A new approach to quantifying physical demand in rugby union

Abstract

The objective of the study was to describe an original approach to assessing individual workload during international rugby union competitions. The difference between positional groups and between the two halves was explored. Sixty-seven files from 30 French international rugby union players were assessed on a computerised player-tracking system (Amisco Pro^®, Sport Universal Process, Nice, France) during five international games. Each player’s action was split up into exercise and recovery periods according to his individual velocity threshold. Exercise-to-recovery (E:R) period ratios and acceleration were calculated. Results indicated that about 65% of exercise periods lasted less than 4 s; half of the E:Rs were less than 1:4, and about one-third ranged between 1 and 1:4 and about 40% of exercise periods were classified as medium intensity. Most acceleration values were less than 3 m·s^?2 and started from standing or walking activity. Back row players showed the highest mean acceleration values over the game (P < 0.05). No significant decrease in physical performance was seen between the first and second halves of the games except for back rows, who showed a significant decrease in mean acceleration (P < 0.05). The analysis of results emphasised the specific activity of back rows and tended to suggest that the players’ combinations of action and recovery times were optimal for preventing large decrease in the physical performance.     

Marathon progress: demography,morphology and environment

Abstract

As opposed to many other track-and-field events, marathon performances still improve. We choose to better describe the reasons for such a progression. The 100 best marathon runners archived from January 1990 to December 2011 for men and from January 1996 to December 2011 for women were analysed. We determined the impact of historical, demographic, physiological, seasonal and environmental factors. Performances in marathons improve at every level of performance (deciles). In 2011, 94% of the 100 best men athletes were African runners; among women athletes they were 52%. Morphological indicators (stature, body mass and Body Mass Index (BMI)) have decreased. We show a parabolic function between BMI and running speed. The seasonal distribution has two peaks, in spring (weeks 14 to 17) and autumn (weeks 41 to 44). During both periods, the average temperature of the host cities varies close to optimal value for long distance race. African men and women runners are increasingly dominating the marathon and pushing its record, through optimal eco-physiological conditions.     

Secular trend: morphology and performance

In a context of morphological expansion of the general population, how do athletes follow such a pattern of anthropometric growth? Is there any relation to performance? Biometric data including mass, height, body mass index (BMI) and age were collected for 50,376 American athletes representing 249,336 annual performers playing in professional baseball, football, ice hockey and basketball. Distributions by mass in National Football League (NFL) players are described by periods. Field goals have been studied in relation to players’ height in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Between 1871 and 2011, athletes from the four sports have increased significantly in mass, height and BMI, following a multi-exponential function series. Consequently, biometric differences between athletes and the general population are increasing gradually. Changes in the mass distribution within the NFL show the emergence of a biometrical specificity in relation to the field position. At the professional level, performance remains structured around precise biometric values. In the NBA, a height-attractor at 201.3 ± 6.3 cm for the best scorers is invariant, regardless of the level of play. These results suggest that laws of growth and biometrics drive high-level sport and organise performance around the specific constraint of each field position. Discrepancies between some mass and height developments question the (disproportionate) large mass increase (relative to the height increase) during the 1980s and 1990s.     

Does Classroom Explicitation of Initial Conceptions Favour Conceptual Change or is it Counter-Productive?

This research investigates the effect of classroom explicitation of initial conceptions (CEIC) on conceptual change in the context of learning electricity. Eight hundred and seventy five thirteen year-olds were tested in laboratory conditions to see if CEIC is or is not a productive step toward conceptual change. All students experienced a problem-based pedagogical treatment called “the electronic challenge.” The randomly determined experimental group was also exposed to CEIC. Data shows a significant beneficial effect of CEIC and no unwanted “contamination effect”, particularly for female subjects.     

如何更好保护遗产免受战争威胁：蓝盾的新观点

蓝盾通常被称为“遗产保护的红十字会”,甚至“遗产的蓝色盔甲”……事实上,蓝盾的产生源于一个关键问题：如果世界各国能够共同努力保护遗产免受战争的威胁,世界会不会更美好？     

Reliability of unipodal and bipodal counter movement jump landings in a recreational male population

Movement patterns during landing have been suggested to be related to injury risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the inter-session reliability of kinematic variables and ground reaction forces during landing in a population of male recreational athletes after a counter movement jump. Both unipodal and bipodal landings were evaluated. Furthermore, the possibility to improve landing reliability with a verbal instruction was also studied. Twenty-four male volunteers with no history of lower extremity trauma were randomly assigned to two groups (with and without verbal landing instruction). An optoelectronic 3D system and force plates were used to measure the lower limb joint angles and the ground reaction forces during landing. Intraclass correlation values show moderate to excellent inter-session reliability for the bipodal task (ICC average: 0.80, range: 0.46–0.97) and poor to excellent reliability for the unipodal task (ICC average: >0.75, range: 0.20–0.95). However, large standard errors of measurement values at the ankle joint at impact (27.6?±?11.5°) and for the vertical ground reaction forces (394?±?1091 N) show that some variables may not be usable in practice. The verbal instruction had a negative effect on the reliability of unipodal landing but improved the reliability of bipodal landing. These findings show that the reliability of a landing task is influenced by its motor complexity as well as the instruction given to the subject.     

Patents versus ex post rewards: A new look

Economic studies that aim at comparing the patent system social efficiency versus an ex post reward system rest on an outdated view of patents. They assume that firms use the patent system only in order to be granted a short-term commercial monopoly rent. This assumption is convenient because it allows straightforward comparisons between patents and rewards but it is not confirmed by empirical studies, which stress that in many industries most firms use patents as strategic devices to trade technologies and to ease R&D collaborations. This change leads to rethinking the framework of the patent-reward debate.     

Librarians' experiences of the teaching role: Grounded in campus relationships

Analyses of information literacy instruction practices have neglected, until now, in-depth exploration of librarians' experiences in their teaching roles. That gap was addressed by this study, which explored Canadian academic librarians' self-perceptions as teachers. Semistructured interviews with 48 participants revealed that they experience complex relationships with teaching faculty. Data are analyzed using symbolic interactionism, Erving Goffman's concepts of deference and ceremonial rules, and work on gifting and reciprocity. The relationships are discussed as unequal in terms of power, where power is ceded to the teaching faculty. Study participants discuss this unequal balance of power by referring to their own self-positioning and the institutional culture of their workplaces. These results suggest areas of challenge to full realization of instructional goals, which merit attention by managers and by those charged with preparing librarians for instructional work.     

A six-year monitoring case study of a top-10 cycling Grand Tour finisher

This study analysed the evolution of the physical potential of a twice top-10 Grand Tour cycling finisher (Tour de France and Vuelta a España) whose training was monitored between the ages of 18 and 23 years. The world-class cyclist’s power output (PO) data and training indices were analysed over six years to determine the evolution of his record power profile and training load (TL), which were estimated by using the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method. The total annual duration and TL increased through six seasons by 79% and 83%, respectively. The record POs in all exercise intensity zones improved over the six years. The increases in TL, monotony (+34%) and strain (+162%) from the junior category to the world-class level significantly correlated with an improvement in his aerobic potential, which was characterised by an increase in the record POs between 5 min and 4 h. This case study of the performance level and training parameters of a world-class cyclist provides comprehensive insight into the evolution of a cyclist to the top level. Furthermore, determining the record power profile of this athlete over six competitive seasons illuminates the maturation of the physical potential of a top-10 Grand Tour finisher.