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To ensure both optimal health and performances, monitoring physiological and psychological states is of main importance for athletes. It is well known that monitoring heart rate variability and using validated questionnaires is useful for monitoring both the health and training status of athletes of different sports. Motorsports such as rally require high levels of physical and mental preparation thus information about psychophysiological status of rally athletes is fundamental. The aim of this study was to assess the autonomic regulation, stress, recovery conditions of one driver and one co-driver competing at the Italian National Rally Championship during their competition period. Heart rate variability parameters, acute recovery and stress states were assessed the day before, during the two days of race and the day following the races. Results showed that driver and co-driver had a sharp decrease of mean RR intervals, root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats, and standard deviation of the N-N interval during race days, while the stress index showed the inverse trend, and this behaviour was clearly visible in the Poincaré plots and power spectrum density graphs. The acute recovery and stress states questionnaire showed significant differences in recovery and stress scoring for the driver but not for the co-driver, although the trends were similar. This study describes the psychophysiological demands of a rally competition period suggesting that a daily evaluation of heart rate variability, recovery, stress states is useful for monitoring health status in rally athletes and could be implemented to make decision about training and recovery strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Continuous and long-term prospective monitoring of athletes in natural training environments is essential to provide further clarity on the risk factors for running-related injuries. However, participant recruitment and retention can be problematic. This study aimed to identify factors for facilitating the recruitment and retention of recreational runners in prospective, longitudinal running-related injury research involving running technologies. Methods: Twenty-seven recreational runners (14 female, 13 male) participated across nine semi-structured focus groups. Focus groups were audio and video recorded and transcribed verbatim. A reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken, with a critical friend approach taken to enhance reliability. Results: Incentives, recruiting suitable participants, ease of use of running technologies, an appropriate research design, and good communication practices will facilitate recruitment and retention. Conclusion: Receiving study outputs, evidence-based information and undergoing laboratory testing were identified as incentives, however, researchers need to consider whether these may influence participant behaviour and adversely bias the findings of their study. Researchers should offer participants an option with regard to the type, content, frequency and mode of delivery of incentives and communication. Appealing to potential participants' personal interests will facilitate initial recruitment, while attempts to 'feed' this interest throughout the course of a study will enhance retention. Employing a user-friendly smartphone app and unobtrusive sensor(s), and a research study that can work with runners' training schedules and technology usage habits, will further facilitate their recruitment and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Continuous and long-term prospective monitoring of athletes in natural training environments is essential to provide further clarity on the risk factors for running-related injuries. However, participant recruitment and retention can be problematic. This study aimed to identify factors for facilitating the recruitment and retention of recreational runners in prospective, longitudinal running-related injury research involving running technologies. Methods: Twenty-seven recreational runners (14 female, 13 male) participated across nine semi-structured focus groups. Focus groups were audio and video recorded and transcribed verbatim. A reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken, with a critical friend approach taken to enhance reliability. Results: Incentives, recruiting suitable participants, ease of use of running technologies, an appropriate research design, and good communication practices will facilitate recruitment and retention. Conclusion: Receiving study outputs, evidence-based information and undergoing laboratory testing were identified as incentives, however, researchers need to consider whether these may influence participant behaviour and adversely bias the findings of their study. Researchers should offer participants an option with regard to the type, content, frequency and mode of delivery of incentives and communication. Appealing to potential participants' personal interests will facilitate initial recruitment, while attempts to 'feed' this interest throughout the course of a study will enhance retention. Employing a user-friendly smartphone app and unobtrusive sensor(s), and a research study that can work with runners' training schedules and technology usage habits, will further facilitate their recruitment and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the variation of student-athletes' identity and motivation across Portuguese and Brazilian universities, accounting for variation in gender, student-athletes' training hours per week, sports level, student-athletes status within each university, and university type. We initially established the validity of the Baller Identity Measurement Scale questionnaire and the Student-Athletes' Motivation toward Sports and Academics Questionnaire-based observations among 441 Brazilian and Portuguese student-athletes. Then, the validated version of the questionnaires was applied to a total sample of 765 student-athletes from Brazil (n= 568) and Portugal (n = 197). We further considered individual (hours of training and student-athlete status) and contextual characteristics (university type and country). Multilevel regression and poststratification were used to estimate each student-athlete identity and motivation as a function of his or her individual and contextual characteristics. Overall, the predictions showed that cultural (country), academic (type of university), and athletic (training hours) context likely have a substantial influence on student-athletes' identity and motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mindfulness improves psychological outcomes. We examined whether greater mindfulness scores were associated with reduced injury rates in soccer players, as well as improved performance at both the individual and team level.Method: This was a parallel-group, pre- and post-test, randomised controlled pilot trial. Forty-five male amateur soccer players from Tehran, Iran, were randomly assigned into experimental (n=23) and control groups (n=22). Outcomes were scores on the mindfulness sport inventory, as well as injury rates and recovery as assessed by a physiotherapist using standardised criteria. Expert observers assessed the effect on individual and team performance. Data were analysed using mixed analysis of variance and, where indicated, its non-parametric alternative, the Friedman test.Results: Significantly greater mindfulness scores in the intervention group were associated with both reduced injury and improved performance.Conclusion: Mindfulness training shows promise in preventing injury and improving performance. The intervention could be applied to other sports and be helpful in clinical settings given the importance of exercise in promoting psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaders and activists of social movements at times have a background of world-class achievements in sport. How does this high-profile sport background affect their activism? This article argues that in both democracies and dictatorships, a personal past of elite sport accomplishments frequently influences activist athletes' consciousness and subsequently the selection of goals to be reached through collective action, and also the very definition of those goals. Such a background often provides their holders with publicity, public stature and social and political connections, which are factors conducive to movement success. To investigate the above propositions, this article presents a case study based on published documents, archival records, interviews and secondary sources: that of Lilí Álvarez (1905–1998) in Spain during the right-wing dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Álvarez was a self-proclaimed feminist who individually and together with other women tirelessly advocated for women's rights. However, she was better known for her national and international multi-sport achievement, most notably reaching the Wimbledon singles finals in three consecutive years in the late 1920s. Her sporting background inspired Álvarez to demand that girls and women practise sport. Her athletic experience influenced her social consciousness in unexpected ways and on issues other than sport, such as religion and feminism. She defended a type of Catholicism comprising a positive conception of the body (derived from her sporting past) at a time when negative conceptions of the body (especially of women's bodies) prevailed. This type of thinking led her to ask for respect and autonomy for women within the Church and in society. Álvarez's sport record gave her – and the causes she fought for – visibility and respectability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conditions for high performance have changed considerably over the last few years. Athletes must spend more time training and competing, devote a lot of time to mental, physical and nutritional professionals and continue to respond to some constraints such as studying, spending time with their families, friends and quality of life. In this context and based on the work of Rosa, we wonder about the capacity of elite athletes to combine all these constraints, namely to manage the acceleration in their pace of life, in order to be able to achieve always more and better in the same time unit. To address this issue, we interviewed 42 French high-level athletes who train at the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP). Results show that to suit their goals, athletes implement arrangement and adjustment strategies aimed at making the time they have wholly useful and efficient. This time constraint puts athletes in a perpetual state of tension, on the verge of a good or poor life. The paper shows how the question of time, and particularly the acceleration of pace of life, is vital for modern sporting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately two-thirds of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are sustained during noncontact situations when an athlete is cutting, pivoting, decelerating, or landing from a jump. Some investigators have postulated that fatigue may result in deleterious alterations in lower limb biomechanics during these activities that could increase the risk of noncontact ACL injuries. However, prior studies have noted a wide variation in fatigue protocols, athletic tasks studied, and effects of fatigue on lower limb kinetics and kinematics. Purpose: First, to determine if fatigue uniformly alters lower limb biomechanics during athletic tasks that are associated with noncontact ACL injuries. Second, to determine if changes should be made in ACL injury prevention training programs to alter the deleterious effects of fatigue on lower limb kinetics and kinematics. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic review of the literature using MEDLINE was performed. Key terms were fatigue, neuromuscular, exercise, hop test, and single-legged function tests. Inclusion criteria were original research studies involving healthy participants, use of a fatigue protocol, study of at least 1 lower limb task that involved landing from a hop or jump or cutting, and analysis of at least 1 biomechanical variable. Results: Thirty-seven studies involving 806 athletes (485 female, 321 male; mean age, 22.7 years) met the inclusion criteria. General fatigue protocols were used in 20 investigations, peripheral protocols were used in 17 studies, and 21 different athletic tasks were studied (13 single-legged, 8 double-legged). There was no consistency among investigations regarding the effects of fatigue on hip, knee, or ankle joint angles and moments or surface electromyography muscle activation patterns. The fatigue protocols typically did not produce statistically significant changes in ground-reaction forces. Conclusion: Published fatigue protocols did not uniformly produce alterations in lower limb neuromuscular factors that heighten the risk of noncontact ACL injuries. Therefore, justification does not currently exist for major changes in ACL injury prevention training programs to account for potential fatigue effects. However, the effect of fatigue related to ACL injuries is worthy of further investigation, including the refinement of protocols and methods of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German Olympic sport federation considers elite sport schools (ESS) to be beneficial for talented young athletes by offering school education and optimal training conditions, enabling pupils to perform at their best. An evaluation of ESS institutions systematically analyzed empirical data on ascribed and achieved aims with collected individual and collective data using questionnaires. On an individual basis, school performances and post-school occupational prospects, as well as competitive success of participants in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics were compared among ESS and non-ESS student-athletes. Age differences between the categories 'continuous at ESS', 'in stages at ESS' and 'never at ESS' were not found. The results show that there was no difference in athletic performances between ESS pupils and others in the 2004 Summer Olympics, while in the 2006 Winter Olympics, there was a significant difference. Furthermore, there were no differences in school performances between the groups. Pupils at ESS often go on to pursue careers in the federal police and the armed forces, while many more non-ESS pupils work toward earning a university degree. The available data suggest that attending an ESS results in higher individual social costs which are not matched by comparable success in athletic competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his definitive ethnography of hardcore bodybuilding in Southern California, Klein (1993) examined gender construction in a narcissistic subculture characterized by deceit and excess on many levels. In the present article, I compare my own experiences as a strength athlete and bodybuilding author with some of the observations Klein made at Olympic Gym. Like Klein, I address ironies associated with hardcore bodybuilding and discuss the nature of deviance in the bodybuilding subculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent outbreaks of infectious diseases in athletes in competitive sports have stimulated considerable interest. The environments in which these athletes compete, practice, receive therapy for injuries, and travel, both domestically and internationally, provide varied opportunities for the transmission of infectious organisms. The purpose of this medical literature review is to identify the agents most commonly reported in the medical literature as responsible for infectious disease outbreaks in specific sports and their modes of transmission and to guide targeted prevention efforts. A literature review of English-language articles in medical publications that reported outbreaks of infectious diseases in competitive athletes was conducted in PubMed MEDLINE from 1966 through May 2005. Outbreaks that were solely food borne were excluded. Fifty-nine reports of infectious disease outbreaks in competitive sports were identified in the published medical literature. Herpes simplex virus infections appear to be common among wrestlers and rugby players, with no single strain responsible for the outbreaks. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was responsible for several recent outbreaks of soft tissue and skin infections among collegiate and professional athletes. The most common mode of transmission in outbreaks was direct, person-to-person (primarily skin-to-skin) contact. Blood-borne exposure was implicated in 2 confirmed outbreaks of hepatitis. Airborne and vector transmissions were rarely reported. This review provides an overview of infectious disease outbreaks thought to be either serious enough or unusual enough to report. Appropriate surveillance of the frequency of infections will allow sports medicine staff to identify outbreaks quickly and take necessary measures to contain further transmission and prevent future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

10 male collegiate runners (M age=21.4, SD= 1.5 yr.) ran on a treadmill with no body-weight support (BWS), 20% BWS, and 40% BWS conditions. In addition, they wore three different commercially available harnesses at the 20% and 40% BWS conditions. The aim was to run on the treadmill at a fast speed while maintaining an adequate step length. The purpose was to investigate how each harness changed running gait, and the differences in running gait between the harnesses with various body-weight support. Analysis of variance indicated significant restriction of upper body torso rotation between the harnesses at the 40% BWS conditions. Body-weight support resulted in a longer stride, decreased cadence, less vertical displacement of the center of mass, and diminished hip and ankle joint excursions. These changes indicated that increased body-weight support results in longer steps with the foot contacting the belt for a shorter period of time with less leg angular changes throughout the running cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expert team-handball players do not show the typical trade-off between speed and accuracy in overarm throwing. Van den Tillaar and Ettema (2003a) attributed this result to the uniqueness of the training experience of this group. The purpose of this study was to test their hypothesis by comparing experts with novices on overarm throwing by manipulating the goal of the task using different instructions. No trade-off between speed and accuracy was found for novices (n= 13; M age =22.7 yr., SD=2.2) or experts (n=9; Mage=24 yr., SD=2.2): accuracy did not change by instruction. Furthermore, the linear velocities of the ball and endpoints of body segments and their timing were affected by instruction in a similar fashion in both groups. This finding indicates that training experience is not related to speed-accuracy trade-off in overarm throwing.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Technique and Games approaches on girls' soccer performance and motivation. The Technique approach focuses on technique instruction using drills, whereas the Games approach places emphasis on tactic instruction with modified games. 37 girls, 12 to 13 years old, were taught 15 soccer lessons by the Technique approach and 35 girls by the Games approach. At the beginning and at, the end of the research soccer matches were videotaped and evaluated by Oslin, Mitchell, and Griffin's Game Performance Assessment Instrument. Girls' motivation was assessed on the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. The Games group had significantly better scores after training on tactical behaviour and intrinsic motivation than the Technique group. There were no significant differences in skill execution between groups trained under the two approaches. Considering the importance of intrinsic motivation for a lifelong, physically active lifestyle, researchers could focus study on the approaches and girls' motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a muscular training program on soccer players' performance which initially appeared imbalanced or bilaterally asymmetrical. During the preparation period, 35 soccer players performed an isokinetic measurement of knee flexors and extensors (60°.-1 and 180°sec.-1). 15 of these had muscular imbalances or deficits and followed a specific isokinetic training program for 2 mo., 3 times per week. After the completion of the isokinetic training program, the 35 players underwent the same isokinetic test. Significant differences were noted between the pre- and posttraining measures at both angular velocities in peak torque values, in differences from one limb to the other, and in peak torque ratios for flexors and extensors. Consequently, the application of this specific isokinetic training program can restore imbalances in knee muscle strength efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of manipulating the motivational climate in athletics lessons to be mastery oriented on pupils' perceptions of the motivational climate, achievement goal orientations and cognitive and affective responses, A total of 153 male and female secondary school pupils were involved in the study over a period of seven weeks, Eighty pupils participated in the mastery intervention programme (experimental group) which implemented Epstein's (1989) TARGET teaching structures, while 73 pupils experienced the existing athletics teaching programme (control group), The pupils completed a pre- and post-intervention survey assessing their achievement goal orientations, beliefs about the causes of success, task choice, satisfaction, boredom and attitude towards athletics, Additionally the post-intervention survey assessed the pupils' perceptions of the motivational climate, Results revealed pupils' perceptions of a mastery climate and significant increases in their task orientation, preference for challenging tasks, satisfaction and positive attitude as a result of experiencing the mastery programme, These findings are discussed with regard to the implications for physical educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifies factors that college coaches associate with athletic achievement and tests deliberate practice theory predictions for practice relevance, effort and pleasure. Tendency of coaches to attribute achievement to innate talents than to practice; Extension of previous research on perceptions of the relevance, effort and pleasure associated with practice from participants to coaches.