Assessing the institutional choice process of student-athletes

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the relative importance of the attributes that student-athletes use when determining their choice of a university. A second purpose was to compare previous athletic institutional choice studies with the results of this study to determine if the most important attributes were similar and to compare and contrast methodologies. Six hundred five Division I student-athletes (344 baseball players and 261 softball players) from all eight national geographic regions of the NCAA participated in this study. The experimental procedure was based on Information Integration Theory and a 2(10) fractional factorial design that resulted in 32 "choice sets." These choice sets were composed of universities described by 10 attributes. This framework required that the student-athletes choose from among three university profiles, thereby realistically simulating the decision process. The results for the aggregate sample show that the "Amount of Scholarship" attribute was the most important factor in the institutional choice process. Many demographic variables were analyzed (sex, race, amount of scholarship received as a freshman, amount of perceived financial need, self-reported grade-point average, questionnaire completion procedures, in-state/out-of-state status, NCAA region, and rank in high school) in conjunction with the choice set data in a post-hoc framework. The results for a subset of these variables are reported in this paper; differences (in the order of importance of the attributes) were found among groups. A primary finding of this study is that a student-athlete's perceived financial need has a critical impact on the institutional choice process.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

冰雪项目运动员流畅状态的影响因素及其特点

对于运动员流畅状态的干预已成为理论研究的热点问题,而探寻流畅状态的影响因素进而调控运动员的流畅状态,也是训练与竞技实践工作者的迫切需要。从流畅状态干预角度出发,对124名冰雪项目运动员施测“运动员流畅状态影响因素问卷”,考察冰雪项目运动员流畅状态影响因子及其特点。研究发现：冰雪项目运动员流畅状态影响因素由“积极的心理准备”“、放松的情绪状态”和“专注于比赛的注意力”三个因子构成;不同训练年限运动员在“积极的心理准备”因子存在显著差异,不同项目、主力–非主力、训练年限分组、运动成绩分组的运动员之间,在“放松的情绪状态”和“专注于比赛的注意力”因子存在显著差异。对冰雪项目运动员赛前流畅状态的调控,要重视赛前心理准备、情绪放松以及比赛专注力的心理指导与教育,并要针对不同群体运动员的特点开展相应工作。     

From endurance to power athletes: The changing shape of successful male professional tennis players

The aim of the present study was to identify whether the relative shape and size characteristics of elite male tennis players have changed over time, and in addition whether any anthropometric parameters characterise the more successful players in Grand Slam tournaments. The height and body mass of the players qualifying for the first round in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments during the period 1982–2011 was obtained, and successful players defined arbitrarily as those reaching round 3 or beyond. Body mass index (BMI) and the reciprocal ponderal index (RPI) were used as our measures of body shape. Multilevel modelling was used to explore the trend over time using non-linear polynomials. The results suggest that the body shape of elite tennis players has changed over time, with a non-linear (cubic polynomial regression model) increase in BMI and a similar non-linear decline in the RPI. BMI, reflecting greater muscle mass rather than greater adiposity, has emerged as an important factor associated with success, identified by a significantly positive (steeper) “successful player”-by-“year” interaction term. The evidence that the RPI of elite tennis players has also decreased over time, together with a significantly negative “successful player”-by-“year” interaction term, suggests that a more linear (ectomorphic) body shape is a less important factor in terms of success. These results suggest that elite male tennis players are becoming more power trained athletes as opposed to endurance athletes, with greater muscle mass being an important factor associated with success in all Grand Slam tournaments.     

Examining coaches’ perceptions of how their stress influences the coach–athlete relationship

This study extends recent coach stress research by evaluating how coaches perceive their stress experiences to affect athletes, and the broader coach–athlete relationship. A total of 12 coaches working across a range of team sports at the elite level took part in semi-structured interviews to investigate the 3 study aims: how they perceive athletes to detect signals of coach stress; how they perceive their stress experiences to affect athletes; and, how effective they perceive themselves to be when experiencing stress. Following content analysis, data suggested that coaches perceived athletes able to detect when they were experiencing stress typically via communication, behavioural, and stylistic cues. Although coaches perceived their stress to have some positive effects on athletes, the overwhelming effects were negative and affected “performance and development”, “psychological and emotional”, and “behavioural and interaction” factors. Coaches also perceived themselves to be less effective when stressed, and this was reflected in their perceptions of competence, self-awareness, and coaching quality. An impactful finding is that coaches are aware of how a range of stress responses are expressed by themselves, and to how they affect athletes, and their coaching quality. Altogether, findings support the emerging view that coach stress affects their own, and athlete performance.     

感知的教练员领导行为对运动员心理疲劳的影响:害怕失败的中介作用

研究目的:研究把运动员的害怕失败作为中介变量,探索感知的教练员领导行为对运动员心理疲劳影响的解释机制,并着重观察运动员所感知的教练员民主领导行为和专制领导行为的不同作用影响。研究方法:在全国范围内采用随机抽样法,让处于不同项目和不同等级的347名(男性为173人;女性为174)专业运动员完成“运动领导行为量表”、“失败表现评估量表”以及“运动员心理疲劳问卷”,所获数据采用回归和Bootstrap分析,分别对构建的民主领导行为解释假设模型和专制领导行为解释假设模型进行拟合。研究结果:①感知教练员民主领导行为会显著减少运动员的心理疲劳感,而知教练员专制领导行为则会显著增加运动员的心理疲劳;②感知教练员民主领导行为与运动员害怕失败不存在显著相关性,而感知教练员专制领导行为则会显著增加运动员的害怕失败;③由于感知教练员民主领导行为与运动员的害怕失败不具有显著相关性,因此害怕失败在民主领导行为假设模型中的中介解释作用假设不成立;④由于感知教练员专制型领导行为会显著增加运动员害怕失败,所以害怕失败在专制领导行为假设模型中的中介解释作用假设成立。研究结论:通过对运动员所感知到的两种教练员领导行为进行观察,可以发现专制型领导行为对运动员的负面情绪影响是多方面的。它不仅会在训练和比赛的过程中直接引起运动员的心理疲劳,还会通过运动员害怕失败感的叠加效应来增加其心理疲劳。因此,研究建议在运动实践中应该提倡教练员有计划性的多采用民主型的领导行为帮助运动员有效的减少心理疲劳。     

When the crowd evaluates soccer players’ market values: Accuracy and evaluation attributes of an online community

Evaluating the value of athletes to determine whether they should be transferred from one club to another has become a major challenge for managers of sports teams. In the context of German soccer, aficionados have built a large online community that evaluates professional soccer players’ market values. The community has become the main source for reporting market values in the media and has a strong impact on sports economy: it is used in real market transactions and wage negotiations, indicating the power of crowd wisdom in the sports management context.This research describes the evaluation process of the community, investigates the accuracy of its estimated market values, and shows which attributes are most important for market-value evaluations. After demonstrating that the community's market-value estimates can predict actual transfer fees, we show that community evaluations can largely be explained by an econometric model that contains two blocks of determinants: variables that are directly related to players’ talent and variables that result from judgments by external sources (e.g., journalists). Reorganizing variables that were used in previous studies into two blocks (talent vs. external determinants) provides a more differentiated look at the popularity of players than recent literature on the “superstar phenomenon.”     

A multi-component assessment model for monitoring training distress among athletes

Abstract

We report the initial validation of a multi-component assessment model for monitoring training distress among athletes. The model combines measures of mood disturbance with measures of perceived stress and symptom intensity. Altogether, 492 athletes completed the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10; Cohen et al., 1983), the 24-item Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS; Terry et al., 2003), and a checklist of 19 symptoms associated with acute overtraining (Fry et al., 1994). Six training distress factors were identified by an exploratory factor analysis: “depressed mood”, “perceived vigour”, “physical symptoms”, “sleep disturbance”, “perceived stress”, and “general fatigue”. Comparisons of group means of these factors with a previously validated inventory were consistent with theoretical predictions and provided evidence of construct validity. Internal consistency of the subscales was also confirmed, with Cronbach alphas ranging from 0.72 to 0.86. Together, these findings suggest that this multi-component model provides a sound conceptual basis for the assessment of training distress among athletes.     

Doping in sport: an analysis of sanctioned UK rugby union players between 2009 and 2015

To inform anti-doping policy and practice, it is important to understand the complexities of doping. The purpose of this study was to collate and systematically examine the reasoned decisions published by UK Anti-Doping for doping sanctions in rugby union in the UK since the introduction of the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code. Case files were content analysed to extract demographic information and details relating to the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), including individuals’ explanations for how/why the ADRV occurred. Between 2009 and 2015, 49 rugby union players and one coach from across the UK were sanctioned. Over 50% of the cases involved players under the age of 25, competing at sub-elite levels. Reasons in defence of the ADRV focused on functional use and lifestyle factors rather than performance enhancement. An a priori assessment of the “need”, “risk” and “consequence” of using a substance was not commonplace; further strengthening calls for increasing the reach of anti-doping education. The findings also deconstruct the view that “doped” athletes are the same. Consequently, deepening understanding of the social and cultural conditions that encourage doping remains a priority.     

Positive environments in youth football

Derived from Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) is the notion that the social environment may promote athletes’ basic psychological needs, which are considered important for positive development and optimal motivational functioning. The present study investigated the predictive value of perceived justice and coach feedback on basic needs satisfaction in the context of youth football. Participants were Norwegian youth football players (N?=?532) participating in a national tournament. During the initial stage of the tournament, players completed the Coaching Feedback Questionnaire, Perceived Justice in Sport Questionnaire and Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale under supervision. Regression analysis showed that perceived justice and positive/instructive coaching feedback positively predicted players’ needs satisfaction, while negative feedback and non-reinforcement/ignoring mistakes were not significant predictors of needs satisfaction. Together, perceptions of justice and coach feedback explained 24% of the variance in athletes’ needs satisfaction. The findings thereby indicate that athletes’ perceptions of fairness and coach feedback are important in understanding youth athletes’ needs satisfaction.     

Differences in self-regulatory skills among talented athletes: The significance of competitive level and type of sport

Abstract

Research has shown that talented athletes outscore their mainstream peers on the basis of self-regulation. Although valuable, this does not tell us more about the distinction between good athletes and the best, which is a prerequisite in talent development. Therefore, we examined the self-regulatory skills of 222 male and female talented athletes aged 12–16 years as a function of competitive sport level (junior international or junior national athletes) and type of sport (individual or team sports). Multivariate analyses of covariance in combination with a discriminant function analysis revealed that “reflection” distinguishes between athletes at the highest levels of excellence. Furthermore, athletes playing individual sports had higher scores on “planning” and “effort” than team sport athletes, highlighting the importance of differences between types of sport. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of reflection as a self-regulatory skill. Reflection facilitates the development of sport-specific characteristics, which may vary by type of sport. This means that an advanced sense of reflection may help talented athletes to acquire desirable characteristics during their “talent” years to ultimately reach adult elite levels of competition.     

Initial identification & selection bias versus the eventual confirmation of talent: evidence for the benefits of a rocky road?

Abstract

The relative age effect (RAE), whereby earlier birthdate children within a selection year are more commonly selected as talented, has been highlighted in the literature. As a consequence, these young athletes get into specialised training earlier and in greater numbers, leading (it is suggested) to a disproportionate opportunity for success. However, this disproportionality seems not to be manifest in senior teams. Accordingly, we examine the identification and conversion rates for academy rugby players, examining a sample of all players passing into and either graduating, or being dismissed from, a major English rugby academy. Data demonstrated a reversal of the RAE “benefit”, whereby late-birth players were less likely to be selected, but more likely to achieve senior professional status. Possible reasons are explored and, on the basis of our data, we propose a psychologically based explanation of greater “growth” due to additional challenge experienced by these initially disadvantaged younger players.     

美国高校学生运动员招募问题的治理与启示

针对美国大学体育联盟（NCAA）在学生运动员招募过程中长期存在非法招募和学术作弊等违规行为，研究以边缘腐败视角解读相关违规行为及其特征。研究认为，违规方式较为轻微因而具有模糊性，直接利益受益者相互包庇因而具有隐蔽性，破坏了高校招生公平制度因而具有衍生性。NCAA为维持联盟公平公正准则，通过健全机构严格审核、精细招募程序量化标准、制定"极限施压"惩治制度等措施取得一定治理效果，但也存在治理局限。我国大学运动员招生实践中应采取厘清自主招生权限、构建全面监督体系、健全法律法规体系、开展反腐败教育等措施严厉打击招生腐败。     

Measures of cardiac autonomic control in women with differing volumes of physical activity

Abstract

The most recent (1996) drinking guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) propose that athletes should drink “as much as tolerable” during exercise. Since some individuals can tolerate rates of free water ingestion that exceed their rates of free water loss during exercise, this advice has caused some to overdrink leading to water retention, weight gain and, in a few, death from exercise-associated hyponatraemic encephalopathy. The new drinking guidelines of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), recently re-published in this Journal, continue to argue that athletes must drink enough to replace all their weight lost during exercise and to ingest sodium chloride since sodium is “the electrolyte most critical to performance and health”. In this rebuttal to that Consensus Document, I argue that these new guidelines, like their predecessors, lack an adequate, scientifically proven evidence base. Nor have they been properly evaluated in appropriately controlled, randomized, prospective clinical trials. In particular, these new guidelines provide erroneous recommendations on five topics.

If novel universal guidelines for fluid ingestion during exercise are to be promulgated by important international bodies including the IOC, they should first be properly evaluated in appropriately controlled, randomized, prospective clinical trials conducted under environmental and other conditions that match those found in “out-of-doors” exercise. This, and the potential influence of commercial interests on scientific independence and objectivity, are the two most important lessons to be learned from the premature adoption of those 1996 ACSM drinking guidelines that are not evidence-based. These concerns need to be addressed before the novel IOC guidelines are accepted uncritically. Otherwise the predictable consequences of the premature adoption of the 1996 ACSM guidelines will be repeated.     

The kinematic differences between accurate and inaccurate squash forehand drives for athletes of different skill levels

ABSTRACT

To maintain the accuracy of squash shots under varying conditions, such as the oncoming ball’s velocity and trajectory, players must adjust their technique. Although differences in technique between skilled and less-skilled players have been studied, it is not yet understood how players vary their technique in a functional manner to maintain accuracy under varying conditions. This study compared 3-dimensional joint and racket kinematics and their variability between accurate and inaccurate squash forehand drives of 9 highly skilled and 9 less-skilled male athletes. During inaccurate shots, less-skilled players hit the ball with a more open racket, demonstrating a difference in this task-relevant parameter. No joint kinematic differences were found for accuracy for either group. Coordinated joint rotations at the elbow and wrist both displayed a “zeroing-in” effect, whereby movement variability was reduced from the initiation of propulsive joint rotation to a higher consistency at ball-impact; potentially highlighting the “functionality” of the variability prior to the impact that enabled consistent task-relevant parameters (racket orientation and velocity) under varying conditions. Further, highly skilled players demonstrated greater consistency of task-relevant parameters at impact than less-skilled players. These findings highlight the superior ability of highly skilled players to adjust their technique to achieve consistent task-relevant parameters and a successful shot.     

Return to competitive football after major knee surgery: more questions than answers?

Abstract

Despite significant advances in the diagnostics and treatment of knee injuries over the last decade, several challenges related to the subject “return to sport” remain largely unknown. For example, how should “return to sport” be defined precisely? What is the optimal timing and progression to enable a return to sport? Which criteria should be used during this process? What type of training is indicated? Which measurements can support the decision-making process? How do we optimally prepare athletes for competition without risking re-injury?

This paper critically addresses these questions, and proposes a return to play model to prepare football players to compete after major knee surgery (anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, cartilage repair). The goal is to re-integrate the player gradually into the game, taking into account his individual characteristics. Several evidence-based and empirical criteria are needed to plan and monitor the efficient return to competitive football. Injury-prevention education should be part of this process to maximise the chance of a durable career and decrease the risk of re-injury.

However, because of the paucity of research on “return to sport”, further research is more than warranted.     

Talent identification and women's soccer: An Australian experience

This study used a quasi-applied research model to identify and develop potentially talented female soccer players. Athletes aged 15–19 years with a background in team ball sports or athletics were targeted for recruitment using advertisements and promotions through various media. Interested athletes attended a 2-day programme of testing, which included assessment of anthropometric, physiological and skill attributes. A combination of factors was used in the final selection of 17 athletes to take part in a 12-month talent development programme. A pre-season programme of five training sessions per week was conducted for 2 months. This programme focused on enabling the players to acquire the necessary ball and game skills to perform competitively in a short time. The squad competed as a team in the reserve grade competition of an Australian state league. At the conclusion of the 25-game season, 10 players were selected for zone teams with two players progressing to state team selection within 6 months. The project demonstrates that it is possible to select potential female soccer players based on anthropometric, physiological and skill attributes.Selection procedures could be enhanced through the development of objective assessment tools that measure tactical and technical competence. Programmes such as this can offer an additional avenue of player recruitment in support of existing procedures.     

“Macro-structure” of developmental participation histories and “micro-structure” of practice of German female world-class and national-class football players

The study examined the “micro-structure” of football practice and the “macro-structure” of participation history of female professional football players. Participants were 29 German 1st league (Bundesliga) players, 14 of whom played on the senior national team (Olympic Champion in 2016). A questionnaire recorded the players’ positions, proportions of physical conditioning, drill-type skill exercises and playing forms within coach-led football practice, and the volume of coach-led practice and peer-led play, in both football and other sports, from childhood to adulthood. Analyses revealed that most athletes played various attacker and defender positions during development. National team players differed from their Bundesliga peers by less physical conditioning and greater proportions of playing forms within football practice. National team players also accumulated less total football practice until age 18 years, but more peer-led football and coach-led practice in other sports compared to their Bundesliga counterparts. Based on these variables, a binary logistic regression classified 93% of the national team and Bundesliga players correctly. Conclusion: A combination of long-term coach-led football practice involving a relatively large proportion of playing forms with considerable childhood/adolescent peer-led football play and coach-led practice in other sports may have facilitated adult performance among German female world-class football players.