SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN KOVACS AND GAYLORD SALTOS ON HIGH BAR

Code of points in men's artistic gymnastics is dividing elements by subjective criteria into the different groups of difficulty. There are five groups of difficulty, the easiest is an A group and the most difficult is an E group. On the high bar we have an interesting situation, where are two flight elements - Kovacs salto (double salto backward tucked over the bar to the regrasp) and Gaylord I (double salto forward tucked over the bar to the regrasp) in the two different difficulty groups. Kovacs salto is an E element and Gaylord I is a D element. The aim of the research was to find out the differences between those two elements by different kinematical and approximated calculated dynamical parameters. We recorded with video Kovacs executed by Csaba Fajkus (Hungary) and Gaylord I executed by Blai Puljic (Slovenia). We used 15 segments and 17 points body model by Susanka. We analysed 25 frames per second with 3D CMAS kinematical analyser and calculated trajectories, velocities, accelerations and forces in X and Y axes per each body point and segment. There are small differences between elements, ,but not so big that these two elements are in different difficulty groups

KINEMATIC ANALYSIS OF SOME BACKWARD ACROBATIC JUMPS

The aim of our investigation was to determine kinematic parameters of some acrobatic jumps backward, related to the difficulty categories in the current men's FIG Code of points. Ten male gymnasts performed ten different acrobatic jumps backward during the European championship in 1996 in Koebenhaven (Denmark). The analyzed elements were stretched salto backward, stretched salto backward with 1/1 turn, stretched salto backward with 3/2 turn, stretched salto backward with 2/1 turn, double salto backward tucked, double salto backward tucked with 1/1 turn, double salto backward tucked with 2/1 turn, double salto backward stretched, double salto backward stretched with 1/1 turn and triple salto backward tucked. According to the results we can not define the difficulty categories, but the data are quite informative for further investigations, comparison with other similar types of sports and also for coaches for methodic purposes

DOES SPECIALIZATION IN KARATE AFFECT REACTION TIME IN SPECIFIC KARATE KUMITE SITUATIONS?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of karate specialization on the reaction time in specific karate kumite situations. In order to maximize the ecological validity of experimental set-up, we used our recently proposed and evaluated video-based method (Mudric et al., 2015). Within this method, the reaction time is calculated from the kinematic parameters recorded on both offensive action stimuli and defensive action responses. The results obtained from three groups of subjects (i.e., karate kumite, karate kata and beginners) indicate significant differences in reaction time between the beginners and both specialized karate groups. There were also prominent but not significant differences between the karate kumite and karate kata. These findings suggest that particular sport specialization could improve reaction time of an athlete in specific sport situations

A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ASSESSMENT OF MUSCLE MECHANICAL CAPACITIES FROM FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT TASKS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of agreement between the routinely used multiple-load method and a simple two-load method based on direct assessment of the F-V relationship from only 2 external loads applied. Twelve participants were tested on the maximum performance vertical jumps, cycling, bench press throws, and bench pull performed against a variety of different loads. All four tested tasks revealed both exceptionally strong relationships between the parameters of the 2 methods (median R = 0.98) and a lack of meaningful differences between their magnitudes (fixed bias below 3.4%). Therefore, addition of another load to the standard tests of various functional tasks typically conducted under a single set of mechanical conditions could allow for the assessment of the muscle mechanical properties, such as the muscle F, V, and P producing capacities

Relationship between running performance and weather in elite marathoners competing in the New York City Marathon

It is well known that weather and pacing have an influence on elite marathon performance. However, there is limited knowledge about the effect of weather on running speed in elite marathoners. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate potential associations between running speed and weather variables in elite runners competing in the ‘New York City Marathon’ between 1999 and 2019. Data from all official female and male finishers with name, sex, age, calendar year, split times at 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, 20 km, 25 km, 30 km, 35 km, 40 km and finish and hourly values for temperature (°Celsius), barometric pressure (hPa), humidity (%) and sunshine duration (min) between 09:00 a.m. and 04:00 p.m. were obtained from official websites. A total of 560,731 marathon runners' records were available for analysis (342,799 men and 217,932 women). Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were performed between the average running speed and the weather variables (temperature, pressure, humidity and sunshine). Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions were also performed. The runner´s records were classified into four performance groups (all runners, top 100, top 10 and top 3) for comparison. Differences in running speed between the four performance groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for both men and women. Pearson (linear) correlation indicated a weak and positive association with humidity in the top 10 (r = 0.16) and top 3 (r = 0.13) performance groups that the running speed of the elite runners was positively correlated with humidity. Regarding sunshine duration, there was a weak and positive correlation with the running speed of the elite groups (r = 0.16 in the top 10 and r = 0.2 in the top 3). Spearman correlation (non-linear) identified a weak but negative correlation coefficient with temperature in all runners’ groups. Also, non-linear positive correlation coefficients with humidity and sunshine can be observed in the Spearman matrixes. A Multivariate Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis showed no predictive power of weather factors. For elite runners competing in the ‘New York City Marathon’ between 1999 and 2019, the main findings were that elite runners became faster with increasing humidity and sunshine duration while overall runners became slower with increasing temperature, increasing humidity and sunshine duration. Weather factors affected running speed and results but did not provide a significant predictive influence on performance

The pacing differences in performance levels of marathon and half-marathon runners

INTRODUCTION Many studies indicate a considerable impact of optimal pacing on long-distance running performance. Given that the amount of carbohydrates in metabolic processes increases supralinearly with the running intensity, we may observe differences between the pacing strategies of two long-distance races and different performance levels of runners. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the differences in pacing strategies between marathon and half-marathon races regarding the performance levels of runners. METHODS The official results and split times from a total of 208,760 (marathon, N = 75,492; half-marathon, N = 133,268) finishers in the "Vienna City Marathon" between 2006 and 2018 were analyzed. The percentage of the average change of speed for each of the five segments (CS 1-5), as well as the absolute change of speed (ACS) were calculated. The CS 1-5 for the marathon are as follows: up to the 10th km, 10th - 20th km, 20th - 30th km, 30th - 40th km, and from the 40th km to the 42.195 km. For the half-marathon, the CS 1-5 are half of the marathon values. Four performance groups were created as quartiles of placement separately for sexes and races: high-level (HL), moderate to high-level (MHL), moderate to low-level (MLL), and low-level (LL). RESULTS Positive pacing strategies (i.e., decrease of speed) were observed in all performance groups of both sex and race. Across CS 1-5, significant main effects (p < 0.001) were observed for the segment, performance level, and their interaction in both sex and race groups. All LL groups demonstrated higher ACS (men 7.9 and 6.05%, as well as women 5.83 and 5.49%, in marathon and half-marathon, respectively), while the HL performance group showed significantly lower ACS (men 4.14 and 2.97%, as well as women 3.16 and 2.77%, in marathon and half-marathon, respectively). Significant main effects (p < 0.001) for the race were observed but with a low effect size in women (ŋ$^{2}$ = 0.001). DISCUSSION Better runners showed more even pacing than slower runners. The half-marathoners showed more even pacing than the marathoners across all performance groups but with a trivial practical significance in women

Effects of Resistance Training With Constant, Inertial, and Combined Loads on Muscle Power and Strength Output

The aim of this study was to investigate the resistance-specific gains in muscle power and strength (1RM) following the training of maximum bench-press throws (BPT) against constant, inertial, and combined resistance. Forty-eight male participants (age 20.5 ± 2.0 years) were randomly assigned to the constant, inertial, combined resistance, or control group. Participants underwent 8 weeks of training of BPT against the loads that corresponded to the different effects of mass of 40 kg (∼50% of 1RM). The gains in average and maximum power, and 1RM were significant in all experimental groups (P 0.1). Relative gains in the average (26.3 ± 9.8%) and maximum power (25.2 ± 9.8%) were larger than that in the 1RM (mean 7.2 ± 6.9%; both P < 0.001). The gains in the average (F4, 66 = 6.0; P < 0.01) and maximum power (F4, 66 = 4.7; P < 0.01) were higher when tested against the training-specific resistance than when tested against the remaining two resistance types. Differences in 1RM among experimental groups were not significant (P = 0.092). The most important and rather novel finding of the study is that the training against the weight and inertial resistance, and their combination results in resistance-specific gains in muscle power, although the overall gains muscle strength and power remain comparable across the training protocols

The Influence of Environmental Conditions on Pacing in Age Group Marathoners Competing in the "New York City Marathon"

Background: The two aspects of the influence of environmental conditions on marathon running performance and pacing during a marathon have been separately and widely investigated. The influence of environmental conditions on the pacing of age group marathoners has, however, not been considered yet.Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between environmental conditions (i.e., temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, and cloud cover), gender and pacing of age group marathoners in the “New York City Marathon”.Methodology: Between 1999 and 2019, a total of 830,255 finishes (526,500 males and 303,755 females) were recorded. Time-adjusted averages of weather conditions for temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and sunshine duration during the race were correlated with running speed in 5 km-intervals for age group runners in 10 years-intervals.Results: The running speed decreased with increasing temperatures in athletes of age groups 20–59 with a pronounced negative effect for men aged 30–64 years and women aged 40–64 years. Higher levels of humidity were associated with faster running speeds for both sexes. Sunshine duration and barometric pressure showed no association with running speed.Conclusion: In summary, temperature and humidity affect pacing in age group marathoners differently. Specifically, increasing temperature slowed down runners of both sexes aged between 20 and 59 years, whereas increasing humidity slowed down runners of &lt;20 and &gt;80 years old

How to end up on the podium after running a 6-days-run with type 1 diabetes mellitus - A case study and literature review

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of people living with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are pushing their physical limits to compete at the sport's highest level. Muscle, liver, and glycogen metabolism can be normal in athletes with diabetes with good glucose management, and modifications to insulin dose and nutrition can facilitate exercise performance. CASE PRESENTATION: We report on a 66-year-old runner with insulin-dependent T1DM. He has run over 90 marathons and ultra-marathons. Thanks to an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring, he has completed forty-eight 24-hour runs with an average performance of 133.8 km. Over the years, the runner increased his monthly running volume significantly and decreased his glycated Hemoglobin type A1C (hba1c) levels. Meanwhile, a significant association between monthly running kilometers and hba1c levels could be shown. At the age of 66 years, he finished his sixth 6-day-run in third place overall by covering a total distance of 467.424 km. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that it is possible to participate in ultra-endurance events while suffering from T1DM without glucose derailing. With a good understanding of the disease and its impact on an individual's body, we can curtail the preparation and execution phases of ultra-endurance events to allow athletes to compete with minimal risk