Examining the Effects of Mirror Therapy on Psychological Readiness and Perception of Pain in ACL-Injured Female Football Players.

Virtual reality-guided imagery (VRGI) and mirror therapy (MT) have been used in isolation to treat patients suffering from different injuries. However, no attempts have been made to understand the effects of combined VRGI and MT added to conventional physical therapy, and no information exists regarding perceptual responses to these rehabilitation strategies in female football players. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effect of MT added to conventional rehabilitation on psychological readiness and perception of pain in ACL-injured female football players. Thirty ACL-injured female football players competing in the 2nd and 3rd Italian tier who underwent an ACL rehabilitation program from the same clinic participated in this study. Players were randomly distributed in an MT group (n = 15) and a CON group (n = 15). All participants reported their perception of pain on a VAS before and after the interventions and their psychological readiness to return to sport after ACL injury and reconstruction surgery on the ACL-RSI scale after the intervention. An independent-sample t-test was performed to assess between-group differences in post-intervention ACL-RSI, and a further independent-sample t-test to assume non-significant differences between VAS values before the intervention. A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to test the null hypothesis of no different change in VAS over time between groups. After the intervention, the MT group perceived largely greater psychological readiness (p < 0.01). MT and CON groups experienced a large reduction in VAS after the intervention (p < 0.001). However, a small time × group interaction was observed (p = 0.023). MT reported a greater perception of the psychological readiness of the soccer players and a lower perception of pain than those who performed conventional therapy.

An Exploratory Study in Non-Professional Football on the Perception of Stakeholders about the New Working Professional Profile of Sports Kinesiologist.

In Italy, recent amendments to Legislative Decree n. 36 of 28 February 2021, on sports work, may have made the application of the reform by stakeholders unclear, with the risk of generating further confusion among them. One of the most critical points concerns the possible equivalencies to the professional profile of the kinesiologist, which would be illegitimately recognized even for a different level of education, contrary to the requirements of the European qualification framework. The aim of the study was to understand the perceptions of stakeholders in the world of non-professional football regarding recent legislative provisions. A survey, divided into two sections, was administered to 112 presidents and 112 trainers of non-professional football associations of the province of Salerno. The first section presents five items common for both presidents and trainers, which seek to probe stakeholders' perceptions of the enjoyment, appropriateness, usefulness, and scientificity of kinesiologists. The second section presents five differentiated items. Validity and reliability were calculated. A chi-square analysis (χ2) was performed to test the independence within and between-subjects (trainers and presidents) on their perceptions about the new working professional profile of sports kinesiologist. From the results, it was possible to appreciate a discordance of opinion among stakeholders. Although the majority of presidents and trainers are in favour of introducing such a professional profile (p < 0.05), contradictions emerge concerning the contribution the new professional profile can make in practice (p > 0.05). The perceptual contradictions found among stakeholders' responses demonstrate how the complexity of recent regulatory provisions regarding possible equivalencies to the title of kinesiologist have inevitably generated further confusion among stakeholders.

Heuristic Learning as a Method for Improving Students' Teamwork Skills in Physical Education.

Transversal skills are the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities that are currently needed to meet the demands of the working world and everyday life. Schools have the task of equipping students with these skills, working not only on disciplinary goals but also on operational-behavioral goals. In 2018, the European Union adopted new recommendations on eight key competencies for lifelong learning and asked schools to implement new methods to develop these recommendations. To be successful, it is necessary to stimulate students' development of these competences, which are also called soft skills, from the earliest years of the school experience. Physical education (PE) is called upon to make its contribution. In Italy, the two teaching methods used during PE classes are prescriptive teaching and heuristic learning. It is not clear which of the two methods is the most effective in improving soft skills, especially the skills involved in teamwork. The objective of this article was to compare the effects of these two teaching methods on students' teamwork skills during PE classes in primary schools. After verifying the normality of the data, a Student's t-test for dependent samples was performed to assess pre-test and post-test differences in each of two groups, while a Student's t-test for independent samples was performed to compare the two groups after 3 months. Heuristic learning proved to be the most effective method for improving teamwork skills. The results may make an important contribution to future teacher training on the most effective teaching methods for developing students' soft skills.

Perceptions and benefits of static and dynamic stretching in dancers: qualitative and quantitative aspects / Percepções e benefícios do alongamento estático e dinâmico em dançarinos: aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the beneficial effects induced on dancers by the two types of stretching protocol: static and dynamic stretching, in order to elevate the aesthetics of the figures and body positions to the highest level. The subjects were 20 young female dancers divided into two groups: Group DS (n=10), which performed dynamic stretching, and Group SS (n=10), a static stretching, both for six months. A survey, with the aim of assessing perceptions about the benefits induced by the type of stretching performed, and a Sit and Reach Test were administered to the dancers to assess both qualitative and quantitative aspects of flexibility. An independent samples t-test was performed to assess the differences in flexibility between DS and SS group before and after six months, and a Fisher's exact test to analyse their perceptions on the benefits induced by two training protocols. Result was statistically significant after six months and four associations were found (P <0.05). Dynamic stretching brought greater benefits both qualitatively and quantitatively. From the results of the study, it was possible to state that dancers in terms of induced benefits and satisfaction with the performance result achieved, preferred dynamic stretching.

RESUMO O presente estudo investigou os efeitos benéficos induzidos em dançarinos pelos dois tipos de protocolo de alongamento:: alongamento estático e dinâmico, a fim de elevar a estética das figuras e posições corporais ao mais alto nível. Os sujeitos foram 20 jovens bailarinas divididas em dois grupos: Grupo DS (n = 10), que realizou alongamento dinâmico, e Grupo SS (n = 10), alongamento estático, ambos por seis meses. Uma pesquisa, com o objetivo de avaliar as percepções sobre os benefícios induzidos pelo tipo de alongamento realizado, e um Teste Sentar e Alcançar, foram administrados às bailarinas para avaliar aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos da flexibilidade. Um teste t de amostras independentes foi realizado para avaliar as diferenças na flexibilidade entre os grupos DS e SS antes e depois de seis meses, e um teste exato de Fisher para analisar suas percepções sobre os benefícios induzidos por dois protocolos de treinamento. O resultado foi estatisticamente significativo após seis meses e quatro associações foram encontradas (P <0,05). O alongamento dinâmico trouxe maiores University of Salerno (UNISA), Fisciano-SA, Italy benefícios tanto qualitativa quanto quantitativamente. A partir dos resultados do estudo, foi possível afirmar que os bailarinos em termos de benefícios induzidos e satisfação com o resultado de desempenho alcançado, preferem o alongamento dinâmico.