Longitudinal monitoring of performance in cross-country running by young orienteering runners

The aim of this paper focused on the one of platform of the system for regular work with talented children and youth on the field of the orienteering. The article brings partial results of longitudinal testing talented youth of East Bohemian region of the Czech Republic in orienteering. 10 – 14-year orienteering talented runners took part in testing motor skills standardized tests. The text approaches the methodology and presents the selected results of the measurement – the performance in cross-country running test at 3 km and 5 km depending on age category as one of the many tests that young athletes participating always at the beginning of the season. Results of the research show a significant difference among selected athletes and indicate tendencies performance in cross-country running of youth orienteering runners in the region. The conclusions highlight the long-decreasing level of endurance abilities of young orienteering contestants between 1997 and 2014, describes the possible reasons and suggestions remedial options

Improvement of the Technical and Tactical Preparation of Wrestlers with the Consideration of an Individual Combat Style

The present research reviews a programme for improving athletes’ technical and tactical preparation with a consideration of individual combat style. The program has included training models for each style and has considered the characteristics of the current competitive activities of Greco-Roman wrestlers. Thirty qualified Greco-Roman wrestlers of middle-weight categories have participated in the research. Throughout the experiment (a year-long preparation cycle) the indicators of technical and tactical preparedness of the athletes of the experimental group have improved: the efficiency of defence in stand and ground positions has become higher; the reliability and efficiency of attack and defence actions have increased; the wrestlers have begun to perform a greater number of exercises in stand and ground positions, and to perform successful attacks more often; the interval between the attacks has been shortened. During the experiment, the indicators of technical and tactical preparedness of the athletes of the experimental group have increased from 7.3% to 19.7%, while in the control group from 0.4% to 4.9%. It has been determined that all the considered indicators of the experimental group’s technical and tactical preparedness after the experiment are statistically higher (р<0.05; р<0.01) than the indicators of the control group. This finding indicates the efficiency of the proposed programme of improvement of technical and tactical preparedness for athletes considering individual combat style and a possibility of its implementation into the training process

The implementation of the concept of individualization in training elite female athletes with visual impairment in the sprint

The aim of the work is to substantiate the application of the principles of individualization in the training of highly qualified athletes with visual impairment by the example of an elite athlete. On the basis of mathematical models, the strengths of an athlete are highlighted, which tend to develop, and also compensate for the inadequacy of the visual analyze

Emerging approaches

In recent years, the benefits of warm-up in sports performance have received a special interest. New methods have been included in warm-up procedure, but few are known about the effects on running performance and biomechanical responses. Thus, the purpose of the current thesis was to analyze the effect of recent trends of warm-up tasks on sprint performance. Specifically, to verify the effects of including ballistic exercises in warm-up procedures and to analyze the impact of changing biomechanical running patterns during warm-up, conducting a performance, biomechanical, physiological and psychophysiological evaluation of sprints. For this, the following steps were performed: (i) qualitative review on warm-up and performance, focusing on the emerging methods; (ii) to verify the acute effects of a warm-up including ballistic exercises inducing a post-activation potentiation, easy to apply on a real competition context, in repeated 100m running performance; (iii) to understand the acute physiological, psychophysiological and biomechanical responses of including ballistic exercises in repeated 30m running performance; (iv) to analyze the effect of manipulating running kinematics (stride length (SL) and stride frequency (SF)) during warm-up in repeated 30m running performance. The main conclusions of the study were: (i) considering the new trends that have emerged, it can be suggested positive effects on performance after short duration stretches followed by specific muscle activation exercises, and after dynamic stretching, both depending on the duration and intensity; short-duration maximal efforts and specific to the following activity, followed by few minutes of recovery, provide beneficial neuromuscular responses and improved performance in high-intensity and short-term efforts; passive heating during the transition phase between warm-up and main exercise lead to optimization of subsequent performance; (ii) there were benefitial effects of warm-up in 30m and 100m sprinting; (iii) the 100m race is equally optimized after warm-up with or without post-activation potentiation, but with different running kinematics (iv) the positive effects of warm-up on 30m running was caused by faster initial 15m and increased SL in the last 15m of the trial; v) no additional effects on 30m were found after including ballistic exercises during warm-up; (vi) a warm-up focusing in higher SL or higher SF did not result in different 30m sprint performances and running kinematics, despite different running strategies occurred (faster initial meters after warm-ups stimulating SF and faster final meters after warm-up stimulating SL); (vii) the results highlighted the individual response to each warm-up procedure. The main findings of this work emphasize the importance of the warm-up design for short running distances and the need of individualization for optimized performances. Further studies are needed to deeply understand their effects on performance.Nos últimos anos, os benefícios do aquecimento no desempenho desportivo receberam um interesse especial. Novos métodos foram incluídos no processo de aquecimento, mas pouco se conhece sobre os seus efeitos no desempenho de corrida e respostas biomecânicas. Assim, o objetivo a presente tese foi analisar o efeito das tendências recentes de tarefas de aquecimento no desempenho do sprint. Especificamente, verificar os efeitos da inclusão de exercícios balísticos nos procedimentos de aquecimento e analisar o impacto da mudança dos padrões biomecânicos de corrida durante o aquecimento, conduzindo a uma avaliação de performance, biomecânica, fisiológica e psicofisiológica dos sprints. Para isso, foram realizadas as seguintes etapas: (i) revisão qualitativa do aquecimento e desempenho, com foco nos métodos emergentes; (ii) verificar os efeitos agudos de um aquecimento, incluindo exercícios balísticos que induzem uma potenciação pós-ativação, fácil de aplicar em contexto real de competição, no desempenho de corrida repetida de 100m; (iii) compreender as respostas fisiológicas agudas, psicofisiológicas e biomecânicas com a inclusão de exercícios balísticos no desempenho de 30m de sprint repetido; (iv) analisar o efeito da manipulação da cinemática de corrida (comprimento da passada (CP) e frequência da passada (FP)) durante o aquecimento em performances de sprint repetido de 30m. As principais conclusões do estudo foram: (i) considerando as novas tendências que surgiram, pode-se sugerir efeitos positivos no desempenho após alongamentos curtos seguidos de exercícios específicos de ativação muscular, e após alongamento dinâmico, ambos dependendo da duração e intensidade; esforços máximos de curta duração e específicos para a atividade seguinte, seguidos por poucos minutos de recuperação, fornecem respostas neuromusculares benéficas e melhor desempenho em esforços de alta intensidade e de curto prazo; o aquecimento passivo durante a fase de transição entre o aquecimento e a tarefa principal leva à otimização do desempenho subsequente; (ii) houve efeitos benéficos do aquecimento no sprint de 30m e 100m; (iii) a corrida de 100m é igualmente otimizada após o aquecimento com ou sem potenciação pós-ativação, mas com cinemática de corrida diferente; (iv) os efeitos positivos do aquecimento nos 30m de corrida foram causados por 15m iniciais mais rápidos e maior CP nos últimos 15m de prova; (v) não foram encontrados efeitos adicionais nos 30m após a inclusão de exercícios balísiticos durante o aquecimento; (vi) um aquecimento focado em maior CP ou maior FP não resultou em diferenças no desempenho e cinemática nos 30m sprint, apesar de terem ocorrido diferentes estratégias de corrida (fase inicial mais rápida após aquecimento estilmulando FP e fase final mais rápida após aquecimento estimulando CP); (viii) os resultados destacaram a resposta individual a cada procedimento de aquecimento. As principais conclusões deste trabalho enfatizam a importância do desenho do aquecimento para distâncias curtas e a necessidade de individualização para desempenhos otimizados. Outros estudos são necessários para entender profundamente seus efeitos sobre o desempenho

Побудова тренувального процесу легкоатлеток при підготовці до кросового сезону з урахуванням циклічності змін жіночого організму

Актуальність. Важливим питанням спортивної підготовки легкоатлеток-стаєрів є побудова програми тренувальних занять, мікроциклів і мезоциклів на основі фаз оваріально-менструального циклу. Завдання роботи – побудувати тренувальний процес легкоатлеток-стаєрів під час підготовки до кросового сезону (на етапі спеціалізованої базової підготовки) з урахуванням циклічності змін жіночого організму. Методологія проведення роботи – аналіз науково-методичної літератури, контент-аналіз (вивчення офіційних документів – протоколів змагань, щоденників), педагогічне тестування за тренувальним процесом. Результати роботи. Представлено осінньо-зимовий макроцикл підготовки легкоатлеток-стаєрів до чемпіонату України з легкоатлетичного кросу. Розкрито його структуру на основі періодів, етапів і мезоциклів. Проаналізовано структуру й зміст індивідуальної програми бігової роботи легкоатлетки в базовому розвивальному мезоциклі на основі фаз оваріально-менструального циклу (ОМЦ). Виявлено, що спортсменка належить до високого рівня «жіночності» із тривалістю ОМЦ 28 днів. Узгоджено обсяг та інтенсивність тренувального навантаження легкоатлетки з фазами ОМЦ, що пов’язано з високим ступенем їх впливу на показники функціонального стану. Визначено особливості бігової роботи спортсменки відповідно до фаз ОМЦ: у менструальній, овуляторній і передменструальній фазах – відновні мікроцикли з біговим навантаженням аеробного й анаеробно-аеробного характеру, у постменструальній і постовуляторній – ударні мікроцикли з навантаженням анаеробного, анаеробно-аеробного та швидкісно-силового характеру. Висновки. Визначено, що під час побудови тренувального процесу легкоатлеток-стаєрів під час підготовки до кросового сезону потрібно враховувати не лише спортивну спеціалізацію, фізичну й функціональну підготовленість, але й циклічності змін жіночого організму

Relationship Between Lower Body Strength, Countermovement Jump Height, and Optimal Drop Jump Drop Height

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between back squat one-repetition maximum relative to body mass (1RMrel), countermovement jump height (CMJH), and optimal drop height in drop jump (DHopt). Fifteen male participants with various sport backgrounds and training experience completed a one repetition maximum (1RM) back squat, maximum countermovement jump (CMJ), and drop jumps (DJ) from incrementally increasing drop heights to determine which drop height elicited the greatest jump height. The DHopt testing protocol was unique in that smaller increments were used to determine DHopt compared to what has been reported in literature previously. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed that DHopt had small (r=0.214) and moderate (r=0.464) relationships with 1RMrel and CMJH, respectively. A second analysis (n=13) was conducted after two participants (i.e. powerlifters) were identified as possibly being representative of a different population. The second analysis found that DHopt had strong relationships with 1RMrel (r=0.645) and CMJH (r=0.690). Results from this study seem to suggest that individuals with greater 1RMrel and CMJH tend to have a higher DHopt. However, this relationship may not be observed among all populations due to likely differences in sport background, genetics, and/or training experience

Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Kinanthropology

Proceedings of the 12th Conference of Sport and Quality of Life 2019 gatheres submissions of participants of the conference. Every submission is the result of positive evaluation by reviewers from the corresponding field. Conference is divided into sections – Analysis of human movement; Sport training, nutrition and regeneration; Sport and social sciences; Active ageing and sarcopenia; Strength and conditioning training; section for PhD students

Examining the psychological preparation and management of performance by elite and sub-elite endurance sport performers: a systematic review

Successful endurance performance is commonly attributed to the athlete who possesses the right blend of physical and mental capabilities, to cope with the specific demands of an endurance sport, in tough environmental conditions. Sport psychology is important for a variety of sports, especially endurance-based sports, given the mental and physical effort required to effectively train and compete at varying intensities and duration. The growing interest for endurance performance, has resulted in some narrative reviews examining the specific skills that may enhance performance, such as self-talk, attentional control, and active self-regulatory strategies. A systematic review focused on experimental or quasi-experimental studies, with largely non-elite populations, to address the psychological determinants of whole-body endurance performance for which strategies work best. [Continues.

The Bobsled Push Start: Influence on Race Outcome and Push Athlete Talent Identification and Monitoring

Bobsled is an Olympic sport that has progressed from rudimentary in the 1800’s to highly technological replete with biomechanical analyses and investment in engineering from the world’s top engineers. Little to no investigation has been carried out on all the tracks and the interrelationship between various measures of starts and sled-travel down-track. Further, little quality research has been produced in the athletic characteristics required for high-level competition in bobsled. The present manuscript investigates the reliability of, and interrelationship between, start time, start velocity, split times, and finish times in World Cup 2- and 4-man bobsled competition. A strong relationship between the three variables is found, but further research is needed to elucidate the actual effects of the push start on the sled’s travel down-track because of several confounding variables. The present manuscript also investigates the tests commonly performed by the USA Bobsled and Skeleton federation as a means of talent identification and athlete monitoring. Strength and power tests may have more validity for discriminating between higher-level push athletes, so long as a sufficient threshold of running speed is present. Speed tests only discriminate well between lower level push athletes. Recommendations are made for modifying the current testing battery in such a way as to better identify talent and better monitor traveling athletes and informing coaching decisions about athlete preparedness for fast bobsled push starts

Comparative Analysis of Body Composition and Reference Values of Visceral Adipose Tissues in Various American Collegiate Sports

Background: Currently, body composition (BC) assessment is usually performed to diagnose disease states and accurately estimate certain types of tissues. In athletes, performing BC assessments helps gauge training and nutrition programs to see if they are adequately meeting the athlete’s needs to improve performance. Annual Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans before the start of an athlete’s season can help identify an athlete’s preparedness or health before training begins. Objective: To assess the preseason BC of four collegiate sports: Men’s basketball, men’s baseball, women’s volleyball, and women’s soccer, for Fat Mass (FM), bone mineral density BMD), Fat-Free Mass (FFM), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Methods: DXA (Lunar iDXA, GE Healthcare) scans were performed before the start of pre-season training for Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Women’s Volleyball, and Women’s Soccer. End-season DXA scans were performed after the end of the regular season for Men’s Basketball and Baseball athletes. Visceral Adipose Tissue was measured using CoreScan software provided by GE and Fat Mass Index (FMI) and Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) were calculated from scanned values. Results: Between the various sports, there were several significant differences that were apparent. Height and percentage of Fat Mass (%BF) were significantly different between all sports except Women’s Volleyball and Women’s Soccer. BMI, VAT, and FFMI were significantly different between males and females. Changes over a season showed increased BMD in Men’s Basketball (2.79 to 2.99 Z-score, pre to end of season scan respectively; p \u3c 0.001). No other observations were noticed to be significant. Conclusions: Sports-specific training and sex have large influences on the body composition of athletes. FMI and FFMI are two indices that may have a stronger indication to health than parameters considered for those who are sedentary and non-active. Female athletes have little to no amounts of VAT and this warrants further investigation