Portuguese Students’ Perceptions About the Motivational Climate in Physical Education

info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Examining Portuguese High School Students’ Attitudes Toward Physical Education

Portugal ranks fourth among countries with the highest rate of overweight population, considering that 67.6% of the Portuguese population over the age of 15 is overweight or obese. To our knowledge, limited studies have investigated students' attitudes toward physical education in Portugal. Such research is necessary because it can provide valuable insights for policy and application in the curriculum development for physical education, which may eventually increase participation in physical and sports activities. This study analyzed students' attitudes toward physical education (PE) according to sociodemographic variables, including grade level, socioeconomic status, and gender, and their participation in extracurricular sports activities and respective PE grades. The sample comprised 476 high school students (from the 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade levels) from five public schools located in Portugal. The Students' Attitudes toward Physical Education Questionnaire was adapted and validated for use with Portuguese students as a two-factor model. Findings show that students generally have a moderately positive attitude toward PE. However, students' positive attitudes tend to decrease throughout high school, which is particularly significant in the 9th grade. Furthermore, students' attitudes are influenced by gender, extracurricular sports practice, and grades. These findings may help stakeholders reflect on how to frame PE in a more meaningful way to create a solid foundation for maintaining an active lifestyle throughout life. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In-season internal and external training load quantification of an elite European soccer team

Elite soccer teams that participate in European competitions need to have players in the best physical and psychological status possible to play matches. As a consequence of congestive schedule, controlling the training load (TL) and thus the level of effort and fatigue of players to reach higher performances during the matches is therefore critical. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to provide the first report of seasonal internal and external training load that included Hooper Index (HI) scores in elite soccer players during an in-season period. Nineteen elite soccer players were sampled, using global position system to collect total distance, high-speed distance (HSD) and average speed (AvS). It was also collected session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) and HI scores during the daily training sessions throughout the 2015-2016 in-season period. Data were analysed across ten mesocycles (M: 1 to 10) and collected according to the number of days prior to a one-match week. Total daily distance covered was higher at the start (M1 and M3) compared to the final mesocycle (M10) of the season. M1 (5589m) reached a greater distance than M5 (4473m) (ES = 9.33 [12.70, 5.95]) and M10 (4545m) (ES = 9.84 [13.39, 6.29]). M3 (5691m) reached a greater distance than M5 (ES = 9.07 [12.36, 5.78]), M7 (ES = 6.13 [8.48, 3.79]) and M10 (ES = 9.37 [12.76, 5.98]). High-speed running distance was greater in M1 (227m), than M5 (92m) (ES = 27.95 [37.68, 18.22]) and M10 (138m) (ES = 8.46 [11.55, 5.37]). Interestingly, the s-RPE response was higher in M1 (331au) in comparison to the last mesocycle (M10, 239au). HI showed minor variations across mesocycles and in days prior to the match. Every day prior to a match, all internal and external TL variables expressed significant lower values to other days prior to a match (p<0.01). In general, there were no differences between player positions. Conclusions: Our results reveal that despite the existence of some significant differences between mesocycles, there were minor changes across the in-season period for the internal and external TL variables used. Furthermore, it was observed that MD-1 presented a reduction of external TL (regardless of mesocycle) while internal TL variables did not have the same record during in-season match-day-minus.: The authors state that there were no salaries’ fund from a tobacco company. Also, the authors are not aware of any competing interests. This project was supported by the National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UID/DTP/04045/2013)—and the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER) allocated by European Union through the COMPETE 2020 Programme (POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006969)—competitiveness and internationalization (POCI). All funding received for this work from any of the following organizations: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Welcome Trust; Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Technologic Appliance and Performance Concerns in Wheelchair Racing – Helping Paralympic Athletes to Excel

Numerical simulations have provided useful evidence in helping several sportsmen to excel in their field. This methodology aims to have a deeper understanding on the influence of equipment and sports techniques on sports performance. In wheelchair racing, technology was used without considering specific sport (some of the Paralympic sports used the same technology of their Olympic counterparts). It has induced unique changes in prosthetic and wheelchair devices. Eventually, technology has become an essential part of Paralympic sports, wheelchair-racing being one of the most popular events. Numerical simulations can help us gather evidence on the effects of drag force acting upon the athlete-chair system

ARE DRY-LAND STRENGTH METRICS AND FORCES EXERTED IN-WATER RELATED WITH HIGH SWIMMING VELOCITY IN YOUNG ATHLETES?

This study aimed to assess strength metrics in 3 dry-land exercises, forces exerted inwater in 3 tethering conditions, and to analyze possible relationships between those variables with high swimming velocity. Mean power, mean forces and 50 m maximum swimming velocity, were recorded and calculated for ten male young swimmers. High correlations were noticed between the dry-land exercises, with the lat pull down presenting the higher correlation with swimming velocity (r = 0.695, p = 0.026). The higher correlation of swimming velocity with forces exerted in-water was observed through the only arms condition (r = 0.762, p = 0.010). Results suggest that for high swimming velocity forces exerted in-water by the arms are a major criteria for success, and that lat pull down may be an appropriate dry-land exercise for its development

Effects of applying a training program on basketball shooting in young players

The main aim of this study was to determine the effects of the application of a strength program in the accuracy of basketball shooting in young female players. Twenty female basketball players, (mean ± standard deviation: 12.08 ± 0.42 years; 1.55 ± 0.08 height; 44.4 ± 5.54 body mass) participated in the study. The participants were divided into two groups, the Control Group (GC) and the Experimental Group (GE), and were evaluated in 4 throwing exercises before (Pre-Test), after the application of a 6-week strength program (Post-Test), as well as after 4 weeks of detraining. The applied training program includes four exercises: i) Jump with Counter-Movement; ii) Throwing of the Medicinal Ball; iii) Sit-ups; iv) Push-ups. The results suggest that application of the 6-week training program had a positive effect on performance in two the four throwing exercises. In addiction 4 weeks of detraining, did not cause significant changes in the performance of the different throwing exercises compared to the Post-test period. It was concluded that a strength training program with a duration of 6 weeks was sufficient to obtain positive effects in the effectiveness of 2 Point throwing exercises in young female basketball players.This work is supported by national funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under project UID04045/2020

Anthropometric characterization and muscle strength parameters in young female swimmers at national level: The relationship with performance in the 50m freestyle

The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the anthropometric characteristics and the explosive muscular strength of the upper and lower limbs in swimmers at the U-16 and U-15 level. In addition, the relationship between anthropometric characteristics, strength variables and performance in the 50 m freestyle was verified. All participants were analysed, regarding their anthropometric characteristics, their explosive muscle strength, and their performance in the 50 m freestyle swim. A total of 92 female swimmers (mean ± standard deviation: 14.08 ± 0.56 years old) participated in the study. The results showed that sub-16 swimmers had higher body mass values compared to sub-15 swimmers (p < .01). In addition, statistically significant differences were also found for upper limb strength indicators (p < .05). Finally, although no differences were found for performance in the 50 m freestyle test between the groups analysed, it was found that swimmers swam with different biomechanical patterns. It was concluded that although there were significant differences for the anthropometric indicators and explosive strength variables, the performance in the 50 m freestyle did not show any statistically significant variations, however the two groups of swimmers, swam with different biomechanical patterns.This work is supported by national funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under project UID04045/2020

Efeito de um treino de força em seco no desempenho em jovens nadadores

Em natação a performance depende da força e potência muscular (Newton et al., 2002) e a capacidade de exercer força na água é fundamental, especialmente em distâncias curtas (Morouço et al., 2011). Assim, os programas de treino de força em seco são comuns em natação ainda que o consenso sobre os benefícios específicos para o nadador ainda não tenha sido alcançado (Tanaka et al., 1993; Trappe and Pearson, 1994; Girold et al., 2007). Por um lado, várias investigações apresentaram melhorias na performance de nado após um programa de treino de força em seco (Strass, 1988; Girold et al., 2007; Aspenes et al., 2009; Girold et al., 2012). Por outro lado, várias investigações não apresentaram melhorias na performance de nado após um programa de treino de força em seco (Tanaka et al., 1993; Trappe and Pearson, 1994; Garrido et al., 2010; Sadowski et al., 2012). As razões para os resultados menos positivos podem dever-se a falhas nos protocolos de intervenção, tais como: especificidade do meio aquático (incapacidade de replicar os movimentos aquáticos em meio terrestre e a falta da resistência da água); escolha de exercícios pouco específicos ou que não solicitem os mesmos grupos musculares que o nado; velocidade de execução e cargas dos exercícios; amostra e os momentos das avaliações. As investigações com jovens nadadores são ainda mais escassas do que com adultos, o que revela alguma necessidade de investigação em torno deste assunto. Assim, os objetivos deste estudo foram examinar os efeitos de um programa de treino de força em seco: (i) na performance de nado e (ii) produção de força na água

Biomechanics of Competitive Swimming Strokes

The aim of this chapter has two folds: (i): to perform a biomechanical characterization of the four competitive swimming strokes, based on the kinematics, kinetics and neuromuscular analysis; (ii) to report the relationships established between all the domains and how it might influence the swimming performance