Device for on-the-water measurement of rowing output

All those who compete in the sport of rowing have used the land rowing machine, Ergometer (commonly called the ‘erg’), manufactured by Concept II (Morrisville, Vermont, USA). Ergon is the Greek word for work, hence the Ergometer measures work. Rowers are commonly ranked according to their ‘erg score.’ The fault in this ranking is that the land Ergometer cannot account for many of the important technical aspects associated with rowing on the water. The goals of this project were to (1) develop a system for on-the-water measurement of work during rowing and then (2) demonstrate the potential of such a system to quantify performance and improve rowing technique. To achieve these goals, force was measured using strain gauges glued to the shaft of the rowing oar and angular displacement was measured using a potentiometer. The force and displacement measurements were sent to a microcontroller, which calculated the total work done in a particular stroke, as well as other parameters, and displayed the values to the rower. The parameters were used to evaluate the performance of three collegiate rowers on the water. The data were also used to plot force profiles, which were reviewed with each rower and the coach to illustrate the rowers’ habits and facilitate improving technique. One rower was ‘tutored’ with the device through five on-the-water practices, after which his force profiles and parameter values demonstrated significant improvement. The device not only provided a standard to which all rowers were compared on the water, but also supplied the rowers with important information on technical aspects of their strokes and pacing themselves.     

Montana's Indian Education for All: Applying Multicultural Education Theory

Montana's constitutional commitment to the cultural heritages of American Indians exemplifies the practical application of multicultural education. In this article, the authors explore the goals and evolution of Indian Education for All within a multicultural education framework, and discuss how educators are best prepared to implement this transformative educational policy.     

The BASES expert statement on exercise, immunity, and infection

An individual's level of physical activity influences their risk of infection, most likely by affecting immune function. Regular moderate exercise reduces the risk of infection compared with a sedentary lifestyle, but very prolonged bouts of exercise and periods of intensified training are associated with an increased risk of infection. There are several lifestyle, nutritional, and training strategies that can be adopted to limit the extent of exercise-induced immunodepression and minimize the risk of infection. This expert statement provides a background summarizing the evidence together with extensive conclusions and practical guidelines.     

Anthropometry, strength and benchmarks for development: a basis for junior rowers' selection?

The aims of this study were to establish whether anthropometry, muscle strength and endurance accounted for differences between junior and senior elite rowing ergometer performance, and to determine annual development rates for juniors associated with training. Twenty-six junior (8 females, age 18.0 ± 0.3 years and 18 males, age 17.9 ± 0.2 years) and 30 senior (12 females, 23.7 ± 3.0 years and 18 males, 24.0 ± 3.9 years) heavyweight rowers, were assessed anthropometrically, performed a 2000-m ergometer time-trial, and completed various muscular strength and endurance tests. There were no anthropometrical differences between males; however after controlling for body-fat and standing-height, senior females were of greater body-mass (70.5 ± 4.6 kg and 77.2 ± 5.9 kg, P = 0.01) and sitting-height (89.8 ± 2.2 cm and 92.2 ± 6.1 cm, P = 0.04) than juniors. Moderate to very large standardised differences in all strength and endurance tests were observed between juniors and seniors (effect size (ES) range 0.9-1.9). Greater development rates (5.0% to 6.0%) and adjusted 2000-m performance was associated with upper-body strength (males) and endurance (females). In conclusion, after identification of desirable anthropometry, the 2000-m ergometer potential of juniors may be accounted for by upper-body strength and endurance.     

Searching for momentum in NBA triplets of free throws

ABSTRACT

The literature on momentum is still undecided, with mixed results whether momentum exists or is only perceived to exist (“hot hand fallacy”). We explore whether momentum exists by looking at cases in which a basketball player has three consecutive free throws. A free throw is a well-defined task executed in a stable environment, allegedly giving momentum optimal chances to occur. Taking 14 NBA seasons we collected over 4500 three-free-throw sets (triplets). We obtained the outcomes of the shots as well as some additional variables about the player and the game: the player’s average free-throw percentage, home or away, and the game score and the quarter when the free throws were attempted. We first analyse the hit rates in the three shots and then proceed to regression analysis that also controls for the abovementioned variables. We address several concerns raised in the literature. All comparisons and analyses yield the same conclusion that there is no evidence for momentum in the data.     

The cumulative and residual fatigue response associated with soccer-specific activity performed on different playing surfaces

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess the effect of playing surface (Natural [NT] and Artificial [AT] Turf) on the fatigue response to a soccer-specific exercise protocol (SSEP). Eighteen male soccer players completed the SSEP on NT and AT with pre-, post-, and 48 h post-assessments of eccentric knee flexor (eccKF) and concentric knee extensor peak torque (PT), peak countermovement (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) height, and Nordic hamstring break angle. No significant main effects for surface or any surface and time interactions were observed for any of the outcome measures, except for eccKF PT recorded at 3.14 rad·s^-1, which was significantly lower 48 h post-trial in the AT condition (AT = 146.3 ± 20.4 Nm; NT = 158.8 ± 24.7 Nm). Main effects for time were observed between pre- and post-trial measures for eccKF PT at all angular velocities, Nordic break angle, CMJ and SJ height. Nordic break angle, and both CMJ and SJ height were significantly impaired 48 h post-trial when compared to pre-trial. The findings of the current study suggest surface dependent changes in eccKF PT which may have implications for recovery and subsequent performance after competition on AT.     

Reference power values for the jump squat exercise in elite athletes: A multicenter study

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to provide reference values for lower-limb muscle power assessed during the incremental jump squat (JS) test in elite athletes (i.e., professional athletes competing at international level). We pooled data from all JS tests performed by elite athletes of different sports in two high-performance centres between 2015 and 2019, and computed reference values (i.e., terciles) for mean power (MP), mean propulsive power (MPP), and peak power (PP). Reference values were obtained from 684 elite athletes (458 male and 226 female) of 16 different sports (boxing, judo, karate, fencing, taekwondo, wrestling, basketball, soccer, futsal, handball, rugby union, badminton, tennis, long distance running, triathlon, and sprinting). Significant differences (p < 0.001) were found between male and female athletes for MP (7.47 ± 1.93 and 6.15 ± 1.68 W·Kg^?1, respectively), MPP (10.50 ± 2.75 and 8.63 ± 2.43 W·Kg^?1), and PP (23.64 ± 6.12 and 19.35 ± 5.49 W·Kg^?1). However, the velocity at which these power measures was attained seemed to be independent of sex (~0.95, 1.00 and 2.00 m·s^?1 for mean, mean propulsive, and peak velocity, respectively) and homogeneous across different sport disciplines (coefficient of variation <10%). These data can be used to classify athletes’ power capabilities, and the optimum velocity ranges provided here could be useful for training purposes.