The Role of Padel in Improving Physical Fitness and Health Promotion: Progress, Limitations, and Future Perspectives-A Narrative Review.

Benefits of regular exercise for health are beyond any doubt. However, adherence to regular physical activity is an ongoing challenge. Among the options for exercise engagement, racket sports, and particularly padel, stand as emerging practices for children and adults to have fun, improve physical fitness, and potentially develop motor and cognitive skills. In the last decade, the literature on padel is increasing exponentially. However, there is a need for further experimental research. To design safe and effective sport-base physical activity promotion interventions, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the physical requirements, technical complexity, injury risks, and strength and conditioning programs. To assist researchers to conduct effective padel-based interventions for health, this review summarizes the state-of-the-art evidence about padel, identifies key topics to be addressed in the future, and discusses the potential role of padel as a physical fitness and health promotion strategy. A narrative review is presented, summarizing the results of padel articles from three different databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Studies written in Spanish and English were the inclusion criteria. The studies had to be published from 2000 onwards and be original, as well as peer-reviewed.

A study on the assessment and scoring standard of badminton course in colleges and universities: A review.

With the continuous promotion of quality education, the importance of physical education in college teaching is increasingly prominent. In order to meet the sports needs of different students, badminton courses are introduced in colleges and universities. Badminton not only has a strong entertainment, but also a good physical exercise, loved by students. However, due to the existing badminton class evaluation standard is not scientific and reasonable, which is not conducive to the smooth implementation of physical education, this paper studies the current situation of badminton assessment and scoring standards, points out the existing problems in the teaching process, and gives a new way to improve the assessment and scoring standards of badminton in colleges and universities, in order to provide reference for the assessment system of badminton in colleges and universities, and then improve the teaching effect of badminton.

Recognition of Badminton Shot Action Based on the Improved Hidden Markov Model.

In recent years, with the rapid development of sports, the number of people playing various sports is increasing day by day. Among them, badminton has become one of the most popular sports because of the advantages of fewer restrictions on the field and ease of learning. This paper develops a wearable sports activity classification system for accurately recognizing badminton actions. A single acceleration sensor fixed on the end of the badminton racket handle is used to collect the data of the badminton action. The sliding window segmentation technique is used to extract the hitting signal. An improved hidden Markov model (HMM) is developed to identify standard 10 badminton strokes. These include services, forehand chop, backhand chop the goal, the forehand and backhand, forehand drive, backhand push the ball, forehand to pick, pick the ball backhand, and forehand. The experimental results show that the model designed can recognize ten standard strokes in real time. Compared with the traditional HMM, the average recognition rate of the improved HMM is improved by 7.3%. The comprehensive recognition rate of the final strokes can reach up to 95%. Therefore, this model can be used to improve the competitive level of badminton players.

Craniofacial Injuries in Lacrosse: A Novel Algorithm for Injury Assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Lacrosse is played widely across the United States, as evidenced by growing participation in the sport. The rapid increase in participation suggests that many of the new players are inexperienced. Many coaches might be ill-equipped to deal with player trauma. There are several crucial differences in the way the sports are played between males and females, altering the experience of the game and the injury profiles that may arise. METHODS: A query of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was performed to study the types of craniofacial injuries incurred from lacrosse. RESULTS: Concussions were the most common injury type, and players between 10 and 14 years old were found to be at greater risk of contusions relative to older players. Players between 15 and 19 years old were at a greater risk of sustaining lacerations. In terms of gender, females were more likely to experience concussions than males, and were at increased risk of head injuries relative to face injuries. DISCUSSION: The finding that females are at increased risk of concussion might be subsequent to a lack of adequate training by coaches. Female athletes tend to experience worse outcomes following concussions incurred secondary to playing sports. Recent work has suggested that this may be a consequence of female anatomy; women tend to have shorter neck dimensions, which predisposes them to more deleterious head-neck accelerations, and thus concussions. These results may inform a layperson-friendly algorithm for the workup of craniofacial injuries sustained from lacrosse.

Dietary Intake and Energy Expenditure During Two Different Phases of Athletic Training in Female Collegiate Lacrosse Players.

Kumahara, H, Ohta, C, Nabeshima, E, Nakayama, A, Mine, S, and Yamato, T. Dietary intake and energy expenditure during two different phases of athletic training in female collegiate lacrosse players. J Strength Cond Res 34(6): 1547-1554, 2020-This study aims to investigate the state of nutrient intake and energy expenditure (EE) among various phases of periodization in female collegiate lacrosse players. A total of 17 Japanese female collegiate lacrosse players (age: 20.0 ± 0.9 years) were enrolled in this study. Physical activity (PA) and dietary intake were assessed over each 1-week period during the training preparatory phase (P-phase) and transition phase (T-phase). The exercise training-related EE (EEE) and EE associated with other daily living activities (i.e., nonexercise activity thermogenesis [NEAT]), were measured using accelerometers and heart rate (HR) monitoring using the flex-HR method. The total daily EE during the P-phase was significantly higher than that of the T-phase (2,168 ± 248 vs. 1744 ± 138 kcal·d; p < 0.01); however, no significant differences were observed in the total energy intake. Moreover, EEE during the P-phase was significantly higher than that of the T-phase, whereas no significant difference was found in NEAT. Furthermore, no significant differences were noted in any macronutrient intake variable observed between the 2 phases (protein:fat:carbohydrate ratio: 12.6 ± 1.5:32.9 ± 3.9:54.1 ± 5.1% in the P-phase vs. 12.1 ± 1.7:30.7 ± 3.9:55.7 ± 5.2% in the T-phase). The carbohydrate and protein intake were below recommended levels during the P-phase. Conversely, the saturated fatty acid ratio was higher than the dietary goals for disease prevention. Based on the changes in the PA volume observed during different training phases, female collegiate lacrosse players did not attain optimal nutrient intake required for optimal athletic performance and health.

Jogos escolares da rede pública do estado da bahia: análise das edições 2009 a 2017 / Bahia state public schools championship: analysis of editions from 2009 to 2017

RESUMO A partir da análise documental de 210 relatórios dos Jogos Escolares da Rede Pública da Bahia (JERP), este estudo teve por objetivo descrever a evolução histórica do JERP de 2009 a 2017, considerando as modalidades comuns e inovadoras ofertadas, número de escolares, número de escolas, número de professores e recursos financeiros descentralizados. Verificamos que as modalidades inovadoras foram numericamente superiores às modalidades comuns e apresentaram maior diversificação das práticas esportivas; o número de escolares, escolas e professores na primeira etapa dos jogos (dentro das escolas) foi superior a terceira etapa (regional), além de aumentar ao longo dos anos em ambas as etapas; e que o valor financeiro descentralizado tendeu a crescer no período histórico analisado. Concluímos que o JERP se apresenta como uma oportunidade dos alunos vivenciarem diferentes modalidades esportivas, entretanto esta oportunidade é ressaltada apenas na primeira etapa. Em relação aos recursos financeiros descentralizados para o JERP, parece não haver planejamento prévio com relação a proporção destes recursos e a proporção de escolares participantes deste programa. Sugerimos maior concentração de recursos em competições locais do que estaduais, uma vez que atendem mais crianças e jovens e favorecem a valorização da diversificação de modalidades e respeito à cultura esportiva local.

ABSTRACT Based on the documentary analysis of 210 reports of the Scholars Games of the Bahia State Public System (JERP), this study aimed to describe the historical evolution of the JERP from 2009 to 2017 considering the common and innovative modalities offered, number of school children, number of schools , number of teachers and decentralized financial resources. It was verified that the innovative modalities were numerically superior to the common modalities and presented a greater diversification of the sports practices; the number of students, schools, and teachers in the games' first stage (inside of the schools) was superior to the third stage (regional), besides increase over the years in both stages; and that the decentralized financial value tended to grow in the historical period analyzed. It is concluded that the JERP presents itself as an opportunity for students to experience different sports modalities, however this opportunity is highlighted only in the first stage. Regarding the decentralized financial resources for the JERP, there seems to be no prior planning regarding the proportion of these resources and the proportion of students participating in this program. We suggest a higher concentration of resources in local rather than state competitions, since the local competitions serve more children and young people and support the modalities diversification and respect to the local sports culture.

Exploring Game Dynamics in Padel: Implications for Assessment and Training.

Courel-Ibáñez, J, Sánchez-Alcaraz Martinez, BJ, and Muñoz Marín, D. Exploring game dynamics in padel: implications for assessment and training. J Strength Cond Res 33(7): 1971-1977, 2019-A better understanding of in-game competition demands potentially improved coaching strategy and quality. However, there is very limited information about game patterns in padel, a very modern racket sport born in the 70s. The purpose of this study was therefore to quantify and classify game dynamics during the match in professional padel players through a multivariate decision tree approach including technical, spatial, and effectiveness indicators. The results determined 3 main game styles strongly defined by the court zone (net, middle, and baseline). In addition, particular technical, spatial, and effectiveness indicators were identified in each zone. In net and middle areas (offense) stood the use of volleys and overhead strokes on the center lane to both keep a positional advantage and solve the point. Conversely in the baseline (defense), the use of corner side walls and the domain of lobs showed to be relevant. The high rate of backhand groundstrokes, involving over 4 of 10 actions, is also remarkable. This information may have relevant implications for coaches working in padel by providing a novel hierarchically organization of game dynamics, which helps in designing training and conditioning programs close to real competitive situations.

The effect of anxiety on anticipation, allocation of attentional resources, and visual search behaviours.

Successful sports performance requires athletes to be able to mediate any detrimental effects of anxiety whilst being able to complete tasks simultaneously. In this study, we examine how skill level influences the ability to mediate the effects of anxiety on anticipation performance and the capacity to allocate attentional resources to concurrent tasks. We use a counterbalanced, repeated measures design that required expert and novice badminton players to complete a film-based anticipation test in which they predicted serve direction under high- and low-anxiety conditions. On selected trials, participants completed an auditory secondary task. Visual search data were recorded and the Mental Readiness Form v-3 was used to measure cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence. The Rating Scale of Mental Effort was used to measure mental effort. The expert players outperformed their novice counterparts on the anticipation task across both anxiety conditions, with both groups anticipation performance deteriorating under high- compared to low-anxiety. This decrease across anxiety conditions was significantly greater in the novice compared to the expert group. High-anxiety resulted in a shorter final visual fixation duration for both groups when compared to low-anxiety. Anxiety had a negative impact on secondary task performance for the novice, but not the expert group. Our findings suggest that expert athletes more effectively allocated attentional resources during performance under high-anxiety conditions. In contrast, novice athletes used more attentional resources when completing the primary task and, therefore, were unable to maintain secondary task performance under high-anxiety.

Oxygen cost and physiological responses of recreational badminton match play.

BACKGROUND: Badminton, as an Olympic sport, is popular worldwide. However, the benefits of recreational badminton match play are not well known. The purpose of the study was to determine the oxygen cost of recreational badminton match play. Heart rate (HR), blood lactate (BL), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), step count and energy expenditure were also assessed. METHODS: Fourteen male recreational badminton players aged 35.9±6.62 years participated in test sessions to assess oxygen uptake (VO2) and the related physiological responses of match play. During the match play sessions, participants played singles badminton matches for 30 min while wearing a portable metabolic system. VO2 and HR were continuously recorded while blood lactate and RPE were determined following warm-up, at 15 minutes and 30 minutes of match play. Step count was recorded at 15 minutes and 30 minutes of play. RESULTS: VO2 over 30 minutes was 34.4±5.8 mL/kg/min which was 76.1% of maximal oxygen uptake. Across three 10-minute periods of play, VO2 was not significantly different while HR was higher in the third 10-minute period than the first and second 10-minute periods (P=0.001). Mean HR over 30 minutes was 167.9±9.4 bpm. BL was significantly higher at 15 and 30 minutes than following warm-up while RPE of 17.57±1.91 after 30 minutes was significantly higher (P=0.009) than RPE of 15.79±1.63 at 15 minutes. Step count did not vary between the two 15-minute periods of play with a total of 2404±360 steps while energy expenditure over 30 minutes of play was 391.7±66 kcal. CONCLUSIONS: Recreational badminton match play can be categorized as vigorous intensity suggesting that it can be a viable means of achieving recommended physical activity and improving aerobic fitness.

Can Perceptuo-Motor Skills Assessment Outcomes in Young Table Tennis Players (7-11 years) Predict Future Competition Participation and Performance? An Observational Prospective Study.

Forecasting future performance in youth table tennis players based on current performance is complex due to, among other things, differences between youth players in growth, development, maturity, context and table tennis experience. Talent development programmes might benefit from an assessment of underlying perceptuo-motor skills for table tennis, which is hypothesized to determine the players' potential concerning the perceptuo-motor domain. The Dutch perceptuo-motor skills assessment intends to measure the perceptuo-motor potential for table tennis in youth players by assessing the underlying skills crucial for developing technical and tactical qualities. Untrained perceptuo-motor tasks are used as these are suggested to represent a player's future potential better than specific sport skills themselves as the latter depend on exposure to the sport itself. This study evaluated the value of the perceptuo-motor skills assessment for a talent developmental programme by evaluating its predictive validity for competition participation and performance in 48 young table tennis players (7-11 years). Players were tested on their perceptuo-motor skills once during a regional talent day, and the subsequent competition results were recorded half-yearly over a period of 2.5 years. Logistic regression analysis showed that test scores did not predict future competition participation (p >0.05). Yet, the Generalized Estimating Equations analysis, including the test items 'aiming at target', 'throwing a ball', and 'eye-hand coordination' in the best fitting model, revealed that the outcomes of the perceptuo-motor skills assessment were significant predictors for future competition results (R2 = 51%). Since the test age influences the perceptuo-motor skills assessment's outcome, another multivariable model was proposed including test age as a covariate (R2 = 53%). This evaluation demonstrates promising prospects for the perceptuo-motor skills assessment to be included in a talent development programme. Future studies are needed to clarify the predictive value in a larger sample of youth competition players over a longer period in time.

Development of an Agility Test for Badminton Players and Assessment of Its Validity and Test-Retest Reliability.

CONTEXT: Badminton requires open and fast actions toward the shuttlecock, but there is no specific agility test for badminton players with specific movements. PURPOSE: To develop an agility test that simultaneously assesses perception and motor capacity and examine the test's concurrent and construct validity and its test-retest reliability. METHOD: The Badcamp agility test consists of running as fast as possible to 6 targets placed on the corners and middle points of a rectangular area (5.6 × 4.2 m) from the start position located in the center of it, following visual stimuli presented in a luminous panel. The authors recruited 43 badminton players (17-32 y old) to evaluate concurrent (with shuttle-run agility test--SRAT) and construct validity and test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Results revealed that Badcamp presents concurrent and construct validity, as its performance is strongly related to SRAT (ρ = 0.83, P < .001), with performance of experts being better than nonexpert players (P < .01). In addition, Badcamp is reliable, as no difference (P = .07) and a high intraclass correlation (ICC = .93) were found in the performance of the players on 2 different occasions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that Badcamp is an effective, valid, and reliable tool to measure agility, allowing coaches and athletic trainers to evaluate players' athletic condition and training effectiveness and possibly detect talented individuals in this sport.

The impact of circadian phenotype and time since awakening on diurnal performance in athletes.

Circadian rhythms, among other factors, have been shown to regulate key physiological processes involved in athletic performance. Personal best performance of athletes in the evening was confirmed across different sports. Contrary to this view, we identified peak performance times in athletes to be different between human "larks" and "owls" (also called "morningness/eveningness types" or "chronotypes" and referred to as circadian phenotypes in this paper), i.e., individuals with well-documented genetic and physiological differences that result in disparities between their biological clocks and how they entrain to exogenous cues, such as the environmental light/dark cycle and social factors. We found time since entrained awakening to be the major predictor of peak performance times, rather than time of day, as well as significant individual performance variations as large as 26% in the course of a day. Our novel approach combining the use of an athlete-specific chronometric test, longitudinal circadian analysis, and physical performance tests to characterize relevant sleep/wake and performance parameters in athletes allows a comprehensive analysis of the link between the circadian system and diurnal performance variation. We establish that the evaluation of an athlete's personal best performance requires consideration of circadian phenotype, performance evaluation at different times of day, and analysis of performance as a function of time since entrained awakening.

Relationship between tactics and energy expenditure according to level of experience in badminton.

Research on racket sports has traditionally focused on expert players and has treated energy expenditure and tactics as independent factors. These prior studies could not assess how energy expenditure and tactics changed as a function of experience and skill. Here, the specific relationship between playing tactics and energy expenditure in badminton were assessed. Participants were classified into five stages of badminton experience on the basis of conative criteria: structural (physical abilities), technical (technical skills), and functional (tactics). The physical activity of 99 players (47 beginners, 15 intermediates, 30 advanced, and 7 experts) was measured using a three-axis accelerometer during a badminton set (21 points, no extra scoring). The results showed that physical activity (counts/sec.) ranged between about 115 (Stage 1) and 155 (Stage 5), and differed significantly across the conative stages. For Stages 2 and 4, defined by an increase in use of tactics, physical activity increased substantially. For Stage 3, defined by a decrease in use of tactics, physical activity decreased significantly. Thus, tactically-oriented play appears to be closely related to physical activity.

Body composition assessment of paddle and tennis adult male players.

INTRODUCTION: Racket sports require athletes to constantly improve and progress in their physical qualities in order to maintain competitive standards. This includes achieving and maintaining an optimal body composition. However, few studies have been published addressing this topic. OBJECTIVE: This study tries to provide a complete anthropometric profile, including somatotype and body composition, of paddle and tennis male adult players. METHODS: Anthropometric parameters including weight, height, skinfolds, girths and breadths were measured in 21 paddle and 26 tennis players, and the results were compared between the two groups as well as a control group, who did not play racket-based sports. RESULTS: No significant differences in any body composition variable were found comparing tennis vs paddle players, with both groups showing a meso-endomorphic somatotype. The athletes presented lower muscle mass, and therefore less mesomorphic component, compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Since body composition is a major determinant in racket sport performance, it is instrumental to control fat and muscle body mass by using adequate dietetic and nutritional tools as well as optimal training programs.

Introducción: los deportistas que practican disciplinas deportivas de raqueta necesitan mejorar constantemente sus cualidades físicas con el fin de competir al máximo nivel. Por lo tanto, es necesario conseguir y mantener en dichos jugadores una óptima composición corporal, pero no obstante, existen pocos estudios publicados relacionados con esta temática. Objetivo: el presente trabajo trata de ofrecer un perfil antropométrico completo, incluyendo el somatotipo y la composición corporal de jugadores varones adultos de pádel y tenis. Material y métodos: se realizaron diversas medidas antropométricas, incluyendo peso corporal total, estatura, pliegues cutáneos, perímetros y diámetros, en 21 jugadores de pádel y 26 jugadores de tenis. Los resultados obtenidos de cada grupo de jugadores se compararon entre ellos y frente a un grupo control que no practicaba deportes de raqueta. Resultados: no se encontraron diferencias significativas en cuanto a las variables de composición corporal analizadas entre los grupos de jugadores de pádel y tenis, mostrando ambos grupos un somatotipo meso-endomófico. Los jugadores presentaron una menor masa muscular, y por tanto un menor componente mesomórfico, cuando se compararon con el grupo control. Conclusión: ya que la composición corporal es determinante en el rendimiento de los jugadores de deportes de raqueta, es imprescindible realizar un control de la grasa y masa muscular mediante herramientas dietético-nutricionales así como de programas de entrenamiento adecuados.

Differential analysis of the doping behaviour templates in three types of sports.

Conducted researches recognize various risk factors, as well as protective factors against doping behaviour in different sports i.e. sports disciplines or activities. The main goal of this research was to identify the correlation between selected socio-demographic, health-related, and sports-related predictors with doping factors in three different types of sports, which are (1) highly energetic demanding sports (weightlifting), (2) highly technical demanding sports (racquet sports), and (3) highly tactical demanding sports (sailing). The research consisted of three separate studies, each one of them researching one of the sports. The sample of subjects included altogether 293 athletes, senior level competitors (older than 18years of age). In total, the sample comprised three homogenous sub-samples, as follows: athletes in highly energetic demanding sports (weightlifters and power lifters; N=27), athletes in highly technical demanding sports (table tennis, tennis and badminton players; N=188), and athletes in highly tactical demanding sports (sailing; N=78). The first study involved weightlifters where we should point out the existence of high doping behaviour In this study, religiousness was interpreted as the most significant protective factor against doping behaviour, while sports factors are not found to be significantly related to doping. The study involving racquet sport athletes suggests a high risk of doping behaviour among those athletes who observe doping behaviour in their sport. We noticed low levels of athletes' trust in their coaches' and physicians' opinions on doping issues. This is an issue which should be researched in the future, because the underlying cause has not been studied as yet. Briefly, it seems that either the athletes are not convinced of their coaches '/physicians' expertise regarding doping issues, and/or they do not believe in their good intentions. It is particularly important, as the previous research has shown that with the increased trust in coaches and physicians, the chance that an athlete will use doping decreases. As expected, it is characteristic for sailing that it has a low likelihood of potential doping behaviour, although the consumption of dietary supplements is high. Substance abuse in sports spreads beyond those that enhance athletic performance. All of these issues should be studied in more detail in the future and, if appropriately validated, incorporated into anti-doping intervention programs.

Adaptação dos testes de lactato mínimo, potência crítica e limiar anaeróbio para avaliação da transição anaeróbia-anaeróbia em protocolo específico para o tênis de mesa / Adaptation of the lactate minimum, critical power and anaerobic threshold tests for assessment of the aerobic/anaerobic transition in a protocol specific for table tennis

Os objetivos do estudo foram verificar a adaptação dos testes de lactato mínimo, freqüência crítica e limiar anaeróbio em protocolo específico para o tênis de mesa para avaliação da transição anaeróbia-anaeróbia; verificar a reprodutibilidade do teste de lactato mínimo; e verificar a associação desses procedimentos específicos com o limiar anaeróbio determinado em corrida em esteira rolante (LAn est). Para isso, foram estudados 11 mesatenistas com tempo mínimo de treinamento de dois anos. Foram aplicados os testes de: 1) lactato mínimo em duas ocasiões para análise da reprodutibilidade (LACmin1 e LACmin2); 2) teste de freqüência crítica (fcrit); 3) teste incremental para determinação do limiar anaeróbio através da concentração fixa de lactato de 3,5mM (LAn esp3,5) e regressão linear bissegmentada (LAnBI), todos em procedimentos específicos para o tênis de mesa; e 4) o limiar anaeróbio em corrida aplicado em esteira rolante (LAn est) determinado pela concentração fixa de lactato de 3,5mM. Nos procedimentos específicos foi utilizado um lançador de bolas mecânico como ergômetro e os participantes realizaram golpes apenas de forehand. Como procedimentos estatísticos foram utilizados os testes de Bland-Altman, correlação produto-momento e ANOVA one way, com nível de significância de 5 por cento. As intensidades de LACmin (59,40 ± 4,06 e 61,56 ± 8,97 bolas.min-1) apresentaram boa concordância (teste de Bland-Altman) e foram significativamente correlacionadas (0,61). A fcrit, o LAn esp3,5 e o LAnBI foram correspondentes a 56,50 ± 6,84 bolas.min-1; 66,74 ± 5,03 bolas.min-1; e 62,67 ± 7,25 bolas.min-1, respectivamente. Foi verificada apenas diferença significativa entre as intensidades de LAn esp3,5 e de fcrit. Foram encontradas correlações significativas entre LACmin1 e LACmin2 (0,61), LACmin1 e fcrit (0,61), LACmin2 e fcrit (0,69), LAn esp3,5 e LAnBI (0,70), enquanto que o LAn est (9,11 ± 1,94km.h-1) foi apenas correlacionado com a intensidade...

The aims of the present study were to adapt the lactate minimum, critical power model and anaerobic threshold tests for assessment of the aerobic-anaerobic transition in specific test for table tennis; to verify the reproducibility of the lactate minimum test and to verify the relationship between these specific procedures with the anaerobic threshold determined in running on treadmill (AnT TR). Eleven male table tennis players participated in the study. The participants performed four tests (three specific tests and a conventional test performed on a treadmill): 1) lactate minimum test (LACmin) (applied twice for reproducibility analyses - LACmim1 and LACmin2); 2) critical frequency test (critf); 3) incremental test for anaerobic threshold determination by 3.5 mM steady lactate concentration (AnT3.5) and bi-segmented linear regression (AnT BI) methods, all in specific protocol; and 4) anaerobic threshold on running (AnT TR). Specific tests were applied by using a mechanical ball thrower to control the intensity of the exercise. The Bland-Altman plot, product-moment correlation and One-way ANOVA tests were used as statistical procedure, with significance level at 5 percent. The LACmin intensities (59.40 ± 4.06 balls.min-1 and 61.56 ± 8.97 balls.min-1) presented significant correlation (r = 0.61) and moderate concordance verified by Bland-Altman plot. The critf, AnT3.5 and AnT BI intensities corresponded to 56.50 ± 6.84 balls.min-1, 66.74 ± 5.03 balls.min-1 and 62.67 ± 7.25 balls.min-1, respectively, and only AnT3.5 and critf were different. Significant correlations were obtained amongst LACmin1 and critf (r = 0.61), LACmin2 and critf (r = 0.69), and AnT3.5 and AnT BI (r = 0.70). Anaerobic threshold determined in running (9.11 ± 1.94 Km.h-1) was only correlated with the critf (r = 0.73). Thus, in conclusion, the lactate minimum test specific for table tennis is a reproducible procedure, as well as the critf test can be applied for evaluating...

Oxygen cost and energy expenditure of racquetball.

AIM: Many sports are played intermittently in bursts of high, moderate, and low intensity activity. The pattern of exercise intensity has been assessed from heart rate (HR) and time motion analysis and few data are available based on assessment of exercise intensity by means of direct measurement of oxygen uptake. The aim of this study was to directly assess oxygen uptake (VO(2)) using a portable metabolic measuring device to describe the aerobic demand and to determine the associated energy expenditure (EE). METHODS: Fourteen recreational racquetball players (3 females and 11 males; mean age, height, and mass of 23.1+/-2.8 years, 178.1+/-7.1 cm, and 81.1+/-19.6 kg, respectively) played for 40 min while wearing a portable metabolic system to assess VO(2) and a Polar watch to measure HR. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (Borg 6-20 scale) was assessed at 5 min intervals during breaks in play. RESULTS: The mean VO(2), HR, and RPE over 40 min of play were 27.3+/-1.8 mL/kg/min, 155.3+/-2.8 bpm, and 12.9+/-0.6, respectively. The associated EE was a total of 1 844 kj (440 kcal) or 465 kj/min (11.1 kcal/min). These data were examined across 13.3 min time periods of play, in order to determine if they changed during play because of fatigue. VO(2) decreased significantly (P<0.05), while HR increased (P<0.05). RPE rose across periods of play, but not significantly. CONCLUSION: Recreational racquetball appears to elicit a VO(2) that would allow aerobic conditioning in many persons. It does so with an RPE that is nearly ''somewhat hard''.

Are squash players protecting their eyes?

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with adult squash players' protective eyewear behaviours. METHODS: A survey of 303 players (aged >or =18 years) was conducted at three squash venues in Melbourne, Australia over a three week period in June 2000 to obtain information about protective eyewear use. RESULTS: Of 303 participants the response rate was 98.1%; 66.1% were males, with a mean age of 40.5 years. The majority (68.4%) had played squash for 10 years or more. Although 18.8% of players reported using protective eyewear, only 8.9% reported wearing approved eyewear. Both age group (p<0.05) and years of squash experience (p<0.01) were significantly associated with any eyewear use. The two main influences were personal experience of eye injuries (50.0%) and knowledge of eye injury risk (33.9%). A commonly reported barrier was restriction of vision (34.2%). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate a low prevalence of voluntary use of appropriate protective eyewear. Future prevention strategies incorporating education campaigns should focus on increasing players' knowledge of risks. The barriers to use and misconceptions about which types of eyewear is most protective need to be addressed as a priority.

Auto-eficácia: um estudo da sua contribuição para a avaliação de desempenho de atletas / Self-efficacy: a study of its contribution to the athletics'assessment

Essa pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar o nível de auto-eficácia em um grupo de atletas masculinos e femininos, e verificar as possíveis causas desses resultados considerando o nível de ansiedade. A auto-eficácia foi desenvolvida dentro do modelo da teoria cognitiva social, com uma proposta inicial de explicar os diferentes resultados encontrados por diferentes métodos utilizados na psicologia clínica para o tratamento da ansiedade. Encontramos que a auto-eficácia e suas fontes de informação interagem com outros componentes psicológicos, que são associados com a história de vida do indivíduo e com as pessoas que fazem parte do ambiente esportivo. Foram utilizados três instrumentos, um de identificação geral, um de auto-eficácia e um de ansiedade. Participaram da pesquisa 20 atletas que competiam em um campeonato nacional de squash. Obteve-se uma média de auto-eficácia de 88,3 pontos. Aqueles jogadores que eram mais experientes apresentam menos ansiedade cognitivas e somática e itens, embora apresentem uma relação indiretamente proporcional com a ansiedade cognitiva e somática

Development, application, and limitation of a stochastic Markov model in explaining championship squash performance.

This study reports a stochastic (Markov) model for squash which uses empirical data to transit event states on a shot by shot basis. This offers more information than traditional models with regard to how points were won or lost and the potential for predicting future athletic performance from a priori observation. The predictive capacity of the model, however, is presently restricted because the observed behaviors (shots) and associated outcomes (winners, errors and lets) are statistically variant (p < .25). A player does not produce a consistent athletic response to the same preceding condition when competing against different opponents, although it is unclear at present whether this observation is a function of the particular analysis employed. Nevertheless, the modeling of athletic behavior is a way to search for critical data which underpin competitive sport performance.