Human perceptions of artificial surfaces for field hockey

Measuring the performance of a sports surface is typically derived from a series of field and laboratory tests that assess the playing properties under simulated game conditions. However, from a player’s perspective their own comfort and confidence in the surface and its playing characteristics are equally if not more important. To date no comparative study to measure playing preference tests has been made. The aim of this research was to develop a suitable method for eliciting player perceptions of field hockey pitches and determine the key themes that players consider when assessing field hockey pitches. To elicit meaningful unbiased human perceptions of a playing surface, an individual subjective analysis was carried out, using interviews and inductive analysis of the recorded player statements. A qualitative analysis of elite hockey players (n = 22) was performed to obtain their perceptions immediately after a competitive match. The significant surface characteristics that emerged as part of an inductive analysis of their responses were grouped together and formed five general themes or dimensions: player performance, playing environment, pitch properties, ball interaction and player interaction. Each dimension was formed from a hierarchy of sub-themes. During the analysis, relationships between the dimensions were identified and a structured relationship model was produced to highlight each relationship. Players’ responses suggested that they perceived differences between pitches and that the majority of players considered a ‘hard’ pitch with a ‘low’ ball bounce facilitating a ‘fast’ game speed was desirable. However, further research is required to understand the relative importance of each theme and to develop appropriate measurement strategies to quantify the relevant engineering properties of pitch materials.     

Determinants of athletes’ moral competence: the role of demographic characteristics and sport-related perceptions

The aim of the present study was to examine whether demographic characteristics and perceptions regarding sport-ability and sport-league affect one’s moral competence. A total of 685 athletes from five different sports participated in the study. The moral competence test was used, in order to assess players’ moral competence. Also, players’ sport-related perceptions and demographic data were reported. The ANOVAs revealed that athletes of individual sports and sports with no and/or low physical contact scored significantly higher in moral competence compared to team sport athletes who compete in high-contact sports. Moreover, players’ age, education, sport experience and perceived sport ability were found to play a significant role in moral development, while their level of competition, and gender did not have a significant effect on their morality. Overall, results demonstrated that several demographic characteristics and sport-related perceptions should be taken into account when interpreting ones’ moral profile.     

Sports science for golf: A survey of high-skilled golfers’ “perceptions” and “practices”

ABSTRACT

Despite a growing body of evidence on the positive impact of sports science for golf, there is still a paucity of research investigating the “perceptions” and “practices” of high-skilled golfers. Professional Golfers’ Association Assistant Professionals (future-qualified coaches; n = 430) were surveyed on their “perceptions” and “practices” of “sports science”, “warm-ups”, “cool-downs” and “strength and conditioning” for golf. Participants perceived the discipline of sports science as beneficial to golfers but lacked implementation in coaching settings. Warm-up protocols were also perceived to be beneficial to all aspects of golf performance; however, the duration of tournament-based (37.84 ± 20.05 min), warm-ups was significantly greater (p < 0.001) than practice rounds (26.26 ± 18.63 min) and range sessions (13.00 ± 13.38 min). Education continues to be required to raise the understanding of warm-ups for golf. There were mixed perceptions regarding the benefits of a cool-down, with 62.1% of the high-skilled golfers omitting a cool-down following tournament play and practice. Strength and conditioning was perceived as beneficial, with 78.51% engaging in some form of training throughout the year. Results confirm, however, that certain misconceptions around surveyed sports science practices still exist and it is imperative that education disseminates research findings and validated applied practices to coaches and golfers alike.     

Exploring the relationships between collective efficacy,perceptions of success,and team attributions

Abstract

We examined the influence of collective efficacy and subjective interpretations of success/failure on team causal attributions. The participants were 71 male and female high school athletes on 20 track relay teams. Before a selected competition, participants completed a collective efficacy questionnaire. Then, immediately after their race, they were administered a modified version of the revised Causal Dimension Scale-II. A multi-level framework was employed to assess collective efficacy as an individually held perception and as a shared team belief. The individual perceptions of team success/failure significantly predicted the locus of causality and stability dimensions, whereas aggregated collective efficacy emerged as a significant team level predictor of average stability. Individual perceptions of collective efficacy were significantly related to team control and this relationship was moderated by the sex of the team. The findings indicate that collective efficacy beliefs held by athletes and teams prior to a competition influence the formation of post-competition team attributions in sport.     

Exploring the relationships between collective efficacy, perceptions of success, and team attributions

We examined the influence of collective efficacy and subjective interpretations of success/failure on team causal attributions. The participants were 71 male and female high school athletes on 20 track relay teams. Before a selected competition, participants completed a collective efficacy questionnaire. Then, immediately after their race, they were administered a modified version of the revised Causal Dimension Scale-II. A multi-level framework was employed to assess collective efficacy as an individually held perception and as a shared team belief. The individual perceptions of team success/failure significantly predicted the locus of causality and stability dimensions, whereas aggregated collective efficacy emerged as a significant team level predictor of average stability. Individual perceptions of collective efficacy were significantly related to team control and this relationship was moderated by the sex of the team. The findings indicate that collective efficacy beliefs held by athletes and teams prior to a competition influence the formation of post-competition team attributions in sport.     

Modelling mood states in athletic performance

The ability to recognize patterns of play is fundamental to performance in team sports. While typically assumed to be domain-specific, pattern recognition skills may transfer from one sport to another if similarities exist in the perceptual features and their relations and/or the strategies used to encode and retrieve relevant information. A transfer paradigm was employed to compare skilled and less skilled soccer, field hockey and volleyball players' pattern recognition skills. Participants viewed structured and unstructured action sequences from each sport, half of which were randomly represented with clips not previously seen. The task was to identify previously viewed action sequences quickly and accurately. Transfer of pattern recognition skill was dependent on the participant's skill, sport practised, nature of the task and degree of structure. The skilled soccer and hockey players were quicker than the skilled volleyball players at recognizing structured soccer and hockey action sequences. Performance differences were not observed on the structured volleyball trials between the skilled soccer, field hockey and volleyball players. The skilled field hockey and soccer players were able to transfer perceptual information or strategies between their respective sports. The less skilled participants' results were less clear. Implications for domain-specific expertise, transfer and diversity across domains are discussed.     

Parental Behavior,Cognitive Appraisal,and Motivation in Young Athletes

Purpose: This study tested two hypotheses relating young athletes’ sports motivations to parental behaviors and cognitive appraisal: (1) young athletes’ motivation in sports is related to their parents’ behavior; and (2) this relationship is mediated by cognitive appraisal, even after controlling for competitive level and sports records. Method: This cross-sectional study included 673 young athletes and it measured the athletes’ perceptions of parental behaviors, cognitive appraisal, and sports motivation. Results: Structural equation modeling confirmed Hypothesis 1–the mother’s behaviors accounted for 15 to 16% of the variance in sports motivation, and the father’s behaviors accounted for 12 to 21% of the variance. The correlation patterns differed according to whether the athletes were evaluating the mother’s or father’s behaviors. Hypothesis 2 also was confirmed, for cognitive appraisal partially mediated the relationship between the perception of parental behaviors and sports motivation (34% of the variance was accounted for by the perception of the mother’s behavior; 30% by the father’s). The mediating model did not vary with competitive level or sports records. Conclusion: Parental behaviors and cognitive appraisal need to be taken into account to understand young athletes’ sports motivations.     

Identifying home advantage in international tennis and golf tournaments

A regression analysis of competitors' tournament results in relation to their world rankings was proposed to identify the effect of home advantage in international ‘grand-slam’ tennis and ‘major’ golf tournaments. The results provided little evidence of home advantage in either the grand-slam tennis or the golf tournaments held in 1993. The only possible evidence of home advantage was found in the Wimbledon tennis and the US Open golf championships. Even these findings can be explained, at least partially, by (1) the availability of information concerning the low world rankings of the British tennis players competing at Wimbledon, and (2) selective entry, allowing only the world's top-ranked foreign golfers into the US open golf tournament. In both cases, the lower ranking home competitors have a greater opportunity to perform above their anticipated world rankings. Therefore, provided entry into tennis and golf tournaments is truly ‘open’ to both the host nation's representatives and foreign competitors alike, home advantage does not appear to be a major factor influencing the competitors' performance in such competitions. These findings may be explained by the relatively objective nature of the scoring systems used in tennis and golf, unlike the subjective influence of refereeing decisions on the results of team-games such as soccer.     

Perceived distributed effort in team ball sports

Abstract

In this study, we explored the multifaceted concept of perceived mental and physical effort in team sport contexts where athletes must invest individual and shared efforts to reach a common goal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 15 Catalan professional coaches (3 women and 12 men, 3 each from the following sports: volleyball, basketball, handball, soccer, and water polo) to gain their views of three perceived effort-related dimensions: physical, psychological, and tactical. From a theoretical thematic analysis, it was found that the perception of effort is closely related to how effort is distributed within the team. Moreover, coaches viewed physical effort in relation to the frequency and intensity of the players’ involvement in the game. They identified psychological effort in situations where players pay attention to proper cues, and manage emotions under difficult circumstances. Tactical effort addressed the decision-making process of players and how they fulfilled their roles while taking into account the actions of their teammates and opponents. Based on these findings, a model of perceived distributed effort was developed, which delineates the elements that compose each of the aforementioned dimensions. Implications of perceived distributed effort in team coordination and shared mental models are discussed.     

‘The Product of the Town Itself’: Community Representation and the Stanley Cup Hockey Challenges of the Kenora Thistles, 1903–1907

This case study of community representation in Canadian hockey analyzes media accounts of four Stanley Cup hockey series played by the Kenora Thistles between 1903 and 1907. It examines newspaper coverage of the Thistles hockey club as it moved from an amateur team represented by players with roots in their home community to a professional aggregation that included paid imports from outside the town. The essay explores the relationship between sport and civic identity during a key time of change in top-level hockey. The dominant narrative surrounding the Thistles portrayed players as true ‘members’ of the town of Kenora. Even after the turn to professionalism, narratives of small-town, amateur purity and close connections to the community characterized coverage of the Thistles as they pursued the Stanley Cup. At the same time, however, a growing emphasis on securing the personnel that could ensure victory led to praise for the club’s efforts to please its supporters, or ‘customers’. As a result, this study of notions of civic representation in early hockey provides insight into the process by which sports teams came to be viewed as symbolic representatives of their communities.     

Social impact of Formula One Chinese Grand Prix: A comparison of local residents’ perceptions based on the intrinsic dimension

Inspired by Faulkner and Tideswell's (1997) seminal work on the social impact of an event on a local community, this study investigated residents’ perceptions of the social impact of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and examined the relationships between the perceptions of social impact and four sets of variables modified from Faulkner and Tideswell's intrinsic dimension: involvement in sports industry, community attachment, identification with the event, and socio-economics characteristics. Data were gathered from 600 local residents located at five different areas of Shanghai. The results show that perceived social impact included three positive dimensions and three negative dimensions, with positive correlations among several of the dimensions. The results also indicate that positive social impacts were significantly associated with involvement in sports industry, community attachment, and identification with the event. Only one dimension of negative impact (environmental and cultural problems) was significantly associated with involvement in sports industry, community attachment, and identification with the event. Residential proximity was not significantly related to any perceived social impact. Furthermore, the results revealed that perceptions of the social impact of Formula One Chinese Grand Prix differed across socio-demographic profiles.     

3D technology of Sony Bloggie has no advantage in decision-making of tennis serve direction: A randomized placebo-controlled study

This study aimed at exploring whether 3D technology enhances tennis decision-making under the conceptual framework of human performance model. A 3 (skill-level: varsity, club, recreational)?×?3 (experimental condition: placebo, weak 3D [W3D], strong 3D [S3D]) between-participant design was used. Allocated to experimental conditions by a skill-level stratified randomization, 105 tennis players judged tennis serve direction from video scenarios and rated their perceptions of enjoyment, flow, and presence during task performance. Results showed that varsity players made more accurate decisions than less skilled ones. Additionally, applying 3D technology to typical video displays reduced tennis players’ decision-making accuracy, although wearing the 3D glasses led to a placebo effect that shortened the decision-making reaction time. The unexpected negative effect of 3D technology on decision-making was possibly due to participants being more familiar to W3D than to S3D, and relatedly, a suboptimal task-technology match. Future directions for advancing this area of research are offered.

Highlights

• 3D technology augments binocular depth cues to tradition video displays, and thus results in the attainment of more authentic visual representation. This process enhances task fidelity in researching perceptual-cognitive skills in sports.

• The paper clarified both conceptual and methodological difficulties in testing 3D technology in sports settings. Namely, the nomenclature of video footage (with/without 3D technology) and the possible placebo effect (arising from wearing glasses of 3D technology) merit researchers' attention.

• Participants varying in level of domain-specific expertise were randomized into viewing conditions using a placebo-controlled design. Measurement consisted of both participants' subjective experience (i.e., presence, flow, and enjoyment) and objective performance (i.e., accuracy and reaction time) in a decision-making task.

• Findings revealed that wearing glasses of 3D technology resulted in a placebo effect that shortened participants' reaction times in decision-making. Moreover, participants' decision-making accuracy decreased when viewing video scenarios using 3D technology. The findings generated meaningful implications regarding applying 3D technology to sports research.

     

Longitudinal trajectories of athlete burnout among young table tennis players: A 3-wave study

PurposeThe purposes of this study were to examine the trajectories of athlete burnout across a 2-month period characterized by high physical, psychological, and social demands to explore (1) whether several subgroups of athletes representing distinct burnout trajectories emerged from the analyses and (2) whether athlete burnout symptoms (reduced accomplishment, sport devaluation, and exhaustion) developed in tandem or whether some burnout dimensions predicted downstream changes in other dimensions (causal ordering model).MethodsOne hundred and fifty-nine table tennis players in intensive training centers completed a self-reported athlete burnout measure across 3 time points within a 2-month period characterized by high demands. Data were analyzed through latent class growth analysis.ResultsResults of latent class growth analysis showed 3 distinct trajectories for each athlete burnout dimension, indicating not only linear or quadratic change but also stability in longitudinal athlete burnout perceptions. Results also suggested that the 3 dimensions of athlete burnout did not develop in tandem. Rather, the likelihood of belonging to particular emerging trajectories of sport devaluation and physical/emotional exhaustion was significantly influenced by the athletes' perception of reduced accomplishment assessed at Time 1. Thus, reduced accomplishment predicted downstream changes in the 2 other athlete burnout dimensions.ConclusionAs a whole, these results highlighted that the multinomial heterogeneity in longitudinal athlete burnout symptoms needs to be accounted for in future research.     

Self-report vs. kinematic screening test: prevalence,demographics, and sports biography of yips-affected golfers

The yips is considered a task-specific movement disorder. Its estimated prevalence, however, is high compared to similar neurological movement disorders, possibly resulting from previous studies’ restriction of samples based on skill level, and self-report bias. Alternatively, this high prevalence might be an indication of additional aetiologies, for example the influence of previously played racket sports. We estimated the prevalence of the putting yips across the skill range, using self-reports in one study and a screening test in a second study. We explored if previously played sports matter for the development of the yips. In study 1, yips prevalence (N = 1,306) and golfers’ sports biographies (n = 264) were examined via two online surveys, in which golfers indicated if they were yips-affected. In study 2, golfers (N = 186) putted in a standardised putting test while kinematic and performance measures were recorded. Prevalence was estimated via a kinematic threshold. Sports biographies (n = 119) were obtained via an online survey. Prevalence of currently yips-affected golfers was 22.4% in study 1 and 16.7% in study 2. In both studies, more yips-affected than unaffected golfers had experience in playing racket sports. Yips prevalence remained higher than previously estimated prevalence of other movement disorders but decreased when the whole skill range including professionals and novices was considered. Future studies should use the kinematic screening test instead of self-reports to detect the yips and further investigate the influence of previously played racket sports.     

体育参与对主观幸福感的影响--基于社会学实证研究

主观幸福感一直以来是学术界和社会所关注的热点话题,也是人们生活质量水平的重要体现。研究旨在探析体育参与对主观幸福感的影响关系,以及社会交往、身体健康状况、阶层认同和社会经济地位在其影响关系中的中介效果与调节效果。结果显示:参与体育锻炼的程度越高,获得的主观幸福感越强;社会交往和身体健康状况在参与体育锻炼对主观幸福感的影响关系中起部分中介作用,阶层认同和社会经济地位调节参与体育锻炼对主观幸福感的影响关系。同时,观看体育比赛的程度越高,获得的主观幸福感越强;社会交往和身体健康状况在观看体育比赛对主观幸福感的影响关系中起部分中介作用,阶层认同和社会经济地位调节观看体育比赛对主观幸福感的影响关系。研究揭示了体育参与、社会学因素对主观幸福感的影响,为促进全民健身和增强人们的主观幸福感提供理论支撑。     

Organizational justice in intercollegiate athletics: Perceptions of coaches

Research indicates sport industry employees encounter organizational justice, or fairness perceptions, during resource distributions on the basis of what was distributed (distributive justice), how the distribution decision was reached (procedural justice), and how the distribution decision was communicated to the employee (interaction justice). This study's purpose was to explore coaches’ perceptions of fairness regarding current resource distribution systems in intercollegiate athletics in terms of types of sport (high profile sports vs. low profile sports) and participant gender (male participant sports vs. female participant sports). A total of 260 coaches from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and III institutions in the United States responded through online surveys assessing three dimensions of organizational justice: distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. Subsequently, tests for discriminant validity prompted the consolidation of the procedural and interactional justice dimensions. MANOVA tests found: (a) no significant main effect nor interaction effect for distributive justice and (b) main effects of type of sport and participant gender, but no interaction effect for procedural justice. Practical and broader theoretical implications for these findings are discussed.     

‘White men can’t jump in a black basketball game?’ An exploratory investigation of implicit strategies of outgroup discrimination

Examining the ‘natural’ athlete myth and utilizing the recent literature on cultural/social factors in athleticism and basketball, this study through survey research examines the influence of stereotypes on the impression formation of basketball players. The primary research question is to determine from a group of students the attitudes of basketball players in terms of how they evaluate white and black players in basketball. The purpose is to identify participants’ perceptions and their appreciation as to whether or not black are superior to white basketball players. The theoretical framework employed is articulated around the theory of social categorization and racial stereotypes already observed in sports. In an initial qualitative phase, the results show that stereotypical representations exert an influence on the skills associated with basketball players depending on the colour of their skin, which is reflected in the use of adjectives specific to each of the categories of black and white. In a second quantitative phase, whereas a more favourable view of black basketball players might have been attributable to positive discrimination as per the anti-racist norm, the results show the activation of a bias towards favouring one’s own group. Once all of the initial adjectives have been expressed, the targets behave in the expected way in terms of the laws of social categorization i.e. they have a more positive view of the members of their own group (the Whites) than of the other group (the Blacks) as adjectives are cited for describing skills.