The Impact of Aerobic Dance Intervention on Postural Balance in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of an 8-week aerobic dance intervention on postural balance in children. Forty-one children, aged 9 to 11, were randomly assigned to either an aerobic dance group (ADG) or a control group (CG) from a primary school. Postural balance was assessed using center of pressure (CoP) excursions before and after the 8-week intervention period. Evaluations were conducted on both firm and foam surfaces in bipedal and unipedal stances under open-eyes (OE) and closed-eyes (CE) conditions, as well as on both medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) surfaces in a bipedal stance under OE conditions. The ADG exhibited significantly decreased CoPVm values during firm bipedal CE, unipedal OE, foam bipedal OE and CE, and foam unipedal OE (p < 0.005). This study suggests that aerobic dance intervention improved postural balance in children, showcasing adaptability and improved stability under various conditions.

Warm-up is an efficient strategy to prevent diurnal variation of short-term maximal performance in young basketball players.

The objectives of this study were to investigate: 1) whether there were morning-to-evening differences in short-term maximal performance and 2) the impact of prolonged and specific warm-up on short-term maximal performance diurnal variations in young basketball players. Fifteen basketball players of both sexes (Male = 8; Female = 7; age: 14.4 ± 0.46 yr; weight: 64.7 ± 7.1 kg; height: 175.2 ± 6.6 cm; BMI: 21.1 ± 1.9 kg/m2) completed the following short-term maximal performance tests: CMJ with and without arm swing, Lane Agility Drill, Zig-Zag agility test with and without the ball, Sprint 20 m with and without the ball with the passage at 5 and 10 m. All tests were performed after the 15-min standard warm-up procedure (with static stretching) and/or 25-min specific warm-up (with prolonged running and dynamic stretching) in the morning and evening. Vertical jumping tests and all change-of-direction speed tests (with and without a ball) with superior responses were achieved in the evening after standard warm-up among all participants (p < 0.05). In contrast, superior short-term maximal performance was observed in the morning after prolonged and specific warm-up protocol (p < 0.05). It was concluded that specific and prolonged warm-up protocols are suitable strategy to prevent diurnal variation in short-term maximal performance in young basketball players.

Relations between specific athleticism and morphology in young basketball players.

Introduction: Basketball is a fast-paced intermittent team sport, wherein the players must exhibit different morphologies and fitness levels depending on their position. The aim of this study was to assess the differences in the athleticism of basketball players by playing positions and in its relations with body composition and anthropometric measures. It was hypothesized that calculated athleticism has stronger and better predictive relations with morphology compared to motoric tests alone. Methods: 47 basketball players were divided into three groups according to playing position [guards (n = 14), forwards (n = 22), centers (n = 11)]. Body composition and anthropometrical measurements were done for all players. Athleticism was presented in terms of overall (OFS), jumping (JFS) and sprinting (SFS) fitness scores. Results: Fitness scores were found to be more strongly related to body composition and anthropometry measurements than motoric tests alone. All three fitness scores were moderate to strongly correlated with skinfold thickness and fat percentage, while body height, fat-free mass, and lean body mass were positively correlated. Significant differences in athleticism fitness scores were found between guards and other groups. Forwards displayed superior athleticism in power and sprint abilities when compared to guards and centers. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that fat percentage, lean muscle mass, skinfold thickness, and arm span exhibited strong predictive capabilities in relation to athleticism scores. Conclusions: Coaches and practitioners should be aware that athleticism includes a multitude of components, and they should use athleticism assessments before designing training regimens that are tailored to each position's unique needs.

The Influence of Listening to Preferred versus Non-Preferred Music on Static and Dynamic Balance in Middle-Aged Women.

Although many women perform postural tasks while listening to music, no study has investigated whether preferred music has different effects than non-preferred music. Thus, this study aimed to explore the effects of listening to preferred versus non-preferred music on postural balance among middle-aged women. Twenty-four women aged between 50 and 55 years were recruited for this study. To assess their static balance, a stabilometric platform was used, recording the mean center of pressure velocity (CoPVm), whereas the timed up and go test (TUGT) was used to assess their dynamic balance. The results showed that listening to their preferred music significantly decreased their CoPVm values (in the firm-surface/eyes-open (EO) condition: (p < 0.05; 95% CI [-0.01, 2.17])). In contrast, when the women were listening to non-preferred music, their CoPVm values significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared to the no-music condition in all the postural conditions except for the firm-surface/EO condition. In conclusion, listening to music has unique effects on postural performance, and these effects depend on the genre of music. Listening to preferred music improved both static and dynamic balance in middle-aged women, whereas listening to non-preferred music negatively affected these performances, even in challenged postural conditions.

Maturity-Related Variations in Morphology, Body Composition, and Somatotype Features among Young Male Football Players.

The study aimed to investigate differences in anthropometry, body composition (BC), and somatotype in young football players of the same chronological age according to the maturity stage. Overall, 64 elite players (age: 14.28 ± 0.46 years) were evaluated for standing and sitting body height, girth measures, and BC using the bioelectric impedance scale and skinfold thickness. In total, two-thirds (73.44%, n = 47) of football players were classified as on-time maturers, 12.50% (n = 8) were early maturing, and 14.06% (n = 9) were late maturing. Standing and sitting height, leg length, fat-free mass, and muscle mass were significantly different (p < 0.001) across maturity groups. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) with maturity progression was seen for subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds along with a girth increase at all sites (p < 0.05). Early maturers were balanced ectomorphs, while on-time and late maturers featured mesomorph-ectomorph characteristics. The obtained results suggested that mature players have better BC presented as a lower fat percentage along with higher muscle mass, advantages in circumferences, and longitudinal dimensions of the body with highlighted mesomorph features. Maturity can have a substantial influence on body measures, thereby affecting sport-specific performance. Early maturers can use their anthropometric advantages and compensate for a lack of talent, consequently preventing even participation of physically undeveloped players in training. A better understanding of maturity, BC, and somatotypes can help in the selection of young talented players.

A Comparative Electromyographic Analysis of Flying Squirrel and 3-Point Quadripod Exercise for Lumbar Multifidus Muscle Activations among Healthy Female Subjects.

Physical therapists employ several exercises to alleviate low back pain (LBP). Electromyography (EMG) examination of exercises can monitor muscle activation to help clinicians determine the exercise's effect on stabilisation, endurance, or strength. This study evaluated surface EMG activity comparison for Flying Squirrel Exercise (FSE) and the novel 3-Point Quadripod Exercise (3-PQE) to find the most effective exercise for stimulating the lumbar multifidus (LM) muscle. The study recruited 64 healthy young females (19-24 years). Raw data were normalized and are expressed as the percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC). The test-retest reliability of the EMG recordings was estimated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC3,1). One-way ANOVA was used to statistically analyse and compare the EMG amplitudes during the two exercises. The ICCs for 3-PQE and FSE were 0.94 (SEM, 21.7% MVIC) and 0.87 (SEM, 19.05% MVIC), respectively. The 3-PQE (69 ± 26% MVIC) demonstrated significantly higher activity than did FSE (30 ± 18% MVIC) (F = 15.573, p = 0.001). Thus, 3-PQE might be a feasible strategy for the prevention and rehabilitation of LBP in females.