The heat is on: Investigating the effect of psychological pressure on competitive performance in elite surfing.

Competitive sport often creates a high-stake and thus a high-pressure environment for its athletes. In the past, research has pointed to the negative effect that competitive pressure might have on skills and movement executions that have been perfected through prior practice. The Attentional Control Theory: Sport (ACTS) suggests that specifically high situational pressure and prior performance failures may negatively affect an athlete's subsequent performance.

Technical skills in complex tennis situations: Dutch talented players U15 compared to players U17.

Introduction: Technical skills in complex situations appear crucial for progress towards elite tennis performance. However, it is unknown how these skills develop in different age categories in a group of talented youth players. The aim of this study is to evaluate possible differences in technical skills among Dutch talented youth tennis players U15 compared to U17.

Self-assessed tactical skills in tennis players: Psychometric evaluation of the Tactical Skills Questionnaire in Tennis.

To our knowledge, no feasible, valid and reliable instrument exists to examine tactical skills over the course of multiple training and game situations in tennis yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Tactical Skills Questionnaire in Tennis (TSQT). The TSQT is a new instrument with closed-ended questions designed to examine tactical skills in tennis players.

Early Determinants of Adverse Motor Outcomes in Preschool Children with a Critical Congenital Heart Defect.

Neurodevelopmental disabilities are common in infants with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). A prospective, longitudinal cohort study was conducted to establish the prevalence and early determinants of adverse motor outcomes in infants who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass before six months of age. Motor development was assessed in 147 preschoolers using the Movement Assessment Battery for children-II.

Design of a Tennis-Specific Agility Test (TAT) for Monitoring Tennis Players.

Agility is an important ability for tennis players. To be successful in the rallies, players must perform rapid, multidirectional movements in response to the ball and/or the position of the opponent. For a test to be representative in monitoring agility performance, it should capture a combination of the physical and cognitive agility performance.

The value of technical characteristics for future performance in youth tennis players: A prospective study.

The aim of this study is to examine whether technical characteristics predict current and future tennis performance of youth tennis players. Twenty-nine male youth tennis players (age 13.40 ± .

Recognizing differentiating clinical signs of CLN3 disease (Batten disease) at presentation.

Purpose: To help differentiate CLN3 (Batten) disease, a devastating childhood metabolic disorder, from the similarly presenting early-onset Stargardt disease (STGD1). Early clinical identification of children with CLN3 disease is essential for adequate referral, counselling and rehabilitation.

Methods: Medical chart review of 38 children who were referred to a specialized ophthalmological centre because of rapid vision loss.

Managing Load to Optimize Well-Being and Recovery During Short-Term Match Congestion in Elite Basketball.

Unlabelled: In elite basketball, players are exposed to intensified competition periods when participating in both national and international competitions. How coaches manage training between matches and in reference to match scheduling for a full season is not yet known.

Purpose: First, to compare load during short-term match congestion (ie, ≥2-match weeks) with regular competition (ie, 1-match weeks) in elite male professional basketball players.

Longitudinal development of 5m sprint performance in young female tennis players.

Sprint performance over short distances is a central component in young tennis players' development. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal development of sprint performance in young female tennis players, and to investigate differences between performance levels. Also potentially explanatory variables were investigated.

Motor function impairment is an early sign of CLN3 disease.

Objective: To delineate timing of motor decline in CLN3 disease.

Methods: Motor function, assessed by the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), was evaluated repeatedly in 15 patients with CLN3 disease, resulting in 65 test results and during one occasion in 2 control cohorts. One control cohort (n = 14) had isolated visual impairment; a second cohort (n = 12) exhibited visual impairment in combination with neurologic impairments.

High Match Load's Relation to Decreased Well-Being During an Elite Women's Rugby Sevens Tournament.

Unlabelled: During rugby sevens tournaments, it is crucial to balance match load and recovery to strive for optimal performance.

Purpose: To determine changes in well-being, recovery, and neuromuscular performance during and after an elite women's rugby sevens tournament and assess the influence of match-load indicators.

Methods: Twelve elite women rugby sevens players (age = 25.

Technical and tactical skills related to performance levels in tennis: A systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of outcome measures and instruments identified in the literature for examining technical and tactical skills in tennis related to performance levels. Such instruments can be used to identify talent or the specific skill development training needs of particular players. Searches for this review were conducted using the , and databases.

Trajectories of cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis.

Objectives: Previous research demonstrated decreased cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in patients with JDM during active disease and remission. However, longitudinal data regarding trajectories of CRF are currently lacking. The objective of this study was to determine trajectories of CRF in patients with both monocyclic and chronic JDM, and to identify potential predictors of these trajectories.

The importance and development of ball control and (self-reported) self-regulatory skills in basketball players for different positions.

This study first investigated the importance of ball control and (self-reported) self-regulatory skills in achieving the elite level in basketball. The second aim was to gain insight into the development of, and association between ball control and (self-reported) self-regulatory skills that contribute to achieving the elite level, with taking into account positional differences. Talented male players (N = 73; age 16.

Prediction of Tennis Performance in Junior Elite Tennis Players.

Predicting current and future tennis performance can lead to improving the development of junior tennis players. The aim of this study is to investigate whether age, maturation, or physical fitness in junior elite tennis players in U13 can explain current and future tennis performance. The value of current tennis performance for future tennis performance is also investigated.

Laterality related to the successive selection of Dutch national youth soccer players.

In the general population, estimates of left-foot preference are around 20%. In soccer, specific tasks create positional demands, requiring 40% of the players to be left-footed. Whether and how this is related to the selection of players is unknown.

A Longitudinal Study of Physical Fitness in Elite Junior Tennis Players.

Purpose: To analyze how physical fitness (PF) improves in elite junior tennis players related to age, maturity, and performance level.

Methods: Elite junior tennis players (n = 113 boys, n = 83 girls) divided by performance level were monitored longitudinally from U14 to U16. Maturity, upper and lower-body power, speed, and agility were measured during subsequent competitive seasons.

Modeling Longitudinal Changes in 5 m Sprinting Performance Among Young Male Tennis Players.

Year-to-year changes in sprinting in youth tennis players were examined in a mixed-longitudinal study (256 male players, aged 10-15 years: 993 measurements). Height (h), body mass (BM), lower limb explosive strength (LLES), and a 5-m sprint were measured over five years. During that period, players were classified as elite or sub-elite.

Cognitive Functions in Elite and Sub-Elite Youth Soccer Players Aged 13 to 17 Years.

Soccer players are required to anticipate and react continuously in a changing, relatively unpredictable situation in the field. Cognitive functions might be important to be successful in soccer. The current study investigated the relationship between cognitive functions and performance level in elite and sub-elite youth soccer players aged 13-17 years.

Effects of the Fitkids exercise therapy program on health-related fitness, walking capacity, and health-related quality of life.

Background: Children with disabilities have an increased risk for reduced fitness and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Fitkids, a nationwide exercise therapy program in the Netherlands, was developed to improve fitness and HRQoL in children with disabilities.

Objective: The study objective was to determine the effects of the Fitkids program on health-related fitness, walking capacity, and HRQoL in children with disabilities or chronic conditions.

Multidimensional performance characteristics in selected and deselected talented soccer players.

The present study examined whether performance characteristics discriminated between selected and deselected players in talent development programmes. This examination was carried out in talented soccer players, aged 16-18 years using objective measurement instruments. Four domains of multidimensional performance characteristics (physiological, technical, tactical and psychological) were assessed by using a test battery consisting of soccer-specific field tests and questionnaires.

A longitudinal study on gross motor development in children with learning disorders.

This longitudinal study examined the development of gross motor skills, and sex-differences therein, in 7- to 11-years-old children with learning disorders (LD) and compared the results with typically developing children to determine the performance level of children with LD. In children with LD (n=56; 39 boys, 17 girls), gross motor skills were assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and measured annually during a 3-year period. Motor scores of 253 typically developing children (125 boys, 112 girls) were collected for references values.

The changing characteristics of talented soccer players--a decade of work in Groningen.

Talent development programmes for professional soccer clubs aim to guide players towards professional level performance. We identify whether the intermittent endurance capacity of these players may have changed over time. Since the 2000/2001 competition season, the intermittent endurance capacity of players in the talent development programmes of two professional soccer clubs was measured annually.

Development of dribbling in talented youth soccer players aged 12-19 years: a longitudinal study.

The aims of the current study were to assess the development and determine the underlying mechanisms of sprinting and dribbling needed to compete at the highest level in youth soccer. Talented soccer players aged 12-19 years (n = 267) were measured on a yearly basis in a longitudinal study over 7 years, resulting in 519 measurements. Two field tests, the Shuttle Sprint and Dribble Test and the Slalom Sprint and Dribble Test, were assessed.

A staged approach evaluation of remotely supervised myofeedback treatment (RSMT) in women with neck-shoulder pain due to computer work.

Remotely supervised myofeedback treatment (RSMT) is a relatively new intervention aimed at reducing neck-shoulder pain and disabilities. Subjects are equipped with a garment that can be worn under the clothes during daily work. Dry surface electrodes incorporated in this garment measure muscle activation (sEMG) of the trapezius muscle.