Recent changes in women’s Olympic shooting and effects in performance

In 2018, the Olympic shooting regulations were modified to increase the number of women’s shots from 40 to 60, equaling the number given to men. This research presented in this paper addresses two research issues: (1) has the performance of women’s shooting changed as a result of this increase in the number of shots? and (2) with the equalized number of shots in place, do women and men perform differently? This study included 292 shooters who competed in the 2016 and/or 2018 European Championships who all obtained top-50 results. Our sample included balanced quotas for sports (50% pistol and 50% rifle) and by category (50% women and 50% men). Both championships were held in the same facilities and in the same month of the season, but with the difference that in 2016, women had 40 shots and in 2018 they had 60 shots. We observed that women’s performances did not diminish for the pistol or the rifle category when their number of shots were increased. Men and women shot equally well with rifles, although the men’s performance with pistols was higher than that of women. We concluded that sports in which physical strength is a minor factor, as in the case of shooting, should revise their regulations in the interest of greater gender equality in sport

Elite coaches’ approach to quantifying technical actions and relative participation in volleyball players’ performance

This study sought to identify elite coaches’ perception of the importance of technical actions and the consideration of relative participation to measure individual volleyball players’ performance. An instrument was elaborated to gather the opinions of elite coaches on the importance of technical actions reported by the data volley (excluding setting), as well as considering relative participation. Twenty elite coaches with at least three years of experience in national teams or top leagues participated in the study. Variables considered in the study were analysed using descriptive statistics and reliability was measured with Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s Omega coefficients (> .70). The results assessed the importance of scoring actions, which received values of (1 point). All errors (terminal and continuity) were scored with (−1). Non-scoring actions were given values [.00, .80], except for poor attack (−.35), poor serve (−.60), free freeball (−.60) and reception free (−.50). Relative participation was considered according to the percentage of points and/or contacts played by each athlete. We concluded that for the player’s points and/or contacts, priority is given to actions that win points directly or are excellent, followed by those that contribute to building comfortable attacks, while penalising errors

Prevalidation of body sway shooting test without the use of weapons

El principal objetivo de este estudio es realizar un estudio previo a la validación de un test de medición del equilibrio en tiro olímpico sin el uso de la pistola. Para ello, se han comparado los resultados del análisis del movimiento del centro de presiones (CP) de dos pruebas de equilibrio estático: en la primera prueba se usó una mancuerna para simular la acción de disparo, mientras que en la segunda se usó la pistola. Se encontró una fuerte correlación entre los dos test en todas las variables del CP y una correlación lineal inversa entre el peso corporal y los movimientos del CP. No se encontró relación alguna entre los movimientos del CP y el rendimiento deportivo. El estudio concluye que el test con mancuerna puede ser válido para la medición del equilibrio específico en tiro olímpico y se recomienda profundizar en el estudio con una muestra de mayor tamañoThe main objective of the present work is the pre-validation of a test able to provide reliable body sway measurements in Olympic shooting, without the use of a pistol. For this reason the results of the analysis of the body sway data of two static bipodal balance tests have been compared: during the first a dumbbell was used to simulate shooting, while for the second test a pistol was used. A strong correlation between the two tests regarding all variables was found. A statistically significant inverse linear correlation was also found between body weight and the movements of the COP (centre of pressure). No statistically significant relations were found between the movements of the COP and performance. The study concludes that dumbbell tests could be perfectly reliable for measuring specific body sway on Olympic shooting. Future studies on the validation of the same test with larger sample size are recommende

Elite coaches’ approach to quantifying technical actions and relative participation in volleyball players’ performance

This study sought to identify elite coaches' perception of the importance of technical actions and the consideration of relative participation to measure individual volleyball players' performance. An instrument was elaborated to gather the opinions of elite coaches on the importance of technical actions reported by the data volley (excluding setting), as well as considering relative participation. Twenty elite coaches with at least three years of experience in national teams or top leagues participated in the study. Variables considered in the study were analysed using descriptive statistics and reliability was measured with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega coefficients (>.70). The results assessed the importance of scoring actions, which received values of (1 point). All errors (terminal and continuity) were scored with (-1). Non-scoring actions were given values [.00,.80], except for poor attack (-.35), poor serve (-.60), free freeball (-.60) and reception free (-.50). Relative participation was considered according to the percentage of points and/or contacts played by each athlete. We concluded that for the player's points and/or contacts, priority is given to actions that win points directly or are excellent, followed by those that contribute to building comfortable attacks, while penalising errors

Resilience in Sports: Sport Type, Gender, Age and Sport Level Differences.

There seems to be a broad consensus that there is a positive correlation between resilience and sport performance. However, different studies show divergent results on the role played by certain variables in this relationship. This study aimed to analyze the possible relationships between resilience levels and the practiced sport according to gender, age, and competitive level of the athletes in 1047 competitive athletes from five different sports (handball, basketball, volleyball, athletics, and judo). Resilience was assessed with the Spanish version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Results of independent samples t-tests or analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant differences on the level of resilience according to the practiced sport or the competitive level. However, the analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that they were related to the gender and age of the athletes, being higher in males than in females, and there was a positive correlation with age. These results seem to suggest the convenience of using differentiated strategies, according to gender and age, when working on all those protective factors that could allow the athlete to perform better when facing adversity in the competitive environmentpost-print384 K

Emotional Intelligence in Physical Activity, Sports and Judo: A Global Approach.

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been studied in relation to health and physical activity (PA) or in a sport-specific approach. EI is related to sports performance; however, combat sports seem to show characteristics of their own that involve better control of emotions than other sports. This study aimed to analyse whether there are differences in EI dimensions between those who do not achieve World Health Organization (WHO) PA recommendations, those who meet WHO PA recommendations, those who meet WHO PA recommendations practising sports, and judokas of different levels. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample comprised 2938 undergraduate students from Madrid and 487 active Spanish judokas. PA was measured by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). EI was assessed by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24). Three different one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA (controlling for gender and age) were conducted to compare the effect of type of group studied on the EI dimensions. Significant differences in EI dimensions were found between those who do not meet PA recommendations, those who meet PA recommendations, those who meet PA recommendations practising sports, and judo athletes of different levels. However, when controlling for gender and age, these differences remained specifically in emotional attention and in emotional repair. Judo athletes and high-performance judo athletes showed better EI than the rest of the studied groups.post-print375 K

Ansiedad en competición y tiempo de disparo en tiradoras de pistola deportiva

Olympic shooting is a precision sport, influenced by both physical and psychological parameters. The main objective of the study was to analyze the effects of competitive anxiety in female sport pistol shooting during the qualification and the final rounds. Twenty-three women, including 5 elite shooters, who competed at a national Spanish Olympic shooting championship, participated in the study. All shooters completed a socio-demographic and a Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) questionnaire 10 minutes before each competition round. Performance was measured at competition by use of electronic targets Sius Ascor D941. Demographic and anxiety variables were registered using a questionnaire and the CSAI-2, respectively. Wilcoxon signed-rank, U Mann–Whitney tests, linear regressions and Pearson correlations were used for the data analysis. Our results showed that pre-competition anxiety impairs performance and increases trigger time. In addition, there are a strong relation between the physical condition and the psychological variables of somatic anxiety and self-confidence for the finalist shooters. We conclude that anxiety modified trigger time and that shooters’ physical condition is inversely related to anxiety and positively related with performance and self-confidence. For this reasons, physical condition programs could be recommended for Olympic shootingEl tiro olímpico es un deporte de precisión, influenciado por factores físicos y psicológicos. El principal objetivo del estudio fue analizar los efectos de la ansiedad precompetitiva y competitiva en mujeres de la modalidad de pistola deportiva durante la clasificación y la final olímpica. Veintitrés mujeres, incluyendo cinco tiradoras de élite, que compitieron en un Campeonato de España participaron en el estudio. Todas las deportistas completaron un cuestionario sociodemográfico y el CSAI-2 10 minutos antes de cada ronda de competición. El rendimiento fue medido mediante blancos electrónicos Sius Ascor D941 durante la competición. Para el análisis de datos se usaron las pruebas de Wilcoxon, U Mann–Whitney, regresiones lineales y correlaciones de Pearson. Los resultados mostraron que la ansiedad precompetitiva afecta al rendimiento y aumenta el tiempo de disparo. Además, existe una fuerte correlación entre la percepción de la condición física y las variables psicológicas de ansiedad somática y autoconfianza para las atletas finalistas. Nosotros concluimos que la ansiedad modifica el tiempo de disparo y que la condición física de las tiradoras se relaciona de forma inversa con la ansiedad y de forma positiva con la autoconfianza y el rendimiento. Por estas razones, programas de actividad física podrían ser recomendables en tiro olímpico.Actividad Física y Deport

Validation of a Dumbbell Body Sway Test in Olympic Air Pistol Shooting

We present and validate a test able to provide reliable body sway measurements in air pistol shooting, without the use of a gun. 46 senior male pistol shooters who participated in Spanish air pistol championships participated in the study. Body sway data of two static bipodal balance tests have been compared: during the first test, shooting was simulated by use of a dumbbell, while during the second test the shooters own pistol was used. Both tests were performed the day previous to the competition, during the official training time and at the training stands to simulate competition conditions. The participants performance was determined as the total score of 60 shots at competition. Apart from the commonly used variables that refer to movements of the shooters centre of pressure (COP), such as COP displacements on the X and Y axes, maximum and average COP velocities and total COP area, the present analysis also included variables that provide information regarding the axes of the COP ellipse (length and angle in respect to X). A strong statistically significant correlation between the two tests was found (with an interclass correlation varying between 0.59 and 0.92). A statistically significant inverse linear correlation was also found between performance and COP movements. The study concludes that dumbbell tests are perfectly valid for measuring body sway by simulating pistol shooting

Psychological States and Training Habits during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Spanish Basketball Athletes.

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Optoelectronic analysis of technical factors and performance of elite-level air pistol shooting.

Technical elements are related to shooting performance; however, the importance of each factor regarding performance, especially in elite-level pistol shooters, remains controversial. The objective of this study was to determine the technical factors that influence pistol performance. One elite-level shooter was analysed during the season before the Olympic classification European championship through a total of six competitions (n = 360 shots). Aiming point trajectories were measured with the SCATT optoelectronic system. Variables were classified into six categories: performance; aiming time; stability of hold; aiming accuracy; cleanness of triggering and shooting delta. Principal component analysis, multiple regressions, Pearson correlations and ANOVAs were used to analyse the data. The results showed that five components (aiming time, stability of hold, aiming accuracy, cleanness of triggering and shooting delta) determined a total of 79.68% of the shooting variance. Specifically, aiming accuracy and cleanness of triggering explained up to 25% of the shooting score, with cleanness of triggering serving as the determining factor. Correlations were found among the performance and stability of hold, aiming accuracy, cleanness of triggering and shooting delta. Last, significant differences were found among 8-score, 9-score and 10-score shots. We conclude that while aiming accuracy seems to be related to the performance, cleanness of triggering could be the most critical technical element; furthermore, while stability of hold does not seem to be a determining factor of the score, it could be a general prerequisite to achieve high levels of performance in elite-level air pistol shooters.post-print470 K