Transforming,storing and consuming athletic experiences: a coach’s narrative of using a video application

The analysis of sport performance in competitive contexts has become synonymous with the use of a range of software applications and hardware e.g. heart rate monitors and gps systems. With the prevalence of technology in mind, a small but growing corpus of literature has begun to consider this phenomenon and its influence upon the coaching process. This study adds to this literature by detailing the autoethnographic experiences of a case study coach; Derek. A contextualised and richly described narrative account of Derek’s experience of using coaching applications is provided. Analysis of Derek’s narrative suggests that technology can be a useful means by which individuals make sense of their experience. Specifically, (1) technology can be a ‘ready-to-hand’ instrument that enhances the coaching process. Unfortunately, (2) technology may become the only and ‘calculative’ means by which individuals come to understand their performance. In such instances, it is important to note that (3) the videos we use to understand our performance are transformed and incomplete representations of lived athletic experiences. Thus, Derek’s story illustrates how technology can be both an enabler and barrier to athletes who wish to holistically understand their own lived experiences and engage in coach-athlete relationships. The accompanying analysis draws upon concepts from Heideggerian philosophy to add insight into the use of technology within the coaching process. In so doing, the study prompts coaches to critically view their coach-athlete relationships as situated in a wider world which contains, and can be mediated by, technology. In addition, Derek’s story (re)directs researchers and coaching practitioners interested in technology to a useful literature (philosophy of technology) which may further inform their understanding of coach-athlete relationships.     

Leg amputation side determines performance in curve sprinting: a case study on a Paralympic medalist

The lower limb kinetics of curve sprinting in amputees are not well described in the literature, particularly with respect to the effect of the side of amputation. This is an issue due to the importance of the knowledge for prosthetic design and classification of athletes. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of side of amputation on curve sprinting performance in athletes with a unilateral leg amputation. A three-dimensional motion analysis system (Vicon), four force plates (Kistler) and a modified mathematical human model (ALASKA) were used to compare clockwise and counter clockwise curve sprinting lower limb kinematics and kinetics of a Paralympic medalist with a left-sided knee exarticular amputation. Results reveal that vertical ground reaction force application and total vertical impulse were lower when the affected limb was at the inside of the curve. The unaffected limb showed joint mechanics different to those established for non-amputee athletes and might contribute better to propulsion when being the inside limb. Curve sprinting biomechanics and the ability to attain high radial velocities are directly dependent on the side of amputation relative to the curve direction in a unilateral amputee athlete of highest performance level.     

Optimizing recovery to support multi-evening cycling competition performance

Road criterium and track bicycle racing occur at high speeds, demand repeated high power outputs, last 10–90?min, and offer little chance for recovery after the event. Consecutive evenings of criterium and track racing are respectively known as speed-week or six-day events and take place in evening hours over the course of a week. Given the schedule and timing of these competitions, return to homeostasis can be compromised. No recommendations exist on how to optimize recovery for cyclists participating in these types of repeated evening competitions. Criterium and track cyclists spend considerable time, near and above the individual lactate threshold and therefore mostly utilize carbohydrate as their chief energy substrate. Henceforth, pre – and post-race nutrition and hydration is examined and recommendations are brought forward for carbohydrate, protein, and fluid intake. As evening high-intensity exercise perturbs sleep, strategies to optimize sleep are discussed and recommendations for an optimal sleep environment are given. Active recovery is examined, and the benefits of a short duration low intensity exercise reviewed. Passive recovery methods such as compression garments and cold water immersion are recommended, while evidence for massage, pneumatic compression devices, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation is still lacking. Optimizing recovery strategies will facilitate a return to the resting state following strenuous night competition.     

Reliability and validity of field-based fitness tests in youth soccer players

This study aimed to establish between-day reliability and validity of commonly used field-based fitness tests in youth soccer players of varied age and playing standards, and to discriminate between players without (“unidentified”) or with (“identified”) a direct route to professional football through their existing club pathway. Three-hundred-and-seventy-three Scottish youth soccer players (U11–U17) from three different playing standards (amateur, development, performance) completed a battery of commonly used generic field-based fitness tests (grip dynamometry, standing broad jump, countermovement vertical jump, 505 (505COD) and T-Drill (T-Test) change of direction and 10/20 m sprint tests) on two separate occasions within 7–14?days. The majority of field-based fitness tests selected within this study proved to be reliable measures of physical performance (ICC?=?0.83–0.97; p?p?2 (7)?=?101.646, p?相似文献   

Corticospinal changes induced by fatiguing eccentric versus concentric exercise

The present study assessed neuromuscular and corticospinal changes during and after a fatiguing submaximal exercise of the knee extensors in different modes of muscle contraction. Twelve subjects performed two knee extensors exercises in a concentric or eccentric mode, at the same torque and with a similar total impulse. Exercises consisted of 10 sets of 10 repetitions at an intensity of 80% of the maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque (MVIC). MVIC, maximal voluntary activation level (VAL) and responses of electrically evoked contractions of the knee extensors were assessed before and after exercise. Motor evoked potential amplitude (MEP) and cortical silent period (CSP) of the vastus medialis (VM) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles were assessed before, during and after exercise. Similar reductions of the MVIC (?13%), VAL (?12%) and a decrease in the peak twitch (?12%) were observed after both exercises. For both VM and RF muscles, MEP amplitude remained unchanged during either concentric or eccentric exercises. No change of the MEP amplitude input–output curves was observed post-exercise. For the RF muscle, CSP increased during the concentric exercise and remained lengthened after this exercise. For the VM muscle, CSP was reduced after the eccentric exercise only. For a similar amount of total impulse, concentric and eccentric knee extensor contractions led to similar exercise-induced neuromuscular response changes. For the two muscles investigated, no modulation of corticospinal excitability was observed during or after either concentric or eccentric exercises. However, intracortical inhibition showed significant modulations during and after exercise.     

Kindergarten reasoning and achievement in grades K-3

Performance of kindergarten children on reasoning (Piaget tasks of logical thinking), visual-motor integration, and verbal development was related to achievement scores in kindergarten, second grade, and third grade. Subjects were 52 children in the kindergarten classes of a middle-class, suburban/rural school. Reasoning and visual-motor integration were related to achievement on the Metropolitan Achievement Test at the end of kindergarten. For the 43 children remaining in second grade, there was a relationship between reasoning in kindergarten and achievement on the Reading and Math Concepts sections of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. For the 38 children remaining in third grade, kindergarten reasoning was related to total and Vocabulary scores of the California Achievement Test. Kindergarten visual-motor integration and verbal development were not related to achievement test performance at the end of the second and third grade for these subjects. Early intervention programs that encourage the development of thinking and match the child's reasoning to his academic tasks may stimulate both reasoning and achievement.     

Interscorer reliability of the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test-Revised

This study investigated the interscorer reliability between a novice and a professional psychologist for the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test-Revised (MPDT-R). The sample consisted of 30 individuals (18 males and 12 females) who were referred to the Applied Neuroscience Institute of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Results from the study indicated that for three of the four MPDT-R scores there was a significant positive correlation between expert and novice scoring criteria. Implications for the assessment of perceptual-motor problems using the MPDT-R are discussed.     

Temporal trends in 6-minute walking distance for older Japanese adults between 1998 and 2017

BackgroundThe 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) is an excellent measure of both functional endurance and health. The primary aim of this study was to estimate temporal trends in 6MWD for older Japanese adults between 1998 and 2017; the secondary aim was to estimate concurrent trends in body size (i.e., height and mass) and self-reported participation in exercise/sport.MethodsAdults aged 65–79 years were included. Annual nationally representative 6MWD data (n = 103,505) for the entire period were obtained from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Temporal trends in means (and relative frequencies) were estimated at the gender–age level by best-fitting sample-weighted linear/polynomial regression models, with national trends estimated by a post-stratified population-weighting procedure. Temporal trends in distributional variability were estimated as the ratio of coefficients of variation.ResultsBetween 1998 and 2017 there was a steady, moderate improvement in mean 6MWD (absolute = 45 m (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 43–47); percent = 8.0% (95%CI: 7.6%–8.4%); effect size = 0.51 (95%CI: 0.48–0.54)). Gender- and age-related temporal differences in means were negligible. Variability in 6MWD declined substantially (ratio of coefficients of variation = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.87–0.92), with declines larger for women compared to men, and for 75–79-year-olds compared to 65–74-year-olds. Correspondingly, there were moderate and negligible increases in mean height and mass, respectively, and negligible increases in the percentage who participated in exercise/sport at least 3 days per week and at least 30 min per session.ConclusionThere has been a steady, moderate improvement in mean 6MWD for older Japanese adults since 1998, which is suggestive of corresponding improvements in both functional endurance and health. The substantial decline in variability indicates that the temporal improvement in mean 6MWD was not uniform across the distribution. Trends in 6MWD are probably influenced by corresponding trends in body size and/or participation in exercise/sport.