With the recent consumer interest in computer-based activities designed to improve cognitive performance, there is a growing need for scientific assessment algorithms to validate the potential contributions of cognitive exercises. In this paper, we present a novel methodology for incorporating dynamic cognitive assessment algorithms within computer games designed to enhance ...

The aim of this study was to quantify response to a soccer-specific intermittent (INT) treadmill protocol based on notational analysis of match-play. Ten male semiprofessional football players (age 24.7 +/- 4.4 yr, body mass 77.1 +/- 8.3 kg, VO2max 63.0 +/- 4.8 ml x kg x min(-1)) completed the 90 ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gender and body size on peak linear head accelerations during daily activities. Head accelerations were measured for 18 volunteers using a biteplate system. Each subject performed seven activities: sitting in a chair, sitting quickly in a chair, walking at ...

International field hockey tournaments may require teams to play three games within a period of four days. Therefore, there is potential for residual fatigue to affect the movement patterns of players during subsequent games. The purpose of this study was to document changes in time-motion analysis of 14 elite male ...

Olympic-style lifts (OSL) and plyometric exercises (PE) are frequently combined with traditional resistance training (TRT) to improve athletic performance. The goal of this study was to directly compare the performance effect of TRT (30 minutes) combined with either OSL or nondepth-jump PE (15 minutes) on entry level competitive collegiate athletes. ...

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of 5 weeks of eccentrically loaded and unloaded jump squat training in experienced resistance-trained athletes during the strength/ power phase of a 15-week periodized off-season resistance training program. Forty-seven male college football players were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 ...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether performing high force or explosive force movements prior to sprinting would improve running speed. Fifteen NCAA Division III football players performed a heavy-load squat (HS), loaded countermovement jump (LCMJ), or control (C) warm-up condition in a counterbalanced randomized order over the ...

The purpose of this investigation was to estimate the physiologic strain on players during various soccer training activities. Ten soccer players from the first division soccer league of Turkey were used as subjects. The heart rate responses were measured during 4 types of soccer training. First, the heart rates that ...

This study investigated the physiological and anthropometric characteristics of junior rugby league players over a competitive season. Forty-five rugby league players were allocated into training (n = 36) and nonexercise control (n = 9) groups. The training group participated in 2 field-training sessions each week with training loads, match loads, ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of football equipment and running surface on sprint performance in NCAA Division II football players (n = 68). Players were timed in the 40-yd sprint on an indoor rubberized track (Day 1) and on an outdoor, natural-grass football field (Day ...

A collegiate football player suffered a direct blow to the distal quadriceps mechanism, resulting in a partial tear of the vastus medialis obliquus. Over time, he began to develop activity-related swelling of his prepatellar bursa. By 6 weeks after his injury, an area of swelling the size of a golf ...

Surface electromyography has been useful in comparing muscular activity among different sports movements and it is a valuable technique for evaluating muscle activation, co-ordination and fatigue. Since these important variables have not been investigated during the full game in soccer, the present study aimed to investigate the activity of major ...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the science of rugby league football at all levels of competition (i.e. junior, amateur, semi-professional, professional), with special reference to all discipline-specific scientific research performed in rugby league (i.e. physiological, psychological, injury epidemiology, strength and conditioning, performance analysis). ...

In this study, we examined the effects of a prior run-up on intermittent maximal vertical jump performance. Seven regionally ranked male volleyball players volunteered to participate in the study. They performed three randomized tests: (1) six repeated intermittent maximal jumps (jump condition), (2) six repeated intermittent run-ups (run-up condition), and ...

A heterogeneous group of 10 male and 15 female judo players are utilized in this study. The subjects complete a standardized maximal treadmill exercise test. Urine samples are collected at the pre- and postexercise stages. The urine steroids are measured using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument. In rest and after ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of the backward overhead medicine ball (BOMB) throw to power production in college football players. Forty National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II college football players were studied at the end of an 8-week off-season conditioning program for power output determined ...

Ten intercollegiate football players were tested within 3 days prior to (T1) and the day following the end (T2) of football preseason training camp and during weeks 7 (T3) and 11 (T4) of the competitive season. During each testing session, subjects performed a 30-second Wingate anaerobic power test. Near-infrared continuous ...

Diuretic-induced dehydration impairs prolonged running performance (> 1500 m). Sprinting performance may suffer by similar mechanisms (i.e., altered cardiovascular strain, heat storage, and metabolism) or may improve because of reduced mass to accelerate and carry. PURPOSE: To examine sprint and power performance after diuretic-induced dehydration. METHODS: After six sprint practice ...

In this study, exercise performance was evaluated in 259 healthy adolescents by using some tests. The purpose of the study was to investigate exercise performance and cardiorespiratory capacity in both adolescent boys and girls. The following tests were applied to all children: ball throw with right and left hands, vertical ...

The primary aim of this study was to determine whether variations in rebound speed and accuracy of a tennis ball could be detected during game-simulated conditions when using three rackets strung with three string tensions. Tennis balls were projected from a ball machine towards participants who attempted to stroke the ...

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in lower-limb activity during the tennis power serve between players of different performance levels. METHODS: Thirty-two participants distributed in three groups (beginner, B; intermediate, I; elite, E) performed countermovement jumps to measure leg power (P(max)) and 15 power ...

An ergonomics model of training is described in which the demands of the game and the fitness profiles of soccer players are placed in perspective. The demands of the game may be gauged by monitoring the work rate of players during matches and the concomitant physiological responses. These indices suggest ...

Competitive soccer engages many of the body's systems to a major extent. The musculoskeletal, nervous, immune and metabolic systems are stressed to a point where recovery strategies post-exercise become influential in preparing for the next match. Intense activity at a 7-day training camp causes participants to experience lowered concentrations of ...

Elite soccer players spend a substantial amount of time trying to improve physical capacities, including aerobic endurance and strength and the strength derivatives of speed and power. The average oxygen uptake for international soccer teams ranges from 55 to 68 ml.kg-1.min-1 and the half-squat maximal strength from 120 to 180 ...

This review describes when fatigue may develop during soccer games and the potential physiological mechanisms that cause fatigue in soccer. According to time-motion analyses and performance measures during match-play, fatigue or reduced performance seems to occur at three different stages in the game: (1) after short-term intense periods in both ...

BACKGROUND: Improved oxygen uptake improves soccer performance as regards distance covered, involvements with the ball, and number of sprints. Large improvements in oxygen uptake have been shown using interval running. A similar physiological load arising from interval running could be obtained using the soccer ball in training. OBJECTIVES: The main ...

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between specific performance measures and hockey skating speed. Thirty competitive secondary school and junior hockey players were timed for skating speed. Off-ice measures included a 40-yd (36.9-m) sprint, concentric squat jump, drop jump, 1 repetition maximum leg press, flexibility, and ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of a noncustom bimolar mouthguard on ventilation in female varsity ice hockey players. DESIGN: Prospective crossover study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Expired ventilation (VE), oxygen uptake (VO2), and heart rate were measured in 12 university varsity female ice hockey players while these players were skating on ...

The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects on youth fitness of 3 different warm-up protocols utilizing static stretching or dynamic exercise performance. Sixty children (mean age 11.3 +/- 0.7 years) performed 3 different warm-up routines in random order on nonconsecutive days. The warm-up protocols consisted of ...

The aim of this study was to quantify movements of Super 12 rugby players in competition because information on elite rugby players' movements is unavailable. Players were categorized into forwards [front (n = 16) and back row (n = 15)] and backs [inside (n = 9) and outside backs (n ...

For many sporting activities, initial speed rather than maximal speed would be considered of greater importance to successful performance. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between strength and power and measures of first-step quickness (5-m time), acceleration (10-m time), and maximal speed (30-m time). The maximal ...

Sweat rate and sweat composition vary extensively between individuals, and quantification of these losses has a role to play in the individualisation of a hydration strategy to optimise training and competitive performance. Data were collected from 26 male professional football (soccer) players during one 90 min pre-season training session. This ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of a short-term electromyostimulation (EMS) training program on the strength of knee extensors, skating, and vertical jump performance of a group of ice hockey players. METHODS: Seventeen ice hockey players participated in this study, with nine in the electrostimulated ...

The influence of intermittent exercise on a choice-response time task was investigated. Two groups of 8 male soccer players (M age = 20.9, SD = 2.0) participated. They spent 4.4 (SD = 1.3) weekly hours on soccer training and had been playing soccer for 13 (SD = 3.3) years. Multiple-choice ...

The present study examined the short-term effects of loaded half squats (HSs) and loaded jump squats (JSs) with low and moderate loads on the squat jump (SJ) and the countermovement jump (CMJ) performance using a contrast training approach. Ten men (mean +/- SD age, 23 +/- 1.8 years) performed the ...

STUDY DESIGN: Case report. BACKGROUND: To present the rehabilitative course, decision-making, and clinical milestones that allowed a top-level professional soccer player to return to full competitive activity 90 days after surgery. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient was a 35-year-old forward player who sustained an isolated complete tear of the left anterior ...

OBJECTIVES: A method for determining the number of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) required for a 3-min response at mass gatherings has been described previously. Our study sought to modify the method, replicate it, then validate the results. METHODS: Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) were timed walking defined courses in a football ...

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and is performed by men and women, children and adults with different levels of expertise. Soccer performance depends upon a myriad of factors such as technical/biomechanical, tactical, mental and physiological areas. One of the reasons that soccer is so popular worldwide ...

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of a pressurized tennis ball 6% greater in diameter (Type 3) than a standard sized (Type 2) ball on performance and the physiological responses to the Loughborough Intermittent Tennis Test (LITT) (Davey et al., 2002). Eight competitive tennis players (males, ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare electromyographic activity of the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and gluteus medius during functional activities in subjects with different foot types while wearing various off-the-shelf foot orthotics. DESIGN: Experimental, controlled; 3 foot-type groups (pes planus, pes cavus, pes rectus) each tested in 4 orthotic conditions while performing 3 ...

BACKGROUND: Mechanical loading during childhood plays a critical role in normal growth and development of the skeleton. Ground reaction forces (GRFs) may provide a surrogate measure for the strain experienced by bone on landing and at take off. However, there appear to be no paediatric studies that assess GRFs across ...

3 elite table tennis players' streams of actions during international matches were compared under the old scoring system (3 winning sets of 21 points) and the new (4 winning sets of 11 points). The organization of actions changed under the new system, with the relative duration of exploration activity becoming ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a golf specific warm up programme (both immediately prior to play and after performing it five times a week for 5 weeks) improved performance in 10 male golfers compared with 10 controls matched for age, sex, and handicap. METHODS: Twenty male golfers were matched for age ...

PURPOSE: The changes in stroke production in the modern game of tennis have increased the demands on trunk rotation in elite tennis players. Unlike the shoulder, where unilateral strength adaptations have been identified, no study to date has objectively quantified side to side rotational trunk strength in elite tennis players. ...

Previous research has demonstrated that muscular strength of the knee extensors is related to the speed an athlete can produce during a single-sprint performance. Football players, as well as many other athletes on the field and the court, execute multiple sprints during the course of a match. The purpose of ...

BACKGROUND: Overuse injury to the patellar tendon (patellar tendinopathy) is a major reason for interrupted training and competition for elite athletes. In both sexes, the prevalence of unilateral and bilateral tendinopathy has been shown to differ. It has been proposed that bilateral pathology may have a different aetiology from unilateral ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the difference in hearing between a group of steelband musicians (pannists) and a control group. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND SUBJECTS: We conducted a controlled cross-sectional pilot study consisting of 29 steelpan players and 30 control subjects from a steelpan orchestra (steelband) in the Otolaryngology Department of the Eric ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim was to quantify the time spent at different exercise intensities for male golfers, in relation to age, while walking a "normal" 18-hole golf course. METHODS: 19 healthy male golfers (six 27 (5) years old, seven of 50 (7) and six of 75 (4) years) performed ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if football (FB) players and cross-country (CC) runners had different thermal responses to their respective training sessions. DESIGN AND SETTING: On days 4 and 8 of preseason training, we assessed core (T(c)) and skin (T(sk)) temperatures. SUBJECTS: Fifteen collegiate athletes volunteered: 10 FB players (age = 21.2 ...

Sports dentistry has been considered a prominent area of dentistry because dental health can limit the abilities of athletes, both professional and nonprofessional, in their training and competition. Dental decay is associated with the frequent use of carbohydrates, recommended as an energy source for exercise. Strong indications exist regarding the ...