Embodied mental rotation ability in open- and closed-skill sports: pilot study with a new virtual paradigm.

Embodied mental rotation is the influence of the body on mental rotation ability. Sports expertise enhances embodied mental rotation ability. However, sport-skill-dependent effects remain unclear. Previous studies refer to the influence of body positions on mental rotation ability. Yet, in sports, the investigation of the effect of simultaneous body and mental rotation movements is essential. Athletes need to constantly mentally and physically adapt to environmental changes and new motor tasks while being in motion themselves. This study aimed to investigate embodied mental rotation ability with simultaneous body and mental rotation in individuals with different sport skills, i.e., in open- and closed-skill sports. Forty-eight men and women, divided into two groups depending on their sport, performed 32 trials of an extended embodied mental rotation task. Simultaneous body and mental rotation were enabled by a novel test method including Virtual Reality. Results revealed shorter response times to the task stimulus in closed-skill sports participants than in open-skill sports participants. This group difference was significant for trials in which rotation directions of the own body and the mental rotation stimulus were aligned. The results might be related to sport-specific skill development processes. Motor imitation skills, as relevant in many closed-skill sports, may facilitate cognitive processes when the motion direction of the own body and of the mental rotation stimulus are aligned. The novel test method identifies potential applications that should be increasingly explored in the future, both for cognitive science and sports research.

Moving magnetoencephalography towards real-world applications with a wearable system.

Imaging human brain function with techniques such as magnetoencephalography typically requires a subject to perform tasks while their head remains still within a restrictive scanner. This artificial environment makes the technique inaccessible to many people, and limits the experimental questions that can be addressed. For example, it has been difficult to apply neuroimaging to investigation of the neural substrates of cognitive development in babies and children, or to study processes in adults that require unconstrained head movement (such as spatial navigation). Here we describe a magnetoencephalography system that can be worn like a helmet, allowing free and natural movement during scanning. This is possible owing to the integration of quantum sensors, which do not rely on superconducting technology, with a system for nulling background magnetic fields. We demonstrate human electrophysiological measurement at millisecond resolution while subjects make natural movements, including head nodding, stretching, drinking and playing a ball game. Our results compare well to those of the current state-of-the-art, even when subjects make large head movements. The system opens up new possibilities for scanning any subject or patient group, with myriad applications such as characterization of the neurodevelopmental connectome, imaging subjects moving naturally in a virtual environment and investigating the pathophysiology of movement disorders.

Global practitioner assessment and management of mental fatigue and mental recovery in high-performance sport: A need for evidence-based best-practice guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Mental fatigue and mental recovery have gained scientific attention in relation to sporting performance, yet best practice assessment and management methods are lacking. A greater understanding of current knowledge and practices in high-performance sport are necessary. OBJECTIVE: To understand the contemporary knowledge, beliefs, monitoring processes, management strategies, perceived responsibility, sources of evidence, and challenges, when assessing the mental fatigue and mental recovery of athletes in high-performance sport. METHODS: A mixed-methods survey approach obtained information from 156 multi-disciplinary high-performance sport practitioners. Descriptive outputs were reported and potential differences between key concepts were detected using Wilcoxon-signed rank analysis. Thematic analysis interpreted open-text responses. RESULTS: Only 11.5% and 5.1% of respondents indicated they were "very" knowledgeable about mental fatigue and mental recovery, respectively. Knowledge (p < 0.001) and confidence in application (p = 0.001) were significantly greater for mental fatigue than mental recovery. Nearly all respondents perceived mental fatigue and mental recovery impacted training and competition performance, with a greater negative impact during competition (p < 0.001). A limited number of respondents reported deliberate assessment (31.1%) or management (51.2%) of mental fatigue and mental recovery. A combination of sources of evidence were used to inform practice, with common challenges to implementation including staff knowledge, athlete-buy in, time-availability, and a lack of evidence. Practitioners reported that assessing and managing mental fatigue and mental recovery was multi-disciplinary in nature. CONCLUSION: Practitioners reported that mental fatigue and mental recovery did impact performance, yet this was not reflected in the implementation of evidence-based assessment and management practices in high-performance sport.

What if gastrointestinal complications in endurance athletes were gut injuries in response to a high consumption of ultra-processed foods? Please take care of your bugs if you want to improve endurance performance: a narrative review.

To improve performance and recovery faster, athletes are advised to eat more often than usual and consume higher doses of simple carbohydrates, during and after exercise. Sports energetic supplements contain food additives, such as artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, acidity regulators, preservatives, and salts, which could be harmful to the gut microbiota and impair the intestinal barrier function. The intestinal barrier plays a critical function in bidirectionally regulation of the selective transfer of nutrients, water, and electrolytes, while preventing at the same time, the entrance of harmful substances (selective permeability). The gut microbiota helps to the host to regulate intestinal homeostasis through metabolic, protective, and immune functions. Globally, the gut health is essential to maintain systemic homeostasis in athletes, and to ensure proper digestion, metabolization, and substrate absorption. Gastrointestinal complaints are an important cause of underperformance and dropout during endurance events. These complications are directly related to the loss of gut equilibrium, mainly linked to microbiota dysbiosis and leaky gut. In summary, athletes must be cautious with the elevated intake of ultra-processed foods and specifically those contained on sports nutrition supplements. This review points out the specific nutritional interventions that should be implemented and/or discontinued depending on individual gut functionality.

Association of central blood pressure with an exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise among elite athletes.

PURPOSE: The systolic blood pressure/workload (SBP/MET) slope was recently reported to be a reliable parameter to identify an exaggerated blood pressure response (eBPR) in the normal population and in athletes. However, it is unclear whether an eBPR correlates with central blood pressure (CBP) and vascular function in elite athletes. METHODS: We examined 618 healthy male elite athletes (age 25.8 ± 5.1 years) of mixed sports with a standardized maximum exercise test. CBP and vascular function were measured non-invasively with a validated oscillometric device. The SBP/MET slope was calculated and the threshold for an eBPR was set at > 6.2 mmHg/MET. Two groups were defined according to ≤ 6.2 and > 6.2 mmHg/MET, and associations of CBP and vascular function with the SBP/MET slope were compared for each group. RESULTS: Athletes with an eBPR (n = 180, 29%) displayed a significantly higher systolic CBP (102.9 ± 7.5 vs. 100 ± 7.7 mmHg, p = 0.001) but a lower absolute (295 ± 58 vs. 384 ± 68 W, p < 0.001) and relative workload (3.14 ± 0.54 vs. 4.27 ± 1.1 W/kg, p < 0.001) compared with athletes with a normal SBP/MET slope (n = 438, 71%). Systolic CBP was positively associated with the SBP/MET slope (r = 0.243, p < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression analyses, systolic CBP (odds ratio [OR] 1.099, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.045-1.155, p < 0.001) and left atrial volume index (LAVI) (OR 1.282, CI 1.095-1.501, p = 0.002) were independent predictors of an eBPR. CONCLUSION: Systolic CBP and LAVI were independent predictors of an eBPR. An eBPR was further associated with a lower performance level, highlighting the influence of vascular function on the BPR and performance of male elite athletes.

The athlete's heart: allometric considerations on published papers and relation to cardiovascular variables.

To evaluate the morphology of the "athlete's heart", left ventricular (LV) wall thickness (WT) and end-diastolic internal diameter (LVIDd) at rest were addressed in publications on skiers, rowers, swimmers, cyclists, runners, weightlifters (n = 927), and untrained controls (n = 173) and related to the acute and maximal cardiovascular response to their respective disciplines. Dimensions of the heart at rest and functional variables established during the various sport disciplines were scaled to body weight for comparison among athletes independent of body mass. The two measures of LV were related (r = 0.8; P = 0.04) across athletic disciplines. With allometric scaling to body weight, LVIDd was similar between weightlifters and controls but 7%-15% larger in the other athletic groups, while WT was 9%-24% enlarged in all athletes. The LVIDd was related to stroke volume, oxygen pulse, maximal oxygen uptake, cardiac output, and blood volume (r = ~ 0.9, P < 0.05), while there was no relationship between WT and these variables (P > 0.05). In conclusion, while cardiac enlargement is, in part, essential for the generation of the cardiac output and thus stroke volume needed for competitive endurance exercise, an enlarged WT seems important for the development of the wall tension required for establishing normal arterial pressure in the enlarged LVIDd.

The influence of gender and sport on popliteal angle and dorsiflexion in junior high school students.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess factors affecting the popliteal angle and foot dorsiflexion, in particular gender. The subjects were 142 students from the 2nd and 3rd year of Poznan junior high schools. METHODS: The participants included 57 girls and 87 boys. Three raters examined each subject: a specialist in orthopaedics, a resident doctor and a physical therapy student. Foot dorsal flexion was tested in a supine position with lower limbs extended. Next, dorsal flexion was evaluated with the knee and hip in 90 degrees of flexion. Finally, a passive knee extension (PKE) test was carried out. The significance of the PKE test is that the lower the angle the more flexible the hamstrings. This is because the PKE measurement is the distance to the right angle, that is a full knee extension with the hip flexed. RESULTS: The non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney) and the Student's t-test showed differences between the female and male gender in the measurements of the popliteal angle (p < .05000). The correlation was negative, which means that the hamstrings are more flexible in girls. No differences were found between gender and passive foot dorsiflexion and dorsiflexion with a flexed hip and knee. No differences were found between the group with the extended PE curriculum and the group with the standard number of PE classes in the range of motion of foot dorsiflexion and the value of the popliteal angle. CONCLUSIONS: Girls between 13 and 15 years old have a significantly larger hamstring flexibility, which is confirmed by the tests of the popliteal angle. No differences were found in dorsiflexion between girls and boys who have not been trained using a training model.

Where do we intervene to optimize sports systems? Leverage Points the way.

Sport and sports research are inherently complex systems. This appears to be somewhat at odds with the current research paradigm in sport in which interventions are aimed are fixing or solving singular broken components within the system. In any complex system, such as sport, there are places where we can intervene to change behaviour and, ideally, system outcomes. Meadows influential work describes 12 different points with which to intervene in complex systems (termed "Leverage Points"), which are ordered from shallow to deeper based on their potential effectiveness to influence transformational change. Whether research in sport is aimed at shallow or deeper Leverage Points is unknown. This study aimed to assess highly impactful research in sports science, sports nutrition/metabolism, sports medicine, sport and exercise psychology, sports management, motor control, sports biomechanics and sports policy/law through a Leverage Points lens. The 10 most highly cited original-research manuscripts from each journal representing these fields were analysed for the Leverage Point with which the intervention described in the manuscript was focused. The results indicate that highly impactful research in sports science, sports nutrition/metabolism, sports biomechanics and sports medicine is predominantly focused at the shallow end of the Leverage Points hierarchy. Conversely, the interventions drawn from journals representing sports management and sports policy/law were focused on the deeper end. Other journals analysed had a mixed profile. Explanations for these findings include the dual practitioner/academic needing to "think fast" to solve immediate questions in sports science/medicine/nutrition, limited engagement with "working slow" systems and method experts and differences in incremental vs. non-incremental research strategies.

Effects of a horizontal speed deceleration training programme on measures of physical fitness in youth male handball players.

This study examined the effects of an 8-week horizontal speed deceleration training (HSDT) programme in combination with regular handball-specific training as compared with handball-specific training only in measures of physical fitness in male youth handball players. Thirty-nine players were randomly assigned to either an HSDT group (n = 18; 15.55 ± 0.24 years) or an active-control group (CG; n = 21; 14.59 ± 0.23 years). The results showed significant and large between-group differences at post-test in countermovement jump, change-of-direction speed, and repeated sprint ability (RSA) (all p < 0.01; d = 2.04 and 1.37, 1.39, 1.53, and 1.53 for the CMJ, 505 CoD, RSAbest, RSAaverage, and RSAtotal performances, respectively). The post-hoc-analysis demonstrated significant and large improvements in all measures of physical fitness in the HSDT group (∆2.49% to 16,25%; d = 1.01 to 1,70; all p < 0,01). The CG, however, failed to reach any significant difference in all measures of physical fitness ((∆0.31% to 1.98%; d = 0.15 to 0.22; p = 0.379; p > 0.05). To summarise, an 8-week in-season HSDT programme alongside regular handball-specific training yielded positive effects on various performance measures including jumping ability, CoD speed, and RSA, when compared to handball-specific training alone. These results highlight the potential benefits of integrating HSDT into the training regimen of youth handball athletes during the competitive season.

Testing general sociocultural and coach-related appearance pressures as the factors associated with disordered eating in competitive female athletes participating in various sports.

The aim of the present study was to test the sociocultural Petrie and Greenleaf's (2007) model of disordered eating (DE) in competitive female athletes. Specifically, we tested a model of general sociocultural and coach-related pressures towards body weight and appearance of female athletes as the factors associated with athletes' DE through the mediators such as internalization of appearance ideals and overweight preoccupation. 515 athletes participated in this study. The mean age of the sample was 19.0 ± 5.9 years. Athletes were provided with study measures on general sociocultural and coach-related appearance and body weight pressures, internalization of appearance ideals, overweight preoccupation and DE. Path analyses showed that general sociocultural pressures were associated with DE directly and through internalization of appearance ideals and overweight preoccupation. Pressures from coaches were associated with DE through overweight preoccupation and through the internalization of appearance ideals and overweight preoccupation. The models were invariant across body weight sensitivity in sports and age groups. These results inform DE prevention for female athletes. It is important to increase resistance to sociocultural pressures and pressures from coaches in DE prevention programmes for female competitive athletes of all ages and participating in sports irrespective of sports group (weight-sensitive or less weight-sensitive).

Ultrasound-guided determination demonstrates influence of age, sex and type of sport on medial femoral condyle cartilage thickness in children and adolescents.

PURPOSE: To analyse the reliability of ultrasound-guided measurement of the cartilage thickness at the medial femoral condyle in athletically active children and adolescents before and after mechanical load in relation to age, sex and type of sport. METHODS: Three successive measurements were performed in 157 participants (median/min-max age: 13.1/6.0-18.0 years, 106 males) before and after mechanical load by squats at the same site of the medial femoral condyle by defined transducer positioning. Test-retest reliability was examined using Cronbach's α $\alpha $ calculation. Differences in cartilage thickness were analysed with respect to age, sex and type of practiced sports, respectively. RESULTS: Excellent reliability was achieved both before and after mechanical load by 30 squats with a median cartilage thickness of 1.9 mm (range: 0.5-4.8 mm) before and 1.9 mm (0.4-4.6 mm) after mechanical load. Male cartilages were thicker (p < 0.01) before (median: 2.0 mm) and after (2.0 mm) load when compared to female cartilage (before: 1.6 mm; after: 1.7 mm). Median cartilage thickness was about three times higher in karate athletes (before: 2.3 mm; after: 2.4 mm) than in sports shooters (0.7; 0.7 mm). Cartilage thickness in track and field athletes, handball players and soccer players were found to lay in-between. Sport type related thickness changes after mechanical load were not significant. CONCLUSION: Medial femoral condyle cartilage thickness in childhood correlates with age, sex and practiced type of sports. Ultrasound is a reliable and simple, pain-free approach to evaluate the cartilage thickness in children and adolescents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Rehabilitation of the painful shoulder.

Managing the painful shoulder in overhead athletes can be difficult because of a lack of time-loss injuries in overhead sports and focusing primarily on either pathoanatomic causes or movement impairments. Although managing the painful shoulder can be challenging, the combination of identifying pathoanatomic causes with movement impairments can provide a more focused rehabilitation approach directed at the causes of shoulder pain. Understanding the potential influence of scapular positioning as well as mobility and/or strength impairments on shoulder pain can help clinicians develop more directed rehabilitation programs. Furthermore, sports-specific methods such as long toss or the use of weighted balls for achieving physiological or performance-based gains have limited empirical evidence regarding their clinical and performance-based benefits, which may impede the rehabilitation process. Applying a comprehensive evaluation approach prior to and throughout the treatment process can assist clinicians with selecting the most appropriate treatment based on patient need. Reconsidering traditional treatments based on existing evidence may help refine the treatment process for overhead athletes with shoulder pain.

Internal and External Load Profile during Beach Invasion Sports Match-Play by Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems: A Systematic Review.

Beach variants of popular sports like soccer and handball have grown in participation over the last decade. However, the characterization of the workload demands in beach sports remains limited compared to their indoor equivalents. This systematic review aimed to: (1) characterize internal and external loads during beach invasion sports match-play; (2) identify technologies and metrics used for monitoring; (3) compare the demands of indoor sports; and (4) explore differences by competition level, age, sex, and beach sport. Fifteen studies ultimately met the inclusion criteria. The locomotive volumes averaged 929 ± 269 m (average) and 16.5 ± 3.3 km/h (peak) alongside 368 ± 103 accelerations and 8 ± 4 jumps per session. The impacts approached 700 per session. The heart rates reached 166-192 beats per minute (maximal) eliciting 60-95% intensity. The player load was 12.5 ± 2.9 to 125 ± 30 units. Males showed 10-15% higher external but equivalent internal loads versus females. Earlier studies relied solely on a time-motion analysis, while recent works integrate electronic performance and tracking systems, enabling a more holistic quantification. However, substantial metric intensity zone variability persists. Beach sports entail intermittent high-intensity activity with a lower-intensity recovery. Unstable surface likely explains the heightened internal strain despite moderately lower running volumes than indoor sports. The continued integration of technology together with the standardization of workload intensity zones is needed to inform a beach-specific training prescription.

Estimation of Ground Reaction Forces during Sports Movements by Sensor Fusion from Inertial Measurement Units with 3D Forward Dynamics Model.

Rotational jumps are crucial techniques in sports competitions. Estimating ground reaction forces (GRFs), a constituting component of jumps, through a biomechanical model-based approach allows for analysis, even in environments where force plates or machine learning training data would be impossible. In this study, rotational jump movements involving twists on land were measured using inertial measurement units (IMUs), and GRFs and body loads were estimated using a 3D forward dynamics model. Our forward dynamics and optimization calculation-based estimation method generated and optimized body movements using cost functions defined by motion measurements and internal body loads. To reduce the influence of dynamic acceleration in the optimization calculation, we estimated the 3D orientation using sensor fusion, comprising acceleration and angular velocity data from IMUs and an extended Kalman filter. As a result, by generating cost function-based movements, we could calculate biomechanically valid GRFs while following the measured movements, even if not all joints were covered by IMUs. The estimation approach we developed in this study allows for measurement condition- or training data-independent 3D motion analysis.

Combining Sound and Deep Neural Networks for the Measurement of Jump Height in Sports Science.

Jump height tests are employed to measure lower-limb muscle power of athletic and non-athletic populations. The most popular instruments for this purpose are jump mats and, in recent years, smartphone apps, which compute jump height through the manual annotation of video recordings and recently automatically using the sound produced during the jump to extract the flight time. In a previous work, the afore-mentioned sound systems were presented by the authors in which the take-off and landing events from the audio recordings of jump executions were obtained using classical signal processing. In this work, a more precise, noise-immune, and robust system, capable of working in the most unfavorable environments, is presented. The system uses a deep neural network trained specifically for this purpose. More than 300 jumps were recorded to train and validate the network performance. The ground truth was a jump mat, providing a slightly better accuracy in quiet and medium quiet environments but excellent accuracy in noisy and complicated ones. The developed audio-based system is a trustworthy instrument for measuring jump height accurately in any kind of environment, providing a perfect measurement tool that can be accessed through a mobile phone in the form of an app.

Surfing Time-Motion Characteristics Possible to Gain Using Global Navigation Satellite Systems: A Systematic Review.

The popularity of surfing has increased exponentially, reaching its recent debut in the Olympic Games. However, surfing suffers from a relative immature technological market, while in other sports some technologies such as global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) have become an essential work material for strength and conditioning and head coaches. This article aims to systematically review surfers' time-motion demands based on GNSSs. A systematic review of relevant articles was carried out using five main databases (PubMed, ProQuest Central, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus, and FECYT (Web of Sciences, CCC, CIDW, KJD, MEDLINE, RSCI, and SCIELO)) until 23 March 2024. From the 238 studies initially found, 9 were included in the qualitative synthesis. In these, GNSS devices were employed with male (n = 143) and female (n = 28) surfers from different levels during competition and training situations. The studies show that the intermittent nature of the sport is evident, with substantial periods spent paddling and waiting punctuated by relatively brief high-intensity efforts when riding waves at high speeds. Notable differences emerged between competition and training demands, suggesting potential mismatches in how athletes currently prepare compared to event requirements. These novel insights allow quantifying surfing's harsh physiological requirements and could guide conditioning practices to better meet the sport's unique characteristics across populations. Therefore, training should emulate the lengthy aerobic capabilities needed for the paddling volumes observed, while also targeting the anaerobic systems to meet the repeated high-intensity surf riding efforts. However, inconsistencies in methods and reporting practices limit direct comparisons and comprehensive profiling of the sport's physical characteristics.

Motion Capture Technology in Sports Scenarios: A Survey.

Motion capture technology plays a crucial role in optimizing athletes' skills, techniques, and strategies by providing detailed feedback on motion data. This article presents a comprehensive survey aimed at guiding researchers in selecting the most suitable motion capture technology for sports science investigations. By comparing and analyzing the characters and applications of different motion capture technologies in sports scenarios, it is observed that cinematography motion capture technology remains the gold standard in biomechanical analysis and continues to dominate sports research applications. Wearable sensor-based motion capture technology has gained significant traction in specialized areas such as winter sports, owing to its reliable system performance. Computer vision-based motion capture technology has made significant advancements in recognition accuracy and system reliability, enabling its application in various sports scenarios, from single-person technique analysis to multi-person tactical analysis. Moreover, the emerging field of multimodal motion capture technology, which harmonizes data from various sources with the integration of artificial intelligence, has proven to be a robust research method for complex scenarios. A comprehensive review of the literature from the past 10 years underscores the increasing significance of motion capture technology in sports, with a notable shift from laboratory research to practical training applications on sports fields. Future developments in this field should prioritize research and technological advancements that cater to practical sports scenarios, addressing challenges such as occlusion, outdoor capture, and real-time feedback.

Functional nutrition for the health of exercising individuals and elite sportspersons.

INTRODUCTION: Elite sportspersons who are involved in high-intensity physical sports indulge in severe training and competition schedules, which exposes them to high levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress, hence it may hamper their health sometimes. Disturbance in the health of sportspersons also induces compromised performances. THE PREMISE FOR FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION: Functional nutrition is essential for elite sportspersons training for securing both rest and recovery to have proper health and anticipated performance. Apart from serving the energy needs of the sportspersons, the nutrition strategies should provide them with certain metabolic advantages, which provide greater health and immunity, to ensure proper training and competition. The diet of the sportspersons needs to contain appropriate anti-inflammatory and antioxidative nutrients, to ensure to reduction and control of the physiological stress of tissues during high-intensity physical sports, especially during marathon running. Preserving anabolic valence among sportspersons for muscle myokine optimization is an essential aspect of sports nutrition, which secures health and provides excellent performance potential. Preservation and optimization of gut microbiome among sportspersons enhance immune health and performance, through proper gut integrity and enhanced metabolic cascades. As the genes are to be properly expressed for excellent manifestation in protein synthesis and other metabolic signaling, achieving genetic valance through proper nutrition ensures the health of the sportspersons. CONCLUSION: Functional nutrition seems a very necessary and potent factor in the training and competition aspects of elite sportspersons since nutrition not only provides recovery but also ensures proper health for elite sportspersons.

Agreement Between Maximal Lactate Steady State and Critical Power in Different Sports: A Systematic Review and Bayesian's Meta-Regression.

ABSTRACT: Borszcz, FK, de Aguiar, RA, Costa, VP, Denadai, BS, and de Lucas, RD. Agreement between maximal lactate steady state and critical power in different sports: A systematic review and Bayesian's meta-regression. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): e320-e339, 2024-This study aimed to systematically review the literature and perform a meta-regression to determine the level of agreement between maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and critical power (CP). Considered eligible to include were peer-reviewed and "gray literature" studies in English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages in cyclical exercises. The last search was made on March 24, 2022, on PubMed, ScienceDirect, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The study's quality was evaluated using 4 criteria adapted from the COSMIN tool. The level of agreement was examined by 2 separate meta-regressions modeled under Bayesian's methods, the first for the mean differences and the second for the SD of differences. The searches yielded 455 studies, of which 36 studies were included. Quality scale revealed detailed methods and small samples used and that some studies lacked inclusion/exclusion criteria reporting. For MLSS and CP comparison, likely (i.e., coefficients with high probabilities) covariates that change the mean difference were the MLSS time frame and delta criteria of blood lactate concentration, MLSS number and duration of pauses, CP longest predictive trial duration, CP type of predictive trials, CP model fitting parameters, and exercise modality. Covariates for SD of the differences were the subject's maximal oxygen uptake, CP's longest predictive trial duration, and exercise modality. Traditional MLSS protocol and CP from 2- to 15-minute trials do not reflect equivalent exercise intensity levels; the proximity between MLSS and CP measures can differ depending on test design, and both MLSS and CP have inherent limitations. Therefore, comparisons between them should always consider these aspects.

Normative Standards for Isokinetic and Anthropometric Classifications of University-Level Netball Players.

CONTEXT: The purpose of the study was to develop normative ranges and standards for knee and shoulder isokinetic and anthropometric values. These standards can be qualitatively interpreted and allow practitioners to classify isokinetic and anthropometric values more objectively for university-level netball players. DESIGN: Posttest only observational study design. All players were only evaluated once during the in-season to generate normative ranges. METHODS: A total of 51 female players volunteered. Participants were evaluated on an isokinetic dynamometer at 60° per second to obtain knee-extensor and knee-flexor values as well as shoulder-flexor and shoulder-extensor values. A total of 16 anthropometric variables were collected including stature, body mass, 8 skinfolds, and 6 circumferences. Between-group differences were calculated to determine whether playing level was a differentiating factor in data. RESULTS: Normative standards were developed for isokinetic parameters associated with the knee and shoulder joints as well as skinfolds and circumference measures. No statistically significant between-group differences were evident (χ2Kruskal-Wallis[2] = 3.96, P = .140). CONCLUSION: These standards can be used by coaches and practitioners to set attainable goals for individual players or those from secondary leagues, classify individual and team-based performances, and facilitate decision-making processes.