THE INVESTIGATION OF VISUAL AND AUDITORY REACTION TIME IN RACKET SPORTS BY SKILLS AND SEDENTARY

Objective: Performance in racquet sports is closely related to both physical and psychomotor skills. Reaction time is one of the variables assessed in psychomotor skills and is the primary predictor of psychomotor performance evaluation. This study was designed to compare visual and auditory reaction time between badminton, table tennis and tennis players and non-sport sedentary. In addition, in this study, it was researched whether the gender of the athletes was effective on the response time of the players to auditory and visual stimuli. Methods: The study included 56 volunteers, including 36 athletes and 20 sedentary who actively participated in sports for at least 2 years in the badminton, table tennis and tennis skills between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Age, height, body weight, simple visual reaction time and simple auditory reaction time were measured. Results: When visual and auditory reaction times of racquet athletes and sedentary were compared, there was no significant difference between athletes in different branches, whereas sedentary had significantly higher visual and auditory reaction times than all branches (p <0.05). No significant difference was found between the visual and auditory reaction times according to the genders of the same branch athletes (p> 0,05). However, both visual and auditory reaction times of sedantery women were found to be longer than that of males (p <0.05). Conclusion: The results have led to the belief that racquet sports develop neurocognitive brain functions.  Article visualizations

COMPARISON OF UPPER LIMB REACTION SPEED BETWEEN YOUNG TABLE TENNIS AND BADMINTON ATHLETES USING THE LYMMIC ELECTRONIC SYSTEM

The aim of the present study was to compare the upper limb reaction time between young athletes (boys) of table tennis and badminton. Two groups of 14 table tennis and badminton athletes (a total of 28 athletes) with a mean age of 14±1.65 and mean involvement in these sports of 5±1.32 were the sample of the study. The visual stimulus tests used to record reaction times were as follows: a) left hand simple reaction time test, b) right hand simple reaction time test, c) left hand choice reaction time test, d) right hand choice reaction time test. The tools used for the measurements were a special light sensor and other technological means. ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range test (p<0.05) were applied for statistical data processing. The analysis of the results showed no statistically significant differences in any of the 4 tests of the athletes. The findings and the way of measuring reaction speed could be used by the athletes’ coaches to enrich and improve the training process.  Article visualizations

VISUOMOTOR AND AUDIOMOTOR REACTION TIME IN ELITE AND NON-ELITE BADMINTON PLAYERS

The ability to quickly perceive appropriate motor response is essential in the badminton sport under the critical time pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the visual and auditory reaction time, speed, anaerobic power and vertical jump between elite and non-elite badminton athletes. With this purpose, various anthropometric measurements, hexagonal obstacle test, vertical jump test, anaerobic power measurement and auditory and visual reaction time tests were performed to the elite and non-elite athletes. When auditory reaction time, vertical jump and anaerobic power measurements were evaluated, there was no significant difference between the elite and non-elite groups, but it was noticed that there was a significant differences in quickness and visual reaction time in favor of elite athletes. It is also seen that speed and visual reaction time have a positive effect on badminton athletes are able to get to the high performance level in other literature information. For this reason, it has been thought that training programs designed for badminton athletes by considering these physiological parameters and training systems designed to increase the reaction time may be beneficial.  Article visualizations

Balance control, agility, eye-hand coordination, and sport performance of amateur badminton players: A cross-sectional study

© 2019 the Author(s). In this study, balance performance, agility, eye-hand coordination, and sports performance were compared between amateur badminton players and active controls. Thirty young adult badminton players and 33 active controls participated in the study. Static single-leg standing balance (with eyes closed) was measured using a force platform, and dynamic balance was measured using the Y Balance Test (lower quarter). Agility was measured using a hexagon agility test, and eye-hand coordination was measured using a computerized finger-pointing task. Sports performance was quantified by the number of times a shuttlecock fell in a designated area following a badminton serve. The badminton players had superior accuracy in badminton serving (P.05). Amateur badminton players had more favorable sports performance, but not balance performance, agility, or eye-hand coordination, than controls

Statistical Differences in Set Analysis in Badminton at the RIO 2016 Olympic Games

The aim of the present study was to determine statistical differences in a set of badminton competition matches in five different modalities with regard to competition level (Group Phase vs. Eliminatory Phase). Data from 453 sets (125 in men's singles; 108 sets in women's singles; 77 sets in men's doubles; 73 in women's doubles and 70 in mixed doubles) from the RIO 2016 Olympics Games were recorded and classified in two groups of variables to analyze variables related to match (5) and set (15). A descriptive analysis and univariate test (Mann-Whitney U) for non-parametric data were conducted. The results show in men's and women's singles all the variables related to match were higher in the Elimination Phase than in the Group Phase (p < 0.01). In Sets 1 and 3, the longest set duration, rally and average rally were found in the Elimination Phase than Group Stage (p < 0.05). In women's singles, these differences were also recorded in Set 2. For doubles, the results are more stable among groups. Men's doubles had a longer duration of the match and set (sets 1 and set 2) (p < 0.01), and also scored highest for average rally strokes (sets 1 3) < 0.05) and shuttles used in the Elimination Phase vs. the Group Phase along the match (p < 0.01). In women's doubles, more shuttles were used in a match in the Elimination than in the Group Phase. Moreover, the same results are established for Set 2, including for average rally. Mixed doubles saw no match going to three sets. However, the greatest differences showed a longer rally and average rally being registered in the Elimination than in the Group Phase. In conclusion, the timing factors of the badminton singles and doubles games were different in the Elimination and Group Phases. This information may help players and coaches prepare and administer different types of workouts or, more specifically, competition schedules adapted to the characteristics of modern badminton

Executive functions and successful behavior

Executive functions are the underlying mechanisms that drive top-down regulation of information processing. While suboptimal executive functions have been investigated in various groups of patients, their impact and contribution to behavioral success have not been clarified. It has been suggested that executive functions can be divided into simple executive functions, sometimes referred to as core executive functions, and more complex executive functions often involving other cognitive components referred to as higher order executive functions. Several cohorts of healthy individuals (in total 324 individuals) were investigated in five separate studies (Study I-V) to better understand how higher order executive functions are associated with successful human behavior. Due to its similarity to evolutionary conserved behaviors that depend on well-developed executive functions, including cognitive flexibility and creative fluency, and as well as due to its global impact, soccer was chosen for the three first studies. Soccer is practiced in a strictly controlled area with clear and common rules all around the world. It involves fast problem solving with the aim to reach the same goal in different ways. Soccer is also played by individuals of both sexes of widely different ages and has a shared understanding of how success is defined by both professionals and the audience. Soccer is therefore a good research arena to better understand how executive functions impact human behavior in constantly changing environments where individuals act as free agents but with a common goal and specific restrictions. Study I suggested that elite soccer players show significantly higher executive functions capacity than players on semi-elite level as well as compared to norms of the test. This result was conceptually repeated in Study III, in which national team players were compared with elite players from the same soccer clubs that had never been selected to play in national teams. The difference was especially evident when studying cognitive flexibility and creative fluency using the Design Fluency Test suggesting a better capacity for behavior adjustment. Moreover, this executive functions capacity was related to the number of scored goals and/or made assists under a prolonged measured period. Finally, cognitive flexibility correlated significantly on a moderate level with coach-rated game intelligence, i.e. the players’ ability to “read the game”, to anticipate the intentions of the opposite player and use that information to make successful decisions and actions. The main results from Study I and III were also shown for junior academy players, age range twelve to nineteen years, in Study II. Working memory (a core executive functions) had the most prominent role, suggesting a relation of the results to the maturation of the brain. Both core and higher order EF, but not IQ-measurements, significantly correlated on a moderate level with the number of scored goals the players made during two sessions. The next step was to assess the involvement of higher order executive functions in other nonsport situations where similar cognitive functions also may have a decisive role for success. Study IV showed that applicants for the Swedish counterterror intervention unit (Nationella Insatsstyrkan) had significantly better results in Design Fluency Test compared to average of the population and to police officer trainees mirroring the difference in level of play in soccer. Moreover, following the baseline tests, the applicants were re-tested after significant physical and psychological stress. The results showed that their re-test results declined compared to the expected result. However, there was still a significant correlation between the baseline results and the re-test results, indicating that higher capacity of executive functions could work as a resilience factor and safeguard adequate decision-making under stress. Finally, in Study V, different occupations in a medium sized company including forklift operators, sellers, operational and strategic managers were studied. The results showed that the capacity of cognitive flexibility and fluent creativity (both on a perceptual and a verbal level) correlated negatively with the amount of sick leave for the previous five years. The results remained after controlling for age, work group, sex, and other different cognitive components. Since we adjusted for work group, education and socio-economic factors, these did likely not explain the results. All together this thesis suggests that higher order of executive functions are important factors for success in several human behaviors and occupations. The results may need independent replication but this research project offers novel insights into how EF capacity is associated with behavioral success and that executive functions may represent a resilience factor to stress

Statistical Differences in Set Analysis in Badminton at the RIO 2016 Olympic Games

The aim of the present study was to determine statistical differences in a set of badminton competition matches in five different modalities with regard to competition level (Group Phase vs. Eliminatory Phase). Data from 453 sets (125 in men’s singles; 108 sets in women’s singles; 77 sets in men’s doubles; 73 in women’s doubles and 70 in mixed doubles) from the RIO 2016 Olympics Games were recorded and classified in two groups of variables to analyze variables related to match (5) and set (15). A descriptive analysis and univariate test (Mann–Whitney U) for non-parametric data were conducted. The results show in men’s and women’s singles all the variables related to match were higher in the Elimination Phase than in the Group Phase (p < 0.01). In Sets 1 and 3, the longest set duration, rally and average rally were found in the Elimination Phase than Group Stage (p < 0.05). In women’s singles, these differences were also recorded in Set 2. For doubles, the results are more stable among groups. Men’s doubles had a longer duration of the match and set (sets 1 and set 2) (p < 0.01), and also scored highest for average rally strokes (sets 1 3) (p < 0.05) and shuttles used in the Elimination Phase vs. the Group Phase along the match (p < 0.01). In women’s doubles, more shuttles were used in a match in the Elimination than in the Group Phase. Moreover, the same results are established for Set 2, including for average rally. Mixed doubles saw no match going to three sets. However, the greatest differences showed a longer rally and average rally being registered in the Elimination than in the Group Phase. In conclusion, the timing factors of the badminton singles and doubles games were different in the Elimination and Group Phases. This information may help players and coaches prepare and administer different types of workouts or, more specifically, competition schedules adapted to the characteristics of modern badminton

Static and dynamic resting-state brain activity patterns of table tennis players in 7-Tesla MRI

Table tennis involves quick and accurate motor responses during training and competition. Multiple studies have reported considerably faster visuomotor responses and expertise-related intrinsic brain activity changes among table tennis players compared with matched controls. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we performed static and dynamic resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) analyses of 20 table tennis players and 21 control subjects using 7T ultra-high field imaging. We calculated the static and dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the two groups. The results revealed that table tennis players exhibited decreased static ALFF in the left inferior temporal gyrus (lITG) compared with the control group. Voxel-wised static functional connectivity (sFC) and dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analyses using lITG as the seed region afforded complementary and overlapping results. The table tennis players exhibited decreased sFC in the right middle temporal gyrus and left inferior parietal gyrus. Conversely, they displayed increased dFC from the lITG to prefrontal cortex, particularly the left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus-medial, and left superior frontal gyrus-dorsolateral. These findings suggest that table tennis players demonstrate altered visuomotor transformation and executive function pathways. Both pathways involve the lITG, which is a vital node in the ventral visual stream. These static and dynamic analyses provide complementary and overlapping results, which may help us better understand the neural mechanisms underlying the changes in intrinsic brain activity and network organization induced by long-term table tennis skill training