Frontiers in Sports and Active Living最新文献

Alpine skiing is a popular sport in many countries and holds benefits in terms of health and well-being. At the same time alpine skiing is associated with a certain risk of accidents caused, among other things, by overestimating one's own skiing skills. Self-assessment of skiing skills is not trivial. Therefore, feedback modalities can be assistive. One feasible option to provide skiers with feedback on their skiing ability are Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The aim of this study was to analyse the skiing quality of recreational skiers based on IMU data, collected with the Connected Boot sensor system with a living lab approach to investigate whether the skiing quality score delivers reasonable results for recreational skiers. The system has been developed with expert skiers and so far has not been validated with recreational skiers. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether the objective skiing quality score of the Connected Boot corresponds to the self-assessed carving ability and to analyse changes in the assessment before and after the study. In total, data from 62 participants who skied with the sensor system were analysed. At the beginning and the end of the study the participants additionally received questionnaires to assess their skiing skills. The results show that there was a strong correlation between the self-reported carving ability and the skiing quality score of the Connected Boot and that the self-reported carving ability before the study was around 1.71 points higher than the algorithm-based skiing quality score. Interestingly, the correlation was higher for female compared to male participants.

It is essential in combat sports such as boxing for athletes to perceive the relevant visual information that enables them to anticipate and respond to their opponent's attacking and defensive moves. Here, we used virtual reality (VR), which enables standardization and reproducibility while maintaining perception-action coupling, to assess the influence of a gaze-contingent blur on the visual processes that underpin these boxing behaviours. Eleven elite French boxers were placed in an immersive and adaptive first-person VR environment where they had to avoid by dodging one or two punches, and then counterattack to strike their opponent. The VR boxing task was performed in a central blur, peripheral blur and control condition. The results showed that elite boxers outcome performance was resilient to blur, irrespective of its location in the visual field. However, there was an effect of blur on the eye gaze data, with participants spending less time looking at the left hand and plexus, and more time looking at the head and areas other than the boxer, in the peripheral blur condition. Overall, then, our study contributes to growing evidence that performance in dynamic interceptive sports can be maintained when the visual stimulus is artificially blurred. In future work, it will be relevant to consider whether VR training with a gaze-contingent blur can facilitate learning, transfer, and/or reintroduction after injury, to a real boxing situation.

Introduction: Padel is currently an emerging sport that has experienced significant growth, enjoying popularity and widespread accessibility among the population. However, the padel context lacks a tool to assess the perceived quality of users in padel facilities and sports services. This study aims to adapt and validate an evaluation tool based on a literature review.

Methods: The sample included 402 users (298 men and 104 women, predominantly a frequency of play of 1-2 days a week for 1-2 h) from clubs across the Andalusian Autonomous Community (South of Spain). Psychometric properties were evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency through Cronbach's Alpha indicator and composite reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity, using the statistical software SPSS (v.22).

Results: The findings demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in various analyses (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), showing both internal consistency and validity (convergent and discriminant).

Discussion: The QPadel tool represents a significant contribution and advancement in the academic literature, with potential positive impacts on decision-making for improving padel facilities and services, as well as enhancing competitiveness.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the implications of the in-field implementation of a teaching strategy that promotes critical thinking (TPCT) on tactical ability, declarative, and procedural knowledge. The TPCT is grounded in socio-constructivist theory and aims to enhance players' analytical skills through inquiry, problem-solving, and observation. By emphasizing the socio-constructivist approach, the program fosters skills such as interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation, encouraging players' active participation in questioning and collaborative problem-solving activities. The content of the program focuses on offensive tactical principles of soccer.

Methods: Thirteen male U-14 soccer players (mean age: 13.54 ± 1.00 years; mean soccer-federated experience: 3.92 ± 1.00 years; mean body mass: 39.44 ± 6.09 kg; mean height: 1.61 ± 0.10 m) performed a TPCT intervention strategy over 22 sessions, three times a week. Tactical ability was assessed using the Test for Performance Assessment in Team Sports (PATS), while declarative and procedural knowledge were evaluated with the Tactical Knowledge Test in Soccer (TCTOF). These assessments were administered before and after the intervention.

Results: After the 8-week teaching strategy, there was a significant improvement and substantial increase in the Tactical Efficiency Index (IE) [t (12) = 2.61, p < 0.05, r = 0.73], reflecting a 41% rise from the pretest (M = 0.39, SD = 0.21) to the post-test (M = 0.55, SD = 0.24). Changes in declarative knowledge were minimal, with a 0.31% increase. Similarly, procedural knowledge showed a slight increase (3.53%) that did not reach statistical significance.

Discussion: The findings suggest that integrating critical thinking into sports training could be a strategy to enhance the tactical abilities of young soccer players. While the increase in tactical ability was significant, improvements in declarative and procedural knowledge were minimal. These results highlight the potential of critical thinking-focused programs to impact tactical performance but suggest that further research is needed to explore the broader effects on other types of knowledge.

The role women play in sport has been the subject of considerable discussion and research since the nineteen seventies. Much of this research has been descriptive or focused on the barriers, women face in advancing into a leadership role in a sporting organization. In an attempt to enrich the picture, women role models who occupy or have occupied leadership roles in sporting organizations were identified to gain their perspective, in their own words, on the challenges and requirements needed to be successful. The experience of these high achieving women has value in paving the way for future generations with ambitions to succeed in a leadership role in sport. Six women were identified and interviewed as the first to occupy their position in a sporting organization. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis data were thematically analyzed against three predetermined themes, attributes they possessed, challenges they faced, and coping skills they used in aiding them to succeed in their positions.

Introduction: Physical activity interventions in deprived communities should acknowledge the social, political, and cultural context in which they are delivered. Targeted young leaders programs can harness positive youth development principles and address these concerns by engaging underrepresented young people and developing them as physical activity leaders who can support local delivery efforts. Community-based Youth Leadership development programs are under-researched, and little is known about how to develop young people from deprived communities as physical activity leaders.

Methods: This research project used interviews, focus groups and Ripple Effects Mapping to evaluate a community based young physical activity leaders development program delivered in a community with high levels of deprivation in Bradford, UK.

Results: The program, known as "JU:MP leads" developed 20 young people aged 16-25 as young leaders between September 2022 and September 2023. Thematic analysis of data uncovered that a community-based young leaders development program can be effective in supporting local young people from a deprived community to develop as physical activity leaders, particularly when adopting a flexible delivery model through which young people can engage around other commitments. Key mechanisms within the program that supported development included the acquisition of formal, nationally recognised qualifications, informal training and mentorship, peer support and ongoing reflection. These key mechanisms of the program facilitated the personal and professional development of the young people into confident and assured physical activity leaders.

Discussion: The research concluded that community based physical activity leaders programs can support Positive Youth Development of young people from deprived communities by developing their skills and supporting them to make valid contributions to local physical activity provision.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1504966.].

Introduction: The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) is the most vulnerable ligament in ankle sprains. Most patients recover after this injury with conservative treatment, while 20%-40% progress to chronic ankle instability that requires surgical stabilization. Conventional MRI does not provide a comprehensive image of the ATFL. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using 3D MRI to facilitate the understanding of ATFL injuries and the operative planning.

Methods: A total of 21 healthy asymptomatic volunteers with 30 normally functioning ankles and 13 patients with 18 sprained ankles were studied. MRI scans were divided into two groups: Group 1 (normal ankle) and Group 2 (injured ankle). The data of all 48 cases were exported to Mimics and reconstructed into 3D models. The image quality of all 3D models was evaluated using a 5-point subjective scoring system. The length, width, and thickness of the ATFL were measured in the 3D model in Mimics and compared to the 3D MPR image data.

Results: The image quality score was 4.57 ± 0.32. There was no statistically significant difference between the 3D model and the 3D MPR image of ATFL measurements in both groups (P > 0.05).

Discussion: We concluded that 3D MRI can be used to reconstruct a 3D model of the ATFL for accurate measurements of the ATFL anatomical structure, which holds potential to improve preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation for young sports medicine doctor, facilitate diagnosis of ATFL injuries and make the decision about the operative method.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, cognitive appraisals, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences in athletes within the framework of multi-states (MuSt) theory.

Method: A convenience sample of 334 Italian athletes (188 men and 146 women), aged 18-48 years (M = 24.77, SD = 7.26) and involved in individual or team sports, were recruited for the study. Athletes were assessed individually or in small groups before regular practice sessions.

Results: Path analysis showed positive indirect effects via challenge appraisal from mindful awareness and refocusing to excitement, happiness, and psychobiosocial experiences, and negative indirect effects to anxiety and dejection. Positive indirect effects were observed via threat appraisal from mindful awareness and refocusing to happiness and psychobiosocial experiences, and negative indirect effects to anxiety, dejection, and anger.

Conclusions: The results highlight the impact of mindful awareness, refocusing, and cognitive appraisals on athletes' emotional and psychobiosocial experiences. Overall findings support MuSt theoretical foundation and suggest that mindfulness may help athletes view challenges as opportunities to express their potential by triggering pleasant emotions and functional psychobiosocial experiences. From an applied perspective, the findings support the use of mindfulness practice in the development of programs to promote athletes' challenge appraisals, pleasant and functional emotional experiences, which may enhance their performance.