Optimizing the Explosive Force of the Elite Level Football-Tennis Players through Plyometric and Specific Exercises

The Relationship between Functional Movement Quality and Speed, Agility, and Jump Performance in Elite Female Youth Football Players

The association between movement screening and physical fitness testing in athletes is conflicting, and therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between Functional Movement Screen (FMS) performance and physical performance in elite female youth football players. Twenty-two players from the national U16 team of Bosnia and Herzegovina underwent FMS and physical performance tests, including speed, agility, and jump assessments. Jump and speed performance score correlated well with ASLR, while the overall FMS score was not associated with any of the performance variables. These findings suggest that while certain movement patterns may impact athletic performance, the relationship between movement screening and physical performance is delicate. Coaches and practitioners should consider individual variations and sport-specific demands when interpreting FMS results in order to optimize and maximize athlete performance and reduce injury risks.

The role of self-esteem on motivational aspects of Greek blind athletes competing in individual and team sports

Physical activity and sports can be considered important sources of motivation for people with visual impairments; however limited attention has been given to blind peoples' involvement in sports and to the intra-personal variables such as self-esteem and motivation that affect their sport participation. The purpose of the present study was a) to explore the relationship between self-esteem and intrinsic motivation in blind athletes, and b) to assess the levels of self-esteem and intrinsic motivation and identify differences in intrinsic motivation and self-esteem as a function of gender and sport type (individual-team sports). Participants were 78 (27 females) Greek blind athletes (30.29 ± 1.18 years of age) competing in team (N = 44) and individual (N = 34) sports. Participants completed the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire (IMI) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) questionnaire. The findings revealed that high values on self-esteem could predict blind athletes' perceived competence (p = .001) and strengthen their intrinsic motivation while enabling them to regulate pressure and tension (p < .05). However, female athletes appeared to be more pressured than males (p < .05), and interestingly, team sport athletes scored higher in intrinsic motivation than individual sports athletes (p < .05). The findings provide useful insights regarding the role of self-esteem in blind athletes' motivational profiles and draw attention to the role of perceived competence in blind athletes' sporting experiences, emphasizing that team sport context may serve as a fertile ground for enhancing intrinsic motivation.

Motivational determinants of athletes' self-realisation depending on their professional qualification

BACKGROUND

In the contemporary era, there is a growing emphasis on understanding the self-realization of personality, encompassing individual-psychological traits, abilities, knowledge, skills, and motivation, extensively studied in psychology. Notably, limited attention has been given to exploring motivational determinants influencing athlete self-realization based on their professional qualifications. This gap is particularly pertinent in Kazakhstan, where significant efforts are directed towards athlete preparation.

METHODS

Employing a systemic approach by Bagadirova and Kudinov, the study views athlete self-realization as a multi-level phenomenon with interconnected components. A total of 180 athletes participated, including 60 professionals (average age 23.9), 60 amateurs (average age 31.1), and 60 Paralympians (average age 24.4). The methodological toolkit comprises four diagnostic techniques: E.A. Kalinin's "Motives of Sports Activities" (MSA) questionnaire, S. Maddi's resilience test adapted by D.A. Leontiev and E.I. Rasskazova, and S.I. Kudinov's multidimensional questionnaire on self-realization.

RESULTS

Significant differences in motivational determinants and self-realization attitudes emerge across athlete groups based on their sports qualifications. Noteworthy aspects include declining in motivation among professional athletes of masters of sports and masters of sports of international class, and rigidity in life resilience among Paralympic athletes. Overall, self-realization levels are not high, with extremely low levels of professional self-realization in all three athlete categories.

CONCLUSIONS

The study's scientific novelty lies in systematically organizing knowledge on fundamental motivational determinants impacting athlete self-realization according to professional qualifications. This research addresses the acute shortage of psychological studies in sports psychology for Kazakhstan, which is still in its early stages. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions by coaches and sports psychologists to enhance motivation levels, especially among elite athletes, and foster resilience, particularly in Paralympic athletes, ultimately advancing the field in the country.

Is isokinetic shoulder strength a determinant of serve ball velocity in tennis?

The tennis serve is closely related to the quality of the tennis match. However, the isokinetic parameters associated with the tennis serve are still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between ball velocity and isokinetic shoulder strength in tennis serve and to determine isokinetic strength parameters that can predict tennis serve velocity. A total of 13 elite male athletes (16.8 ± 1.5 years) voluntarily participated in the study. The athletes' shoulder internal-external rotation, extension-flexion and abduction-adduction strengths were measured with 5-5-15 repetitions at 60°/s, 180°/s, 240°/s angular velocities. Later, the athletes' 1st, 2nd, and average serve ball speeds were determined using a handheld radar gun. Significant correlations were found between ball speed and isokinetic tennis serve strength (r = 0.556-0.819; p < 0.05). The correlations between ball speed and isokinetic strength performance were higher at 180°/s and 240°/s angular velocities. Extension (240°/s; r = 0.819), flexion (180°/s; r = 0.755), abduction (240°/s; r = 0.733), adduction (240°/s; r = 0.684) and internal rotation (180°/s; r = 0.803) were highly correlated with ball velocity. These findings suggest that strength training to increase the ball speed of the tennis serve should be performed fast at high angular velocities and planning should focus on the strength of extension, flexion, abduction, adduction and internal rotation.

Validity and reliability evidence for the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire with Romanian professional athletes

BACKGROUND

Despite the importance attributed to athletes' motivation in sports performance and well-being; no measures of motivation toward sport were found in the Romanian sport context.

OBJECTIVE

Grounded in self-determination theory, this research aimed to adapt and to gather validity and reliability evidence supporting the use of the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ) in the Romanian sport domain.

METHOD

The participants were 596 Romanian professional athletes (age: M = 22.91, SD = 5.84; sports experience: M = 11.14, SD = 5.03), who 273 practiced individual sports and 323 team sports. They completed an online questionnaire survey assessing their perception of behavioral regulation, resilience and burnout in sport.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis supported the six-factor correlated model, which was invariant across age and sport. Correlations among latent factors configured a simplex structure, underpinning the self-determination continuum. Average variance extracted values from .50 to .70 endorsed convergent validity. Scores for heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations as high as .88, as well as 95% confidence intervals of each interfactor correlation that did not include 1.00 supported discriminant validity. Values over .70 for Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega and Raykov's coefficients showed a good level of reliability for each factor. Linear regression analysis revealed that while intrinsic motivation, integrated regulation and identified regulation positively predicted resilience, introjected regulation, external regulation and amotivation positively predicted burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

The BRSQ is shown to be a valid and reliable measure of the six types of behavioral regulation in the Romanian sport context.

Age-Related, Sport-Specific Dysfunctions of the Shoulder and Pelvic Girdle in Athletes Table Tennis Players. Observational Study

Background: Postural skills are fundamental in motor activities, so far no evidence of a direct relationship has been found, it is therefore recommended to consider the following directions, the higher the level of sports competition, the better the body posture; or better athletes also have a better body posture. Around the age of 11-14 years, it is a period of aggressive development, if the rapid growth of the bone system is not associated and symmetrical with the development of soft tissues serious postural deficiencies may develop in table tennis players. Methods: We used the web camera – photographic method (38) related to the Sensor Medica software that allows the acquisition of images in order to detect postural deficiencies and we considered it necessary to have a clear image of the level of technical-tactical training of female juniors III using 5 tests specific to topspin attack in order to assess the influence of body posture on such tests. Eighteen female juniors III (the mean ± SD age, height and weight were 11.1 ± 0.2 years, 147.7 ± 2.6 cm, 39.0 ± 2.0 kg). Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on the procedures for establishing the normality of data distribution, Levene's Test for Equality of Variances, the t test for independent samples. The confidence interval was set at 95% (p < 0.05), Results and Conclusions: Since Sig. (2-tailed) or p < α = 0.001 and taking into account that the confidence interval limits for the difference between the sample mean and the reference value (95% CI for the mean difference) do not contain the zero value, it is accepted that there are statistically significant differences between the shoulder inclination for the female athletes in the sample studied and the reference value. We identified that at the level of alignment between anatomical landmarks, the percentage of deficiency of the entire lot of female juniors III in the case of shoulders is 100% and at the level of PSIS is 66%, which validates several studies that stated that in this period of aggressive growth correlated with repetitive unilateral executions specific to the topspin attack lead to postural deficiencies. In terms of the influence of body posture on the quality level, we identified that Group 1 – (without PSIS imbalance) has a higher average overall efficiency of the 5 tests (11.33) compared to Group 2 (8.58), even if from a statistical point of view these differences are not significant. Keywords: Body posture, Asimmetry, Topspin attack, Table tennis, Sensor Medica,