Inter- and Intra-rater Reliability of the Athletic Ability Assessment in Subelite Australian Rules Football Players

Reliability of a Qualitative Instrument to Assess High-Risk Mechanisms during a 90° Change of Direction in Female Football Players

Sidestep cuts between 60° and 180° and one-leg landings have been identified as the main mechanisms of ACL injuries in several sports. This study sought to determine intra- and inter-rater reliability of a qualitative tool to assess high-risk movements in a 90° change of direction when the test is applied in a real framework of sport practice. Female footballers from two teams (n = 38) participated in this study and were asked to perform 90° cutting trials to each side, which were simultaneously filmed from a frontal and a sagittal view. A total of 61 cases were selected for 2D qualitative observational analysis by three raters. Poor reliability was found among each pair of raters as well as moderate reliability when the Cutting Movement Assessment Score (CMAS) was given by the same rater at different moments, but with too high a minimum detectable change. On the other hand, raters presented a significant, as well as moderate-to-good intra-rater reliability for most items of the CMAS tool. There was, however, non-significant reliability between observers in rating most check-points of the tool. For these reasons, more objective guidelines and clearer definitions for each criterion within the CMAS, as well as a longer, standardised training period for novel observers, would be highly recommended to improve the reliability of this tool in an applied context with female footballers.

Role of AI physical education based on application of functional sports training

The physical health test of college students is an important part of the school physical education work and an important part of the school education evaluation system. It is an educational method that promotes the healthy development of students’ physical fitness and encourages students to actively take physical exercises. It is an individual evaluation standard for students’ physical fitness. It is also one of the necessary conditions for students to graduate. In order to improve the physique and health of college students, this article first introduces functional exercise tests to comprehensively measure the exercise capacity of the main muscle groups and joints of the human body, and integrate flexibility and strength qualities. Secondly, this article quantitatively studies the interaction law between the natural light environment comfort of sports training facilities and architectural design elements, and adopts appropriate dynamic optimization methods to improve the light environment quality of the sports space, thereby enhancing the visual comfort of the sports crowd in the stadium. Finally, the artificial intelligence technology is introduced, through the design of artificial intelligence system, intelligent data collection, and analysis. From the perspective of physical education, the functional exercise test based on artificial intelligence conforms to the essential meaning of the physical fitness test and helps to enhance the awareness of college students’ physical exercise. And the intelligent remote multimedia physical education system based on artificial intelligence makes the physical education process flexible, free from time and place restrictions, and can adopt different teaching strategies according to the different situations of students to implement personalized teaching.

Effect of Biological Maturation on Performance of the Athletic Ability Assessment in Australian Rules Football Players

Purpose: To determine the effect of biological maturation on athletic movement competency as measured using the Athletic Ability Assessment-6. Methods: Fifty-two junior Australian Rules football players were split into 3 groups based on proximity to peak height velocity, while 46 senior players were split into 2 groups based on playing status. The subjects completed the Athletic Ability Assessment-6 (inclusive of the overhead squat, double lunge, single-leg Romanian dead lift, push-up, and chin-up). All subjects were filmed and retrospectively assessed by a single rater. A 1-way analysis of variance and effect-size statistics (Cohen d) with corresponding 90% confidence intervals were used to describe between-groups differences in the component movement scores. The statistical significance was set a priori at P < .05. Results: There were significant between-groups differences for all component movements (P < .05). Post hoc testing revealed that older, more mature subjects possessed greater competency in all movements except the overhead squat. The effect sizes revealed predominantly moderate to very large differences in competency between the senior and junior groups (range of d [90% confidence interval]: 0.70 [0.06 to 1.30] to 3.01 [2.18 to 3.72]), with unclear to moderate differences found when comparing the 3 junior groups (0.08 [−0.50 to 0.65] to 0.97 [0.22–1.61]). Conclusions: The findings suggest that biological maturation may be associated with changes in athletic movement competency in youth Australian Rules football players. Therefore, it is recommended that strength and conditioning coaches monitor maturity status when working with 12- to 15-y-old players. This can allow for a comparison of an individual’s athletic movement competency to maturity-based standards and help guide developmentally appropriate training programs.

COVID-19-Related Restrictions and Quarantine COVID-19: Effects on Cardiovascular and Yo-Yo Test Performance in Professional Soccer Players

The present study aimed to verify the quarantine's effects during a serious viral outbreak on the cardiovascular and performance associated with the Yo-Yo test in a sample of professional soccer players. 20 high-level soccer players (n = 20; age: 26 ± 4 years-old; weight: 76.85 ± 6.7 kg; height: 179 ± 6 cm) participated in this study. The intermittent Yo-Yo test was performed pre- and post- COVID-19 quarantine in a random order. During each test, the soccer players' running performance outcomes were monitored using a portable 5-Hz GPS with a 100 Hz accelerometer and a paired t-test was conducted at a p-value of ≤ 0.05. The main results demonstrated significant differences between pre- versus post-COVID-19 quarantine in the following variables: relative distance (161.7 ± 5.9 > 141.1 ± 33.8 m/min), maximal speed (18.7 ± 0.9 > 18.2 ± 0.6 km/h), acceleration (60 ± 20 frequency > 52 ± 16 frequency), deceleration (34 ± 13 frequency > 27 ± 6 frequency), sprints > 19 km/h [0.8 (0.2;3)% >0.5 (0;0.5)%], and in high intensity running distance [16.48 (2.68;41.64)m > 0.827 (0.164;3.0)m]. We concluded that COVID-19-related restrictions and quarantine COVID-19 demonstrated adverse effects on professional soccer players' Yo-Yo tests performance.

German version of the Chedoke McMaster arm and hand activity inventory (CAHAI-G): intra-rater reliability and responsiveness

BACKGROUND

The English version of the Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory is a validated, upper-limb measure with the purpose of assessing functional recovery of the arm and hand after a stroke. A German translation and cross-cultural adaptation was recently produced and demonstrated high validity, inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. As a follow-up, the present study evaluated the intra-rater reliability and responsiveness of the CAHAI-G for the long and all shortened versions.

METHODS

The CAHAI-G and the Action Research Arm Test were assessed on three different measurement events: upon entry (ME1), two to 3 days after entry (ME2), and after three to 4 weeks (ME3). For the intra-rater reliability analysis, the ME1 CAHAI assessments were recorded on video and rated by three therapists to obtain the intraclass coefficients (ICC). The data of all three MEs were analysed in a group of stroke inpatients for the evaluation of responsiveness. To test for responsiveness, the CAHAI-G change data were compared to concurrent instruments: The Global Rating of Change-questionnaire and the Global Rating of Concept-questionnaire. Both served as external criteria. For all CAHAI-G versions (7, 8, 9 or 13 items), the same analysis procedures for the evaluation of the responsiveness parameter were performed.

RESULTS

In total, 27 patients (9 females, age 63 ± 13.7) were enrolled in the study. The ICCs for the intra-rater reliability were calculated to be between 0.988 and 0.998 for all CAHAI versions. Responsiveness parameters were as follows from CAHAI-G 7 to 13: Minimal Detectable Change (MDC₉₀₎ 5.3, 6.0, 6.1, 8.2; Pearson's correlation coefficients CAHAI-Gs with ARAT 0.365, 0.409^*, 0.500^**, 0.597^**. The Area und Under the Curve and the Minimal Clinical Important Difference values for all CAHAI-G versions and the three external criteria ranged between 0.483 to 0.603 and 2.5 to 9.0, respectively.

CONCLUSION

In addition to the high validity, inter-rater reliability and internal consistency, the CAHAI-G revealed high intra-rater reliability. The data also suggest an adequate responsiveness of the CAHAI-G versions 9 and 13.

Validity and Reliability of the New Basic Functional Assessment Protocol (BFA)

The global evaluation of motion patterns can examine the synchrony of neuromuscular control, range of motion, strength, resistance, balance and coordination needed to complete the movement. Visual assessments are commonly used to detect risk factors. However, it is essential to define standardized field-based tests that can evaluate with accuracy. The aims of the study were to design a protocol to evaluate fundamental motor patterns (FMP), and to analyze the validity and reliability of an instrument created to provide information about the quality of movement in FMP. Five tasks were selected: Overhead Squat (OHS); Hurdle Step (HS); Forward Step Down (FSD); Shoulder Mobility (SM); Active Stretching Leg Raise (ASLR). A list of variables was created for the evaluation of each task. Ten qualified judges assessed the validity of the instrument, while six external observers performed inter-intra reliability. The results show that the instrument is valid according to the experts' opinion; however, the reliability shows values below those established. Thus, the instrument was considered unreliable, so it is recommended to repeat the reliability process by performing more training sessions for the external observers. The present study creates the basic functional assessment (BFA), a new protocol which comprises five tasks and an instrument to evaluate FMP.