Optimizing recovery: the impact of training load in elite volleyball players.

This study aimed to analyze the relationships between training load metrics and various dimensions of recovery over the course of 105 days during the competitive season. This study included 14 elite male volleyball players who participated in 95 training sessions and 18 matches. The session rating of perceived exertion and inertial measurement units were utilized to measure internal and external training loads, respectively.

Pacing Behavior Development: The Role of Task Experience and the Presence of Competitors.

Introduction: Self-regulation of effort during exercise (i.e., pacing) is a determinant of exercise performance, which develops during childhood and adolescence.

Observe, Practice, and Improve? Enhancing Sidestep Cutting Execution in Talented Female Soccer Players: A Four-Week Intervention Program With Video Instruction.

Nijmeijer, EM, Kempe, M, Elferink-Gemser, MT, and Benjaminse A. Observe, practice and improve? Enhancing sidestep cutting (SSC) execution in talented female soccer players: A four-week intervention program with video instruction. J Strength Cond Res 38(8): e430-e439, 2024-Implicit learning has the potential to improve movement execution and reduce injury risk.

Be Aware of the Benefits of Drafting in Sports and Take Your Advantage: A Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: In competitive sports, optimizing performance is the key. An interesting venue to explore is to consider drafting as a pacing strategy. The purpose of this study is to identify the magnitude of drafting benefits for biomechanical, physiological, and psychobiological parameters in and between athletes in cycling, kayaking, running, skating, skiing, and swimming.

The perception of time is slowed in response to exercise, an effect not further compounded by competitors: behavioral implications for exercise and health.

Introduction: The theory of relativity postulates that time is relative to context and exercise seems such a situation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether situational factors such as perceived exertion and the introduction of an opponent influence competitors' perception of time.

Methods: Thirty-three recreationally active adults (F = 16; M = 17) performed three standardized 4-km cycling trials in a randomized order.

Growing up and reaching for the top: A longitudinal study on swim performance and its underlying characteristics in talented swimmers.

The present study strived to gain a more profound understanding of the distinctions in development between swimmers who are considered to be on track to the elite level at late junior age (males aged 16; females aged 15) compared to those who are not. In this effort, swimmers were followed during their pubertal years (males aged 13-15; females aged 12-14), which marks a period when performance development aligns with maturation. Longitudinal data of 90 talented sprint and middle-distance swimmers on season best times (SBT) and underlying performance characteristics (anthropometrics, maximal swimming velocity, stroke index [SI] and countermovement jump [CMJ]) were collected over three swimming seasons.

Multidimensional and Longitudinal Approaches in Talent Identification and Development in Racket Sports: A Systematic Review.

Background: Better methods to support talent identification and development processes may contribute to more effective and efficient athlete development programs in racket sports. Both researchers and practitioners recommend multidimensional and longitudinal approaches to better understand the nature of talent (development). However, the added value of these 'innovative' approaches has not yet been clarified for racket sports.

Tracking performance and its underlying characteristics in talented swimmers: a longitudinal study during the junior-to-senior transition.

The present study strived to gain a more profound understanding of the distinctions in development between swimmers who are considered to be on track to the senior elite level compared to those who are not. Longitudinal data of 29 talented sprint and middle-distance swimmers (12 males; 17 females) on season best performances (season best times) and underlying performance characteristics (anthropometrics, starts, turns, maximal swimming velocity, stroke index [SI, an indirect measure of swimming efficiency] and lower body power) were collected over four swimming seasons (median of = 3 seasons per swimmer). Based on their season best performance at early senior age (males aged 18-19; females aged 17-18), some swimmers were considered to be on track to reach the elite level (referred to as high-performing seniors; 6 males and 10 females), whereas others were not (referred to as lower-performing seniors; 6 males and 7 females).

Drafting in long-track speed skating team pursuit on the ice rink.

Drafting is distinctive for team pursuit races in long-track speed skating. This study aims to compare the impact of drafting on physical intensity (heart rate [HR]) and perceived intensity (ratings of perceived exertion [RPE]) per drafting position. Eighteen skilled male ( = 9) and female ( = 9) skaters (20.

How to improve movement execution in sidestep cutting? Involve me and I will learn.

Providing choices, i.e., autonomy, to athletes during practice increases intrinsic motivation and positively influences the motor learning process.

Unraveling the Role of (Meta-) Cognitive Functions in Pacing Behavior Development during Adolescence: Planning, Monitoring, and Adaptation.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether (meta-) cognitive functions underpin the development of the self-regulated distribution of effort during exercise (i.e., pacing) throughout adolescence.

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.

The Role of the Social Environment in Pacing and Sports Performance: A Narrative Review from a Self-Regulatory Perspective.

As proposed by Triplett in 1898 and evidenced by a recent series of lab and field studies, racing against other competitors consistently results in increased performance compared to when racing alone. To explain this phenomenon, we will explore the process of self-regulation, a process relevant to pacing, which is linked to athletes' emotions and facilitates their sports performance optimization. We will apply the cyclical model of Self-regulation of Learning to pacing and sports performance settings and explore the role of the social environment (in particular, opponents but also coaches) in each phase of the self-regulatory model.

Pacing Behaviour Development and Acquisition: A Systematic Review.

Background: The goal-directed decision-making process of effort distribution (i.e. pacing) allows individuals to efficiently use energy resources as well as to manage the impact of fatigue on performance during exercise.

Pacing Behavior Development in Adolescent Swimmers: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Data Analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to use a large-scale longitudinal design to investigate the development of the distribution of effort (e.g., pacing) in adolescent swimmers, specifically disentangling the effects of age and experience and differentiating between performance levels in adulthood.

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.

Primary School Pupils: Unequal GMC Developmental Pathways in a Single School Year.

Gross motor coordination (GMC) is essential for the development of specific motor skills and long-term participation in physical activities and sports. Group analysis reveals that, on average, children develop these skills gradually; however, how individuals develop GMC is less clear. The main aim of this study is to increase the understanding of developmental patterns within one school year, and whether children’s grade, gender, or baseline GMC proficiency are associated with these developmental patterns.

Introducing a Method to Quantify the Specificity of Training for Races in Speed Skating.

Roete, AJ, Stoter, IK, Lamberts, RP, Elferink-Gemser, MT, and Otter, RTA. Introducing a method to quantify the specificity of training for races in speed skating. J Strength Cond Res 36(7): 1998-2004, 2022-The specificity of training for races is believed to be important for performance development.

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.

Strength Training Intensity and Volume Affect Performance of Young Kayakers/Canoeists.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of moderate intensity, low volume (MILV) vs. low intensity, high volume (LIHV) strength training on sport-specific performance, measures of muscular fitness, and skeletal muscle mass in young kayakers and canoeists.

Methods: Semi-elite young kayakers and canoeists ( = 40, 13 ± 0.

Why Train Together When Racing Is Performed Alone? Drafting in Long-Track Speed Skating.

Purpose: In long-track speed skating, drafting is a commonly used phenomenon in training; however, it is not allowed in time-trial races. In speed skating, limited research is available on the physical and psychological impact of drafting. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of "skating alone," "leading," or "drafting" on physical intensity (heart rate and blood lactate) and perceived intensity (perceived exertion) of speed skaters.

A Systematic Review on Markers of Functional Overreaching in Endurance Athletes.

Purpose: The aim of this brief review was to present an overview of noninvasive markers in trained to professional endurance athletes that can reflect a state of functional overreaching.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. After screening 380 articles, 12 research papers were included for the systematic review.

Measures of Physical Fitness Improve Prediction of Kayak and Canoe Sprint Performance in Young Kayakers and Canoeists.

Gäbler, M, Prieske, O, Elferink-Gemser, MT, Hortobágyi, T, Warnke, T, and Granacher, U. Measures of physical fitness improve prediction of kayak and canoe sprint performance in young kayakers and canoeists. J Strength Cond Res 37(6): 1264-1270, 2023-Markers of talent selection and predictors of performance in canoe and kayak sprint are not yet well defined.

Pacing behaviour of middle-long distance running & race-walking athletes at the IAAF U18 and U20 World Championship finals.

The current study analysed the pacing behaviour of athletes competing in the middle-long track event finals of the IAAF Under 18 and Under 20 World Championships between 2015 and 2018. Official finishing times, 1000-m split times and positioning data of 116 female and 153 male athletes, competing in the middle-long distance running (3000 m, 5000 m and 10,000 m) and race walking (5000 m and 10,000 m) events, were gathered. Repeated measures analysis of variance, with 1000-m speed as within-subjects factor and final ranking (medallist, Top 8 or Top 12, rest of the field) as between-subjects factor, was performed to compare the pacing behaviour between athletes.

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 ± .