Frontiers in Sports and Active Living最新文献

Introduction: One of the most effective techniques is "stress inoculation" training (SIT), which is increasingly utilized to reduce anxiety and enhance athletic performance. The aim of our research was to investigate the extent to which the stress situation we created in virtual reality evokes psychological responses in athletes, compared to the responses they experience during a competitive match.

Methods: The sample consisted of 24 female athletes with an average age of 18.71 ± 5.42 years. Of these, 9 were elite basketball players, 8 were table tennis players, and 7 were handball players. All participants completed the Athlete Anxiety Questionnaire, designed to measure anxiety in high-stakes situations and assess levels of concentration and self-confidence during matches. Additionally, within the virtual reality environment we created, athletes were exposed to stress-inducing factors scientifically proven to elicit stress responses. Paired-sample t-tests were used to examine differences between measurements (match and virtual reality scenario), and ANOVA tests were used to compare differences between athletes groups (basketball players, table tennis players and handball players).

Results: Our findings indicated that the sports stress scenario simulated in virtual reality triggers stress responses in athletes comparable to those experienced during actual competitive matches. No significant difference was detected in any factor between the total scores of the tests completed after the virtual reality session and those completed after the match (p > 0.05). The greatest impact of VR on cognitive anxiety was observed regarding the fear of mental block or choking during a match, received an average score higher than that of the match (1.75 ± 1.032 vs. 1.38 ± 0.711 respectively, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Based on these results, we can conclude that the sports stress scenario generated by virtual reality can indeed induce a comparable level of stress in athletes compared to actual matches. Therefore, virtual reality technology shows promise as a tool for enhancing athletes' stress management skills and could be a significant asset in sports psychology preparation processes.

Introduction: There is an association between physical activity and both health and academic performance. However, there is still a lack of consensus on how to engage adolescents in physical activity interventions in secondary schools. One approach to better understand the activities and strategies supporting effective implementation is to involve school staff and adolescents in the early stages of planning and preparing for interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore how multiple stakeholders, including school staff, students, and experts, perceive the barriers and facilitators for implementing a school-based intervention that extends the school day with additional physical activity in Sweden.

Material and methods: This inductive explorative qualitative study involved 16 participants. Three focus groups with school staff, including principals (n = 3), teachers (n = 6), and students (n = 4), and three interviews with experts were conducted. The planned intervention and its components were presented to the participants in the focus group and interviews to discuss them based on their previous experiences and thoughts of implementing physical activities or health promotion programmes in their schools or with adolescents. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Three categories emerged: (1) "types of activities offered", highlighting the importance of designing activities that are fun, inclusive and unusual; (2) "integration of the activities into school curriculum" to promote sustainability of the intervention and incorporate physical activity throughout the school day and across school subjects, and (3) "Management support and funding" referring to the funded time and facilities that teachers leading the activities need to facilitate implementation.

Conclusions: Before implementing extra physical activity in a school setting, it is important to understand what activities enhance students' motivation and the type of support teachers need from the school principal and administration. This includes funding for teachers' time, appropriate scheduling of the activities, and access to facilities.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1512010.].

Introduction: Soccer systems promote early identification and specialisation practices to satisfy short- and long-term goals-both from sporting performance and financial gains perspectives. In this context, players are (de)selected based on observed performance level and on their ability to conform to given organisational demands, leading to the proliferation of selection biases, such as relative age effects (RAEs), which research has shown to influence both developmental experiences and senior career achievements. Accordingly, this study aims to: (a) investigate the magnitude of RAEs among youth national teams competing in the UEFA U17 European Soccer Championship, and their associations with teams' final ranking, (b) examine whether RAEs magnitude could be linked to cultural and contextual factors, and (c) further explore RAEs at senior level.

Methods: Birth quarter (BQ) distribution of youth national teams (n = 80) that competed in one of the five editions (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024) of the UEFA U17 European Soccer Championship was recorded. Teams were classified based on their country of origin, RAEs magnitudes, final ranking in the tournament, FIFA points, and national population. Furthermore, the BQ distribution of senior national teams (n = 24) that competed at the 2024 UEFA Senior European Soccer Championship was recorded.

Results: Chi-square statistics revealed BQ1s were overrepresented at the U17 level (p < 0.001) and showed teams exhibiting low RAEs magnitudes recorded the highest likelihood (odds ratio: 5.67) of finishing the tournament in the bottom four positions. Correlation analyses recorded small to moderate positive correlations between RAEs magnitude and national population (.25) and FIFA points (.33). Further chi-square statistics revealed BQ1s continued to be overrepresented at the senior level, albeit with a weaker effect (p < 0.001). However, when the senior BQ distribution was compared to the expected distribution taken from the U17 population, this recorded more BQ4s and fewer BQ1s than expected (p < 0.001).

Discussion: The findings presented the focus on youth success, the increased talent pool size, and the competition for selection interact to reiterate RAEs' prevalence in European soccer. Moreover, they highlighted initial RAEs define players' journey within the soccer system, whereby relatively older players remain overrepresented at the senior level, albeit to a weaker and lesser extent.

This brief research report aimed to analyze the prevalence of asymmetries in players' date of birth, the influence of relative age affects (RAEs) and maturation on players' participation, and the potential maturity biases in performance indicators in a Spanish professional male soccer academy. Maturity status was determined as the percentage of predicted adult height (%PAH). RAEs are strongly represented in the sample as 77% of players were born in the first semester of the year. Relatively older players do not appear to receive significantly more playing minutes, while more mature players showed a higher percentage of playing time in U13 and U14, with no differences in U15 and U16. In other performance indicators, more mature players do not have an advantage when it comes to being considered "promising players", training and competing with higher chronological age groups and being selected by state teams. Finally, individual maturity level within the team does not appear to be relevant to the club's proposal to continue in the academy. Our results show a strong overrepresentation of players born in the first semester of the year, indicating the presence of RAEs. However, this bias does not translate into significant differences in competitive performance, such as playing time. Conversely, individual maturity status demonstrates a transient effect on playing time in younger age groups (U13 and U14). These findings underscore the importance of understanding the interplay between RAEs and maturity biases in talent identification and development in the highly competitive framework of a professional soccer academy.

Introduction: Formula One and other motor car racing drivers race for prolonged periods in hot conditions wearing protective apparel that impairs heat loss. They are thus at risk of a significantly elevated core temperature. The aims of this study were to determine whether the voluntary ingestion of cold fluid aided thermoregulation more effectively than the voluntary ingestion of ambient temperature fluid in a simulated motor racing environment.

Methods: Eight male participants commenced two 120-min simulated motor racing trials in an environmental chamber (40°C, 50% humidity). During one trial they were provided with 1 L of ambient temperature water (AWT), whilst in the other trial the water temperature was ∼5°C (CWT). A drinking schedule of "1 sip every four minutes" was advocated. Participant core temperature, skin temperature and heart rate were recorded continuously, whilst thermal comfort, response time and cognitive function were assessed at 30-min intervals.

Results: All participants successfully completed their CWT, but only two completed the full 120-mins of their AWT (AWT trial duration ranged from 80 to 120 min). Despite encouragement to drink more, both the rate of consumption (AWT 333 ± 103 v CWT 436 ± 99 ml/h) and total volume of water consumed (AWT 585 ± 233 v CWT 872 ± 198 ml) were less in the AWT (p < 0.005). At the 75-min point of the trials, participant core temperatures had increased by 1.26 ± 0.29 in AWT and 0.81 ± 0.30 in CWT. Furthermore, at the point of trial cessation, core temperature in the AWT had increased by 1.69 ± 0.36°C, but only 1.17 ± 0.52°C in the CWT (p < 0.05). Participants reported less discomfort and a lower rating of perceived exertion during the CWT. In both trials, response time to the cognitive test decreased as the trials progressed, with no evident difference in response time nor cognitive function between the two trials.

Discussion: The ingestion of cold water was associated with an ability to continue with volitional performance and associated with an ameliorated increase in core temperature as well as providing psychological benefits of cold "refreshment".

Introduction: Sport Climbing is a rapidly developing sport with an increasing variety and number of injuries, especially now that it is an Olympic event. The objective of this study is to firstly report the presence of Finger Synovial Chondromatosis (FSC) found in the fingers of climbers. Synovial chondromatosis is a rare condition and particularly rare in the hands and fingers.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated all climbers with finger injuries presenting in 2022 for the presence of FSC in the finger joints. 13 patients in this case series were included with complaints of finger pain for more than 6 weeks. The study was performed in our Sports Medical Centre in Bamberg, Germany. The diagnosis was made based on in person clinical assessment, ultrasound examination and additional radiological findings (e.g., x-ray, CT, MRI) as applicable.

Results: We detected 13 male climbers with FSC with experience ranging from intermediate to elite level. 77% (10/13) of the patients did not complain of any symptoms of the FSC and presented with other diagnoses (e.g.pulley rupture, tenosynovitis) and the finding of FSC was just an additional finding. In 12 subjects FSC was found in the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and one in the metacarpo-pahalangeal (MCP) joint and distributed as follows: right (R) side 69%, left (L) side 38%, considering 15% in both hands. The prevalence corresponded to the digits are as follows: D2 15%, D3 77%, and D4 15%.

Discussion: With the rapid development in sport climbing there has been a rise in the intensity, volume and variety of training, which may be the key factors contributing to the spectrum of injuries associated with climbing. Hand and finger climbing related injuries are well documented, however the incidental discovery of this rare condition warrants its inclusion as another differential diagnosis in the spectrum of climbing related pathologies. At the moment, not enough is understood about FSC and its long-term consequences therefore further analysis is warranted for future studies.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate how pole length, incline, and skiing intensity affect lower back muscle activation in elite cross-country skiers. This addressing a critical gap in understanding the biomechanical demands and risk of low back pain of double poling (DP).

Method: Eleven elite cross-country skiers performed skiing trials on a treadmill, varying in incline (flat vs. 6°), intensity (two self-selected speeds, training speed and racing speed), and pole lengths. Muscle activity was measured by surface electromyography on the erector spinae thoracic and lumbar muscles, on the left and right side. A motion capture system was used for kinematic analysis of the lower back-pole moment arm and the hip angle during the DP cycle.

Results: Compared to men, female skiers had a significantly higher (p < 0.001), overall muscle activation for the m. erector spinae lumbar on both the left and right side (26% of MVC vs. 15% of MVC, and 28% of MVC vs. 22% of MVC, for the left and right side, respectively). No correlations were found, neither between muscle activation to the lower back-pole moment arm, or to the hip angle.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that female skiers experience significantly higher lumbar erector spinae activation during DP, potentially indicating greater susceptibility to back-related issues. The results also highlight the need to tailor training and right adapted equipment to mitigate lower back stress, especially in flat terrain high-intensity conditions. The asymmetrical muscle activity and gender differences underscores the need for further investigation into biomechanical factors influencing back muscle engagement in cross-country skiing.