Analysis of the offensive teamwork intensity in elite female basketball

The aim of this study was to determine the offensive teamwork intensity at a high level of women’s basketball performance. Under observation for this research were quarter finalists of the European Women´s Basketball Championship held in 2011. The data were gathered from 951 ball possessions of 7 recorded games. Our earlier research (Bazanov, B et al. 2005) has helped to work out the basics of the analytical system of the teamwork aspect. The analysing system of the competitive activity of the game, which we have worked out, enables to determine the structure and intensity of the teamwork, and to find interesting models of game activity from the data. The results of this research showed that the average teamwork intensity index among quarter finalists of the European Women´s Basketball Championship in 2011 was 0,72 (SD+/- 0,24). Based on the results of working through the statistical data (T-test, F-test), it was found that the teamwork intensity index of successful offenses (0,76) was statistically significantly different (p<0,01) from non successful (0,68)

Optimization of a jump shot rhythm at the junior level of basketball performance

The jump shot is one of the most frequently used methods of shooting in the modern basketball. For example in the Spanish league, it accounts for 41% of all points (Rojas et al., 2000). Based on the results of our previous research which enabled to determine the phase structure and create rhythm models of shooting in elite male basketball (Bazanov, 2001, 2014) the purpose of this study was to improve the shooting rhythm of jump shot performances of male under 20 years old basketball players. The subjects used consisted of five under 20 years old basketball players of the Tallinn Basketball Academy. The whole action of shooting was divided into 5 phases and examined quantitatively and qualitatively. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The reliability of the differences was controlled by F-test and T-test. Results show, that the main changes occurred in preparation (“catching” and “sitting down”) phases. We can conclude, that execution of technical requirements allows to change significantly the jump shot rhythm performance and reduce the duration of the jump shot in basketball

The relationship between physiological and mechanical load indicators and offensive team efficiency in junior male basketball

The aim of this investigation was to identify the players physiological and mechanical load demands in association with the offensive teamwork structure and efficiency at the junior level of basketball performance. Sixteen elite male junior (age 17,4 ± 1,2 years; height 193,7 ± 7,4 cm; mass 84,4 ± 11,1 kg) Estonian basketball players volunteered to participate in this study. The data were gathered from 197 ball possessions in three competitive games played in division 1 of Estonian Championship. The heart rate and mechanical activity values of each player partakes in team ball possession were obtained by the physiological status monitoring device Zephyr™ BioHarness™. The technical/tactical indicators of the team offensive activity, „teamwork intensity“ and outcomes were notated to the Microsoft Office Excel table. The last stage of data processing provided the analysis of aggregated data by Data mining method. The sample of associative rules for the team scoring (depended variable) more than the average 0,90 (predicted value) highlights the role of the point guardś high level of heart rate (181 BMP on average) for increasing the offensive efficiency. Furthermore, the efficient possessions are characterized by the high values of mechanical activity (>1) and heart rate (165-191 BMP) of forwards accompanied by a high teamwork „intensity“ indicator (0,83-. 1,55). Based on these results, we can conclude that the players higher mechanical activity and heart rate values ensure a higher offensive efficiency of a basketball team

Soccer players training load during Estonian Premium League matches: comparison of high and low ranking teams

This paper compares training load of a high ranking soccer team with a low ranking team. Two Estonian Premium League soccer teams participated in this study. One team was ranked in the top and the other ranked in the bottom of Estonian Premium League Championships. Both teams played against a team ranking in the middle of Estonian Premium League Championships. Study consists of 21 field players: 11 players from the high ranking team (22,3±4,2 yrs; 181,0±6,9 cm; 74,9±8,1 kg) and 10 players from the low ranking team (22,0±4,4 yrs; 183,1±4,7 cm; 78,2±5,5 kg). Match performance data was measured by BioHarness 3 monitors and OmniSense software (Zephyr Technology Corporation). Statistically significant difference between the high and the low ranking team is found for: mechanical intensity, mechanical load, training intensity and training load. No statistically significant difference between the high and the low ranking team is found for: physiological intensity and physiological load. Higher ranking team has lower training load than lower ranking team during a soccer match. This result indicates that it is necessary to improve technical and tactical skills to reduce training load during a soccer matches. Lower training load ensures the stability of tactical and technical skills during the match

Sprint cycling performance and asymmetry

The purpose of this study was to examine the asymmetries in cyclist’s lower limbs strength and in the pedalling kinematics during a seated sprinting test and to identify the relationships between asymmetries and maximal cycling power. 16 competitive road cyclists (20.6±3.7 yrs., 181.5±5.0 cm, 74.8±7.0 kg) performed 10 Sec isokinetic maximum power test with cadence 120 RPM. The asymmetry of kinematic patterns of cyclist’s upper and lower body during pedalling was registered. Separately isokinetic peak torque (PT) of main lover limbs joint were measured at angular speeds 60, 180 and 240/s. The differences in kinematic patterns and isokinetic PT values between two limbs were analysed for descriptive and inferential statistics (relative share in %, correlations and regression between asymmetry values and cycling power). Conclusion: The highest asymmetries were found in cyclist’s upper body kinematics and at the same time the most symmetrical were knee extensors strength values, but both parameters were negatively and significantly correlated with the performance of sprint cycling. By combining the leg extensors muscular strength with asymmetry of knee extensors strength and trunk kinematics the explanatory power of multiple regressions increased markedly from 0.68 to 0.92

Relationship between musculoskeletal state and vertical jump ability of young basketball players

The aim of this study was to evaluate the musculoskeletal state and jumping ability and to analyse the relationships between fundamental movement patterns and the jumping height of male junior level basketball players. Fifty four Under 18 (U-18) years basketball players were evaluated according to FMS 21 and 100 point scale and height of Squat (SJ) and Countermovement jump (CMJ). Spearman and Pearson correlations were carried out to identify whether a relationship existed between FMS scores and the height of SJ and CMJ. The moderate correlations were found between height of both jumps and FMS score (SJ, r = 0.375; CMJ, r = 0.498), whereas the sub-tests show a reliable correlation between the Deep Squat (DS) score and CMJ height (r = 0.315). A higher height of CMJ was also associated with the scores of In-line Lunge (r = 0.357) and Active SLR (r= 0.291). The basis of the findings we can conclude that improvement of the jump ability can be achieved by the enhancement of the overall musculoskeletal state, which can be identified through the composite FMS score or by “Deep squat“, “In-line Lunge“ and “Active SLR“ sub-tests

Cycling specific postural stability during incremental exercise: The relationship with cyclists Functional Movement Screen score

The purpose of this study was to characterise the changes in the power of the normalised ground reaction forces and COP swaying, as measures of the cycling stability and effectiveness of full body motion during an incremental cycling exercise; and to examine the relationships between cycling specific postural stability and cyclists ability to perform functional movements, measured by the FMS test.38 competitive road cyclists (19.2±2.3 yrs., 181.7±6.6 cm, 74.3±7.3 kg) performed Functional Movement Screen (FMS) test to evaluate their musculoskeletal state.  Experimental cycling exercise was performed using the cyclist’s personal racing bikes mounted on the cycling ergometer Cyclus 2, which were fixed on two Kistler 9286B force plate.  The 6 ground reaction force (GRF) components (3 linear and 3 angular), COP movement deviation and sway velocity were measured during incremental cycling exercise (step 2 min, increment 25W). Postural stability measures were calculated as power corrected standard deviations of COP and GRF components signals during 30 sec cycling in every incremental step. The paired t-test was used to control differences in postural stability measures between intensity levels and correlation analyses was used to evaluate relationships between postural stability and FMS scores. Results of the study indicate that most integrative cycling specific posture stability measure is COP sway velocity that is also most sensitive predictor of cyclist’s musculoskeletal state, measured by the FMS test.  During an incremental cycling exercise the power normalised postural swaying decreased up to the intensity at the level of anaerobic threshold and during the level of the maximal aerobic power the postural stability decreased significantly

Novel way for FMS score calculation highlights field of sport- specific information among young competitive athletes

Any complex movement encompasses information about a person’s abilities and disabilities. FMS™ test includes such exercise tests that have shown to reflect risk for injury in the athletic population. There are few reports where FMS™ score reflects certain sports to be more prone to injury. The inconsistency of results may arise from the way subtest scores are combined. Instead of a summation we propose to apply more justified method of geometric mean of subtest scores to tally the final composite score. We used tests on 215 young competitive athletes, 133 young female (age 17.35 ± 1,65) and 82 males (age 17,78± 2.1) from 8 fields of sport (volleyball, basketball, handball, fencing, judo, biathlon, cycling, soccer). Original FMS 21 point (FMS21) were used and for every participant’s arithmetic and geometric mean were calculated. The mean composite FMS™ score of young female athletes was 14.3±1.7 and for male’s 13.8±1.6 out of possible 21 total point. The comparison of sport-specific geometric mean values among girls showed that basketball players had significantly lower results than athletes from biathlon and handball players. Contrarily among boys the handball players had lowest values, being significantly lower from in cyclists, fencers and soccer players. Cyclists had also higher geometric mean values than volleyball players and judo athletes. Detailed analysis of the structure of differences is needed to highlight the specific causes impacting FMS_GM for assessment for seriousness and for specific exercises to potentially compensate for the sport specific detrimental effect on the kinematic chain

Does limited gear ratio driven higher training cadence in junior cycling reflect in maximum effort sprint?

Maximum gears for youth category riders are limited. As a result, youth category riders are regularly compelled to ride in a high cadence regime. The aim of this study was to investigate if regular work at high cadence regime due to limited transmission in youth category riders reflects in effectual cadence at the point of maximal power generation during the 10 second sprint effort. 24 junior and youth national team cyclist’s average maximal peak power at various cadence regimes was registered on Cyclus-2 ergometer using cyclists own bikes. Effectual cadence at the point of maximal power generation (group average 113.9±10.6 rpm) is similar to the values of professional road cyclist during the last 200m sprinting to finish where 10 second average cadence is 109.9±5.3 rpm and highest average cadence is 117.6±6.1 rpm. The premise that regular work at high cadence regime due to limited transmission in youth category riders reflects in effectual cadence at the point of maximal power generation during the 10 second sprint effort was not corroborated