Sports Training during COVID-19 First Lockdown—A Romanian Coaches’ Experience

Sleep behavior and training load in adolescent elite basketball players during COVID-19 pandemic development

The COVID-19 pandemic caused strong restrictions in organized sports. Specifically, adolescent athletes, whose daily routine is usually determined by school and practice schedules, experienced a sudden lifestyle change. The aim of this study was to examine sleep and training patterns of German elite adolescent basketball players (N = 115, 15.70 ± 1.22 years, female = 32.17%) during different phases of the 2021 lockdown. Sleep and training behavior were documented by a subjective monitoring over 10 days at three different lockdown phases in February, April, and June/July. A linear mixed model approach was conducted for the statistical analyses. Sleep duration and time in bed decreased between phase 1 (prohibition of organized sports) and phase 3 (normal training conditions), while sleep efficiency and quality increased. There was no change in training duration over time, but in training intensity, which peaked in the third phase. This study contains meaningful evidence to analyze the lockdown-related return to practice process. Athletes were able to maintain training duration with alternative protocols during pandemic conditions. Interestingly, athletes slept less under non-lockdown conditions, but reported a better sleep quality. It is recommended to consider athletes' individual preferences when planning training and recovery schedules.

The Impact of Agile Management and Technology in Teaching and Practicing Physical Education and Sports

The context of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused educational institutions and sports clubs to change their management strategy. Due to the modernization of computer technology, physical education and sports (PES) teachers decided to include this technology in their teaching activity to help students and athletes to acquire PES-specific transversal skills and digital skills, and also to increase the attractiveness of the lessons. The present research aims at assessing the challenges and opportunities of technology and adopting an Agile Management style to improve the teaching, learning, and practice of PES. Therefore, a survey was conducted on PES teachers and trainers, as they have a clear perspective on the field and their views are therefore very important and relevant to our study, even if they do not have solutions for all the challenges facing them. They were asked to share their professional opinions regarding the implementation of digital methods and applications on the sportive results of performance sportsmen, athletes, and students. The survey, conducted on 144 respondents, contained mostly multiple-choice questions rated on a Likert scale and open-ended questions allowing respondents to offer solutions and express their opinion freely. This article demonstrates the positive influence of Agile Management in the choice and implementation of technology dedicated to PES.