Täuschungshandlungen im Sport

Experimental studies on the head fake in basketball showed that participant’s responses in a pass direction identification task were delayed for incongruent compared to congruent directions of the players gaze and pass (so-called head fake effect). In these studies on the head fake effect, static pictures were presented and responses on the pass direction were given with a simple key press. The present study examines whether an increase in the response complexity affects the head fake effect and whether it can also be transferred to the presentation of dynamic stimuli. In experiment 1, participants were presented with static pictures of a basketball player who passes a ball to the left or to the right. The player’s gaze direction was either oriented in the direction of the intended pass or in the opposite direction (i.?e., a head fake). The participants were asked to respond as quickly as possible to the pass direction and to ignore the gaze direction. Participants gave responses by pressing a key (simple response) or by executing a quasirealistic defense movement (complex response). Response complexity was blocked. In experiment 2, videos replaced the static stimuli. The responses were only given with the complex, full body movement. Results show that the head fake effect is independent of response complexity and that it can also be found when presenting dynamic stimuli.     

Physical demands of elite basketball during an official U18 international tournament

ABSTRACT

The aims of this study were (a) to compare players’ physical demands between different playing positions in elite U18 basketball games and (b) to identify different clusters of performance. Data were collected from 94 male subjects (age: 17.4 ± 0.7 years), competing in a Euroleague Basketball Tournament. Guards covered a greater relative distance than centres and forwards (small to moderate effect). Forwards and guards had more peak accelerations, high accelerations and high decelerations than centres (moderate to large effects). A cluster analysis allowed to classify all cases into three different groups (Lower, Medium and Higher activity demands), containing 37.4%, 52.8% and 9.8% of the cases, respectively. The high accelerations, high decelerations, peak accelerations and total distance covered were the variables that most contributed to classify the players into the new groups. The percentage of cases distributed in the clusters according to playing position, game type (worst vs worst, mixed opposition, best vs best) and team were different. Centres have lower physical demands specially related with the number of accelerations and decelerations at high intensity and the peak acceleration when compared with guards. Each team has a different activity profile, that does not seem to influence the tournament outcome.     

Sexual violence in organized sport in Germany

Although the topic of sexual violence in sport has gained considerable attention in recent years, prevalence rates of sexual violence experience in German athletes are not yet available. Therefore, the current study aimed to address this by assessing prevalence rates in a comprehensive sample of German elite athletes. Overall, 1529 German elite athletes over 16 years of age from 128 different sports took part in an online survey. Mean age was 21.6 years; 56% were female. Participants were presented with seventeen different sexual violence situations (from sexist jokes to forced penetration) and asked to indicate how often they had experienced each particular situation in the sport setting. Results revealed that 37.6% of the athletes had experienced at least one sexual violence situation in organized sport; 11.2% reported a severe form of sexual violence. Female athletes were affected significantly more often than male athletes, and persons with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual more often than heterosexuals. No significant differences could be found with regard to age, level of performance, type of sports, dis-/ability or migration background of the athletes. These results indicate that sexual violence is a problem that needs to be addressed across elite sports in Germany. Prevention concepts need to be developed and applied across sports contexts.     

Effects of different exercise intensities in the morning on football performance components in the afternoon

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two different exercise interventions in the morning on football-specific components of performance in the afternoon under conditions simulating a competition day. In the morning on 3 experimental days, 12 football players (age 24.1?±?5.5 years) completed three different preload interventions that were applied in a counter-balanced order: (1) no intervention (NI); (2) moderate-intensive exercise (MI); and (3) high-intensive exercise (HI). The subjects performed the preload exercises, consisting of a small-sided game and repeated maximal sprints, from 10:00–11:00 a.m. At 3:00 p.m., the Bangsbo test (BT) was applied to examine the effects of the different morning interventions on football-specific endurance capacity. The results showed that the HI led to significantly higher blood-lactate concentrations (moderate to very large effect) and heart rates (very large to extremely large effect) compared to the MI. In addition, there was a significant measurement?×?intervention effect on concentrations of adrenalin and noradrenalin in the urine, which reached higher values immediately after the HI (very large effect) and MI (moderate effect) compared to NI. All effects disappeared by the time of the BT in the afternoon. During all trials, after the preload intervention, reaction time and critical flicker fusion frequency increased significantly compared to the baseline morning values (reaction time: small; critical flicker fusion: trivial to small effect), but no measurement?×?intervention interaction was found. During the BT, the mean total distance covered (trivial to small effect) and the pacing pattern did not differ significantly among the trials despite numerous small individual effects. We conclude that exercise interventions of various intensities in the morning have no general effect on football-specific components of performance in the afternoon despite significant metabolic, endocrinological and cognitive short-term effects. Coaches should consider individual preferences when prescribing competition-day procedures.     

Transmission of vibration from a vibrating plate to the head of standing people

Little is known about the transmission of vibration to the head when using whole-body vibration (WBV) training machines. This paper investigates the effect of frequency and posture on the transmission of vibration from a vibrating plate to the head of standing people. Nine male participants were exposed to vertical vibration at nine frequencies in the range of 17–46 Hz and vibration acceleration in the range of 7.85–18.64 m/s² (peak). The participants adopted four standing postures described as standing with locked knee (LK), bent knee (BK), one leg (OL), and one foot to the front and the other to the back (FB). The transmissibility to the head differed among postures (t-test, p < 0.05) and was greatest with the FB posture and smallest with the BK posture. The transmissibility to the head decreased with increasing the frequency (t-test, p < 0.05) but the extent of the decrease depended on the adopted posture. This frequency-posture interaction effect on the transmissibility should be considered when designing a training program. The data will be useful for developing standards/protocols that govern the use of WBV machines as well as for building human body models that can predict potential risks arising from using WBV machines.     

Exercise-based injury prevention in football

Injuries—a major concern in a high-intensity contact sport like football—are associated with possible short- and long-term harmful consequences for the individual, the team and club as well as for the whole society. Consequently, there is need for effective injury prevention in football at all levels of play, in all age groups and in both genders. The present review summarizes the current scientific evidence focusing on exercise-based injury prevention and presenting promising prevention strategies in different football populations and settings. There is convincing evidence that multimodal exercise-based injury prevention programs (IPP) can reduce injury incidence by more than 30% in athletes of different age groups and in both genders. Although relevant effects have already been shown for short sessions, increased frequency and regular integration into normal practice may increase efficacy up to an injury reduction of 50%. Most programs last about 15?min and can easily replace traditional warm-up programs. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that IPP beneficially affect neuromuscular performance parameters and biomechanical movement characteristics, which are associated with injury risk. There remains, however, a major gap between research on the short-term efficacy and long-term intervention strategies. IPP should be implemented continuously and with high fidelity as training effects are transient. It is crucial that future studies report implementation components in detail in order to facilitate the replication of successful interventions.     

Do field position and playing standard influence athlete performance in wheelchair basketball?

Improved understanding of mobility performance in wheelchair basketball is required to increase game performance. The aim of this study was to quantify the wheelchair-athlete activities of players in different field positions and of different playing standard during wheelchair basketball matches. From video analysis, absolute and relative duration and frequency of wheelchair movements and athlete control options were examined in 27 national standard and 29 international standard players during entire wheelchair basketball matches. Between-group factorial analysis of variances identified that national players drove more forward (42.6 ± 6.8 vs. 35.4 ± 3.7%; effect size Cohen’s d (ES) = 1.48) and started more often driving forward (33.9 ± 2.6 vs. 31.8 ± 2.8; ES = 0.77) during a match while the mean activity duration for a single driving forward activity was longer (4.3 ± 0.9 vs. 3.7 ± 0.6 s; ES = 0.75) than for international players. Furthermore, national players performed fewer rotational movements (21.8 ± 4.0 vs. 28.9 ± 7.8%; ES = –1.30) and started less often with the rotational movements (35.0 ± 3.6 vs. 40.5 ± 5.5; ES = –1.21) while the mean activity duration for a single rotation activity was shorter (2.1 ± 0.3 vs. 2.3 ± 0.3 s; ES = –0.67) than for international players. Differences in mobility performance among guard, forward and centre players were minimal. The results should help wheelchair basketball coaches specify wheelchair-handling training techniques and means to optimise wheelchair-athlete configurations.     

Konstruktion eines Fragebogens im Rahmen der Selbstbestimmungstheorie der Motivation im außerschulischen Sport im Kindesalter

The article describes the development of a questionnaire based on self-determination theory for 9- to 13-year-old children engaging in extracurricular sports. To our knowledge there are no German-language instruments that can be used to record the promotion of the three psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness, the degree of satisfaction and the resulting self-determined motivation. Therefore, the aim of this research is the development of a efficient, German-language questionnaire measuring the aforementioned constructs. The result is a questionnaire of 30 items including two need-support scales, three need-satisfaction scales and four scales regarding the motivational orientation. The scales extracted by factor analysis show satisfying internal consistencies. Preliminary construct validation is reported concerning individual vs. team sports for the need-support and need-satisfaction scales as well as proof of the simplex structure concerning motivational orientation.     

Motorische Leistungsfähigkeit von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Deutschland

Motor performance is an important health resource. Review articles revealed a decline of motor performance of approximately 10?% between 1975 and 2006. In the past most of the data available for such comparisons came from ad hoc studies with non-standardized methods. Within the framework of the ”Motorik-Modul“ (MoMo) study as part of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), it is possible for the first time to directly compare two cohorts in the ages of 4–17 years in a nationally representative database for Germany. The aim of this article is to report changes in motor performance of children and adolescents in the time period 2003–2006 (cohort baseline n = 4528) compared to 2009–2012 (cohort wave 1, n = 2820). Overall, it is clearly shown that the motor performance of children and adolescents in Germany did not decrease within the observational period of 6 years. The comparison of mean values of the baseline cohort compared to those of wave 1 showed that 28 out of 52 mean values of the two cohorts with a high probability did not differ based on 95?% confidence intervals (CI). In 24 out of the 52 mean values positive changes could be noted based on the individual 95?% CI values. There were more positive changes in primary school aged children than in other age groups. Within these positive changes, most effect sizes were small to medium. The results indicate that recent activities aiming at elevating motor performance levels may have started to make an impact and should be expanded, also in secondary schools. The comparative cohort study presented in this article is currently being checked by the ongoing MoMo wave 2 survey of 2014–2017.     

Biomechanical characteristics of adults walking forward and backward in water at different stride frequencies

The aim of this study was to examine spatiotemporal characteristics and joint angles during forward and backward walking in water at low and high stride frequency. Eight healthy adults (22.1 ± 1.1 years) walked forward and backward underwater at low (50 pulses) and high frequency (80 pulses) at the xiphoid process level with arms crossed at the chest. The main differences observed were that the participants presented a greater speed (0.58 vs. 0.85 m/s) and more asymmetry of the step length (1.24 vs. 1.48) at high frequency whilst the stride and step length (0.84 vs. 0.7 m and 0.43 vs. 0.35 m, respectively) were lower compared to low frequency (P < 0.05). Support phase duration was higher at forward walking than backward walking (61.2 vs. 59.0%). At initial contact, we showed that during forward walking, the ankle and hip presented more flexion than during backward walking (ankle: 84.0 vs. 91.8º and hip: 22.8 vs. 8.0º; P < 0.001). At final stance, the knee and hip were more flexed at low frequency than at high frequency (knee: 150.0 vs. 157.0º and hip: ?12.2 vs. –14.5º; P < 0.001). The knee angle showed more flexion at forward walking (134.0º) than backward walking (173.1º) (P < 0.001). In conclusion, these results show how forward and backward walking in water at different frequencies differ and contribute to a better understanding of this activity in training and rehabilitation.     

Affective–Reflective Theory of physical inactivity and exercise

This article introduces a new theory, the Affective–Reflective Theory (ART) of physical inactivity and exercise. ART aims to explain and predict behavior in situations in which people either remain in a state of physical inactivity or initiate action (exercise). It is a dual-process model and assumes that exercise-related stimuli trigger automatic associations and a resulting automatic affective valuation of exercise (type-1 process). The automatic affective valuation forms the basis for the reflective evaluation (type-2 process), which can follow if self-control resources are available. The automatic affective valuation is connected with an action impulse, whereas the reflective evaluation can result in action plans. The two processes, in constant interaction, direct the individual towards or away from changing behavior. The ART of physical inactivity and exercise predicts that, when there is an affective–reflective discrepancy and self-control resources are low, behavior is more likely to be governed by the affective type-1 process. This introductory article explains the underlying concepts and main theoretical roots from which the ART of physical inactivity and exercise was developed (field theory, affective responses to exercise, automatic evaluation, evaluation-behavior link, dual-process theorizing). We also summarize the empirical tests that have been conducted to refine the theory in its present form.     

Visuelle Bewegungskontrolle geführter Kraftübungen bei jungen Erwachsenen und Senioren

In the context of strength training in rehabilitation, visual movement control can be helpful to ensure correct movements. However, there are only a few studies that deal with the effectiveness of feedback during resistance exercises. To investigate the effect of feedback during guided exercise, 18 young adults (28.8?±?5.5 years) and 12 senior citizens (67.9?±?4.1 years) were tested. Subjects performed shoulder press exercises (3 sets, 15 repetitions) with and without visual movement control in a randomized order. On day 1, the subjects trained without load, and on day 2 they trained at 50% of their single repetition maximum. Joint articulation at the elbow was recorded using elbow extension and flexion. Autocorrelation was used to determine the reproducibility of movements. Subjects achieved better reproducibility of the movement with feedback than without (χ²?=?19.73; p?<?0.001). There was no effect of the load on motion accuracy (p?>?0.05), but the age group showed a significant effect (χ²?=?6.00; p?=?0.014). The younger group shows a higher degree of movement accuracy. In summary, visual movement control is useful in guided exercises to control movement execution. In clinical setting, this may be a way to control the motion performance of guided strength exercises and to ensure purposeful muscle work. Further studies should clarify the effect of visual feedback on the movement quality in unguided strength exercises.     

International comparison of differences in home advantage between level 1 and level 2 of domestic football leagues

The purpose of this study was to compare home advantage at the top two levels of the domestic leagues of a wide selection of countries worldwide. Limited previous work has been inconclusive with home advantage at level 2 appearing at least as high as at level 1. Home advantage was quantified for the most recent seven seasons of the top two levels for 47 countries worldwide and included 168,341 matches. A paired t?test was used to assess the difference between levels for each country. Home advantage was significantly more likely to be higher at level 2 than at level 1. The difference was especially apparent in Bosnia–Herzegovina, Serbia and Iran (all p?<?0.001). Kazakhstan was the only country with a significantly higher advantage at level 1. Possible factors that might be contributing to this finding include players and referees at level 1 being better trained to avoid being influenced by crowd support. Level 2 players may be more intimidated by performing away from home, less well equipped to cope with unfamiliar surroundings and routines, and will also have travelled in less comfort.     

Reliability and validity of a soccer passing test using the Footbonaut

The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a soccer short passing test using the Footbonaut training system. Forty-eight young skilled soccer players and 31 lesser-skilled soccer players completed a test and a retest, each involving four sessions a day of a Footbonaut short passing test (FSPT). We found significant differences in mean execution times for skilled (mean [M]?=?2487, standard deviation [SD] ?=?155) and lesser-skilled players (M?=?2682, SD?=?176) but no significant difference in accuracy (M?=?74.13, SD?=?7.65; M?=?72.19, SD?=?8.13) between groups. The results from linear mixed-effects models show that there were no significant effects of repeated measurements on execution time. In contrast, we found an estimated increase of 0.86% in accuracy per session for both groups. In conclusion, the FSPT offers a reliable and valid method to differentiate young soccer players at different competitive levels, using execution time.     

Bildung und Ehrenamt: Zum Einfluss von Motiven auf Investitionen in Lizenzerwerb und Lizenzverlängerung bei Übungsleitern

Volunteer coaches are an important resource for many sports clubs and their training is one of the main tasks for sports associations. Sports clubs increasingly consider the retention and recruitment of coaches as a threat to their very existence. In addition, the acquisition and extension of a coaching license requires an investment in education, which some coaches make and others do not, but which is not required at all when engaging in board positions. Using educational economics and a rational choice-based voluntary work theory, we examine the question of whether the motivational basis differs between coaches and other volunteers, whether there are differences between coaches who do invest in education and those who do not, and why coaches quit. The results confirm the assumptions underlying educational economics, but suggest that the hypotheses derived from the motivational categories in voluntary work theory are not supported. As a practical implication, it should be noted that sports clubs and sports associations can do very little to oppose the decision against a renewed investment in education and against the continuation of commitment as coaches.     

On the worlds of football and the core of the game

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior’s transfer fee of 222 million euros clearly indicates that the lifeworld of professional football proves the well-known ideal of eleven friends, all from the same hometown, to be a romantic notion of the past. When players are measured by their market value, when clubs are capital investments and when football matches are marketed as spectacular events, the question arising no longer is whether amateur football and professional football have moved apart, but rather how big the gap has become. Is there still any connection between the lifeworld of amateur football and professional football or are these now disparate worlds? To answer this question it is essential to determine whether, despite the obvious invariants between amateur football and professional football, there is still a common core of the game that connects the two worlds. This core may be in the contingency of playing football as a specific form of result uncertainty and uncertainty in action, which are sought voluntarily and intentionally. The reward for the players is not to be found in the intended result (i.e. the victory) but in experiencing that the means taken to reach the aim (generally the movement actions of the players) gain in value to the extent where achieving the aim of the action is unpredictable. In 1995, Seel called this aesthetic value of actions in sport “a celebration of inability”. In conclusion, it is the telic of the autotelic that represents the constitutive prerequisite for the special fascination of football, and in this respect it is possible from a cultural perspective to assign educational value to the game of football. Football will continue to fascinate players as well as the spectators as long as its core—the telic of the autotelic—can be experienced in football’s various lifeworlds.     

Muscle and tendon tissue properties of competitive soccer goalkeepers and midfielders

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of playing-position-dependent training routines in soccer on the various muscle–tendon parameters. We hypothesized that there would be differences in such parameters between competitive goalkeepers and midfielders. According to their playing position, 21 healthy volunteers were assigned to goalkeeper (n?=?7), midfielder (n?=?7), and control (n?=?7) groups. To investigate the muscle–tendon parameters, we determined the maximum dorsiflexion range of motion and the corresponding muscle thickness, fascicle length, and pennation angle of the gastrocnemius medialis. Passive resistive torque and maximum voluntary contraction were measured with a dynamometer. Observation of muscle–tendon junction displacement with ultrasound allowed us to determine length changes in the tendon and muscle, respectively, and hence to calculate stiffness. There was no significant difference in range of motion, passive resistive torque, muscle–tendon stiffness, and the examined structural parameters (e.g., tendon stiffness) between the three groups. However, we found a significant difference in maximum voluntary contraction torque between the goalkeepers and midfielders vs. the controls, but not between the athlete groups. Habitual training leads to higher muscle strength in soccer players compared to less active persons. However, soccer training does not lead to specific muscle and tendon architecture adaptations according to playing position or when compared to less active persons.     

Motor unit activation strategy during a sustained isometric contraction of finger flexor muscles in elite climbers

The aim of the study was to evaluate, by an electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) combined approach, whether years of specific climbing activity induced neuromuscular changes towards performances related to a functional prevalence of fast resistant or fast fatigable motor units. For this purpose, after the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) assessment, 11 elite climbers and 10 controls performed an exhaustive handgrip isometric effort at 80% MVC. Force, EMG and MMG signals were recorded from the finger flexor muscles during contraction. Time and frequency domain analysis of EMG and MMG signals was performed. In climbers: (i) MVC was higher (762 ± 34 vs 512 ± 57 N; effect size: 1.64; confidence interval: 0.65–2.63; P < 0.05); (ii) endurance time at 80% MVC was 43% longer (34.2 ± 3.7 vs 22.3 ± 1.5 s; effect size: 1.21; confidence interval: 0.28–2.14; P < 0.05); (iii) force accuracy and stability were greater during contraction (P < 0.05); (iv) EMG and MMG parameters were higher throughout the entire isometric effort (P < 0.05). Collectively, force, EMG and MMG combined analysis revealed that several years of specific climbing activity addressed the motor control system to adopt muscle activation strategies based on the functional prevalence of fast resistant motor units.     

Let the Aryanists know! Brazilian race and nation in the 1938 France World Cup

ABSTRACT

Getúlio Vargas’ dictatorship (1937-1945) attributed to sports a key role to foment the formation of a ‘new Brazil’, using football as a crucial element to promote the state nationalist policy. A propitious moment for this attempt would be an international event, a space in which Brazil could demonstrate to the civilized nations – especially to the European countries – the best qualities of ‘the Brazilian race’. This arena was the 1938 World Cup, played in France. This essay presents some aspects of the relationship between football and the construction of Brazil’s national identity in the early twentieth century. My focus on the 1938 World Cup is due to the fact this was a quintessential event not only for the history of Brazilian sports but also for the debates on scientific racism and the construction of national identity. This event shaped, more than eight decades ago, the ways through which football articulated the core commonality of the Brazilian society, becoming one of the key elements to understand contemporary Brazil.