the incidence of LE injuries. Methods Ten databases were searched with the following keywords: Lower limb, ball heading, neuromuscular control, concussion, MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Daily, and Ovid MEDLINE(R), EMBASE, and Scopus. The search was limited to English-language and peer-reviewed publications, until 15/12/2022. The PEDro scale was used for the assessment of the risk of bias among the included studies. All included papers were qualitatively analyzed. Results A total of 834 studies were identified and 10 articles (four concussion-MSK biomechanics, six concussion-MSK injury) were included in the qualitative analyses. Included papers ranged from low to high quality. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the included study designs, quantitative meta-analysis was unable to be performed. All four of the included concussion-MSK biomechanics studies demonstrated, to some degree, that worse cognitive performance was associated with lower extremity MSK biomechanical patterns suggestive of greater risk for MSK injury. Among the six injury related studies, two investigations failed to determine group differences in cognitive performance between subsequently injured and non-injured athletes. Conclusion More research is needed to better understand the relationship of SRC and lower extremity injuries and the extent to which they are related to concussions and/or repetitive neurotrauma after ball heading sustained in soccer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel approach to addressing the challenge of accurately timing short distance runs, a critical aspect in the assessment of athletic performance. Electronic photoelectric barriers, although recognized for their dependability and accuracy, have remained largely inaccessible to non-professional athletes and smaller sport clubs due to their high costs. A comprehensive review of existing timing systems reveals that claimed accuracies beyond 30 ms lack experimental validation across most available systems. To bridge this gap, a mobile, camera-based timing system is proposed, capitalizing on consumer-grade electronics and smartphones to provide an affordable and easily accessible alternative. By leveraging readily available hardware components, the construction of the proposed system is detailed, ensuring its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. Experiments involving track and field athletes demonstrate the proficiency of the proposed system in accurately timing short distance sprints. Comparative assessments against a professional photoelectric cells timing system reveal a remarkable accuracy of 62 ms, firmly establishing the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed system. This finding places the camera-based approach on par with existing commercial systems, thereby offering non-professional athletes and smaller sport clubs an affordable means to achieve accurate timing. In an effort to foster further research and development, open access to the device's schematics and software is provided. This accessibility encourages collaboration and innovation in the pursuit of enhanced performance assessment tools for athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The baseball pitching motion is one of the most complex movements in sports and stresses the elbow joint with substantial amounts of force. Over the past two decades the incidence of elbow injury and the need for surgical intervention in baseball pitchers has been on the rise. This multifactorial problem has stimulated the implementation of pitch count limits, advising against early pitching specialization, and increased the focus on proper pitching biomechanics to improve injury prevention. A majority of pitching biomechanics research has focused on upper extremity kinematics, however research concerning the contribution of the lower extremities to the overall pitching motion requires further understanding. To minimize the risk of injury to the elbow while maximizing performance, a pitcher must be able to efficiently transfer energy through the lower extremities up through their throwing arm. Of particular interest in this paper is understanding the implications of stride position on pelvic rotation, elbow varus moment, and ball velocity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the affect of stride position and pelvic kinematics on the elbow varus moment and ball velocity in collegiate level pitchers. It was hypothesized that pitchers that land in a crossed-over stride position would reduce their ability to achieve maximum pelvic rotation range of motion, leading to an increase in elbow varus moment and decreasing fastball velocity. Methods: Pitchers were recruited from NCAA Division I and Division III college baseball teams and were included in this study if they were actively pitching for their collegiate team. Pitchers were excluded if they had experienced an injury that caused them to miss one game or practice within the preceding 6 months. Each participant pitched a total of seven of each pitch type they were comfortable throwing in a game setting from a regulation indoor mound towards a pitching target 60 feet 6 inches away. Data for this study were limited to fastball data only. Motion data were collected at 250Hz using a 12 camera Vicon 512 motion analysis system (Vicon, Oxford, UK). Kinematic data were calculated using a 16- segment biomechanical model based on Euler's equations of motion, and upper extremity joint kinetics were calculated using standard inverse dynamic techniques. Stride cross-over was defined as when the pitcher's lead stride foot landed more towards third base if they were a right-handed pitcher or more towards first base if they were a left-handed pitcher (Figure 1). Other predictor variables included pelvic angular velocity (°/sec), pelvic rotation at ball release (°), and pelvic range of motion (°). Statistical analyses were performed using a mixed effects random intercept regression model to determine associations among the variables of interest. Results: A total of 99 baseball pitchers were recruited with a mean age of (20.7 ± 1.3 years), height of (1.8 ± 0.7 m), and weight of (88.6 ± 13.5kg). No pitchers were excluded from this analysis. Regression analysis demonstrated that for every 100°/sec increase in pelvis angular velocity the elbow varus moment increased by 5.6Nm (p=0.00) and ball velocity increased by 0.43mph (p=0.00). Additionally, it was noted that for every 10° increase in pelvis rotation at ball release and 10° increase in total pelvic range of motion, the elbow varus moment increased by 0.4Nm and 0.2Nm respectively (p=0.036, p=0.02) and ball velocity increased by 1.8mph and 1.1mph respectively (p=0.03, p=0.01). Pitchers that achieved greater pelvis range of motion experienced a 0.26% increase in elbow varus moment accompanied by a 1.6% increase in ball velocity. Additionally, pitchers that demonstrated greater pelvis rotation at ball release experienced a 0.53% increase in elbow varus moment and 2.55% increase in ball velocity. Although not statistically significant a quartile analysis demonstrated that pitchers who landed in a cross-over stride position had the largest elbow varus moments accompanied by relatively low-ball velocity compared to pitchers that landed in an open stride position, who tended to have low elbow varus moments with relatively high ball velocity (Figure 2). Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that stride position during pitching was associated with both elbow varus moment and ball velocity. Pitchers that landed in a more crossed-over position experienced greater elbow varus moment and lower fastball velocity compared to those that landed in an open stride position. It is theorized that an open stance stride position allowed the pelvis to achieve full range of motion, thus leading to an efficient energy transfer to the throwing arm. This was supported by the finding that pitchers who achieved greater pelvic range of motion experienced smaller elbow varus moments compared to pitchers with less pelvic range of motion. Additionally, pitchers who demonstrated greater pelvic rotation at ball release and greater pelvic range of motion experienced an almost two mile per hour and one mile per hour increase in fastball velocity, respectively. These results can aid pitching coaches and trainers in understanding the implications of incorrect lower extremity pitching mechanics on elbow injury risk reduction and performance in baseball pitchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivation of professional talents in leisure sports in China started late and has a weak foundation. Compared with developed countries in leisure sports, there is still a big gap in terms of curriculum setting and training direction. Urban residents have differences in the choice of leisure sports, leisure purpose, and understanding of leisure concepts due to factors such as age, gender, education, and occupation. This research mainly discusses the training mode of leisure sports talents under the background of rural revitalization strategy. Combined with the research on the leisure sports industry and high-quality development, this paper clarifies the connotation of the high-quality development of the leisure sports industry and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions to promote the high-quality development of the leisure sports industry. Over time, leisure has become an important symbol of social development and an important field closely related to the quality of life of each person. As a part of rural space, rural sports space is the main material carrier and foundation of rural residents' leisure sports activities. This paper mainly makes an in-depth investigation and research from two aspects: the status quo of rural leisure sports activities and the talent demand of some leisure sports venues. It makes specific classification standards for the types and specifications of leisure sports professionals required by leisure sports venues. This provides a scientific basis for the cultivation of leisure sports professionals. First, the article analyzes the research background and puts forward the research significance. It analyzes the research status of scholars on the leisure sports industry, high-quality development, and high-quality development of the leisure sports industry. Secondly, this paper clarifies the research content, research methods, and technical route of the research basis for the high-quality development of the leisure sports industry. It conducts conceptual discussions on the leisure sports industry and high-quality development. It adopts the grounded theory to construct a model of factors influencing the high-quality development of the leisure sports industry. It also analyzes its action mechanism from three aspects: the core industry system layer, the industry supporting factors, and the external environment system layer. During the survey, 84.4% of them believed that professionals in leisure sports should have a bachelor's degree. The quality of rural sports space directly affects the breadth, depth, enthusiasm, and effectiveness of residents' participation in leisure sports activities. This research is helpful to deepen the urban and rural sports governance and optimize the management system. It is necessary to investigate and analyze the supply quality of rural leisure sports space and propose countermeasures for the integration and layout of rural leisure sports space. The ultimate goal is to build a leisure sports space optimization development model that meets the leisure sports needs of rural residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of data mining and machine-learning technology and the outbreak of big sports data mining development challenges, sports data mining cannot simply use data statistical methods such as how to combine machine learning and data mining technology for effective mining and analysis of sports data, to provide useful advice for public physical exercise, and this is an urgent need to study. It is a kind of efficient sports data mining study through the feature selection algorithm. Around the difficult problems existing in the study of sports effect, given the limitations of existing data sets and traditional research methods, this paper starts from the data mining algorithm, builds the sports effect evaluation database, based on feature selection idea, using elastic network algorithm, random forest algorithm, and the influence of sports on the effect of physical indicators. The evaluation algorithm introduces machine learning algorithm and feature selection algorithm to guide the sports effect evaluation research. When studying the evaluation problem of sports effect, according to the constructed sports effect evaluation database, elastic network algorithm is added to regularize, optimize, and realize feature selection. When selecting the characteristics of different sports ability, using information gains indicators to rank the importance of characteristics, which can scientifically and accurately obtain the influence degree of sports on different physical indicators, make the physical fitness research more scientific, and can reveal the effect of sports as far as possible. Experimental results show that the selected features and ground-truth have good accuracy, good evaluation performance, and high accuracy compared with the baseline method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the fastest running animals on land, the ostrich's excellent athletic ability benefits from its unique leg structure. Based on the idea of bionics, this paper intends to obtain a kind of robotic leg structure with a similar buffering capacity to that of the ostrich. For this purpose, the structural characteristics of a seven-link parallel mechanism are analyzed firstly, having some specific features similar to ostrich legs, such as the center of mass (COM) located at the root of the leg, a large folding/unfolding ratio, and so on. Then, the kinematic model of the bionic leg is established, and the energy storage of the flexible parts of the leg is investigated. Finally, an impact experiment of the structure onto the ground is carried out to verify the accuracy of the established kinematic model. This paper systematically reveals the nonlinear law of the elasticity of an ostrich-like leg and provides the buffering performance characteristics of the leg in the process of hitting the ground, based on its elastic properties by the kinematic model and the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Rafidain Journal For Sport Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim: To explore the perceptions of parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) participating in a modified sports intervention, Sports Stars Brazil. Method: Parents of children with CP (n = 15, 6–12 years old, nine males, six females), classified in Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I and II, who participated in the Sports Stars Brazil intervention, were recruited for this descriptive qualitative study. Children received the 8‐week (1 hour per week) modified sports intervention. After the intervention, parents participated in a focus group. The F‐word (fitness, family, fun, functioning, friends, and future) interpretation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was used to guide the discussion. Participants were invited to report their experience of participating in the intervention using the F‐words for a childhood disability model. Transcripts were coded using content analysis. Results: Parents reported positive experiences of the Sports Stars Brazil intervention, including a decrease in sedentarism (fitness), improvement of motor skills (functioning), greater connection between child and family (family), better socialization (friends), increased participation in pleasurable activities (fun), and awareness of the importance of physical activity (future). All positive experiences were interconnected. Interpretation: This study presents the ability of the Sports Stars Brazil intervention to integrate all aspects of functioning and supports its role as an engaging and promising intervention option for ambulant children with CP. What this paper adds: The parents of children participating in Sports Stars Brazil perceived benefits across all F‐words.This modified sports intervention integrated all F‐words into one concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apelin, as a cardiokine/myokine, is emerging as an important regulator of cardiac and skeletal muscle homeostasis. Loss of apelin signaling results in premature cardiac aging and sarcopenia. However, the contribution of apelin to peak athletic performance remains largely elusive. In this paper, we assessed the impact of maximal cardiorespiratory exercise testing on the plasma apelin levels of 58 male professional soccer players. Circulating apelin-13 and apelin-36, on average, increased transiently after a single bout of treadmill exercise; however, apelin responses (Δapelin = peak − baseline values) showed a striking interindividual variability. Baseline apelin-13 levels were inversely correlated with those of Δapelin-13 and Δapelin-36. Δapelin-13 showed a positive correlation with the maximal metabolic equivalent, relative maximal O2 consumption, and peak circulatory power, whereas such an association in the case of Δapelin-36 could not be detected. In conclusion, we observed a pronounced individual-to-individual variation in exercise-induced changes in the plasma levels of apelin-13 and apelin-36. Since changes in plasma apelin-13 levels correlated with the indicators of physical performance, whole-body oxygen consumption and pumping capability of the heart, apelin, as a novel exerkine, may be a determinant of peak athletic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Unilateral (UNI) exercises are more effective than bilateral (BI) exercises in improving athletic performance is debatable. Objectives: this meta-analysis investigated the effects of UNI and BI exercises on different effect indicators of jump ability, sprint ability, maximal force, change of direction ability, and balance ability. Data Sources: PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of science, CNKI, Proquest, Wan Fang Data. Study Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis, the study had to be: 1) athletes; 2) UNI training and BI training; 3) the intervention period had to be more than 6 weeks and the intervention frequency had to be more than 2 times/week; 4) the outcome indicators were jumping ability, sprinting ability, maximum strength, and change of direction and balance. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Method: We used the random-effects model for meta-analyses. Effect sizes (standardized mean difference), calculated from measures of horizontally oriented performance, were represented by the standardized mean difference and presented alongside 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: A total of 28 papers met the inclusion criteria, and Meta-analysis showed that UNI training was more effective than BI training in improving jumping ability (ES = 0.61.0.23 to 0.09; Z = 3.12, p = 0.002 < 0.01), sprinting ability (ES = −0.02, −0.03 to −0.01; Z = 2.73, p = 0.006 < 0.01), maximum strength (ES = 8.95,2.30 to 15.61; Z = 2.64, p = 0.008 > 0.05), change of direction ability (ES = −0.03, −0.06 to 0.00; Z = 1.90, p = 0.06 > 0.01) and balance ability (ES = 1.41,-0.62 to 3.44; Z = 1.36, p = 0.17 > 0.01). The results of the analysis of moderating variables showed that intervention period, intervention frequency and intervention types all had different indicators of effect on exercise performance. Conclusion: UNI training has a more significant effect on jumping and strength quality for unilateral power patterns, and BI training has a more significant effect on jumping and strength quality for bilateral power patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this insights paper is to propose how the theory of ecological dynamics may invite re-consideration of how sport scientists could support performance, learning and development of children and youth in sports programmes. We seek to outline why learning should be individualised and contextualised, based on the specific needs of learners, such as children and youth, women and disabled athletes in sport. Case examples from individual and team sports are presented to illustrate how constraints can be designed to enrich interactions of children and youth with different performance environments, based on integrating principles of specificity and generality in learning and development. These case examples suggest how a collaborative effort by sport scientists and coaches in children and youth sport may be undertaken in a department of methodology to enrich learning and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has suggested that coping under pressure could be rooted in the ability to identify and manage one's emotions. In this study, we investigated this hypothesis using cross-sectional data obtained from a sample of South African national and university level female field-hockey players (N = 60, Mage = 21.57, SD = 3.65). A correlational research design was adopted of which a pen-and-paper survey containing the Emotional Intelligence Scale and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 was used to collect the data. Descriptive results exposed players to yield higher than average levels of total emotional intelligence and coping ability in sport with significant differences noted between the national and university level players in terms of their ability to manage their own emotions (p = 0.018), utilise emotions (p = 0.007, d = 0.74), coping with adversity (p = 0.002, d = 0.84), coachability (p < 0.01, d = 3.17), and overall coping ability (p < 0.01, d = 1.00). After controlling for the level of participation, hierarchical linear regression analyses confirmed the relationship between the study variables exposing total emotional intelligence to be a significant predictor of players' ability to cope with adversity (β = 0.55, p = 0.006), concentrate (β = 0.43, p = 0.044), maintain confidence and achievement motivation (β = 0.42, p = 0.027), as well as overall coping ability (β = 0.28, p = 0.023). It was concluded that emotional intelligence may be a worthy contributor in the psychological profiling of players and a plausible intervention mapping tool in sport psychology practice to potentially enhance the coping ability of female field-hockey players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across team sports, it is critically important to appropriately define, evaluate and then aptly describe individual and team performance. This is of particular significance when we consider that performance models govern the direction of player preparation (short term) and development (long term) frameworks. Within the context of rugby league, this has traditionally been undertaken through hierarchical and linear processes. Such approaches have resulted in research and performance analysis techniques which aim to support these operational outcomes. Yet, these methods may deliver limited application on how or why match-play unfolds and therefore might be sub-optimal in providing insights to truly support coaches. In this paper, we propose the conceptualisation of rugby league performance through the lens of ecological dynamics, which may offer a different view to this traditional approach. We propose that this approach eliminates the silos of disciplinary information (e.g. technical, physical and medical) that may currently exist, allowing for a holistic approach to performance, preparation and development. Specifically, we consider that through the implementation of this ecological approach, all performance coaches (technical, physical and medical) may (co-)design learning environments that more collaboratively develop players for rugby league match-play. As a result, we put forward a new rugby league performance model from which preparation and development programs can be anchored toward. We conclude the paper by offering practical examples where these concepts are contextualised within the landscape familiar to practitioners working within rugby league. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information technology has been integrated into most areas of sport, providing new insights, improving the efficiency of operational processes, and offering unique opportunities for exploration and inquiry. While acknowledging this positive impact, this paper explores whether sufficient consideration has been directed towards what technology risks detracting from the learning and developmental experiences of its users. Specifically, viewed through the philosophical lens of the device paradigm, and considering a more ecological account of technological implementation, we discuss how technology use in sport could subtly disengage educators and applied sports scientists from performance environments. Insights gleaned from such an ecological account of technology implementation could lead sports science and educational teams to ask and reflect on tough questions of current practice: i.e. has too much control been given to technological devices to 'solve' problems and communicate knowledge (about) in sport? Has technology improved the skills of players and performance staff? Or are performance staff at risk of becoming over-reliant on technology, and as a result, reducing the value of experiential knowledge (of) and intuition? Questions like these should be asked if technological devices, purported to support aspects of practice, are continually integrated into the sporting landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent era of development, the global market for the sportswear textile manufacturing industries has increased with the increase in consumption of active sportswear. The sportswear manufacturers not only focused on the market trends but also focused on material diversification with technology enhancement. The performance characteristics of active sportswear directly influence comfort level and athletic performance during sports activities. Different types of sportswear products require different performance characteristics. Appropriate moisture and heat management are the key factors for the endowment of the required physiological comfort level. In highly engineered textile-based sports goods, special characteristics are incorporated in the polymer/fibers/product manufacturing procedures/finishing techniques to obtain the maximum performance and comfort level. In this review paper current market trends, highly engineered polymers, fibers, fabrics, finishes, nanomaterials, and the recent developments in the manufacturing techniques of sportswear are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The association between poor performance and respiratory disease in Thoroughbred racehorses that do not have a structural abnormality of the respiratory tract is often based on anecdotal evidence. We examined peer reviewed publications to determine if there was scientific evidence to link conditions such as inflammation of the airways, asthma, tracheal mucous, and exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) with decreased athletic performance. This is a complex field and studies have yielded conflicting results as to the impact of such conditions on performance. For example, some investigators found a significant association between poor racing performance and low-grade EIPH and mild to moderate asthma. In contrast, others have suggested that they may represent a normal response to training and the stabling environment. The key outcome of the review was that there is a dearth of studies unequivocally linking non-structural airway disease with poor performance, and there is a lack of an internationally harmonised approach to the assessment of racehorse performance. Improved investigations providing better quality evidence would facilitate comparison across studies, increase our understanding of the conditions associated with poor performance, safeguard horse welfare, and assist trainers to achieve their goals. The association between poor performance and respiratory disease in Thoroughbred racehorses that do not have a structural abnormality of the respiratory tract, is often based on anecdotal evidence. The objective of this scoping review was to examine the scientific evidence for such associations. Publications were selected based on a search of three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and CAB Direct), in English and without date restriction, followed by a screening process to exclude non-relevant papers, duplicates, and reviews. This process identified 996 publications of which 20 were analysed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. The results indicated that the evidence supporting the relationship between proposed diagnostic indicators and poor performance is variable. There is a need for better quality evidence. In particular, there are conflicting reports relating to the impact of equine asthma and EIPH on athletic performance. Furthermore, a lack of standardisation in the measurement of racehorse performance makes it difficult to compare findings from different studies. The industry would benefit from high-level guidance concerning the design of controlled performance studies in Thoroughbred racehorses to collect comprehensive data and facilitate targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]