Hot hands, cold feet? Investigating effects of interacting constraints on place kicking performance at the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup

Place kicks in Rugby Union present valuable opportunities to score points outside the spatiotemporal dynamics of open play but are executed under varying performance constraints. We analysed effects of specific task constraints and relevant contextual factors on place kick performance in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Data were collected from television broadcasts for each place kick. In addition to kick outcomes, contextual factors, including time of the kick in the match, score margin at the time of the kick, and outcome of the kicker’s previous kick, were recorded. Effects of spatial task constraints were analysed for each kick, using distance (m) and angle (°) of the kick to the goalposts. A binomial logistic regression model revealed that distance from, and angle to, the goalposts were significant predictors of place kick outcome. Furthermore, the success percentage of kickers who missed their previous kick was 7% lower than those who scored their previous kick. Place kick success percentage in the 10 minutes before half-time was 8% lower than the mean tournament success percentage, which was 75% (95% CI 71% to 78%). The highest kick success percentage was recorded when scores were level (83%; 95% CI 72% to 91%). Our data highlighted how subtle changes in task constraints and contextual factors can influence performance outcomes in elite performers in international competition. Fluctuations in place kick success suggested that individual constraints, such as thoughts, emotions, and fatigue, induced during competition, could interact with perceptions to influence emergent performance behaviours

Experiential knowledge of elite Rugby Union players on key performance constraints in place kicking

There has been a growing tendency in sport science research to examine the relationship between empirical knowledge developed in scientific experiments and theoretical frameworks and the experiential knowledge of elite performers and practitioners (Jones, Bezodis, & Thompson, 2009; Greenwood, Davids, & Renshaw, 2014; Phillips, Davids, Renshaw, & Portus, 2014). In this study, we investigated the experiential knowledge of elite Rugby Union place kickers to access their understanding of how to satisfy interacting constraints of competitive performance and practice environments. Place kicks in Rugby Union offer opportunities to score points outside the spatiotemporal dynamics of open play, but are typically performed under varying task and contextual constraints within a performance environment. Success percentage of place kicks can fluctuate under specific task and contextual constraints, as shown in a recent analysis of the 2015 Rugby World Cup (Pocock, Bezodis, Davids, & North, under review). For example, success percentage can drop sharply at critical thresholds of distance and angle to the goalposts and can vary depending on time elapsed, score margin and previous kick success. Interestingly, place kicks in the 10 minutes before half time were 8% less successful than the tournament average, and place kickers who had missed their previous kick were 7% less successful than place kickers who had scored their previous kick. It has therefore been speculated that emotions induced during competition can interact with perceptions and action to influence the emergent behaviours of place kickers. To develop greater understanding of how fluctuations in performance data may emerge, we interviewed professional Rugby Union place kickers and sought to explore their experiences of satisfying key interacting constraints on performance. Specifically, we aimed to investigate the key constraints that place kickers perceive to influence their emotions and perceptions of task difficulty. A secondary aim of the interviews was to identify specific details of how place kicking situations are currently practised, and why they are structured in this way. We present here the experiential knowledge of place kickers which includes their perceptions of the key constraints in performance environments and how they currently prepare for place kicks. Our findings highlighted how performance constraints can influence emotions, cognitions and perceptions during place kicking performance and the data indicated how the key constraints identified in this study, combined with the findings of previous quantitative analyses, could be represented in training environments. Initial interviews revealed that place kicking is predominantly practised individually and in isolation from game-based scenarios in training, without any form of pressure or expectation. Examples of pressure that place kickers identified in interviews included expectations of team-mates, performing in front of large crowds and closely-matched scores. This presentation will conclude by discussing how an integration of empirical and experiential knowledge can enrich understanding of sport performance and provide recommendations for coaches when designing practice environments which simulate relevant performance constraints to enhance the adaptive skills of elite and developing athletes in sport

The Tea Bag Index—UK: using citizen/community science to investigate organic matter decomposition rates in domestic gardens

Gardening has the potential to influence several ecosystem services, including soil carbon dynamics, and shape progression towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, (e.g., SDG 13). There are very few citizen/community science projects that have been set up to test an explicit hypothesis. However, citizen/community science allows collection of countrywide observations on ecosystem services in domestic gardens to inform us on the effects of gardening on SDGs. The geographical spread of samples that can be collected by citizen/community science would not be possible with a team of professional science researchers alone. Members of the general public across the UK submitted soil samples and buried standardised litter bags (tea bags) as part of the Tea Bag Index—UK citizen/community science project. Participants returned 511 samples from across the UK from areas in their garden where soil organic amendments were and were not applied. The project examined the effects of application of soil amendments on decomposition rates and stabilisation of litter, and in turn, effects on soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations. This was in response to a call for contributions to a global map of decomposition in the Teatime4Science campaign. Results suggested that application of amendments significantly increased decomposition rate and soil carbon, nitrogen, and carbon: nitrogen ratios within each garden. So much so that amendment application had more influence than geographic location. Furthermore, there were no significant interactions between location and amendment application. We therefore conclude that management in gardens has similar effects on soil carbon and decomposition, regardless of the location of the garden in question. Stabilisation factor was influenced more prominently by location than amendment application. Gardening management decisions can influence a number of SDGs and a citizen/community science project can aid in both the monitoring of SDGs, and involvement of the public in delivery of SDG

libSBOLj 2.0: A Java Library to Support SBOL 2.0

The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) is an emerging data standard for representing synthetic biology designs. The goal of SBOL is to improve the reproducibility of these designs and their electronic exchange between researchers and/or genetic desig

Pattern recognition in soccer: perceptions of skilled players and experienced coaches

The ability to perceive and recognise patterns of play is important for skilled performance in sporting environments with strict spatiotemporal constraints. An extensive body of laboratory-based experimental research has examined pattern recognition, yet there has been a lack of qualitative investigations into pattern recognition underpinning skilled performance. We interviewed six skilled soccer defenders and seven experienced coaches to investigate the perceived importance of pattern recognition to ‘game reading’ in soccer and its development in practice. A two-stage reflexive thematic analysis identified seven higher-order and twenty-two lower-order themes relating to the contribution of pattern recognition to game reading in competition and practice. Participants reported that danger and distances, visual perception, anticipation, experience, opposition team, organisation and communication, and development in practice were deemed fundamental to performance in competition. Participants explained that developing pattern recognition skills in representative practice environments supported transfer of these skills into competition. Defenders and coaches emphasised the importance of distance between player and ball, as well as identifying ‘triggers’ which appear linked to a defender’s experience, positional awareness, and organisational skills. Providing defenders with representative scenarios during practice is recommended to stimulate problem-solving and promote familiarity with an opposition team’s patterns of play to support skilled performance