Effect of core strength training on the badminton player's performance: A systematic review & meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Core strength training (CST) has been shown to improve performance in several sports disciplines. CST is recognized as one of the crucial elements that enhance athletic performance, particularly impacting badminton skills. Despite its popularity as a strength training method among badminton players, there is a lack of comprehensive studies examining the effectiveness of CST on the performance of these athletes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to ascertain CST's effects on badminton players' performance. METHOD: This study followed PRISMA principles and conducted comprehensive searches in well-known academic databases (SCOPUS, Pubmed, CNKI, Web of Science, Core Collection, and EBSCOhost) up to August 2023. The inclusive criteria were established using the PICOS framework. Following their inclusion based on PICOS criteria, the selected studies underwent literature review and meta-analysis. The methodological quality of the assessments was evaluated using Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tools bias risk tools and recommendations for a graded assessment, development, and evaluation. RESULTS: The analysis included participants aged 10-19 years from 13 studies of moderate quality, totaling 208 individuals. The CST intervention s lasted between 4 to 16 weeks, with a frequency of 1 to 4 sessions per week and each session lasting 20 to 120 minutes. Sample sizes across these studies ranged from 8 to 34 participants. According to the meta-analysis, CST significantly influenced badminton performance, particularly in areas of explosive power (ES = 0.03 P = 0.04), front-court skill (ES = 2.53, P = 0.003), and back-court skill (ES = 2.33, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: CST enhances badminton players' fitness (strength, power, balance, and stability), in situ (front/back-court) skills, and movement position hitting. However, its effects on speed, endurance, agility, flexibility, and coordination are unclear, revealing a research gap. The precise benefits of CST, especially on flexibility and specific hitting skills (smashes, clears, drives, net shots, crosscourt, push, and lift shots), need more investigation. Additionally, research on CST's impact on female athletes is significantly lacking.

Impact of specialized fatigue and backhand smash on the ankle biomechanics of female badminton players.

During fatigued conditions, badminton players may experience adverse effects on their ankle joints during smash landings. In addition, the risk of ankle injury may vary with different landing strategies. This study aimed to investigate the influence of sport-specific fatigue factors and two backhand smash actions on ankle biomechanical indices. Thirteen female badminton players (age: 21.2 ± 1.9 years; height: 167.1 ± 4.1 cm; weight: 57.3 ± 5.1 kg; BMI: 20.54 ± 1.57 kg/m2) participated in this study. An 8-camera Vicon motion capture system and three Kistler force platforms were used to collect kinematic and kinetic data before and after fatigue for backhand rear-court jump smash (BRJS) and backhand lateral jump smash (BLJS). A 2 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance was employed to analyze the effects of these smash landing actions and fatigue factors on ankle biomechanical parameters. Fatigue significantly affected the ankle-joint plantarflexion and inversion angles at the initial contact (IC) phase (p < 0.05), with both angles increasing substantially post-fatigue. From a kinetic perspective, fatigue considerably influenced the peak plantarflexion and peak inversion moments at the ankle joint, which resulted in a decrease the former and an increase in the latter after fatigue. The two smash landing actions demonstrated different landing strategies, and significant main effects were observed on the ankle plantarflexion angle, inversion angle, peak dorsiflexion/plantarflexion moment, peak inversion/eversion moment, and peak internal rotation moment (p < 0.05). The BLJS landing had a much greater landing inversion angle, peak inversion moment, and peak internal rotation moment compared with BRJS landing. The interaction effects of fatigue and smash actions significantly affected the muscle force of the peroneus longus (PL), with a more pronounced decrease in the force of the PL muscle post-fatigue in the BLJS action(post-hoc < 0.05). This study demonstrated that fatigue and smash actions, specifically BRJS and BLJS, significantly affect ankle biomechanical parameters. After fatigue, both actions showed a notable increase in IC plantarflexion and inversion angles and peak inversion moments, which may elevate the risk of lateral ankle sprains. Compared with BRJS, BLJS poses a higher risk of lateral ankle sprains after fatigue.

MultiSenseBadminton: Wearable Sensor-Based Biomechanical Dataset for Evaluation of Badminton Performance.

The sports industry is witnessing an increasing trend of utilizing multiple synchronized sensors for player data collection, enabling personalized training systems with multi-perspective real-time feedback. Badminton could benefit from these various sensors, but there is a scarcity of comprehensive badminton action datasets for analysis and training feedback. Addressing this gap, this paper introduces a multi-sensor badminton dataset for forehand clear and backhand drive strokes, based on interviews with coaches for optimal usability. The dataset covers various skill levels, including beginners, intermediates, and experts, providing resources for understanding biomechanics across skill levels. It encompasses 7,763 badminton swing data from 25 players, featuring sensor data on eye tracking, body tracking, muscle signals, and foot pressure. The dataset also includes video recordings, detailed annotations on stroke type, skill level, sound, ball landing, and hitting location, as well as survey and interview data. We validated our dataset by applying a proof-of-concept machine learning model to all annotation data, demonstrating its comprehensive applicability in advanced badminton training and research.

Quantifying Hitting Load in Racket Sports: A Scoping Review of Key Technologies.

PURPOSE: This scoping review aims to identify the primary racket and arm-mounted technologies based on inertial measurement units that enable the quantification of hitting load in racket sports. METHODS: A comprehensive search of several databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore) and Google search engines was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) extension for scoping reviews guidelines. Included records primarily focused on monitoring hitting load in racket sports using commercialized racket or arm-mounted inertial sensors through noncompetitive and competitive racket-sports players. RESULTS: A total of 484 records were identified, and 19 finally met the inclusion criteria. The largest number of systems found were compatible with tennis (n = 11), followed by badminton (n = 4), table tennis (n = 2), padel (n = 1), and squash (n = 1). Four sensor locations were identified: grip-attached (n = 8), grip-embedded (n = 6), wrist (n = 3), and dampener sensors (n = 2). Among the tennis sensors, only 4 out of the 11 (36.4%) demonstrated excellent reliability (>.85) in monitoring the number of shots hit either during analytic drills or during simulated matches. None of the other racket-sports sensors have undergone successful, reliable validation for hitting-volume quantification. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent advancements in this field, the quantification of hitting volume in racket sports remains a challenge, with only a limited number of tennis devices demonstrating reliable results. Thus, further progress in technology and research is essential to develop comprehensive solutions that adequately address these specific requirements.

An analysis of the effect of motor experience on muscle synergy in the badminton jump smash.

The jump smash is badminton's most aggressive technical manoeuvre, which is often the key to winning a match. This paper aims to explore the neuromuscular control strategies of advanced and beginner players when jumping smash in different ways. Collecting sEMG and kinematic data from 18 subjects with different motor experiences when jumping smash. Nonnegative Matrix Factorization and K-Means clustering were used to extract muscle synergies and exclude irrelevant combined synergies. Uncontrolled manifold analysis was then used to explore the association between synergies and shoulder stability. In addition, motor output at the spinal cord level was assessed by mapping sEMG to each spinal cord segment. The study found that advanced subjects could respond to different jump smash styles by adjusting the coordinated activation strategies of the upper-limb and postural muscles. Long-term training can induce a rapid decrease in the degree of co-variation of the synergies before contact with a shuttlecock to better cope with an upcoming collision. It is recommended that beginners should focus more on training the coordination of upper-limb muscles and postural muscles.

Does dynamic balance affect cube mental rotation task in badminton vs. volleyball female players?

BACKGROUND: Changing from a static to a dynamic balance condition could affect the performance of a cognitive task such as mental rotation. Thus, the main goal of this study is to investigate aspects of visual-spatial cognition between two non-contact sports (i.e., badminton and volleyball) in different upright conditions (i.e., standing position, frontal balance, and sagittal balance). METHODS: Thirty-five volunteer female sports and physical education students, fourteen specialists in badminton and twenty-one specialists in volleyball agreed to participate in this study. Each of the assessments was a 3D cube mental rotation task with and/or without balance exercises (i.e., frontal and/or sagittal balance) on a wobble board. Five stimuli were used in the mental rotation task (i.e., 45°, 135°, 180°, 225° and 315° for objected-based cube condition with egocentric transformation) which included pairs of standard and comparison images. RESULTS: The findings indicate that there was a notable decrease (p < 0.001; d = 1.745) in response time in both dynamic balance conditions (i.e., frontal and sagittal balance) compared to standing position condition. In addition, results revealed significant interaction between balance conditions (i.e., frontal and/or sagittal balance) and groups (i.e., badminton and volleyball) in the response time at 225° angle and in the error percentage. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, dynamic balance is also an activity that involves mental manipulation of objects in 3D space, which can enhance badminton and volleyball female players' ability to rotate 3D cube stimuli.

Mechanisms of Action Anticipation in Table Tennis Players: A Multivoxel Pattern Analysis Study.

An exceptional ability to accurately anticipate an opponent's action is paramount for competitive athletes and highlights their experiential mastery. Despite conventional associations of action observation with specific brain regions, neuroimaging discrepancies persist. To explore the brain regions and neural mechanisms undergirding action anticipation, we compared distinct brain activation patterns involved in table tennis serve anticipation of expert table tennis athletes vs. non-experts by using both univariate analysis and multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA). We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 29 table tennis experts and 34 non-experts as they pressed a button to predict the trajectory of a ball in a table tennis serve video truncated at the moment of racket-ball contact vs. pressing any button while viewing a static image of the first video frame. MVPA was applied to assess whether it could accurately differentiate experts from non-experts. MVPA results indicated moderate accuracy (90.48%) for differentiating experts from non-experts. Brain regions contributing most to the differentiation included the left cerebellum, the vermis, the right middle temporal pole, the inferior parietal cortex, the bilateral paracentral lobule, and the left supplementary motor area. The findings suggest that brain regions associated with cognitive conflict monitoring and motor cognition contribute to the action anticipation ability of expert table tennis players.

A novel mathematical model of the badminton smash: simulation and modeling in biomechanics.

Applied physics and computer methods in biomechanics have been extensively used in sports science research, including performance and biomechanics analysis. The Brachistochrone problem, which expresses the curve that an object draws quickly under gravitational forces in a vertical position, is one of the most widely used studies in classical mechanics. A similar problem arises when a badminton player intends to hit a smash with the shortest shot time. This paper aims to determine the optimal stroke trajectory for a shuttlecock smash in the shortest time. We simulate the badminton smash movement using a computer program after analyzing the shuttlecock smash analytically and numerically for several conditions. The modeling results show that a cycloid trajectory allows badminton players to smash the shuttlecock in the shortest time. Based on the experimental findings of Tsai, Huang, and Jih's study and our models, the ratio of clear speed to smash speed is 0.75, which is still in the range of 0.71 to 0.76, and we find that a cycloid trajectory gives the shortest shuttlecock smash time. We concluded that the experimental data from this study's literature supported our model. The novelty of this study is that we found the first powerful model and simulation of conventional Brachistochrone in the case of a badminton smash of badminton players. For badminton coaches and players, this model formulation is intended as a reference for optimizing shuttlecock shots. Furthermore, another novelty of this research is that it may lead to software that can be used to analyze the muscle strength of badminton players based on their cycloid hand trajectory and shuttlecock speed.

Dose-response effect of incremental lateral-wedge hardness on the lower limb Biomechanics during typical badminton footwork.

Badminton footwork has been characterised with jump-landing, cross step, side side and lunges, which requires movement agility to facilitate on-court performance. A novel badminton shoe design with systematic increase of lateral wedge hardness (Asker C value of 55, 60, 65, and 70) was developed and investigated in this study, aiming to analyse the dose-response effect of incremental wedge hardness on typical badminton footwork. Stance time and joint stiffness were employed to investigate the footwork performance, and the factorial Statistical non-Parametric Mapping and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to quantify the biomechanical responses over the stance. As reported, shorter contact times (decreased by 8.9%-13.5%) and increased joint stiffness (in side step) of foot-ankle complex were found, suggesting improved footwork stability and agility from increased hardness. Time-varying differences were noted during the initial landing and driving-off phase of cross and side steps and drive-off returning of lunges, suggesting facilitated footwork performance. The reconstructed modes of variations from PCA further deciphered the biomechanical response to the wedge dosage, especially during drive-off, to understand the improved footwork agility and stability.

The Use of Contextual Information for Anticipation of Badminton Shots in Different Expertise Levels.

Purpose: The current study investigated the use of contextual information for anticipation in badminton. Method: Participants were groups of elites (n = 26), competitive (n = 15) and novice players (n = 17) whose anticipation accuracy and reaction time were assessed using an ecologically valid badminton specific video-based occlusion test. Two conditions were presented, where either only kinematic information was available (Last Strokes condition, LS), or kinematic and contextual information were both available (Full Rally condition, FR). Results: Participants reacted slower in the FR condition, while no differences in accuracy were observed between the two conditions. Furthermore, all participants were better at side predictions than length, and elites outperformed novices in both side and length predictions. Among the elite group (which was split into adult elites, adult sub-elites & young elites), adult elite athletes showed faster responses for both the LS and FR conditions compared to their other elite counterparts who were much slower in both conditions. Conclusion: These results indicate that even at the highest level, anticipation performance can discriminate between groups of expert performers. In addition, the findings of this study indicate that the role of contextual information might not be as large as hypothesized, and further research is needed to clarify the role of contextual information toward anticipation.

Physical Activity Intensity of Singles and Doubles Pickleball in Older Adults.

The purpose of this study was to measure heart rate, activity intensity, and steps in recreational singles and doubles pickleball players. We collected data in 22 singles and 31 doubles players (62.1 ± 9.7 years of age) using Garmin Fenix 5 watches (Garmin International, Inc.) and ActiGraph GT3X+ (ActiGraph LLC) accelerometers. Mean heart rates during singles and doubles were 111.6 ± 13.5 and 111.5 ± 16.2 beats/min (70.3% and 71.2% of predicted maximum heart rate), respectively. Over 70% of singles and doubles playing time was categorized in moderate to vigorous heart rate zones whereas 80.5% of singles time and 50.4% of doubles time were moderate based on Freedson accelerometer cut-points. Steps per hour were higher in singles versus doubles (3,322 ± 493 vs. 2,791 ± 359), t(51) = 4.540, p < .001. Singles and doubles pickleball are moderate- to vigorous-intensity activities that can contribute substantially toward older adults meeting physical activity guidelines.

Changes in Physical Function of Shuttlecock Players after Short-Term Intensive Training based on Data Mining.

This paper investigates the changes in body composition and physical fitness of badminton players after short-term high-intensity training. Methods. During an 8-week short-term training camp, 12 nonprofessional badminton players were paired to design training sessions, and body composition and fitness were measured before and after training. Results. After 8 weeks of high-intensity training, there was no significant change in body weight of badminton players (P > 0.05), while lean body mass increased significantly and body fat percentage decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The time of kicking, lying on the back, and standing forward was increased (P < 0.05), and the time of running back and forth 6.1 meters 3 times was shorter than that before training (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The increase of lean body mass can promote the energy conversion, oxygen consumption, and exercise capacity of athletes. Short-term training can reduce excess body fat, promote muscle development, and improve physical fitness.

Relationship between body composition, multiple repeated sprint ability and vertical jump performance in elite badminton players / Relación entre la composición corporal, la capacidad de realizar múltiples sprints repetidos y el rendimiento del salto vertical en jugadores de bádminton de élite

SUMMARY: The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between the body composition, multiple repeated sprint ability (MRSAB) test, and vertical jump performance. Fifteen voluntary elite Turkish badminton players participated in the study. The MRSAB test consisted of 2 repetitions of 4 movements (4x3m) separated by 30 seconds of passive recovery. The best time (BT), meantime (MT), total time (TT), and fatigue index (FI) were measured. Body composition was evaluated through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Squat jump (SJ) test for explosive power and countermovement jump (CMJ) test for elastic power were used. The main findings were that there was a significant correlation between MRSAB MT and TT with lean body mass, lean arm mass, and trunk lean mass (kg) of male badminton players. However, no significant correlation was observed among MRSAB MT, BT, and TT with another total/regional body composition of female badminton players (p>0.05). Moreover, the results of male badminton players showed that there was a significant negative correlation between FI and percentage ofbody fat (%BF), percentage of leg fat (%LF), percentage of trunk fat (%TF), and trunk mass. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between FI with %BF, body fat mass kg, percentage of arm fat (%AF), arm fat mass, and %LF of female badminton players. It was also found in the study that there was a significant correlation between SJ and %LF; CMJ and %BF, body fat mass kg, %AF, %LF and leg fat mass kg. However, no significant correlation was observed among CMJ and SJ with other total/regional body compositions of male badminton players (p>0,05). Finally, changes in body composition are important issues for the physical performance level of badminton players as regional excess body fat may cause deterioration, especially in repeated-sprint ability and jumping performance.

RESUMEN: El propósito de este estudio fue evaluar la correlación entre la composición corporal, la prueba de capacidad de sprint repetido (MRSAB) y el rendimiento del salto vertical. Quince jugadores voluntarios de bádminton turcos de élite participaron en el estudio. El test MRSAB consistió en 2 repeticiones de 4 movimientos (4x3m) separados por 30 segundos de recuperación pasiva. Se midieron el mejor tiempo (BT), el tiempo medio (MT), el tiempo total (TT) y el índice de fatiga (FI). La composición corporal se evaluó mediante absorciometría de rayos X de energía dual (DEXA). Se utilizó la prueba de salto desde la sentadilla (SJ) para la potencia explosiva y la prueba de salto con contramovimiento (CMJ) para la potencia elástica. Los principales hallazgos fueron una correlación significativa entre MRSAB MT y TT con la masa corporal magra, la masa magra del brazo y la masa magra del tronco (kg) de los jugadores de bádminton hombres. Sin embargo, no se observó una correlación significativa entre MRSAB MT, BT y TT con otra composición corporal total/regional de jugadoras de bádminton (p>0,05). Además, los resultados de los jugadores hombres de bádminton mostraron que había una correlación negativa significativa entre FI y el porcentaje de grasa corporal (% BF), porcentaje de grasa en las piernas (% LF), porcentaje de grasa en el tronco (% TF) y masa del tronco. Además, hubo una correlación negativa significativa entre FI con %GC, masa de grasa corporal en kg, porcentaje de grasa en el brazo (%AF), masa de grasa en el brazo y %LF de las jugadoras de bádminton. También se descubrió en el estudio que había una correlación significativa entre SJ y %LF; CMJ y %BF, masa grasa corporal kg, %AF, %LF y masa grasa de piernas kg. Sin embargo, no se observó una correlación significativa entre CMJ y SJ con otras composiciones corporales totales/regionales de los hombres jugadores de bádminton (p>0,05). Finalmente, los cambios en la composición corporal son cuestiones importantes para el nivel de rendimiento físico de los jugadores de bádminton, debido a que el exceso de grasa corporal regional, puede causar un deterioro, especialmente en la capacidad de repetir sprints y en el rendimiento de los saltos.

Ideal Combinations of Acceleration-Based Intensity Metrics and Sensor Positions to Monitor Exercise Intensity under Different Types of Sports.

This study quantified the strength of the relationship between the percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and two acceleration-based intensity metrics (AIMs) at three sensor-positions during three sport types (running, basketball, and badminton) under three intensity conditions (locomotion speeds). Fourteen participants (age: 24.9 ± 2.4 years) wore a chest strap HR monitor and placed three accelerometers at the left wrist (non-dominant), trunk, and right shank, respectively. The %HRR and two different AIMs (Player Load per minute [PL/min] and mean amplitude deviation [MAD]) during exercise were calculated. During running, both AIMs at the shank and PL at the wrist had strong correlations (r = 0.777-0.778) with %HRR; while other combinations were negligible to moderate (r = 0.065-0.451). For basketball, both AIMs at the shank had stronger correlations (r = 0.604-0.628) with %HRR than at wrist (r = 0.536-0.603) and trunk (r = 0.403-0.463) with %HRR. During badminton exercise, both AIMs at shank had stronger correlations (r = 0.782-0.793) with %HRR than those at wrist (r = 0.587-0.621) and MAD at trunk (r = 0.608) and trunk (r = 0.314). Wearing the sensor on the shank is an ideal position for both AIMs to monitor external intensity in running, basketball, and badminton, while the wrist and using PL-derived AIM seems to be the second ideal combination.

Physiological and Performance Correlates of Squash Physical Performance.

The physiological and performance attributes of elite squash players were investigated. Thirty-one players (21 males, world ranking [WR] 42-594; 10 females, WR 7-182) completed a battery of fitness tests which included an aerobic squash-specific physical performance test (SPPT), repeated-sprint ability (RSA), change-of-direction speed (COD), acceleration (5-m sprint), body composition and force development (countermovement jump) assessments. The SPPT provided a finishing lap score, V̇O2max, average movement economy and the lap corresponding to a blood lactate concentration of 4 mM.L-1. Players were ranked and assigned to HIGH or LOW performance tiers. Two-way ANOVA (performance level*sex) revealed higher ranked players performed better (p < 0.05) for SPPT final lap (d = 0.35), 4 mM.L-1 lap (d = 0.52) and COD (d = 0.60). SPPT displayed a 'very-large' correlation with 4 mM.L-1 lap (r = 0.86), 'large' correlations with COD (r = 0.79), RSA (r = 0.79), sum-of-7 skinfolds (r = 0.71) and V̇O2max (r = 0.69), and a 'trivial' correlation with average movement economy (r = 0.02). Assessments of cardiovascular fitness (i.e. 4 mM.L-1 lap), RSA, COD and body composition appear highly pertinent for performance profiling of squash players. Regular, submaximal assessment of the 4 mM.L-1 lap during the SPPT may offer a practical athlete monitoring approach for elite squash players.

Differences between Elite Male and Female Badminton Athletes Regarding Heart Rate Variability, Arterial Stiffness, and Aerobic Capacity.

Cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity play crucial roles in determining the performance of athletes in the highly competitive sport of badminton. Few studies have directly compared heart rate variability (HRV), arterial stiffness, and aerobic capacity between male and female athletes, especially among badminton athletes. This study investigated sex differences in HRV, arterial stiffness, and aerobic capacity in badminton athletes. Elite badminton athletes were recruited and divided into male (n = 20, 21.0 ± 1.8 years old) and female (n = 16, 21.2 ± 2.3 years old) groups. Both groups performed an incremental treadmill running test for the evaluation of maximal oxygen consumption (V.O2max), anaerobic threshold, and time to exhaustion. They started exercising at a treadmill speed of 2.7 km/h and an inclination of 10% gradient for 3 min, and the speed and inclination were gradually increased every 3 min until they were exhausted or fatigued volitionally. HRV was examined using the Polar heart rate monitor over a period of 5 min at rest in the supine position. Subsequently, the index of arterial stiffness was examined under the same condition. Our results revealed significant differences between the male and female athletes in V.O2max (men: 60.38 ± 8.98 mL/kg/min, women: 48.13 ± 7.72 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), anaerobic threshold (men: 41.50 ± 7.26 mL/kg/min, women: 32.51 ± 6.19 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), time to exhaustion (men: 902.15 ± 120.15 s, women: 780.56 ± 67.63 s, p < 0.05), systolic blood pressure (men: 125.27 ± 7.76 mmHg, women: 107.16 ± 11.09 mmHg, p < 0.05), and arterial stiffness index (men: 63.56 ± 12.55, women: 53.83 ± 8.03, p < 0.05). However, no significant differences in HRV measures were observed between the two groups. These findings suggested that the male badminton athletes demonstrated significantly higher aerobic capacity than did the female athletes, but there were no significant differences in HRV measures. The female athletes exhibited superior arterial function, compared with their male counterparts.

Are there differences between male and female badminton athletes in sleep, physical activity and sedentary time? / ¿existen diferencias entre atletas de basdminton masculinos y femeninos en el sueño, actividad física y tiempo de sedentarismo? / Existem diferenças entre atletas de badminton masculinos e femininos no sono, atividade física e tempo de sedentarismo?

ABSTRACT Introduction: High-performance athletes often undergo periods of exhaustive training and insufficient recovery, which can lead to decreased performance, but it is not clear whether there are any differences between the sexes in the level of habitual physical activity, sedentary time or sleep quantity and quality in young highly trained badminton athletes. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the habitual physical activity (PA), sedentary time and sleep quantity and quality of highly trained young male and female badminton athletes and non-athletes. Methods: Twenty-seven young badminton athletes and twenty-one non-athletes (control group) were recruited. Sleep duration and quality (total time in bed, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency and latency), total counts, vigorous activity time and sedentary time were measured using a tri-axial accelerometer. Results: Male athletes spent less sedentary time (p=0.028), more time in vigorous activity (p=0.016) and had higher total counts (p<0.001) than the male control group. There were no significant differences in sedentary time (p=0.702) or vigorous activity time (p=0.205) between the female athletes and non-athletes, but the female athletes accumulated higher total counts than the female control group (p=0.003). There were no significant differences between the sexes or groups for time in bed, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset and latency (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Among males but not females, young highly trained badminton athletes had less sedentary time and more time in vigorous activity than the non-athletes, however, there were no significant differences between the sexes or groups in sleep quantity and quality. Level of evidence III; Case-control study .

RESUMEN Introducción: Los atletas de alto rendimiento con frecuencia son sometidos a períodos de entrenamiento exhaustivo y recuperación insuficiente, lo que puede llevar a una disminución del desempeño, pero no está claro si hay diferencia entre los sexos en cuanto al nivel de actividad física habitual, tiempo sedentario, cantidad y calidad del sueño en jóvenes atletas de bádminton altamente entrenados. Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar la actividad física habitual (AF), el tiempo de sedentarismo y la duración y calidad del sueño en jóvenes atletas de bádminton altamente entrenados y de no atletas, del sexo femenino y masculino. Métodos: Fueron reclutados veintisiete jóvenes atletas de bádminton y veintiuno no atletas (grupo control). La duración y la calidad del sueño (tiempo total en la cama, tiempo total de sueño, vigilia después del inicio del sueño, eficiencia y latencia del sueño), counts totales, el tiempo en actividad vigorosa y el tiempo de sedentarismo fueron medidos con un acelerómetro triaxial. Resultados: Los atletas del sexo masculino tuvieron menos tiempo de sedentarismo (p = 0,028), más tiempo de actividad vigorosa (p = 0,016) y mayor cantidad de counts totales (p <0,001) que el grupo control masculino. No hubo diferencias significativas en el tiempo de sedentarismo (p = 0,702) o tiempo de actividad vigorosa (p = 0,205), entre las atletas y no atletas, pero las atletas del sexo femenino acumularon mayor cantidad de counts totales que el grupo control femenino (p = 0,003). No hubo diferencias significativas entre los sexos o grupos para tiempo en la cama, tiempo total de sueño, eficiencia del sueño, vigilia después del inicio del sueño y latencia (p> 0,05). Conclusiones: Entre hombres, pero no entre mujeres, los jóvenes atletas de bádminton altamente entrenados tuvieron menor tiempo de sedentarismo y mayor tiempo en actividades vigorosas que los no atletas; entretanto, no hubo diferencia significativa entre los sexos o grupos en la cantidad y calidad del sueño. Nivel de evidencia III; Estudio de caso control .

RESUMO Introdução: Atletas de alto rendimento com frequência são submetidos a períodos de treinamento exaustivo e recuperação insuficiente, o que pode levar à diminuição do desempenho, mas não está claro se há diferença entre os sexos quanto ao nível de atividade física habitual, tempo sedentário, quantidade e qualidade do sono em jovens atletas de badminton altamente treinados. Objetivos: O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a atividade física habitual (AF), o tempo de sedentarismo e a duração e qualidade do sono em jovens atletas de badminton altamente treinados e de não atletas, do sexo masculino e feminino. Métodos: Vinte e sete jovens atletas de badminton e vinte e um não atletas (grupo controle) foram recrutados. A duração e a qualidade do sono (tempo total na cama, tempo total de sono, vigília após o início do sono, eficiência e latência do sono), counts totais, tempo em atividade vigorosa e tempo de sedentarismo foram medidos com um acelerômetro triaxial. Resultados: Atletas do sexo masculino tiveram menos tempo de sedentarismo (p = 0,028), mais tempo de atividade vigorosa(p = 0,016) e maior quantidade de counts totais (p < 0,001) do que o grupo controle masculino. Não houve diferença significante no tempo de sedentarismo (p = 0,702) ou tempo de atividade vigorosa (p = 0,205) entre as atletas e não atletas, mas as atletas do sexo feminino acumularam maior quantidade de counts totais que o grupo controle feminino (p = 0,003). Não houve diferença significante entre os sexos ou grupos para tempo na cama, tempo total de sono, eficiência do sono, vigília após o início do sono e latência (p> 0,05). Conclusões: Entre homens, mas não entre mulheres, os jovens atletas de badminton altamente treinados tiveram menor tempo de sedentarismo e maior tempo em atividades vigorosas do que os não atletas; entretanto, não houve diferença significante entre os sexos ou grupos na quantidade e qualidade do sono. Nível de evidência III; Estudo de caso controle .

Men's lacrosse protective equipment increases strain during exercise in the heat.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine thermoregulatory and cardiovascular effects of wearing men's lacrosse protective equipment during simulated lacrosse activities in the heat. DESIGN: We conducted a randomized, controlled, crossover study. METHODS: Thirteen healthy men (22 ±â€¯3 y, 76.2 ±â€¯8.9 kg, 181 ±â€¯6 cm, 16.06 ±â€¯6.16% body fat) completed two matched exercise trials in the heat (WBGT: 25.5 ±â€¯0.8 °C). In randomized order, participants donned full men's lacrosse equipment (helmet, shoulder/elbow pads, and gloves) in one trial while the other included no equipment. Participants completed a topography body scan to determine specific body surface area covered with equipment. Rectal temperature (Tre), heart rate (HR), and mean weighted skin temperature (Tsk) were measured throughout trials. Whole body sweat rate was assessed for trial comparisons. RESULTS: The equipment covered 32.62 ±â€¯2.53% body surface area in our participants. Post-exercise Tre was significantly greater with equipment (39.36 ±â€¯0.04 °C) compared to control (38.98 ±â€¯0.49 °C; p = .007). The overall rate of rise of Tre was significantly greater with equipment (0.043 ±â€¯0.015 °C·min-1) compared to control (0.031 ±â€¯0.008 °Cmin-1; p = .041). Regardless of time point, HR and Tsk were significantly elevated with equipment compared to control trial (p ≤ .026). Sweat rates were elevated with equipment (1.76 ±â€¯0.74 L·h-1) compared to shorts and t-shirt (1.13 ±â€¯0.26 L·h-1), but this difference was not significant (p = .058). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate impairments in heat dissipation and increased cardiovascular strain imposed by men's lacrosse equipment.

Effect of Integrative Neuromuscular Training for Injury Prevention and Sports Performance of Female Badminton Players.

OBJECTIVES: Investigate the effects of integrated neuromuscular training (INT) on injury prevention and the performance of professional female badminton athletes by comparing their preintervention and postintervention tests. The study hypothesized that integrated neuromuscular training can improve the asymmetry and improve the sport performance of female badminton players. METHODS: According to pretest value based on functional movement screening, 38 participants were divided into a high-risk group (HG) and a low-risk group (LG) with 22 and 16 people in each group. Two groups of athletes took part in an 8-week INT program consisting of four 90-min sessions each week. The asymmetries in movement, physical fitness, and special abilities were tested before and after the intervention. Independent sample t-test was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: This research found indicated that 8 weeks of INT influenced FMS scores in both groups (HG and LG). The change of inline lunge (ES H = 0.42, ES L = 0.21) and trunk stability push-up (ES H = -0.58, ES L = -0.20) showed significant differences (P < 0.05), and the change of the FMS scores (ES H = 0.81, ES L = 0.65), deep squat (ES H = 0.6, ES L = 0.3), and rotation stability (ES H = -0.65, ES L = -0.72) showed very significant differences (P < 0.01). Compared to the pretest, most of the physical fitness parameters improved significantly in the HG and LG groups except strength index, and special abilities of the HG and LG group women badminton athletes showed a substantial increase. CONCLUSION: Integrated neuromuscular training can effectively improve the asymmetry of female badminton athletes' limbs, prevent sports injury, and improve the athlete's performance ability. However, athletes in different risk groups have certain differences in the degree of improvement in their motor skills.