A comparison between ecological-dynamic and cognitive approach to improve accuracy in basketball shot

Background The shot is a fundamental skill in basketball that requires high accuracy, because is the tool by which players translate their team's offensive actions into points. Basketball is one of the most practiced situational sports in physical education hours in schools. However, it is still mostly teaching according to a traditional, prescriptive-based model. The aim of the study was to compare prescriptive teaching with ecological-dynamic learning for improving shooting accuracy in a group of 3rd year high school students. Methods The sample is made up of 32 students (16 ± 0.72) divided into 2 groups: Group A, consisting of 16 students who were administered a training protocol based on the ecological-dynamic approach, and Group B, consisting of 16 students, who followed a cognitive approach. The close range shooting test was administered in and out to test the students' level of shooting accuracy. A t test for paired dependent samples was performed for each group to test which of the two groups had the greater improvement. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results The results were statistically significant in both cases (p < 0.05); however, group A had a greater improvement in shooting accuracy than group B. Conclusion The ecological-dynamic approach was able to improve accuracy in shot more than the cognitive approach in a group of high school students

Core training to reduce the performance gap between abled and disabled athletes in the canoe discipline

Paracanoe is a sport similar to the Olympic one in terms of rules and equipment, albeit with some differences. The problem concerns the performance gap between able-bodied athletes and the performance of KL3 athletes, attributable to the difficulty in controlling the trunk of the latter due to the weak contact between the lower limbs and the platform. The goal is to verify if, by carrying out core training sessions that aim to improve the stability, power and strength of the trunk in KL3 athletes, it is possible to reduce the performance gap between the two categories of athletes. The champion is made up of 16 athletes who have participated in regional canoe and Paracanoe competitions: champion A is made up of 8 non-disabled male athletes aged 23 to 25, while champion B is made up of 8 male athletes, between 23 and 25 years, with functional classification KL3. Both groups performed the 200m flat-water canoe sprint race before and after 6 weeks, during which time group B performed core-training exercises 3 times a week. The independent sample T test was used as a statistical tool. The result is statistically significant (p .05). With the use of stabilizing guesswork and core training, it is possible to narrow the gap and encourage sports inclusion

Posture and skeletal muscle disorders of the neck due to the use of smartphones

The aim of the research is to verify some variables on the use of the smartphone, associated with musculoskeletal pain and any other data that amplify its dependence or use. Smartphones have become an integral part of many people's lives. Most of the kids spend their days sharing photos, stories, videos about their daily lives such as lunches, trainings, travels, shopping. In short, there is an endless list of reasons to be mentally and physically connected to smartphones. However, how much does the excessive use of smartphones affect your body? The widespread abuse of mobile technology can be translated into a physical condition harmful to the human body, known as "Text Neck". Incorrect posture due to incorrect use of the smartphone, flexing the head to send messages and excessive time spent in this position, over time can lead to the presence of musculoskeletal pain in the neck region. A questionnaire of 14 questions, prepared with Google Modules and disseminated through sharing on social networks and it, was submitted to 334 university students of different gender and age. Descriptive statistics was conducted to evaluate the responses obtained from the subjects. The percentage of responses for each question was calculated

Physical and sport education for life and soft skills development

Physical education (PE) can be a useful tool to promote life/soft skills. Schools highlight the importance to combine the construction of knowledge with an education that provides students the means to face the challenges of daily life. In Italy, although life/soft skills are recognized as important competencies for the individual, there is no kind of ministerial decree about them. The purpose of the essay was to present a brief review of studies concerning the effectiveness of programs implemented during PE hours on development of life/soft skills, in order to decline new thematic cores that take into consideration the emerging results. The method was the literature review. From the studies identified, PE was found to be a discipline that can promote the development of life skills. It would be useful to update the National Directions, which declines the goals for the development of PE competencies and learning objectives

Chronic infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria in patients with non-CF bronchiectasis: Comparison with other pathogens

Abstract Introduction The aim of this study is to compare characteristics of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFBE) patients with chronic infections with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) versus those with Pseudomonas aeruginosa or other colonizations. Methods This was an observational, perspective study of consecutive NCFBE adult patients attending the outpatient bronchiectasis clinic at the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza, Italy, during 2012 and 2013. Patients with a chronic infection were included in the study and divided into three groups: those with NTM (Group A); those with P. aeruginosa (Group B); and those with other pathogens (Group C). Patients with both NTM and another pathogen were included in Group A. Comparison among the three study groups was performed using X 2 or Fisher exact test for categorical variables or Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney test for continuous variables. Results A total of 146 patients (median age 67 years, 40% males) were enrolled: 19 belonged to Group A, 34 to Group B and 93 to Group C. Within group A, 6 patients had only NTM isolation, 7 patients had NTM and P. aeruginosa co-infection and 6 patients had NTM plus another pathogen. The most common isolated pathogens among NTM was Mycobacterium avium complex (15 patients, 79%). A total of 4 patients (21%) with NTM were on active treatment. Patients affected by NTM pulmonary infection had a significantly less severe clinical, functional and radiological involvement compared with patients colonized by P. aeruginosa , see Table. Group A (NTM) n = 19 Group B ( P. aeruginosa ) n = 34 Group C (Others) n = 93 p Value ∗ p Value # p Value + Age (years), median (IQR) 70 (64–75) 74 (67–79) 66 (53–72) 0.001 0.172 0.050 Male, n (%) 8 (42) 15 (44) 36 (33) 0.660 – – BMI, median (IQR) 22 (19–26) 24 (21–25) 24 (21–27) 0.352 – – BSI, median (IQR) 5 (4–9) 12 (8.5–16) 5 (3–7) 0.001 0.001 0.090 Bhalla score, median (IQR) 21 (15–34) 36 (30.5–40.5) 16 (10.5–21.5) 0.001 0.016 0.076 Idiopathic etiology, n (%) 8 (42) 11 (32) 37 (40) 0.721 – – Post-infective etiology, n (%) 8 (42) 16 (47) 29 (31) 0.244 – – Exacerbations/y, median (IQR) 1 (0–2) 2 (1.5–3.5) 2 (1–2) 0.040 0.024 0.132 FEV1%, median (IQR) 85 (59.75–109.5) 58.5 (48.25–74) 84 (62–102) 0.002 0.010 0.857 FVC%, median (IQR) 94.5 (70–109.75) 65 (56–81.5) 88 (69.5–101.5) 0.003 0.003 0.270 ∗ Among the three groups: # Group A vs. Group B; + Group A vs. Group C; BMI: Body mass index; BSI: bronchiectasis severity index; y: year. Conclusions Colonization with P. aeruginosa seems to have the highest impact on the clinical, functional and radiological status of patients with NCFBE. No specific characteristics may help to identify NTM versus other pathogen colonizations. Thus, diagnostics for atypical mycobacteria should be performed on all patients with NCFBE, as suggested by recent international guidelines

Heuristic Learning as a Method for Improving Students’ Teamwork Skills in Physical Education

Transversal skills are the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities that are currently needed to meet the demands of the working world and everyday life. Schools have the task of equipping students with these skills, working not only on disciplinary goals but also on operational–behavioral goals. In 2018, the European Union adopted new recommendations on eight key competencies for lifelong learning and asked schools to implement new methods to develop these recommendations. To be successful, it is necessary to stimulate students’ development of these competences, which are also called soft skills, from the earliest years of the school experience. Physical education (PE) is called upon to make its contribution. In Italy, the two teaching methods used during PE classes are prescriptive teaching and heuristic learning. It is not clear which of the two methods is the most effective in improving soft skills, especially the skills involved in teamwork. The objective of this article was to compare the effects of these two teaching methods on students’ teamwork skills during PE classes in primary schools. After verifying the normality of the data, a Student’s t-test for dependent samples was performed to assess pre-test and post-test differences in each of two groups, while a Student’s t-test for independent samples was performed to compare the two groups after 3 months. Heuristic learning proved to be the most effective method for improving teamwork skills. The results may make an important contribution to future teacher training on the most effective teaching methods for developing students’ soft skills