Podcasts as an eLearning educational tool

One of the most interesting and valuable uses of Podcasting in Education is the concept of student-centred created content incorporating Technology Enriched Learning that allows students to be fully exposed to an online environment. A major advantages of education podcasts is the portability and convenience they offer, allowing students to access industry-relevant topic content anytime, anywhere, with very little effort. Student feedback has reiterated that podcasts are a valuable eLearning educational tool, which can support teaching and learning in an online environment

Supplement use in sport & fitness: controversial or conventional?

Ingestion of multi-nutrient supplements aimed at enhancing performance has become common practice as part of athletes and fitness client's regular training and/or competition preparation. Although there is limited information available, global industry analysis market research reported yearly expenditure on nutritional supplements in the United States alone at US$20.7 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow by 9.0$ 37.7 billion in 2019. Athletes and fitness clients are perceived to be the greatest consumers of supplements as they aim to exploit nutritional ergogenic benefits, such as enhance acute muscular performance, optimise exercise-induced hormonal response, and promote post-exercise recovery. In recent times, supplement use in sport and fitness has been highlighted in the press and media for what has been deemed 'Controversial' practice following the release of the ACC Report on Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport. This lead to revelations that professional athletes and fitness clients may be using substances unrelated to therapeutic nutrition such as anti-obesity and anti-ageing drugs. However, are such findings really that surprising given that supplement use is embedded in both professional sport and the fitness world as athletes and clients look to gain the 'competitive edge'? A more ‘Conventional’ approach to supplementation may be one that follows a therapeutic nutrition model, focusing on the provision of nutrients to maintain and/or restore optimal health and function. In this presentation Dr Bird will provide examples from professional sport and fitness, providing an overview some of the lesser known nutritional supplements

Profile of training load in elite badminton players during an intensified pre-Olympic training camp and Olympic competition

INTRODUCTION: Coaches must carefully monitor their athletes' acute responses during intensified training camps in the lead up to competition as appropriate training dose is required to optimise performance potential while reducing the risk of developing non-functional overreaching. The session-RPE (sRPE) method has been widely used in training load quantification for various types of training across multiple sports, as determined by multiplying a sessional rating of perceived exertion (RPE: Borg category-ratio 10 [CR-10]) by the session duration (minutes). To date, no studies have quantified training load or periodisation profiles in elite badminton players during Olympic competition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1) quantify training load of elite badminton players during an intensified training camp and Olympic competition using the sRPE method; and 2) describe periodisation strategies employed by Indonesian Olympic coaches. METHODS: Ten Olympic badminton players' (male: n=5 and female: n=5) competing in six events (Men's Singles [MS]; Women's singles [WS]; Men's doubles [MD]; Women's doubles [WD]; Mixed doubles [XD1* and XD2]) completed a 9-day intensified training camp (ITC; Sau Paulo, Brazil) immediately followed by Olympic Games competition (OGC; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) over 6–9 days, with each event having their own coach. Player characteristics for male and female players were, respectively: mean age 28.4 yrs (SD, 2.8) and 28.4 yrs (SD, 1.5); height 180.0 cm (SD, 6.4) and 164.4 cm (SD, 2.9); weight 79.1 kg (SD, 6.6) and 60.0 kg (SD, 5.5). Athletes were of elite level comprising of Olympic Games Medallists (2008 Gold and Silver); current World and Asian Champions. Quantification of the training load (AU) was performed by the sRPE method for every training session/match during the ITC and OGC. Players were asked 30 min after each session/match to ensure that their RPE referred to the intensity of the whole activity rather than the most recent activity intensity. A two-way ANOVA was used to determine any significant changes during the training/competition periods. Statistical analyses were performed using a SPSS (Version 22.0; Chicago, IL). Alpha was set at p<0.05. Data are presented as mean ± SD with Delta percent change in training load relative to the previous day training load. The example profile presented is that of XD1*, Olympic Gold medallists. RESULTS: Training loads between male and female during the ITC were significantly higher (p<0.001) compared to OGC, respectively (ITC: 999 ± 375 and 1004 ± 407 AU; and OGC: 723 ± 252 and 745 ± 245 AU). No differences were observed between male and female players or event across the training/competition period. A clear difference in the periodisation strategy of daily training load dose was evident for the six coaches during the OGC. The profile of XD1* clearly represented a repeat step-type reduction in training load over the OGC (Day 2: –25%; Day 3: –24% Day 4: +36%; Day 5: –33%; Day 6: –32%; Day 7: –25%; Day 8: +50%; Day 9: –15%; Day 10: –11%). DISCUSSION: As expected, training load for ITC was significantly higher than OGC, however individual players' training loads did not differentiate from each other. Differences in the six coaches' periodisation strategy were evident during the OGC. Daily training load profiles for coaches of XD1* and XD2 employed a step-type reduction over 3-days, followed by an increased training dose on day 4. This profile was repeated twice over the remaining days of the OGC. In contrast, coaches of MS and WS displayed an exponential reduction. Alternatively, coaches of MD and WD employed a combination of a step-type/exponential reduction. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The sRPE method enabled the training load quantification and determination of periodisation models in elite badminton players during an ITC and OGC. As acute training responses are directly linked to the magnitude of daily change in training load, coaches must consider the importance of the desired daily training load in meeting the periodisation model, thereby optimising the athletes' performance potential

On-field conditioning for large groups: the forgotten aspect in strength and conditioning

In football codes it is common for strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches to be confronted with extremely large player numbers (more than 100) to complete field conditioning. It is then that the S&C coach begins to realise that “conditioning” is sometimes the forgotten aspect in program design and the critical role that planning plays in achieving sequential flow from drill to drill. Stephen and Glenn will outline key planning and conceptual approaches to running on-field conditioning sessions for large groups. Most importantly, running field conditioning for large groups is not simply about planning and conceptual approaches but about execution, applying and implementing these concepts to achieve successful session outcomes

Movement demands and running intensities of semi-professional rugby league players in a 9’s tournament

The objective of the study was to describe the movement demands and running intensities of semi-professional rugby league players during a rugby league 9’s (RL9’s) tournament. Six semi-professional rugby league players competed in a RL9’s tournament over a two-day period comprising of six games. Movement demands and running intensities were recorded using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices providing data on distance and speeds. Data is presented as mean (95% Confidence Intervals) with changes (≥ 75%) likely to exceed the smallest worthwhile change (0.2) considered practically important. Outside backs performed significantly (p 2.0) decreases in performance variables were observed over the two days. The biggest magnitude of change over the two days was seen with very large decreases in relative HSR (- 2.10) and sprint (- 2.14) distance. Between playing groups, the outside backs had the biggest decrease in running intensity with a very large (- 2.32) significant (p < 0.05) decrease in VHSR on day 2 (3.3 m∙min-1 [2.5 – 4.1]) compared to day 1 (4.9 m∙min-1 [4.4 – 5.4]). Running intensities are de-creased during an intensified RL9’s tournament in semi-professional rugby league players. The observed decreases in running performances between playing groups are in agreement with previous research and may support the use of individualized player monitoring and recovery management during a RL9’s tournament-style competition

Nutritional knowledge of youth academy athletes

Background: Youth athletes are under increasing pressures to excel in their chosen sport and many turn to nutritional supplements in order to enhance sports performance. However, athletes may obtain their nutritional information via illegitimate sources such as the internet, media, and other athletes, representing miscommunication between sound scientific information and anecdotal experiences. The objective of this investigation was to examine nutrition knowledge of elite youth athletes from a non-residential regional academy of sport. Methods: A previously validated two-part nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ) was administered to 101 (37 male and 64 female) non-residential regional Academy of Sport elite youth athletes at an annual training camp. Part 1 of the NKQ presented demographic questions. Part 2 presented 90 sports nutrition knowledge questions in seven knowledge subcategories (1) Nutrients; (2) Dietary reference intakes (DRI); (3) Fluids/Hydration; (4) Recovery; (5) Weight gain; (6) Weight loss; and (7) Supplements. Results: The mean NKQ score of all athletes was 43.8% (± 11.4). No gender differences observed between nutritional knowledge total scores, however female athletes recorded more ‘correct’ responses than males (p = 0.02) in the Nutrients subcategory. Majority of athletes had difficulty identifying correct DRI with this subcategory featuring the lowest percentage of ‘correct’ to ‘incorrect’ responses (27.1% ± 2.3; p = 0.02). Supplements subcategory displayed much uncertainty with significantly more ‘unsure’ than ‘incorrect’ responses (42.4% ± 20.3; p < 0.05). Conclusions: In agreement with previous research, results of the current study indicate that elite youth athletes lack fundamental nutritional knowledge, specifically related to DRI and supplementation. These data provide further support of current recommendations that Academy of Sport youth athletes may benefit from integrated nutrition education conducted by qualified nutrition professionals

Basketball New Zealand infographic: immune health: avoiding infection and maintaining immune health in athletes

Basketball New Zealand Infographic provides brief overview of top 10 tips to assist athletes in avoiding infection and maintaining immune health as athletes frequently encounter challenges to immunity including heavy exercise, life stress, sleep disruption, environmental extremes, long-haul travel and nutritional deficits

Impact of COVID-19 on Athlete Mental Health – Strategies to Promote Emotional Wellness

Recently, I have been heavily involved in discussions with my international colleagues and research teams from New Zealand, Europe, Canada, and United States, around identifying key strategies, solutions and protocols for elite basketball organizations following the unprecedented circumstances and challenges presented by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Our discussions have centred specifically on two key areas of player health and wellbeing, those being: (1) the potential mental health challenges faced by coaches, players and support staff, due to quarantine and isolation demands of the unique, yet unknown “NBA bubble”; and (2) the overall impact of COVID-19 and the NBA bubble on player health and wellbeing, in the context of ‘emotional wellness’.For the purpose of this editorial, ‘emotional wellness’ is defined as a “person’s ability to cope with daily circumstances and to deal with personal feelings in a positive, optimistic, and constructive manner”

Basketball New Zealand infographic: how performance science technology can impact the coaching process

This Basketball New Zealand Infographic provides a brief overview of 12 key factors integral to the successful implementation of performance science technology in high-performance programs, and how this can positively impact the coaching process to assist decision-making related to athlete health and performance

The INTEGRAL high energy cut-off distribution of type 1 AGN

In this letter we present the primary continuum parameters, the photon index Gamma and the high energy cut-off Ec, of 41 type-1 Seyfert galaxies extracted from the INTEGRAL complete sample of AGN. We performed a broad band (0.3-100 keV) spectral analysis by fitting simultaneously the soft and hard X-ray spectra obtained by XMM and INTEGRAL/IBIS-Swift/BAT respectively in order to investigate the general properties of these parameters in particular their distribution and mean values. We find a mean photon index for the whole sample of 1.73 with a standard deviation of 0.17 and a mean high energy cut-off of 128 keV with a standard deviation of 46 keV. This is the first time that the cut-off energy is constrained in a such large number of AGN. We have 26 measurements of the cut-off, which corresponds to 63% of the entire sample, distributed between 50 and 200 keV. There are a further 11 lower limits mostly below 300 keV. Using the main parameters of the primary continuum, we have been able to obtain the actual physical parameters of the Comptonizing region i.e. the plasma temperature kT_e from 20 to 100 keV and the optical depth tau <4. Finally, with the high S/N spectra starting to come from NuSTAR it will soon be possible to better constrain the cut-off values in many AGN, allowing the determination of more physical models and so to better understand the continuum emission and geometry of the region surrounding black holes.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication on ApJ Letter