Relationship between pre-season testing performance and playing time among NCAA DII basketball players

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between pre-season testing performance and playing time within a men’s Division II basketball team. Methods: Archival data from pre-season athletic performance testing for ten (n=10) male NCAA Division II basketball players was collected and analyzed to determine if there was a relationship between anthropometric data (height, weight, wingspan), physical performance tests (vertical jump height, lane agility test, 5 and 20 m sprint time, National Basketball League (NBA) line drill and 20 m multi-stage fitness test (MSFT)), and playing time in the subsequent collegiate season. Results: Pearson’s product moment correlations revealed significant correlations were observed between playing time and predicted 1-RM bench press (r≥0.71) and 1-RM back squat (r≥0.74). Conclusion: These results reveal the importance of upper and lower body strength to determine playing time for Division II basketball players. Based on these results, coaches should emphasize the importance of resistance training to develop upper and lower body strength to increase playing time in Division II collegiate athletes

Lower-body power, linear speed, and change-of-direction speed in Division I collegiate women\u27s volleyball players

© 2020 Institute of Sport. All rights reserved. Volleyball players need to sprint and change direction during a match. Lower-body power, often measured by jump tests, could contribute to faster movements. How different jumps relate to linear and change-of-direction (COD) speed has not been analyzed in Division I (DI) collegiate women\u27s volleyball players. Fifteen female volleyball players completed the vertical jump (VJ), two-step approach jump (AppJ), and standing broad jump (SBJ). Peak power and power-to-body mass ratio (P:BM) were derived from VJ and AppJ height; relative SBJ was derived from SBJ distance. Linear speed was measured via a 20-m sprint (0-10 and 0-20 m intervals); COD speed was measured using the pro-agility shuttle. Pearson\u27s correlations (p \u3c 0.05) calculated relationships between the power variables, and speed tests. There were no significant relationships between the power variables and the 0-10 m sprint interval. Greater VJ height (r = -0.534) and P:BM (r = -0.557) related to a faster 0-20 m sprint interval. This be due to a greater emphasis on the stretch-shortening cycle to generate speed over 20 m. However, although a 20-m sprint may provide a measure of general athleticism, the distance may not be specific to volleyball. This was also indicated as the AppJ did not relate to any of the speed tests. Nonetheless, VJ height and P:BM, and SBJ distance and relative SBJ, all negatively correlated with the pro-agility shuttle (r = -0.548 to -0.729). DI women\u27s collegiate volleyball players could develop absolute and relative power in the vertical and horizontal planes to enhance COD speed

Time Spent Working in Custody Influences Work Sample Test Battery Performance of Deputy Sheriffs Compared to Recruits

This study determined the influence of years spent working in custody on fitness measured by a state-specific testing battery (Work Sample Test Battery; WSTB) in deputy sheriffs. Retrospective analysis was conducted on one patrol school class (51 males, 13 females) divided into three groups depending on time spent working in custody: DS24 (<24 months; n = 20); DS2547 (25–47 months; n = 23); and DS48+ (≥48 months; n = 21). These groups were compared to a recruit class (REC; 219 males, 34 females) in the WSTB, which comprised five tasks completed for time: 99-yard (90.53-m) obstacle course (99OC); 165-pound (75-kg) dummy drag; six-foot (1.83-m) chain link fence (CLF) and solid wall (SW) climb; and 500-yard (457.2-m) run (500R). A univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) (controlling for sex and age) with Bonferroni post hoc determined significant between-group differences. DS48+ were slower in the 99OC compared to the REC (p = 0.007) and performed the CLF and SW slower than all groups (p ≤ 0.012). DS24, DS2547, and DS48+ were all slower than REC in the 500R (p ≤ 0.002). Physical training should be implemented to maintain fitness and job-specific task performance in deputy sheriffs working custody, especially considering the sedentary nature of this work

The Effects of a Commercial, Pre-exercise Energy Drink Supplement on Power, Muscular Endurance, and Repeated Sprint Speed

International Journal of Exercise Science 9(2): 205-213, 2016. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ingesting a pre-workout commercial energy drink supplement on multiple parameters of physical performance, including upper body and trunk muscular endurance, muscular power, and repeated sprint speed. 19 college-aged males (n = 8) and females (n = 11) participated in this randomized, double-blind, parallel groups study. At baseline and post-testing (about one week after baseline testing), anaerobic power (assessed via a countermovement vertical jump), muscular endurance (assessed via YMCA bench press test and a curl-up test), and repeated sprint speed were assessed. Thirty minutes prior to post-testing, subjects ingested one serving (1.75 ounces [37 ml]) of a calorie-free, caffeine-containing pre-exercise energy supplement (Redline Power Rush by VPX) (n = 10) or an isovolumetric and similar tasting placebo beverage (n = 9). While vertical jump, YMCA bench press, and repeated sprint speed improved from pre to post testing in both treatment groups, there were no differences between the energy drink and placebo beverages. Curl-up endurance performance improved following the energy drink ingestion but did not improve following placebo ingestion. However, this observation also failed to reach statistical significance (p = 0.120). A possible explanation for the lack of effect of the pre-exercise energy drink to enhance physical performance was the relatively low amount of caffeine that was present in the beverage (providing an average of 2.4 mg caffeine/kg body mass)