Physical demands of game-based training drills in women’s team handball

Game-based training drills are popular in team sports. This study compared two game-based training conditions and official matches in team handball. Thirty-one women players wore inertial measurement units in five training sessions and five official matches. In training, 3vs3 and 6vs6 game-based training conditions were performed with a 5-min duration. PlayerLoad? and high-intensity events (HIEs; >2.5 m · s^?1) were extracted from the raw data. Data were analysed using magnitude-based inferences and reported with effect sizes (ESs). PlayerLoad? · min^?1 from all positions combined was 11.37 ± 0.49 (mean ± 90% confidence limits) and 9.71 ± 0.3 for the 3vs3 and 6vs6 conditions, respectively. Backs (ES: 1.63), wings (ES: 1.91), and pivots (ES: 1.58) had greater PlayerLoad? in 3vs3 than 6vs6. Substantially greater HIE · min^?1 in 3vs3 occurred for all positions. There was substantially greater PlayerLoad? · min^?1 in 3vs3 and 6vs6 than match play for backs, wings, and pivots. Wings (ES: 1.95), pivots (ES: 0.70), and goalkeeper (ES: 1.13) had substantially greater HIE · min^?1 in 3vs3 than match play. This study shows greater PlayerLoad? and HIE in 3vs3 than 6vs6. Both game-based training conditions investigated in this study provide an overload in overall PlayerLoad?; however, additional exercises might be needed to overload HIE, especially for backs and pivots.     

Expectancy effects in tennis: the impact of opponents' pre-match non-verbal behaviour on male tennis players

In this study, we examined the impact of a male opponent's pre-match body language and clothing (general vs. sports-specific) on how his performances were judged by an observer. Forty male tennis players viewed videos of a male target tennis player warming up and then observed playing footage of the target. Each participant viewed the target player warming up displaying one of four combinations of body language and clothing (positive body language/tennis-specific clothing; positive body language/general sportswear; negative body language/tennis-specific clothing; negative body language/general sportswear). Participants rated the performance of the tennis player and gave their perceptions of the likely outcome of a tennis match with the target player. Analyses of variance indicated that clothing and body language had an interactive effect on both outcome expectations and ratings of performance. The findings support the contention that the initial impressions athletes form of their opponents can influence the way in which they judge the performances of opponents and their perceived likelihood of success against the same opponents.     

Differences Across Majors in the Desire to Obtain a License to Carry a Concealed Handgun on Campus: Implications for Criminal Justice Education

The current study examines whether students' course of study is related to their desire to carry a concealed handgun on campus. This analysis is motivated by a growing number of studies that have explored differences between criminal justice (CJ) and other majors in the areas of personality, attitudes, values, and career expectations, and also by discussions of the issue of concealed handguns on campuses following recent shootings on college campuses. Using data from over 3,100 students who completed an online survey instrument, results revealed that CJ majors were in fact more interested in carrying a legally concealed handgun on campus, if it were allowed by university policies. These results held even when controlling for other significant predictors of the desire to carry a concealed handgun. Implications for CJ education and the wider debate about concealed weapons on university campuses are discussed.     

Successful futures for all? Additional learning needs in Wales in the light of curriculum reform

Wales is undergoing a major programme of educational reform, including the development of a new curriculum and transformation of the system for supporting learners with additional learning needs (ALN). This article reports on a research project investigating how these two elements are being brought together, drawing on interviews with policy leads and school‐based practitioners. Findings indicate that the new curriculum is perceived as broader, more focused on the quality of teaching and more relevant to all learners. Tensions were apparent, however, in the core belief systems of interviewees. For those with a school‐based and/or curriculum‐focused role, what is in the best interests of specific learners is a core belief that subsumes the idea of inclusivity and necessitates the continuation of arrangements for ALN in their current form. It is argued that clearer articulation of teachers as agents of change is required if educational transformation is to be achieved.     

Acute adaptations and subsequent preservation of strength and speed measures following a Nordic hamstring curl intervention: a randomised controlled trial

This randomised controlled trial investigated changes in eccentric hamstring strength, 10m sprint speed, and change-of-direction (COD) performance immediately post Nordic hamstring curl (NHC) intervention and following a 3-week detraining period.

Fourteen male team sports athletes were randomised to a do-as-usual control group (CG; n = 7) or to a NHC intervention group (NHC; n = 7). Isokinetic dynamometry at 180°/s evaluated eccentric hamstring strength immediately post-intervention as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes included 10 m sprint time and COD. Each outcome was measured, pre, immediately post-intervention and following a 3-week detraining period.

Immediately post-intervention significant group differences were observed in the NHC group for eccentric hamstring strength (31.81 Nm^?1 vs. 6.44 Nm^?1, P = 0.001), COD (?0.12 s vs. 0.20 s; P = 0.003) and sprint (- 0.06 s vs. 0.05 s; P = 0.024) performance. Performance improvements were maintained following a detraining period for COD (?0.11 s vs. 0.20 s; P = 0.014) and sprint (?0.05 s vs. 0.03 s, P = 0.031) but not eccentric hamstring strength (15.67 Nm^?1 vs. 6.44 Nm^?1, P = 0.145) These findings have important implications for training programmes designed to reduce hamstring injury incidence, whilst enhancing physical qualities critical to sport.     

Mechanical behaviour of natural turf sports pitches across a season

A study assessing the mechanical behaviour of six natural turf pitches of varying sporting level and surface construction was undertaken over a period of 10?months, spanning a sporting season (August 2010 to May 2011). Penetration resistance and shear resistance were measured with the GoingStick^?, impact hardness and surface energy absorption were measured with the 2.25?kg Clegg Impact Soil Tester and the Dynamic Surface Tester device, respectively. The two sand rootzone pitches were more resistant to deformation and less variable in their impact behaviour (impact hardness and energy absorption) through the season than the native soil pitches containing greater proportions of silt and clay. Greater consistency was shown for penetration resistance and shear resistance on one of the sand rootzone pitches, with the other behaving similar to the native soil pitches for these parameters. The sand rootzone surfaces exhibited greater (P?<?0.05) impact hardness than the native soil pitches in the winter period of the season (November to mid-March) compared to the beginning or end periods of the season, where data were statistically similar (P?>?0.05). The greater consistency of sand rootzone surfaces should be considered for the effect it may have on player and team performance, and injury potential. Analysis of data against Performance Quality Standard benchmarks indicated that all data on the sand rootzones exceeded preferred values for impact hardness, indicating these ranges may be obsolete for the modern elite natural turf surface.