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Introduction: Athletic training requires both challenging stimuli for adaptation and sufficient recovery for improved performance. While cold water immersion (CWI) is already a popular recovery method, handheld percussive massage (PM) devices have also gained popularity in recent years. This study aims to assess the effects of CWI and PM on performance recovery after strenuous eccentric exercises compared to a passive rest (PR) control condition. Methods: Thirty-four healthy physically active participants (9 females, 25 males) were randomly divided into three groups: CWI (n = 11), PM (n = 11), and passive rest (PR) (n = 12). They underwent an exhausting eccentric exercise protocol and different measurements at six time points (baseline, POST1, POST2, POST24, POST48, and POST72) over the time course of 72 h. These included subjective assessments of muscle soreness and perceived stiffness as well as measures of skin temperature, leg volume, creatine kinase activity, and three different jump tests. The eccentric exercise protocol consisted of 15 min downhill running (slope: 12%, speed: 10 km/h) and 3 sets of successive depth jumps (dropping height: 0.5 m) until individual exhaustion. After POST1 measurements, participants received 12 min of either CWI (11 ± 0.5°C), PM (40 Hz) or PR (supine posture). Results: No significant group effects were found for the number of depth jumps performed during the exhaustion protocol. All jump tests displayed a significant group × time interaction effect. Post-hoc analysis indicated significant lower jump heights in ΔPOST2 between CWI and both PM and PR. No other significant group effects were observed at any time point. No significant group × time interaction effects were noted for CK, leg volume, and soreness. The perceived stiffness showed a significant group × time interaction effect. Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant decrease in stiffness for PM compared to PR at ΔPOST2. Conclusion: Neither CWI nor PM showed any significant improvement in performance recovery over the 72-h period following strenuous eccentric exercise compared to PR. CWI showed an immediate performance decline which may be attributed to a cold-related reduction in motor nerve conduction velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate differences in running activities between adolescent and adult tennis players during match play. Differences between winning and losing players within each age group were also examined. Methods: Forty well-trained male players (20 adolescents, 13 ± 1 y; 20 adults, 25 ± 4 y) played a simulated singles match against an opponent of similar age and ability. Running activities were assessed using portable devices that sampled global positioning system (10 Hz) and inertial-sensor (accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer; 100 Hz) data. Recorded data were examined in terms of velocity, acceleration, deceleration, metabolic power, PlayerLoad, and number of accelerations toward the net and the forehand and backhand corners. Results: Adult players spent more time at high velocity (≥4 m/s²), acceleration (≥4 m/s²), deceleration (≤-4 m/s²), and metabolic power (≥20 W/kg) (P ≤ .009, ES = 0.9-1.5) and performed more accelerations (≥2 m/s²) toward the backhand corner (P < .001, ES = 2.6-2.7). No differences between adolescent winning and losing players were evident overall (P ≥ .198, ES = 0.0-0.6). Adult winning players performed more accelerations (2 to <4 m/s²) toward the forehand corner (P = .026, ES = 1.2), whereas adult losing players completed more accelerations (≥2 m/s²) toward the backhand corner (P ≤ .042, ES = 0.9). Conclusions: This study shows that differences in running activities between adolescent and adult tennis players exist in high-intensity measures during simulated match play. Furthermore, differences between adolescent and adult players, and also between adult winning and losing players, are present in terms of movement directions. Our findings may be helpful for coaches to design different training drills for both age groups of players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were (1) to assess the running activities of adolescent tennis players during match play with respect to velocity, acceleration, and deceleration; (2) to characterize changes in these activities during the course of a match; and (3) to identify potential differences between winners and losers. Twenty well-trained adolescent male athletes (13 ± 1 y) played one simulated match each (giving a total of 10 matches), during which distances covered at different velocity categories (0 to < 1, 1 to < 2, 2 to < 3, 3 to < 4, and ≥ 4 m•s-1) and number of running activities involving high velocity (≥ 3 m•s-1), acceleration (≥ 2 m•s-2), and deceleration (≤ -2 m•s-2) were monitored using a global positioning system (10 Hz). Heart rate was also assessed. The total match time, total distance covered, peak velocity, and mean heart rate were 81.2 ± 14.6 min, 3362 ± 869 m, 4.4 ± 0.8 m•s-1, and 159 ± 12 beats•min-1, respectively. Running activities involving high acceleration (0.6 ± 0.2 n•min-1) or deceleration (0.6 ± 0.2 n•min-1) were three times as frequent as those involving high velocity (0.2 ± 0.1 n•min-1). No change in the pattern of running activities (P ≥ .13, d ≤ 0.39) and no differences between winners and losers (P ≥ .22, d ≤ 0.53) were evident during match play. We conclude that training of well-trained adolescent male tennis players need not focus on further development of their running abilities, since this physical component of multifactorial tennis performance does not change during the course of a match and does not differ between the winners and losers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex differences in physical capacities of elite soccer players have received limited attention. Therefore, this study investigated sex differences in linear and nonlinear sprint, squat and countermovement jump, core endurance, as well as incremental and intermittent endurance capacities in German Bundesliga soccer players. A total of 76 field players (29 women) were tested for the mentioned anaerobic- and aerobic-related physical capacities in a noninterventional cross-sectional design. The largest sex differences were evident in the explosive- and intermittent endurance-related capacities, with women presenting largely to extremely largely lower values in sprints, jumps, and intermittent endurance (effect size [ES] ≥1.77, p < 0.01). The differences in the total core endurance, running velocity at 2 and 4 mmol•L-1 capillary blood lactate (v2 and v4), maximal heart rate (HR) (ES ≤ 0.72, p ≥ 0.06), and distance covered during the incremental endurance test (ES = 1.09, p = 0.01) were trivially to moderately lower for women. However, women had small to moderately higher ventral and dorsal core endurance (ES ≤ 0.69, p ≥ 0.07) and largely higher relative HR at the lactate thresholds (ES ≥ 1.54, p < 0.01). The individual data of female players showed more variability. Some individual data of women overlapped those of men, most evident in the total core endurance and v2. The findings indicate that there are sex differences in physical capacities according to the underlying amount of anaerobic and aerobic energy supply. The sex specificities should be considered to optimize training and testing procedures for soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared intermittent endurance performance and heart rate (HR) response, as well as their relationship, by sex and competitive level in soccer. A total of 68 outfield (18 elite and 16 sub-elite female, 17 elite and 17 sub-elite male) soccer players performed the Interval Shuttle Run Test (ISRT) with monitored HR. Sex and level effects were evaluated by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the relationships between parameters using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Female players presented lower performance (effect sizes [ES]: 2.12-4.71, p < 0.01) and higher submaximal HR during the ISRT (ES: 1.66-3.40, p < 0.01). Elite players showed higher performance and reduced submaximal HR compared with their sub-elite counterparts, with a large level effect only evident between the female groups (ES: 1.22-1.56, p < 0.01). The maximum and the HR recovery 1 min after the ISRT (HRR) did not differ among all groups (ES: 0.01-0.51, p ≥ 0.18). The HRR was slightly related to the test performance for all groups (r = 0.20, p = 0.12). Large to very large negative correlations were verified between HR at 6 and 9 min during the ISRT and the test performance for each group (r = -0.54 to -0.84, p ≤ 0.04). However, 16 (3 elite and 13 sub-elite) female players did not reach the 9th minute of the test. The gap between competitive levels among female soccer players is greater than that observed for male players in intermittent endurance performance and submaximal HR response. The HRR had only a minor impact on performance and was influenced neither by sex nor by level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In all age groups of handball players, anthropometric characteristics and physical capacities are important prerequisites to fulfilling the playing demands. However, there is no study that has compared anthropometric characteristics and physical capacities between junior and adult handball players by the same research design containing field tests. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate differences in anthropometric characteristics and physical capacities between junior and adult top-level handball players using various field tests. Relationships among physical capacities were also examined. Methods: Ten male junior (18 _ 1 years) and eleven adult (26 _ 1 years) field handball players competing in the U19 Bundesliga and DKB Handball-Bundesliga, respectively, were tested for body height, mass, fat, and fat-free mass as well as 30 m speed and 22 m change of direction (COD), squat jump (SJ) and counter movement jump (CMJ), one repetition maximum (1RM) bench press, core strength-endurance, and interval shuttle run test (ISRT). Magnitude-based inferences, effect sizes (ES), and Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were computed for statistical analyses. Results: Juniors had a very likely lower body height, mass, and fat-free mass and likely lower 1RM bench press and ISRT performance (ES: 0.7 - 1.2). Contrary, juniors had a likely to very likely superior speed,COD, and SJ and most likely superior core strength-endurance performance (ES: 0.5 - 1.6). While speed, COD, and jump capacities were large to very large correlated in juniors (r = -0.55 - 0.86), they were mostly unclear correlated in adults (r = -0.05 - 0.79). Overall explained variance among speed, COD, and jump capacities was likely higher in juniors (51%) than adults (17%) (ES: 1.7). Conclusions: This study shows that differences in anthropometric characteristics and physical capacities, and also in relationships among physical capacities, are evident between junior and adult top-level handball players, indicating different physical needs to play handball. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]