Pre- and Post-Activity Stretching Practices of Collegiate Soccer Coaches in the United States

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(6): 260-272, 2020. Current pre- and post-activity stretching guidelines are designed to optimize performance and reduce injury risk. However, it is unclear whether soccer coaches adhere to these recommendations. The purpose of this study was to determine if collegiate soccer coaches’ perceptions and practices align with current scientific recommendations. A total of 781 questionnaires were electronically distributed to soccer coaches from NCAA Division I and III universities.The questionnaire obtained demographic, professional, and educational information, as well as stretching practices. Statistical analysis consisted of computing frequency counts and means where applicable. Pearson\u27s Chi-square tests were performed to assess the potential differences in stretching perceptions and practices among the cohort of soccer coaches. Results suggest that soccer coaches are choosing some forms of stretching more frequently than other coaches (χ2= 342.7, p\u3c 0.001). Further analysis failed to determine significant associations between stretching type and coaching certification, level, sex, years of experience, and age. Of the 209 respondents, 84.9% believed pre-activity stretching to be of greater than average importance on a seven-point Likert scale. Dynamic stretching (68.7%) or a combination of static and ballistic stretching (18.0%) prior to athletic events was the most typical stretching prescribed. Current post-activity practices demonstrate that most coaches (95.4%) are using some form of a general cool-down following practice or competition. This study is an important assessment of the extent to which collegiate coaches administer appropriate stretching techniques. Most coaches adhere to current recommendations; however, they should continue to evaluate their practices against ongoing research and the practices of their peers

Growing the Youth Olympic Games: Comparing Millennial Generation Sport Festival Engagement

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(6): 578-593, 2021. Despite the continued growth of the Olympic Games (OG), the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) has received minimal attention from mainstream media since its introduction in 2010. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare event awareness and consumption intention for the 2012 Winter YOG to two international sport events occurring in the same year. A survey instrument was utilized to examine and compare event awareness, consumption intention, and logo identification for three international sport events within a millennial generation sample. The study showed significant differences in personal and public awareness between the three sport events, with personal (r = .313, p ≤ .001) and public (r = .331, p ≤ .001) awareness for the YOG demonstrating a positive correlation with consumption intention. This study is an important assessment of the YOG event awareness that can be utilized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to better understand and engage their participants and audience. Successful promotion of the YOG may require a transformation of the current marketing strategies that are utilized. The YOG has great opportunity for success in the global sport market to leave behind the status of the best kept secret in sport

No significant effect of caffeine on five kilometer running performance after muscle damage

Caffeine has documented hypoalgesic effects during exercise. However, there is a lack of research focusing on caffeine’s potential analgesic effects to ameliorate delayed onset muscle soreness. A placebo controlled randomized cross-over trial was carried out to determine if 5 mg/kg of body weight (mg/kgBW) of caffeine attenuates muscle pain and improves 5 k running performance following delayed onset muscle soreness. Prior to participating, eleven runners (9 male; 2 female; age, 24.5 ± 6.3 years; height, 173.6 ± 7.8 cm; body mass, 66.3 ± 7.5 kg; BMI, 23.18 kg/m2 ± 1.6; VO2max 61.0 ± 6.1 ml/kg/min−1), were asked to discontinue supplement use for 72 hours and abstain from caffeine consumption for 48 hours. Participants performed a 30-minute downhill run on a treadmill set at −10% grade at 70% VO2max to induce delayed onset of muscle soreness. Participants then returned 48 hours after to complete a 5 k time trial run where they consumed either 5 mg/kgBW of caffeine or a placebo. Rate of perceived exertion and heart rate were taken every two minutes during the trial. There was no detectable statistical difference between 5 k performance between caffeine (1074.9 ± 119.7 sec) or placebo (1053.8 ± 86.8 sec) (p = .41). Algometer readings were similar between both treatments for muscle soreness in the rectus femoris (p = .791) and the vastus medialis oblique (p = .371). Muscle soreness ratings were found to be greater in the caffeine condition compared to the placebo condition (p = .030). There was no effect of treatment on rating of perceived exertion between conditions (p = .574). The present study suggests that caffeine is not effective at reducing muscle soreness, rating of perceived exertion, or improving running performance in a time trial in the presence of muscle soreness