Neuromuscular fluctuations and match-play demands of the collegiate basketball competitive season.

El baloncesto es un deporte de equipo basado en la cancha que requiere una gran demanda del sistema neuromuscular. El baloncesto ha habido modificaciones recientes que han aumentado el ritmo y el espaciamiento durante la competición. Como resultado de este aumento de la variabilidad del movimiento, los entrenadores y los científicos del deporte deben utilizar un modelo que refleje la evolución del juego. En sus orígenes, el objetivo de los especialistas de fuerza y acondicionamiento físico es optimizar el rendimiento y reducir el riesgo de posibles lesiones. Para conseguir estos objetivos, los preparadores físicos deben tener un conocimiento exhaustivo de las exigencias del entrenamiento y del juego, así como una prueba estandarizada y repetible para evaluar el rendimiento neuromuscular. Debido a la naturaleza del juego, es plausible que los profesionales utilicen una evaluación de saltos para evaluar los efectos que los partidos tienen en el sistema neuromuscular de los atletas a lo largo de la temporada competitiva. Algunas de las métricas más populares para hacer un seguimiento de las tareas de salto son la altura de salto (JH), la fuerza máxima (PF) y el índice de fuerza reactiva (RSI). Al evaluar las exigencias de la actividad deportiva del baloncesto, la evaluación del reflejo de estiramiento rápido y del ciclo de estiramiento-acortamiento (SSC) es un indicador de especificidad y validez ecológica, lo que justifica el uso del RSI en el ámbito del rendimiento en el baloncesto. Sin embargo, es necesario evaluar la carga de entrenamiento y las exigencias de los partidos sobre estas cualidades de fuerza reactiva. Por lo tanto, la presente tesis tiene como objetivo: (1) revisar sistemáticamente la literatura para determinar la carga de entrenamiento y las demandas de juego en el baloncesto en relación con el nivel de competición; (2) examinar la cronicidad de la fluctuación de los rendimientos neuromusculares durante la temporada de baloncesto competitivo; (3) evaluar los efectos agudos de la potenciación neuromuscular en las demandas físicas durante el partido. Los resultados del presente compendio de artículos concluyen que los jugadores de nivel de élite tienen un perfil único en relación con las demandas físicas en la competición. Además, a través de la revisión sistemática, se concluyó que los atletas de baloncesto de élite cubren menos distancia total en la competición, sin embargo, poseen la capacidad de moverse a mayores velocidades máximas. Asimismo, se halló que el rendimiento neuromuscular es sensible a la época del año y a la densidad de las competiciones. La velocidad máxima es un indicador de la preparación neuromuscular para la competición. Los atletas que tuvieron mayores efectos ergogénicos en la RSI el día anterior a la competición alcanzaron mayores velocidades máximas en relación con sus valores normativos al día siguiente. Estos resultados podrían ser útiles para los profesionales a la hora de conocer las exigencias de los partidos en el baloncesto de élite, la programación del macrociclo para tener en cuenta la densidad de los partidos y la mejora aguda de las cualidades de la fuerza reactiva para optimizar la preparación neuromuscular.Actividad Física y Deport

INFLUENCE OF THE DAME 8 BASKETBALL SHOES ON JUMP KINETICS AFTER 150 MILES OF SIMULATED RUNNING

Basketball involves high-mileage running and repeated jumps. The goal of this study was to compare pre- and post-kinetic variables involved in jumping between basketball shoes with different inflicted mileage. Eleven NCAA Division I basketball athletes (20.5±1.4 years, 195.1±5.7 cm, 86.7±10.9 kg) performed a countermovement jump (CMJ), a rebound countermovement jump (CMJ-R), and a Multi-Rebound (MR) for four rounds on force platforms. Each round, athletes switched between brand-new (New) and worn (Worn) Dame 8 basketball shoes. Kinetic variables associated with each jump task were compared across shoe type. Several kinetic variables differed significantly between shoe type; however, the magnitude of difference was small-to-moderate. These results suggest that the Dame 8 withstands the high mileage imposed by high-level competition basketball

Development of a Coherent Doppler Lidar for Precision Maneuvering and Landing of Space Vehicles

A coherent Doppler lidar has been developed to address NASAs need for a high-performance, compact, and cost-effective velocity and altitude sensor onboard its landing vehicles. Future robotic and manned missions to planetary bodies require precise ground-relative velocity vector and altitude data to execute complex descent maneuvers and safe, soft landing at a pre-designated site. This lidar sensor, referred to as a Navigation Doppler Lidar, meets the required performance of landing missions while complying with vehicle size, mass, and power constraints. Operating from over five kilometers altitude, the lidar obtains velocity and range precision measurements with 2 cm/sec and 2 meters, respectively, dominated by the vehicle motion. After a series of flight tests onboard helicopters and rocket-powered free-flyer vehicles, the Navigation Doppler Lidar is now being ruggedized for future missions to various destinations in the solar system

The Recovery Umbrella in the World of Elite Sport: Do Not Forget the Coaching and Performance Staff

In the field of sports science, the recovery umbrella is a trending topic, and even more so in the world of elite sports. This is evidenced by the significant increase in scientific publications during the last 10 years as teams look to find a competitive edge. Recovery is recognized to be an integral component to assist athlete preparation in the restoration of physical and psychological function, and subsequently, performance in elite team sports athletes. However, the importance of recovery in team staff members (sports coaches and performance staff) in elite sports appears to be a forgotten element. Given the unrelenting intense nature of daily tasks and responsibilities of team staff members, the elite sports environment can predispose coaches to increased susceptibility to psycho-socio physiological fatigue burden, and negatively affect health, wellbeing, and performance. Therefore, the aim of this opinion was to (1) develop an educational recovery resource for team staff members, (2) identify organizational task-specific fatigue indicators and barriers to recovery and self-care in team staff members, and (3) present recovery implementation strategies to assist team staff members in meeting their organizational functions. It is essential that we do not forget the coaching and performance staff in the recovery process

Training load and match-play demands in basketball based on competition level: A systematic review.

Basketball is a court-based team-sport that requires a broad array of demands (physiological, mechanical, technical, tactical) in training and competition which makes it important for practitioners to understand the stress imposed on the basketball player during practice and match-play. Therefore, the main aim of the present systematic review is to investigate the training and match-play demands of basketball in elite, sub-elite, and youth competition. A search of five electronic databases (PubMed, SportDiscus, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Cochrane) was conducted until December 20th, 2019. Articles were included if the study: (i) was published in English; (ii) contained internal or external load variables from basketball training and/or competition; and (iii) reported physiological or metabolic demands of competition or practice. Additionally, studies were classified according to the type of study participants into elite (20), sub-elite (9), and youth (6). A total of 35 articles were included in the systematic review. Results indicate that higher-level players seem to be more efficient while moving on-court. When compared to sub-elite and youth, elite players cover less distance at lower average velocities and with lower maximal and average heart rate during competition. However, elite-level players have a greater bandwidth to express higher velocity movements. From the present systematic review, it seems that additional investigation on this topic is warranted before a "clear picture" can be drawn concerning the acceleration and deceleration demands of training and competition. It is necessary to accurately and systematically assess competition demands to provide appropriate training strategies that resemble match-play

Influence of ball possession and playing position on the physical demands encountered during professional basketball games

Understanding the game demands encountered in basketball provides useful insight for developing specific, individualized and team-based training sessions. This study quantified and compared the game activity demands encountered by basketball players of different playing positions: i) strictly when in possession of the ball and ii) overall during live playing time (irrespective of ball possession). The activity demands encountered by 44 (22 guards, 14 forwards, 8 centres) adult, professional, male basketball players were assessed across 10 official games. Time-motion analysis was used to determine the frequency and proportion (%) of playing time performing recovery (REC), low- (LIA), moderate- (MIA), and high- (HIA) intensity activities. Linear mixed models were constructed to examine differences in dependent variables between playing positions, accounting for repeated measures. Guards, forwards, and centres spent 11.9±5.9%, 3.5±1.3%, and 2.9±1.1% of live playing time in possession of the ball, respectively. Guards performed more activities at all intensities (total movements, REC, LIA, MIA, and HIA) than forwards (P < 0.05) and centres (P < 0.05) when in possession of the ball. The proportion of time spent performing HIA in possession of the ball was greater for forwards (P = 0.001) and centres (P = 0.001) than guards. During live playing time overall across games, centres performed more HIA per minute (P = 0.049) and spent a greater proportion of time performing HIA (P = 0.047) than guards. Activities performed when in possession of the ball and during live playing time across basketball games are affected by playing position. These data highlight the need to develop position-specific training drills, particularly with ball possession

Benefits of IMU-based Wearables in Sports Medicine: Narrative Review

Background: Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) based wearables have been the focus of many recent sports medicine research efforts. Objective: The goal of this narrative-driven literature review is to provide the current state of IMU-based wearable technology in Sports Medicine for the benefit of practitioners and athletic trainers. Method: A search was performed using university library resources; specifically, PubMed, EBSCO Discovery and Google Scholar search engines were used to identify appropriate peer-reviewed studies in this field. Results: IMU wearables have shown to be a cost-effective way to measure biomechanical and physiological data for athletic training and rehabilitation compared to laboratory gold standards. While IMU wearables show potential, barriers such as IMU drift and complicated calibrations limit the technology’s ability to flourish in the commercial market. Conclusion: IMU-based wearables provide kinematic information without the constraints and costs of gold standard laboratory equipment such as video-based motion capture and force plates; however, further innovation is required to overcome their major obstacles

Validity and Reliability of StriveTM Sense3 for Muscle Activity Monitoring During the Squat Exercise

Background: Recent innovations in surface electromyographic (sEMG) technology have enabled the measurement of muscle activity using smart textiles. Objective: In this study, the StriveTM Sense3 performance monitoring system is evaluated against a research-grade system, NoraxonTM, in measuring activity during the back squat exercise. Method: Seventeen participants performed three total trials of the squat exercise with a progressive load for individual trials equal to 30%, 60%, and 80% of their estimated maximum 1RM (one-repetition maximum). sEMG measurements from the rectus femoris were captured for the left and right leg by both systems. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were computed for each trial to assess concurrent validity and interrater reliability of the StriveTM Sense3 device. Additionally, five coaches at the collegiate- and professional-level of Men’s Basketball speak from an autoethnographic frame to the findings from this study. Results: Results ranged from “Poor” to “Excellent” validity and “Poor to Moderate” to “Excellent” reliability, with a majority of trials achieving “Good” or better results across all loads [93% trials: r = 0.7; 87% trials: lower ICC 95% CI bound = 0.75 (absolute sEMG); 98% trials: lower ICC 95% CI bound = 0.75 (normalized sEMG)]. Higher validity and reliability for medium and heavy loads were observed in comparison to the light load, and several outliers indicate the need for coaches to lubricate sensors and ensure proper fit to collect accurate data. Conclusion: Examining results alongside practitioner feedback indicate the StriveTM Sense3 system is capable of tracking sEMG activity in comparison to a research-grade system