Acute effects of prior conditioning activity on change of direction performance. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the acute effects of prior conditioning activity (CA) on change of direction (COD) performance. Eligible studies, involving healthy participants undergoing acute CA with at least one measure of COD performance, were analysed across diverse databases. A total of 34 studies were included for systematic review with 19 studies included for the meta-analysis.

Examining the Talent Selection Determinants of Ultimate Frisbee Players Selected Into a National Youth Team.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine whether various athletic performances, anthropometric measures, and playing experience differentiate selected and nonselected ultimate Frisbee players trialing to compete in the world championship.

Methods: Forty-three Australian male ultimate Frisbee players (age = 21.2 [1.

Intra-Session Reliability of Sprint Performance on a Non-Motorised Treadmill for Healthy Active Males and Females.

This study examined the intra-session reliability of sprint performance on a non-motorized treadmill amongst healthy, active male and female adults. One hundred and twenty participants (males n = 77; females n = 45) completed two familiarization sessions, followed by a third session that consisted of three trials (T1, T2, T3) of maximal sprints (4-s), interspersed by three minutes of recovery. Combining males and females exhibited moderate-to-excellent test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient, ICC), minimal measurement error (coefficient of variation, CV) and trivial differences between trials (effect size, ES) for speed, power, total work and acceleration (ICC = 0.

The Acute Effect of Various Feedback Approaches on Sprint Performance, Motivation, and Affective Mood States in Highly Trained Female Athletes: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

Purpose: This crossover trial compared the effects of varying feedback approaches on sprint performance, motivation, and affective mood states in female athletes.

Methods: Eligibility criteria were being competitive female athletes, where participants completed sprint tests in 4 randomized feedback conditions on grass, including augmented feedback (sprint time; AUG-FB), technical feedback (cues; TECH-FB), a competition-driven drill (CDD) sprinting against an opponent, and a control condition (no feedback; CON). Participants completed a 20-m sprint (maximum sprint), 30-m curved agility sprint, and a repeated sprint ability test, with sprint times, motivation level, and mood states recorded.

Exploring rugby coaches perception and implementation of performance analytics.

Professional coaches commonly rely on performance analysis and metrics to help make decisions regarding their practices, selection and tactics. However, few studies to date have explored coaches' perspectives of performance analysts successful integration into the high-performance environment. The aim of this study was to investigate coaches' philosophies surrounding performance analysis and how they perceived analysts could support and implement these approaches into coaching practices and match preparation.

Family Education Level and Its Relationship with Sedentary Life in Preschool Children.

Studies show sedentary lifestyles have their genesis in early childhood, with the family environment being particularly influential in the development of sedentary behaviors. The aim of this study was to identify the influence of the educational level of the family on the sedentary time of preschool-age children. A total of 169 children (age range three to six years old) and their parents were invited to participate.

Repeated Bout Effect of Two Resistance Training Bouts on Bowling-Specific Performance in Male Cricketers.

To examine the repeated bout effect (RBE) following two identical resistance bouts and its effect on bowling-specific performance in male cricketers. Male cricket pace bowlers (N = 10), who had not undertaken resistance exercises in the past six months, were invited to complete a familiarisation and resistance maximum testing, before participating in the study protocol. The study protocol involved the collection of muscle damage markers, a battery of anaerobic (jump and sprint), and a bowling-specific performance test at baseline, followed by a resistance training bout, and a retest of physical and bowling-specific performance at 24 h (T24) and 48 h (T48) post-training.

When Are Children Most Physically Active? An Analysis of Preschool Age Children's Physical Activity Levels.

The levels of physical activity (PA) in the population have decreased, especially at an early age. The aims of the study were: to evaluate the percentage of children meeting PA recommendations for both genders, and to measure steps and PA level at different time intervals during the week. This was an observational cross-sectional study.

The effect of branched-chain amino acid on muscle damage markers and performance following strenuous exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis determined whether the ergogenic effects of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) ameliorated markers of muscle damage and performance following strenuous exercise. In total, 25 studies were included, consisting of 479 participants (age 24.3 ± 8.

The acute effect of a multi-modal plyometric training session on field-specific performance measures.

Background: Plyometric and resistance exercises are known to cause exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Thus, this study examined the impact of EIMD on various field-specific performance measures following a training session that combined plyometric and resistance exercises.

Methods: Nine competitive Ultimate Frisbee players undertook a training session consisting of several modes of plyometric and resistance exercises.

Students' Physical Activity Profiles According to Children's Age and Parental Educational Level.

The aim of this study was to identify different profiles of physical activity (PA) behaviors according to the school student's age stage and their parents' or guardians education level. Seven hundred twenty-seven students and parents of different educational stages were invited to take part in this study. The participants included, Preschool (1 to 5 years old), Primary School (6 to 11 years old), Secondary School (12 to 15 years old), and High School (16 to 18 years old).

Biomechanical and physical determinants of bowling speed in cricket: a novel approach to systematic review and meta-analysis of correlational data.

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the influence of biomechanical and physical characteristics on ball release speed in cricket using correlation data. Search was conducted across PubMed, Cinhal, Scopus, SportDiscus and Web of Science, with eighteen studies included. The ball release speed had a moderate correlation with overall biomechanical (r = 0.

Performance Advantages of Left-Handed Cricket Batting Talent.

The purpose of this study was to examine performance advantages associated with batting stance, in the form of left- vs. right-handed dominant stance, and orthodox vs. reverse stance, of talented junior cricket batters within age-restricted competitions.

Defining cricket batting expertise from the perspective of elite coaches.

Traditionally in sporting tasks, expertise has been thought of as the attainment of near flawless technical abilities. While contemporary views have become more holistic in nature, in certain sporting domains it is still not clear what exactly encapsulates expertise. This study sought to further understand the crucial and defining characteristics of cricket batting; a complex and difficult perceptual-motor skill with minimal error tolerance and severe time constraints.

Postactivation potentiation effect of two lower body resistance exercises on repeated jump performance measures.

This study examined the postactivation potentiation effects of combining squat and deadlift exercises on subsequent repeated jump performance. Fifteen, resistance-trained youth wrestlers were randomly allocated to either undertake back squats (BSq), deadlift (DL) or BSq and DL as supersets (BSq+DL), with a repeated jump protocol performed 8-minutes post-exercise in each session. Thereafter, a control condition (CON) was completed involving a general warm-up, followed by the repeated jump protocols.

Analysis of Cricket Ball Type and Innings on State Level Cricket Batter's Performance.

The aim of this investigation was to compare the type of cricket balls utilized and innings on cricket batting performance in the First-Class Australian competition. Batting performance measures of 43 state level cricket batters were collected from two seasons of the Sheffield shield tournament ( = 60 games) that incorporated both Kookaburra ( = 30 games) and Duke ( = 30 games) cricket balls. First-innings batting performances were significantly greater for the average number of runs scored (37.

Performance Differences of Temporal Parameters and Point Outcome between Elite Men's and Women's Badminton Players According to Match-Related Contexts.

Background: the aim of the present study was to identify the temporal and notational performance differences between elite men's and women's badminton players according to match type and set.

Methods: the sample was composed of 60 men's and 60 women's matches classified by match type or duration: short (lower quartile), long (upper quartile) and regular matches (interquartile range). Temporal and notational variables were analysed for each match and compared between sexes accounting for match duration.

Moderating factors influence the relative age effect in Australian cricket.

Background: The relative age effect is a commonly occurring phenomenon whereby there is a tendency for relatively older players to be over-represented during high level competitions. This effect is often seen to diminish as player's age, however, there has been far less investigation on other potential moderating factors.

Method: This study investigated the impact of the relative age effect, and potential moderating factors, within the talent selection process of Australian cricket.

Emergence of Skilled Behaviors in Professional, Amateur and Junior Cricket Batsmen During a Representative Training Scenario.

The aim of this study was to explore the emergence of skilled behaviors, in the form of actions, cognitions and emotions, between professional state level cricket batters and their lesser skilled counterparts. Twenty-two male cricket batsmen ( = 6 state level; = 8 amateur grade club level, = 8 junior state representative level) participated in a game scenario training session against right arm pace bowlers ( = 6 amateur senior club). The batsmen were tasked with scoring as many runs as possible during a simulated limited-overs game.

Effect of Different Evasion Maneuvers on Anticipation and Visual Behavior in Elite Rugby League Players.

This study examined the anticipation and visual behavior of elite rugby league players during two different evasion maneuvers (side- and split-steps). Participants (N = 48) included elite rugby league players (n = 38) and controls (n = 10). Each participant watched videos consisting of side- and split-steps, and anticipation of movement and eye behavior were measured.