The role of offensive processes and age development for female soccer players' anticipation.

Anticipation has been confirmed as a more valid measure for recognizing talented athletes than pattern recall alone. Anticipation of offensive processes in soccer, such as counter attacks and positional attacks, is essential for the sport. Additionally, the anticipation of elements such as the soccer ball, offensive and defensive players may also be affected by varied offensive processes. In this study, we combined anticipation with the pattern recall paradigm to measure the perceptual-cognitive skills of female soccer players across different age groups and offensive processes. Adult (U23) and adolescent (U15) female soccer players were recruited to complete the pattern anticipation task using coach-rated video segments. Our results show that adult female soccer players demonstrated greater accuracy in anticipating locations during positional attacks compared to adolescents, but no significant difference was observed during counter attacks. Furthermore, location anticipation accuracy is higher in all groups towards elements of the soccer ball and offensive players, but not defensive players, during counter attacks compared to positional attacks. These findings suggest that positional attack is the main advantage in perceptual-cognitive skills for adult female soccer players. Additionally, offensive processes and elements should be carefully considered when measuring perceptual-cognitive skills.

Recovery in elite youth basketball players: The responsiveness of the psychophysiological measurements and the role of testosterone concentration.

This study investigated the recovery responses to the Total Quality Recovery (TQR), Well-Being questionnaire (WBQ), and Heart Rate (HR) responses to Submaximal Running Test (SRT), and the influence of salivary testosterone concentration (TEST) on these responses in 25 elite youth (U15) male basketball players. TQR, WBQ, and HR measurements were assessed after 48 hours of rest (T1), 24 hours after the 1st day of training (T2) and 24 hours after the 2nd day of training (T3). Salivary sampling was conducted at T1 and T3. A significant decrease was observed for TQR (F = 4.06; p = 0.01) and for WBQ (F = 5.37; p = 0.008) from T1 to T3. No difference among the three-time points was observed for HR and HR Recovery, and the TEST concentration did not influence the results. These results show that TQR and WBQ are sensitive to acute transient alterations in training loads (TL) and may be utilized to monitor recovery in elite youth basketball players. The HR related measurements presented limited responsiveness, and the TEST seems not to influence the recovery of these players who are competing at highest performance level.

Practices and perceptions of strength and conditioning training in female golf: A cross-sectional survey study of high-level amateur players.

This study aims to ascertain an in-depth understanding of current practices and perceptions of S&C training in high-level amateur female golfers. A cross-sectional, explorative survey study was constructed which asked questions relating to four key areas: i) general participant information, ii) current strength and conditioning (S&C) practices, iii) the perceived influence of S&C training on golf performance, and iv) knowledge and awareness of S&C. Results showed that the majority of female players had participated in some form of S&C training in the past, with the majority believing that clubhead speed and carry distance were the primary golfing metrics which could be positively impacted. More specifically, 91-97% of the players "Strongly agreed" or "Agreed" that the key physical characteristics for golf were strength and power for the lower and upper body, and flexibility. Interestingly, 58% of the players believed that S&C training should mimic the movement of the golf swing, which based off current evidence, is not how drive metrics and ultimately shots gained, can be maximised. This survey study provides useful information relating to the practices and perceptions of S&C training in high-level female amateur players and areas where education may be able to further advance player understanding of physical preparation.

Development of the Talent Identification Questionnaire in Soccer for Outfield Players (TIDQ-OP): Coaches' perceptions of the key attributes for player recruitment.

Talent identification in sports is a complex process, whereby the aim is to identify, select and promote players who are considered to have the necessary skills and competencies (e.g., technical, tactical, and physical attributes) to succeed in senior adult competition. To support this process, this study focused on the development of a questionnaire to assist in the identification of talent among South African youth soccer players. This will establish a measure of the attributes coaches consider important when making talent identification decisions for outfield soccer players. The questionnaire was constructed following established instrument development phases. In phase 1, 61 questionnaire items were generated based on a review of the relevant literature. In phase 2, a panel of experts examined the content validity of the preliminary items. In phase 3, the provisional 59-item questionnaire (Talent Identification Questionnaire in Soccer for Outfield Players; TIDQ-OP) was administered to 173 experienced South African soccer coaches (130 males and 43 females) who ranged in age from 18 to 64 years. In phase 3, the factorial structure of the questionnaire was established through principal component analysis. The final questionnaire consisted of 58 items. These preliminary analyses indicate the usefulness of the TIDQ-OP as a tool to assist South African coaches in the identification and selection of talented players.

More than metrics: The role of socio-environmental factors in determining the success of athlete monitoring.

The perceived value of athlete monitoring systems (AMS) has recently been questioned. Poor perceptions of AMS are important, because where practitioners lack confidence in monitoring their ability to influence programming, and performance is likely diminished. To address this, researchers have primarily sought to improve factors related to monitoring metrics, e.g., validity rather than socio-environmental factors, e.g., buy-in. Seventy-five practitioners (response rate: n = 30) working with Olympic and Paralympic athletes were invited to take part in a survey about their perceptions of AMS value. Fifty-two per cent (n = 13) was confident in the sensitivity of their athlete self-report measures, but only 64% (n = 16), indicated their monitoring was underpinned by scientific evidence. A scientific base was associated with improved athlete feedback (rS (23) = 0.487, p =0.014*) and feedback correlated with athlete monitoring adherence (rS (22) = 0.675, p = <0.001**). If athletes did not complete their monitoring, 52% (n = 13) of respondents felt performance might be compromised. However, most respondents 56% (n = 14), had worked with internationally successful athlete(s) who did not complete their monitoring. While AMS can be a useful tool to aid performance optimisation, its potential value is not always realised. Addressing socio-environmental factors alongside metric-factors may improve AMS efficacy.

Role of the Menstrual Cycle on Performance and Injury Risk: A Survey of Female Professional Rugby Players in the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: Female athletic performance and injury risk is impacted by variations in the menstrual cycle (MC), but the understanding of the impacts and mechanisms influenced by the menstrual cycle on exercise performance are not fully delineated. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Evaluate associations between the menstrual cycle, perceived performance, and injury risk of elite female rugby players using an online survey. METHODS: An anonymous online questionnaire was completed by 150 elite female rugby players from two English rugby leagues, the Betfred Women's Super League (BWSL) and the Allianz Premier 15s (AP15s). The collected data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: The Chi-square test was used to assess associations between age groups and contraception usage, weight change, and training and playing performance; none of the associations were statistically significant (all p values > 0.05). Thematic analysis of 11,660 words of data revealed four themes: (a) MC impact on training and competition, (b) education and period management plans, (c) openness of conversations and comfort taking time off, and (d) injury risk. The impacted performance areas were physical (83.7%), psychological (85.7%), and nutritional (80.3%); players experienced decreased appetite, nausea, fatigue, strength declines, heighted emotions, and worsened focus. In total, 87.8% of athletes perceived the MC to negatively impact performance, 85.7% of players desired to be educated further to prevent injuries, improve nutrition, and training adaptions, 51.7% of participants perceived risk of injury to be higher during MC, and 86.4% of participants did not feel comfortable taking time off due to the MC, worrying that selection would be affected and about opinions from others. CONCLUSION: A clear negative impact on perceived performance and injury risk was reported by survey participants. The interaction of physical, psychological, and nutritional factors, and a lack of awareness and education emphasise the need for further comprehensive studies and interventions, with measures such as MC monitoring and profiling, education, and training adaptions to develop openness, knowledge, and understanding.

The impact of religious-psychological factors on self-perceived sport performance among religious athletes in Malaysia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which religious-psychological factors contribute to self-perceived sport performance among religious athletes. METHODS: The participants consisted of 612 athletes (310 males, 302 females) aged 12-70 years (mean age = 25.33; SD = 8.99) who were competing in sport competitions at the time, either individually or in a team, or both, and who had formally registered in local, regional, or national sport federations in Malaysia. They completed the Athletic Religious Faith Scale (ARFS) and a self-perceived sport performance questionnaire. RESULTS: The results showed that religious-psychological factors explain around 21% of the variance in self-perceived sport performance among religious athletes. Only three religious-psychological factors (i.e., religious coping, athletic identity, and religious dietary practices) contributed to the stimulation of self-perceived sport performance; in particular, religious coping was the most predictable factor, whereas the other factors (i.e., dependence on faith, flow, religious mental healing, and religious psychological effects) had no meaningful relationship with self-perceived sport performance. CONCLUSIONS: This finding suggests that sport psychologists, coaches, and other professionals should consider the importance of religious faith and help religious athletes practice positive religious coping (e.g., religious social support or religious meditation) to enhance athletes' well-being and athletic performance.

The role of the six factors model of athletic mental energy in mediating athletes' well-being in competitive sports.

In the realm of high-performance sports, athletes often prioritize success at the expense of their well-being. Consequently, sports psychology researchers are now focusing on creating psychological profiles for athletes that can forecast their performance while safeguarding their overall well-being. A recent development in this field is the concept of athletic mental energy (AME), which has been associated with both sporting success and positive emotions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore if AME in athletes can mediate this directly observed relationship between performance and psychological well-being. For stronger predictive validity these relationships were examined across two studies with each involving distinct sets of participants engaged in various sports disciplines, including football, cricket, basketball, archery, and more. The self-report measures of sports performance, athletic mental energy (AME), and psychological well-being (PWB) were administered post-competition on the local, regional, state, national, international, and professional level athletes of age 18 and above. Our study found that both, the affective and cognitive components of AME mediated the athletes' performance and psychological well-being relationship. Interestingly, the study found no significant gender differences in AME and PWB scores. While family structures didn't yield significant variations in AME scores, there were some descriptive distinctions in PWB scores across different family structures. Our research offers preliminary evidence suggesting that AME can play a pivotal role in preserving athletes' psychological well-being following competitive events.

The influence of the perceived requirements of the next match and motivation on the mental fatigue of soccer players.

The high cognitive and/or emotional demands of competition can lead to a state of mental fatigue which has shown to be detrimental to soccer performance. However, there is a need to further understand the true mental demands of soccer players. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of motivation and the perceived requirements of the next match on mental fatigue perceived by soccer players over the passing of a season. The combined effect of both variables on the perception of mental fatigue, as well as the influence of the time of the season on perceived mental fatigue, were also analyzed. Twenty-six semi-professional Spanish male players (M = 26.31 ± 5.18 years) participated in the present study, conducted during the 2020-2021 season. Perceived mental fatigue and motivation were measured at each training session. The perceived requirements of the next match were also measured in each of the competitive weeks. Linear mixed models were run with R Studio to examine the influence of motivation and the perceived difficulty of the next match on perceived mental fatigue, the combined effect of both variables on perceived mental fatigue, and the influence of the passing of the season on perceived mental fatigue. The results showed a negative and significant influence of motivation on perceived mental fatigue (p < 0.001) and a positive and significant influence of the perceived requirements of the next match on perceived mental fatigue (p < 0.001). Regarding the combined effect, there was a positive and significant effect (p < 0.01) of the perceived difficulty of the next match on the relation between motivation and perceived mental fatigue. A negative influence of season passage on perceived mental fatigue levels was found (p < 0.001). We recommended coaches to consider using the most motivating training tasks when higher next-match requirements are perceived and to be careful with avoidance strategies for mental fatigue, especially at the beginning of the season.

Diseño y validación mediante el método Delphi de un cuestionario para conocer los criterios del jugador de baloncesto cuando penetra hacia la canasta / Desenho e validação através do método Delphi de um questionário para conhecer os critérios do jogador de basquete quando ele penetra em direção ao cesto / Design and validation by Delphi method of a questionnaire to determine the criteria of a basketball player when he drives

Uno de los elementos que más determinan el rendimiento en el jugador de baloncesto es su capacidad de toma de decisiones. Por ello, es necesario ampliar los estudios que permitan entender esta capacidad. El objetivo de esta investigación fue construir y validar un cuestionario que permitiese conocer los Criterios del Jugador de Baloncesto cuando Penetra hacia la Canasta (CJB-PEC). Después de llevar a cabo una revisión de la literatura por parte de los investigadores y de sostener una mesa de discusión, se procedió a la creación de tres dimensiones y 24 ítems para el cuestionario. Posteriormente, se seleccionó a un grupo de 10 diez expertos en el objeto de estudio de esta investigación, los cuales colaboraron vía remota por correo electrónico en la evaluación cuantitativa y cualitativa del instrumento. Con el método Delphi en la primera versión tras obtener los valores medios de 10 expertos en univocidad, pertinencia e importancia a través del coeficiente de V de Aiken (0.75), con intervalos de confianza (IC) al 90% y nivel crítico al 0.70, se encontró que: la pregunta 20 no alcanzó el valor mínimo en la V de Aiken. Las preguntas 4,5,12,13,16, 20 en univocidad, la 12,18,19,20,21,24 en pertinencia, la 7,12,16, 18,19,20,21,24en importancia y la 12,18,19,20,24 en valor total no alcanzaron el nivel crítico. Con los resultados y observaciones de los expertos se modificó y construyó la segunda versión del cuestionario. Ésta tuvo 24 ítems, eliminándose las preguntas 4 y 20, reformulándose las preguntas por debajo del nivel crítico al 0.70 y agregándose 2 preguntas. Esta versión pasó a una segunda ronda con los expertos y consiguió valores superiores a 0.75 en la V de Aiken en todas las preguntas, con IC al 90%. Ninguna preguntaestuvo por debajo del nivel crítico al 0.70...(AU)

One of the elements that most determines the performance of a basketball player is their decision-making ability. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the studies that allow us to understand this capacity. The objective of this research was to construct and validate a questionnaire that would allow us to understand the Criteria of the Basketball Player when Penetrating to the Basket (CJB-PEC). After conducting a literature review by the researchers and holding a discussion, we proceeded to create three dimensions and 24 items for the questionnaire. Subsequently, a group of 10 experts in the subject of this research was selected, and they collaborated remotely via email in the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the instrument. Using the Delphi method in the first version, after obtaining the mean values from 10 experts in clarity, relevance, and importance through the Aiken's V coefficient (0.75), with confidence intervals (CI) at90% and a critical level at 0.70, itwas found that: question 20 did notreach the minimum value in Aiken's V. Questions 4, 5, 12, 13, 16, 20 in clarity, questions 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24 in relevance, questions 7, 12, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24 in importance, and questions 12, 18, 19, 20, 24 in the total value did not reach the critical level. Based on the results and expert observations, the second version of the questionnaire was modified and constructed. This version had 24 items, with questions 4 and 20 removed, questions reformulated below the critical level of 0.70, and 2 newquestions added. This versionwent through a second round with the experts and achieved values above 0.75 in Aiken's V for all questions, with a 90% CI. No question was below the critical level of 0.70...(AU)

Um dos elementos que mais determina o desempenho de um jogador de basquetebol é a sua capacidade de tomar decisões. Assim, torna-se necessário expandir os estudos que nos permitam compreender essa capacidade. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi construir e validar um questionário para avaliar os Critérios do Jogador de Basquetebol ao Penetrar na Cesto (CJB-PEC). Após a realização de uma revisão da literatura pelos investigadores e uma discussão, procedemos à criação de três dimensões e 24 itens para o questionário. Posteriormente, foi selecionado um grupo de 10 especialistas no assunto desta pesquisa, que colaboraram remotamente por e-mail na avaliação quantitativa e qualitativa do instrumento. Usando o método Delphi na primeira versão, após obter os valores médios de 10 especialistas em clareza, relevância e importância por meio do coeficiente V de Aiken (0.75), com intervalos de confiança (IC) a 90% e um nível crítico de 0.70, constatou-se que: a pergunta 20 não atingiu o valor mínimo no V de Aiken. Asperguntas 4, 5, 12, 13, 16, 20 em clareza, as perguntas 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24 em relevância, as perguntas 7, 12, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24 em importância e as perguntas 12, 18, 19, 20, 24 no valor total não atingiram o nível crítico. Com base nos resultados e observações dos especialistas, o questionário passou por uma modificação e construção da sua segunda versão. Essa versão continha 24 itens, com as perguntas 4 e 20 removidas, as perguntas reformuladas abaixo do nível crítico de 0.70 e 2 novas perguntas adicionadas. Esta versão passou por uma segunda rodada com os especialistas e alcançou valores acima de 0.75 no V de Aiken para todas as perguntas, com um IC de 90%. Nenhuma pergunta ficou abaixo do nível crítico de 0.70...(AU)

Exploring Coaches' Cognitive Perception of Football Training Tasks: A Questionnaire-Based Study and Comparison with a Framework Tool for Assessing Cognitive Demands in Small-Sided Games / Exploración de la percepción cognitiva de los entrenadores sobre las tareas de entrenamiento de fútbol: un estudio basado en cuestionarios y una comparación con una herramienta marco para evaluar las demandas cognitivas en juegos reducidos / Exploração da perceção cognitiva de tarefas de treino em futebol: Estudo baseado numquestionário e comparação com uma ferramenta para avaliar e comparar as exigências cognitivas em jogos reduzidos

La función cognitiva es crucial en entornos de rendimiento competitivo debido al tipo de tareas y carga de trabajo involucradas. Sin embargo, aún se necesita determinar cómo toda la información ambiental en un entorno competitivo afecta la carga cognitiva.Por lo tanto, el objetivo fue investigar la percepción cognitiva de los entrenadores sobre las tareas de entrenamiento de fútbol, mediante el uso de un cuestionario y comparar los resultados con una herramienta de marco para evaluar las demandascognitivas en juegos reducidos. Un total de 57 entrenadores de fútbol (a nivel nacional y regional) completaron un cuestionario para calificar las demandas cognitivas percibidas de doce situaciones diferentes de juegos en espacios reducidos. Las respuestas fueron hechas por cada entrenador a partir de un conjunto de alternativas proporcionadas por los autores utilizando una escala de uso de Likert de 10 puntos. La carga cognitiva durante los juegos reducidos se calculó mediante una ecuación que incluía el número de jugadores implicados en la tarea, la superficie ocupada por cada jugador y la duración del ejercicio. Los resultados del cuestionario mostraron que los entrenadores de nivel nacional presentaron resultados de correlación más altos, mostrando una alta concordancia entre la percepción de los entrenadores y los resultados de la carga cognitiva en comparación con los entrenadores de nivel regional. La relación establecida entre todas las variables mostró que la complejidad de las tareas aumenta utilizando formatos con mayor número de jugadores, áreas pequeñas y ejercicios de mayor duración. Por lo tanto, el marco de carga cognitiva puede ser una herramienta útil y sencilla para quelos entrenadores evalúen las demandas cognitivas durante las sesiones de entrenamiento.(AU)

Cognitive function is crucial in competitive performance environments due to the type of tasks and workload involved. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate coaches’ cognitive perception of football training tasks, through the use of a questionnaire and compare the results with a framework tool to assess cognitive demands in small-sided games. A total of 57 football coaches (national and regional levels) filled out a questionnaire to rate the perceived cognitive demands of twelve different small-sidedgame situations. The answers were made by each coach from a set of alternatives supplied by the authors using a 10-point Likert use scale. The cognitive load during small-sided games was calculated using an equation that included the number of players involved in the task, the surface area occupied by eachplayer, and the duration of the exercise. The questionnaire results have shown that national-level coaches presented higher correlation results showing a high agreement between coaches' perception and the cognitive load results when compared to regional-level coaches. The relationship established between all variables showed that the complexity of tasks increases using formats with a larger number of players, small areas, and bigger duration drills. Thus, the cognitive load framework may be a useful and simple tool to coaches assess the cognitive demands during training sessions.(AU)

A função cognitiva é crucial em ambientes de desempenho competitivo devido ao tipo de tarefas e carga de trabalho envolvidas. No entanto, ainda precisa ser determinado como todas as informações ambientais em em contexto competitivo afetam a carga cognitiva. Assim, o objetivo deste estudofoi investigar a perceção cognitiva de treinadores sobre tarefas de treino de futebol, através de um questionário e comparando os resultados com um instrumento para avaliar as exigências cognitivas durante jogos reduzidos.Um total de 57 treinadores de futebol (nível nacional e regional) preencheram um questionário para avaliar as exigências cognitivas de doze situações diferentes jogos-reduzido. As respostas foram dadas por cada treinador a partir de um conjunto de alternativas fornecidas pelos autores utilizando uma escala de Likert de 10 pontos. A carga cognitiva durante pequenos jogos foi calculada através de uma equação queincluía o número de jogadores envolvidos na tarefa, a área de superfície ocupada por cada jogadore a duração do exercício. Os resultados do questionário mostraram que os treinadores de nível nacional apresentaram resultados de correlação mais elevados, mostrando uma alta concordância entre a perceção dos treinadores e os resultados de carga cognitiva em comparação com os treinadores de nível regional. A relação estabelecida entre todas as variáveis mostrou que a complexidade das tarefas aumenta utilizandoformatos com maior número de jogadores, áreas pequenas e exercícios de maior duração. Portanto, esta ferramenta para avaliar a carga cognitiva pode ser uma forma útil e simples para os treinadores avaliarem as exigências cognitivas durante as sessões de treino.(AU)

Coaching styles and sports motivation in athletes with and without Intellectual Impairments.

The cognitive limitations of athletes with Intellectual Impairments (II) may influence their sport behaviour and lead them to rely on coaches' support. However, it is still unclear how II may influence sports performance progression and motivation and how coaches perceive their athletes with II and coach them. Thus, this study aims to examine 1) coach's perceptions of motivation and performance progression in athletes with and without II, 2) coaching style (dis)similarities, and 3) the association between these factors. Coaches of athletes with (n = 122) and without II (n = 144) were recruited and completed three online questionnaires, analysed using a series of non-parametric analyses (p ≤ .05). Results showed that perceived performance progression and controlled motivation were higher of athletes with II while perceived autonomous motivation was higher of athletes without II. No coaching style differences were found between the two groups. Additionally, a need-supportive coaching style negatively predicted amotivation, and a need-thwarting coaching style predicted lower autonomous motivation in athletes with II only. Overall, it seems that the coaches perceived that their athletes with II demonstrate different motivations and react dissimilarly to their coaching styles compared to athletes without II. They may also adopt different standards of sporting success for them. Due to these differences, it is important to offer appropriate training and knowledge to coaches about disability sports and the adaptations needed to effectively coach athletes with II. In summary, this paper gives some insights about the coach-athlete relationship and highlights the necessity to further support the sports development of people with II.

Overview of the impact of sleep monitoring on optimal performance, immune system function and injury risk reduction in athletes: A narrative review.

Sleep is essential for a range of physiological and mental functions in professional athletes. There is proof that athletes may experience lower quality and quantity of sleep. While adequate sleep has been shown to have restorative effects on the immune system and endocrine system, facilitate nervous system recovery and the metabolic cost of wakefulness, and play a significant role in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity, which can affect sports recovery, injury risk reduction, and performance. Sports performance may suffer significantly from a lack of sleep, especially under maximal and long-term exercise. Due to the potential harm, these factors may do to an athlete's endocrine, metabolic, and nutritional health, sports performance is impacted by reduced sleep quality or quantity. There are several neurotransmitters associated with the sleep-wake cycle that have been discovered. They comprise cholinergic hormone, orexin, melanin, galanin, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, histamine, and serotonin. Therefore, dietary modifications that affect the neurotransmitters in the brain also may affect sleep; particularly for athletes who require more physical and psychological recovery owing to the tremendous physiological and psychological demands placed on them during training and performance. This review explores the variables that influence the quantity and quality of sleep-in populations of athletes and assesses their possible effects. In addition, several recommendations for improving sleep are presented. Even though there has been much research on variables that impact sleep, future studies may highlight the significance of these aspects for athletes.

Leveraging Information Technology for Rapid Product Development in Sports Equipment: A Sport Psychology Perspective / Aprovechamiento de la tecnología de la información para el desarrollo rápido de productos en equipos deportivos: una perspectiva de la psicología del deporte

Athletes constantly push the limits of their talents in the competitive world of sports, where greatness is the goal. Sports equipment, which has developed from simple tools into complex extensions of the athlete, is at the center of this quest. Information technology is now driving innovation in sports equipment, with developments like computer-aided design and data analytics. Sports gear affects the athlete's mental state and is more than a physical accessory. This research investigates the integration of sport psychology and information technology in the design of sporting goods. It demonstrates how these seemingly unrelated fields work together to produce a comprehensive strategy that improves equipment performance and supports players' psychological well-being. The intersection of sport psychology and information technology is the basis of our investigation. Due to this synergy, technology can now collect and analyze information on athletic performance and psychological states. As a result, athletes and their gear have a close relationship since the equipment is tailored to each athlete's unique characteristics. By satisfying both physical and psychological requirements, this integration enables athletes to perform at previously unheard-of heights.(AU)

Advancing a grounded theory of parental support in competitive girls' golf.

Parental support in youth sport has been associated with positive athlete outcomes, such as sport enjoyment and continued participation. Although research has demonstrated the significant and influential role parents fulfil in the youth sport context, there remains a dearth of theoretical frameworks detailing parental support in youth sport and an absence of empirical research examining parental support across athlete development stages and sports. The present study sought to examine athletes' perceptions of parental support, with a view to advancing a grounded theory of parental support in youth golf. Fourteen online synchronous focus groups were conducted with an international sample (Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland) of 61 girls, in the specialising (n = 27) and investment stages (n = 34) of athlete development. Data were analysed in three phases: open-coding, axial coding, and theoretical integration. The substantive grounded theory is constructed on the core category of 'Individual Parental Support Preferences'. This core category is underpinned by four sub-categories of parental support which were evident across development stages: instrumental, informational, emotional, and autonomy support, and is influenced by a host of athlete (e.g., athletes' performance), parent (e.g., parents' knowledge), and contextual characteristics (e.g., location). Unconditional parental support is an important aspect of emotional support, however the concept of adopting a person-first approach to sport parenting is novel. These results provide a rich and novel insight of parental support in girls' golf, advancing a grounded theoretical understanding of parental support mechanisms in a youth sport context.

Coaches' Perceptions of Factors Driving Training Adaptation: An International Survey.

OBJECTIVE: We surveyed coaches' views on topics related to the training process to elucidate whether their opinions are aligned with the current literature. Here the results for a sub-set of questions regarding factors affecting the training adaptation process are presented and discussed. METHODS: 106 coaches [age range 18-65 + years, 31% 15 + years coaching, 58% individual-events/sports and 32% international level] from a number of countries completed a novel cross-sectional online survey about the planning of training and the training process. RESULTS: Only 28% of participants indicated that physical training was the most important factor in determining sport performance; whereas 99% indicated non-physical factors influence physical training response. The top five factors in modifying an athlete's ability to physically adapt to a training plan, as rated 'absolutely essential', were 'coach-athlete relationship' (56%), 'life stress' (41%), 'athletes' belief in the plan' (37%), 'psychological and emotional stress' (35%) and 'physical training' (33%). CONCLUSIONS: Amongst coaches surveyed less than a third rated physical training as the most important factor in determining sports performance. Non-physical factors were acknowledged by the majority to exert an influence on physical training response and adaptation, despite the lack of discussion in training research, though there was no consensus on the relative importance of each individual factor. We echo previous sentiments that coaches need to be engaged in the research process. If training research continues as present the field runs the risk of not only becoming detached but increasingly irrelevant to those it is trying to help.

Thinking About Elite Performance: The Experience and Impact of Mental Fatigue in Elite Sport Coaching.

PURPOSE: Mental fatigue causes decreases in aspects of athletes' performance. Elite coaches commonly undertake cognitively demanding tasks and are seemingly at similar risk of subsequent performance impairment. However, elite sport coaches' experiences of mental fatigue, alongside other markers of psychobiological stress, have yet to be quantified. METHODS: Three elite coaching and performance staff (2 women and 1 man) provided 100-mm visual analog scale ratings of mental fatigue, physical fatigue, readiness to perform, and salivary samples for later cortisol (sCort) and alpha-amylase (sAA) analysis. Data were obtained on the same morning each week across a 16-week preseason. Data were subset by individual coach for descriptive and repeated-measures correlational analyses. RESULTS: Fluctuating mental fatigue was observed over the 16 weeks (min-max; coach 1 = 25-86 AU; coach 2 = 0-51 AU; and coach 3 = 15 - 76 AU). Elevated levels of mental fatigue were reported at multiple time points, with individual variability observed. sCort (in nanomoles per liter), sAA (in micromoles per liter), and sAA:sCort indicated that coaches experienced psychophysiological stress (min-max; coach 1 sCort = 8.42-17.31, sAA = 52.40-113.06, sAA:sCort = 3.20-12.80; coach 2 sCort = 4.20-9.70, sAA = 158.80-307.20, sAA:sCort = 21.10-61.70; and coach 3 sCort = 6.81-19.66, sAA = 86.55-495.85, sAA:sCort = 4.90-35.50). A significant inverse relationship between mental fatigue and readiness to perform (r = -.44 [-.64 to -.17], P = .002) was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Elite sport coaches report elevated instances of mental fatigue during a preseason training period. Those involved in elite sports should act to understand the presence and potential subsequent impacts of staff mental fatigue and consider management or mitigation strategies. Optimization of the cognitive performance of coaches and performance staff presents as a potential source of competitive advantage.

The Role of Self-monitoring and Self-efficacy on the Athletes' Motivation and Performance: Evidence from Athlete Training Institutions in Indonesia / El papel del autocontrol y la autoeficacia en la motivación y el rendimiento de los atletas: evidencia de instituciones de formación de atletas en Indonesia

Self-efficacy and self-monitoring are crucial for achieving an athlete's motivation and performance, which is the most important factor for the team's success. This feature deserves the attention of researchers, and the current work explores the effect of self-efficacy and self-monitoring on the performance of athletes in Indonesian training institutes. The study also investigates the mediating effect of self-monitoring between self-efficacy, self-monitoring, and athlete performance in Indonesian athletic training institutes. The study also utilized the primary data collected via survey questionnaires from the athletes. The study also employed smart PLS to examine the relationship between the understudy constructs. Self-efficacy and self-monitoring were found to have a good relationship with athletes' performance in Indonesian training institutes. The results also demonstrated that athlete motivation strongly influences the relationship between self-efficacy, self-monitoring, and athlete performance in Indonesian athletic training institutes. This research focuses on using self-efficacy and self-monitoring to enhance an athlete's performance, which guides policymakers.(AU)

Reliability of a Battery of cognitive tests in Young, healthy people / Fiabilidad de una batería de pruebas cognitivas en personas jóvenes y sanas

Cognitive performance is an essential aspect of sports. Still, few studies provide reliable cognitive tests for training and evaluating cognitive aspects related to sports, particularly in a healthy and/or youthful population. This study assessed the intraday and interday reliability of a cognitive test battery related to sports performance. In the research, seventeen healthy volunteers participated. DynavisionTMD2, Bassin Anticipation Timer, Go/No-Go, Eriksen Flanker, and the Trail Making Test (TMT) were analyzed. TMT-A and TMT-B (intraday), as well as the following variables in the interday analysis, exhibited significant differences: "Physical RT - Fastest" (Test 1), "Visual RT - Fastest" and "Physical RT - Fastest" (Test 2), "Visual RT - Fastest" (Test 4) and TMT-A. Thirteen of the thirty-one variables analyzed on the intraday exam had moderate Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), six were good, and one was exceptional. In the interday analysis, 15 variables with moderate ICC and 5 variables with excellent ICC were identified. Reliable tests include "Reaction Time" (Tests 5 and 6) and "Red and Green Lights" of the DynavisionTMD2, the 15 mph speed of the Bassin Anticipation Timer, and the Go/No-Go, Eriksen Flanker, and TMT tests.(AU)

Expected goals in football: Improving model performance and demonstrating value.

Recently, football has seen the creation of various novel, ubiquitous metrics used throughout clubs' analytics departments. These can influence many of their day-to-day operations ranging from financial decisions on player transfers, to evaluation of team performance. At the forefront of this scientific movement is the metric expected goals, a measure which allows analysts to quantify how likely a given shot is to result in a goal however, xG models have not until this point considered using important features, e.g., player/team ability and psychological effects, and is not widely trusted by everyone in the wider football community. This study aims to solve both these issues through the implementation of machine learning techniques by, modelling expected goals values using previously untested features and comparing the predictive ability of traditional statistics against this newly developed metric. Error values from the expected goals models built in this work were shown to be competitive with optimal values from other papers, and some of the features added in this study were revealed to have a significant impact on expected goals model outputs. Secondly, not only was expected goals found to be a superior predictor of a football team's future success when compared to traditional statistics, but also our results outperformed those collected from an industry leader in the same area.