Relationships between anthropometric measures and athletic performance,with special reference to repeated-sprint ability,in the Qatar national soccer team

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine potential relationships between anthropometric parameters and athletic performance with special consideration to repeated-sprint ability (RSA). Sixteen players of the senior male Qatar national soccer team performed a series of anthropometric and physical tests including countermovement jumps without (CMJ) and with free arms (CMJwA), straight-line 20 m sprint, RSA (6 × 35 m with 10 s recovery) and incremental field test. Significant (P < 0.05) relationships occurred between muscle-to-bone ratio and both CMJs height (r ranging from 0.56 to 0.69) as well as with all RSA-related variables (r < –0.53 for sprinting times and r = 0.54 for maximal sprinting speed) with the exception of the sprint decrement score (S_dec). The sum of six skinfolds and adipose mass index were largely correlated with S_dec (r = 0.68, P < 0.01 and r = 0.55, P < 0.05, respectively) but not with total time (TT, r = 0.44 and 0.33, P > 0.05, respectively) or any standard athletic tests. Multiple regression analyses indicated that muscular cross-sectional area for mid-thigh, adipose index, straight-line 20 m time, maximal sprinting speed and CMJwA are the strongest predictors of S_dec (r² = 0.89) and TT (r² = 0.95) during our RSA test. In the Qatar national soccer team, players’ power-related qualities and RSA are associated with a high muscular profile and a low adiposity. This supports the relevance of explosive power for the soccer players and the larger importance of neuromuscular qualities determining the RSA.     

Multimedia in modern language teacher education

This paper discusses the professional development of primary modern language teachers through the use of new technologies. It explores the principles upon which the development of a multimedia learning environment (FLiP – Foreign Languages in Primary) was constructed. These entail principles of effective modern‐language teaching, principles of teacher education, and a conception of the effective teacher. In addition, ways in which technology can support the principles of effective professional development are discussed. Information technology can be extremely empowering, extremely motivating and extremely conducive to creating new and exciting teacher‐education environments. The most outstanding contribution is that multimedia environments can make teachers look beyond the immediate context thanks to the incorporation of indirect observation.Les multimédias dans la formation des enseignants en langues étrangères. Cet article discute le d´eveloppement professionnel des enseignants du primaire en langues modernes, grâce à l'utilisation des nouvelles technologies. Il explore les principes selon lesquels le développement d'un environnement multimédia a été construit (FLIP - Foreign Languages in Primary). Ils impliquent les principes de l'enseignement efficace des langues modernes, les principes de la formation des maîtres, et une conception du maître efficace. De plus, les façons dont la technologie vont soutenir les principes d'un développement efficace sont discutées. La technologie de l'information peut être très puissante, très motivante pour créer des nouveaux environnements excitants pour la formation des maîtres. La plus importante contribution est que les environnement mulitimédia amènent les maîtres à regarder au delà du contexte immédiat grâce à l'incorporation de l'observation indirecte.Multimedia in der Ausbildung von Lehrern für neue Sprachen. Dieses Papier erörtert die professionelle Entwicklung von Material zur Ausbildung von Grundstufenlehrern für moderne Sprachen durch die Verwendung neuer Technologien. Es vermittelt die Prinzipien, auf denen die Entwicklung einer Multimedia Lernumgebung ('FLIP - Foreign Languages in Primary') aufgebaut wurde. Diese enthalten Prinzipien modernen Sprachunterrichts, Prinzipien von Lehrerbildung und ein Konzept des 'wirksamen' Lehrers. Außerdem wird diskutiert, welche Technik die Prinzipien wirksamer professioneller Entwicklung unterstützen kann. Die Nutzung von Informationstechnologie kann extrem verstärkend, extrem motivierend und äußerst dienlich sein, neue und aufregende Möglichkeiten für die Lehrerbildung.zu schaffen. Der hervorragendste Beitrag ist, daß Multimediaumgebungen es Lehrern ermöglichen können, sich öber den unmittelbaren Kontext durch die Integration indirekter Beobachtung zu informieren.     

La enseñanza de la redacción desde el punto de vista didáctico

En este artículo se hace una reflexión en profundidad uniendo el proceso de enseñar en general al proceso específico de enseñanza de la redacción, que se configura como tarea interdisciplinar en torno a la escritura como eje integrador para lograr la unidad curricular. Esta reflexión se concreta en 10 prescripciones o sugerencias para la actuación.     

Universities,the Information Technology Challenge,and Open and Distance Learning in Central and Eastern Europe

The educational needs of eastern and central Europe can be met by distance education methods. The need to reform and to expand open and distance education possibilities led in 1990 to the founding in Budapest of EDEN, the European Distance Education Network. After 1990, the proponents of open and distance education were able to expand the scope of their activities as the result of expanding possibilities provided by the rapidly developing information and communication technologies. The pedagogical possibilities offered by these technologies are described with an emphasis on their democratizing tendencies, their ultimate inexpensiveness in terms of the total costs of different types of higher education, and their commercial possibilities. The setting up of the Distance Education Centre of the Technical University of Budapest is presented as a case study. Governments and institutions must find the best ways to use the information and communication technologies to integrate traditional higher education with open and distance learning techniques so as to offer the best possibilities at regional, national, and institutional levels.     

Decision making in sport: the effect of stimulus-response probability on the performance of a coincidence-anticipation task

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the quality of a motor response for different levels of expectancy and time constraint, in a two-choice coincidence-anticipation task. The probability of each of the two events likely to be presented were varied across different levels as well as the speed of the stimulus to be intercepted. The results indicated that neither the choice reaction time (CRT) and movement time, nor the performance of coincidence-anticipation were affected by the probability of the stimulus for the low and moderate stimulus speeds. However, when the stimulus traveled at a high speed a trade-off took place. The CRT decreased as the probability of the event increased, whilst the proportion of response initiation errors increased for the low probability events. This trade-off resulted in a better coincidence-anticipation as the probability of the event increased. The results obtained in the present experiment are clearly different from those obtained in a classic CRT-deadline paradigm, in that the trade-off observed between CRT and response initiation errors was far less pronounced in the coincidence-anticipation task. This difference was attributed to the higher negative consequences associated with a response initiation error in a coincidence-anticipation task. It is thus concluded that the tasks used to study the nature of the decision processes taking place in sports and sports-like situations must have some ecological validity to be of some help for the practitioner.