Improvements in executive functions by domain-specific cognitive training in youth elite soccer players.

This study examined the impact of sport-specific cognitive training (CT) on executive functions (EFs) in youth soccer players. Thirty-one athletes (13-15 years) participated, 13 in the intervention group (IG) and 18 in the control group (CG). The IG underwent an 8-week soccer-focused CT program, while the CG maintained regular training.

Effects of Ten Biofeedback Sessions on Athletes' Physiological, Psychological, and Cognitive Functioning: A Randomized Controlled Trial with International Tennis Players.

Our aim in this study was to test the effect of 10 sessions of biofeedback (BFB) on physiological, psychological, and cognitive functioning of international tennis players. In this randomized controlled trial, we recruited 16 international tennis players (11 male, 5 female; = 17.31, = 0.

The interaction between acute emotional states and executive functions in youth elite soccer players.

Introduction: Executive functions (EFs) are relevant for game performance in soccer and have been investigated in previous research. However, emotions are a well-known performance factor in sport competitions, which may affect performance by means of EFs. The diagnostic of EFs has mainly been performed disregarding the potential impact of emotional states.

Effects of positive affect and positive emotions on executive functions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Positive emotions (PEs) impact cognitive processes, including executive functions (EFs; i.e. inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility).

The undoing-hypothesis in athletes - three pilot studies testing the effect of positive emotions on athletes' psychophysiological recovery.

Three pilot studies were performed to investigate the undoing-hypothesis (i.e., fast psychophysiological recovery due to positive emotions after stressor) in an athletic sample - after 1) a psychosocial stressor (study 1, N = 19), 2) a physiological stressor (study 2, N = 14), and 3) a simulated competition (study 3, N = 13).

The effects of a smartphone game training intervention on executive functions in youth soccer players: a randomized controlled study.

Cognitive training primarily aims to improve executive functions (EFs). It has become a popular research topic, as previous studies have provided preliminary evidence that EFs relate to sports performance. However, whether a domain-generic cognitive training intervention can improve EFs in high-performance athletes is still unclear.

A Pilot Study of the Biofeedback Training to Reduce Salivary Cortisol Level and Improve Mental Health in Highly-Trained Female Athletes.

Biofeedback (BFB) training can provide a useful resource for athletes to cope with stress. However, the effects of BFB training on acute and chronic endocrine stress responses, parasympathetic activity, and mental health in competitive athletes have not been explored yet. This pilot study examined the effects of a 7-week BFB training on psychophysiological parameters in highly trained female athletes.

An assist for cognitive diagnostics in soccer (Part II): Development and validation of a task to measure working memory in a soccer-specific setting.

Cognitive diagnostics is of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners in the context of talent identification and performance enhancement in professional soccer. Research addressing the relevance of cognitive skills for sports performance has been based on the cognitive component approach (i.e.

Salivary hormone concentrations and technical-tactical performance indicators in beach volleyball: Preliminary evidence.

The present study aimed to investigate (i) differences in salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations before, during, and after simulated beach volleyball match, depending on match outcome (winning vs. losing); (ii) the relationship between technical-tactical performance indicators in beach volleyball and salivary hormonal concentrations (i.e.

An Assist for Cognitive Diagnostics in Soccer: Two Valid Tasks Measuring Inhibition and Cognitive Flexibility in a Soccer-Specific Setting With a Soccer-Specific Motor Response.

In professional soccer, players, coaches, and researchers alike recognize the importance of cognitive skills. Research addressing the relevance of cognitive skills has been based on the cognitive component skills approach (i.e.

Inhibition and Calendar Age Explain Variance in Game Performance of Youth Soccer Athletes.

The assessment of core executive functions (EFs; i.e., inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility) has often been presented as a diagnostic tool for evaluating cognitive functions in recent publications.

Resilience as a protective factor for well-being and emotional stability in elite-level football players during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Denmark, the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown resulted in a compact season finisher for elite footballers, potentially impacting their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the protective role of resilience and the impeding role of trait anxiety on elite footballers' level and variability of well-being and emotional stability. One hundred and twenty-five male elite-level players ( = 25.

Development of a Salutogenesis Workshop for SPPs to Help Them, Their Athletes, and the Athlete's Entourage Better Cope With Uncertainty During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also called a crisis of uncertainty because of so many unforeseeable events like canceled qualification competitions, loss of training facilities, and postponement of the Olympic games. Athletes and their entourage experience this uncertainty as stressful. Sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) are in a key position to support athletes in coping with these unforeseeable stressors.

Amateur and Recreational Athletes' Motivation to Exercise, Stress, and Coping During the Corona Crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mobility worldwide. As a corollary, the health of top- and lower-level athletes alike is profoundly reliant on movement and exercise. Thus, the aim of this study is to understand impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on athletes' motivation to exercise and train.

Effects of Different Types of Exercise Training on the Cortisol Awakening Response in Children.

Due to great variability of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis, research has to produce better-controlled findings to make a more meaningful statement regarding the effect of exercise training (ET) on the cortisol awakening response (CAR), especially in children. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of different ET interventions on the CAR in children. We conducted a short-term training study for 10 weeks in primary schools in Westphalia, Germany.

Give Me Five? Examining the Psychophysiological Effects of High-Fives in Athletes.

High-fives are a phenomenon that is frequently observed in sports. However, investigations on effects of high-fives are missing. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine psychophysiological effects of high-fives.

I'm going to fail! Acute cognitive performance anxiety increases threat-interference and impairs WM performance.

Stress can impair cognitive performance, as commonly observed in cognitive performance anxiety (CPA; e.g., test anxiety).

Correction to: Cortisol Predicts Performance During Competition: Preliminary Results of a Field Study with Elite Adolescent Taekwondo Athletes.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in text under "Subject" section. The text portions masked for peer review were erroneously overlooked during the later stage "[country deleted to maintain the integrity of the review process]" and "[organization deleted to maintain the integrity of the review process]" should be replaced with "German" and "Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft" respectively.

Cortisol Predicts Performance During Competition: Preliminary Results of a Field Study with Elite Adolescent Taekwondo Athletes.

Competitive taekwondo composes a high stress situation leading to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Little is known about cortisol's relation to outcome (winning vs. losing) and performance in taekwondo.

A laboratory study on attentional bias as an underlying mechanism affecting the link between cortisol and performance, leading to a discussion on the nature of the stressor (artificial vs. psychosocial).

Although cortisol is assumed to influence performance by affecting cognition during stressful and competitive situations, to date this assumption has not been tested empirically. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the influence of cortisol on performance is mediated by attentional processing of emotional information. Forty-six male golfers were tested in a mixed design.

The contribution of coping-related variables and heart rate variability to visual search performance under pressure.

Visual search performance under pressure is explored within the predictions of the neurovisceral integration model. The experimental aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the contribution of coping-related variables to baseline, task, and reactivity (task-baseline) high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), and 2) to investigate the contribution of coping-related variables and HF-HRV to visual search performance under pressure. Participants (n=96) completed self-report measures of coping-related variables (emotional intelligence, coping style, perceived stress intensity, perceived control of stress, coping effectiveness, challenge and threat, and attention strategy) and HF-HRV was measured during a visual search task under pressure.

Preliminary evidence of salivary cortisol predicting performance in a controlled setting.

The aims of this study were to examine the influence of salivary cortisol on tennis serve performance in a controlled setting and to investigate if cortisol predicts unique variance in performance beyond a subjective anxiety measure (i.e., Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 [CSAI-2]).