The Effects of a Field-Based Priming Session on Perceptual, Physiological, and Performance Markers in Female Rugby Sevens Players.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of a field-based priming session on perceptual, physiological, and performance responses in female rugby sevens athletes.

Methods: Thirteen highly trained female rugby sevens players (age: 20.7 [2.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Game Day Preparation for Team Sports: A Delphi Study With Expert Consensus.

Mason, BRJ, Pumpa, KL, McKune, AJ, Gill, ND, and Ball, NB. A multidisciplinary approach to game day preparation for team sports: A Delphi study with expert consensus. J Strength Cond Res 36(5): 1345-1352, 2022-The aim of this study was to identify game day preparation strategies used by performance staff to improve team sport performance and to determine consensus regarding the application and importance of these strategies.

What did the ankle say to the knee? Estimating knee dynamics during landing - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Landing-based measures of the knee are often used to assess risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and inform prevention strategies. There is less understanding of the ankle's influence on knee measures during landing.

Objective: 1.

Identifying problems that female soldiers experience with current-issue body armour.

Despite female soldiers representing a growing user population, military body armour systems are currently better suited to the anthropometric dimensions of male soldiers. The aim of this study was to explore issues that female soldiers experience with current Australian Defence Force (ADF)-issue body armour. Following a sequential exploratory design, an initial questionnaire was completed by 97 Australian female soldiers.

Measurement bias in estimates of system power during a vertical jump.

This investigation sought to quantify the level of measurement agreement in system force, velocity and power values derived across three commonly applied assessment techniques during a countermovement jump (CMJ). Twenty-five male national representative athletes completed three CMJs under unloaded (0%) and loaded (40%) jump conditions. Associated values of force, velocity and power were captured simultaneously from either a linear optical encoder (LOE) or force plate (FP) and then compared to the gold-standard reference values derived from a combined force plate and three-dimensional motion capture system (FPMC).

Injury epidemiology and risk factors in competitive artistic gymnasts: a systematic review.

Background: Artistic gymnastics is reported to have some of the highest injury rates in sports, which limits participation and often involves considerable medical expenses.

Purpose: To critically appraise the epidemiological literature on injury patterns and risk factors in competitive artistic gymnastics.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Load-Power Relationship During a Countermovement Jump: A Joint Level Analysis.

Williams, KJ, Chapman, DW, Phillips, EJ, and Ball, N. Load-power relationship during a countermovement jump: A joint level analysis. J Strength Cond Res 32(4): 955-961, 2018-This study aimed to investigate whether hip, knee, and ankle peak power is influenced by the relative load lifted, altering the joint and system load-power relationship during a countermovement jump (CMJ).

Vertical stiffness is not related to anterior cruciate ligament elongation in professional rugby union players.

Background: Novel research surrounding anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is necessary because ACL injury rates have remained unchanged for several decades. An area of ACL risk mitigation which has not been well researched relates to vertical stiffness. The relationship between increased vertical stiffness and increased ground reaction force suggests that vertical stiffness may be related to ACL injury risk.

Validity of a Wearable Accelerometer Device to Measure Average Acceleration Values During High-Speed Running.

Alexander, JP, Hopkinson, TL, Wundersitz, DWT, Serpell, BG, Mara, JK, and Ball, NB. Validity of a wearable accelerometer device to measure average acceleration values during high-speed running. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3007-3013, 2016-The aim of this study was to determine the validity of an accelerometer to measure average acceleration values during high-speed running.

Resistance Training Priming Activity Improves Upper-Body Power Output in Rugby Players: Implications for Game Day Performance.

Mason, BRJ, Argus, CK, Norcott, B, and Ball, NB. Resistance training priming activity improves upper-body power output in rugby players: implications for game day performance. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 913-920, 2017-"Priming" or preactivation strategies performed in the hours leading into competition have been suggested to improve game day performance.

Time Course of Improvements in Power Characteristics in Elite Development Netball Players Entering a Full-Time Training Program.

We describe the time course of adaptation to structured resistance training on entering a full-time high-performance sport program. Twelve international caliber female netballers (aged 19.9 ± 0.

The effect of limb dominance on lower limb functional performance--a systematic review.

Lower limb dominance (or lateral preference) could potentially effect functional performance. Clinicians are often asked to make judgements as to when a patient has sufficiently "recovered" from an injury, typically using strength and dynamic performance outcome measures. The primary purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature in relation to limb dominance within active adult populations and discuss some limitations to current methods and relate this to current clinical practice.

Periodization and physical performance in elite female soccer players.

Purpose: To investigate the variation in training demands, physical performance, and player well-being across a women's soccer season.

Methods: Seventeen elite female players wore GPS tracking devices during every training session (N=90) throughout 1 national-league season. Intermittent high-speed-running capacity and 5-, 15-, and 25-m-sprint testing were conducted at the beginning of preseason, end of preseason, midseason, and end of season.

Vertical stiffness and muscle strain in professional Australian football.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to establish if vertical stiffness was greater in professional Australian rules footballers who sustained a lower limb skeletal muscle strain compared to those who did not, and to establish if a relationship between age, or training history, and vertical stiffness existed. Thirty-one participants underwent weekly rebound jump testing on a force platform over two seasons. Vertical stiffness was calculated for injured players and the uninjured cohort 1 and 3 weeks prior to sustaining an injury and at the end of preseason.

Muscle pre-activation strategies play a role in modulating Kvert for change of direction manoeuvres: an observational study.

The aim of the study presented in this paper was to establish if a relationship existed between lower limb muscle pre-activation strategies and vertical stiffness (Kvert). Participants from a professional rugby union club all performed a multidirectional hopping task on a force platform which measured Kvert. Muscle activity was concurrently measured for the gluteus maximus, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and medial gastrocnemius using electromyography and the activity of those muscles in the 100ms prior to foot contact (pre-activation) was analysed.

A review of models of vertical, leg, and knee stiffness in adults for running, jumping or hopping tasks.

The 'stiffness' concept originates from Hooke's law which states that the force required to deform an object is related to a spring constant and the distance that object is deformed. Research into stiffness in the human body is undergoing unprecedented popularity; possibly because stiffness has been associated with sporting performance and some lower limb injuries. However, some inconsistencies surrounding stiffness measurement exists bringing into question the integrity of some research related to stiffness.

Relationship between reactive strength variables in horizontal and vertical drop jumps.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between reactive strength in a vertical and a horizontal drop jump (DJ). Subjects (n = 28) with previous jump training experience, performed 6 vertical DJs and 6 horizontal DJs from a 0.4-m box.

Mechanisms and risk factors for noncontact ACL injury in age mature athletes who engage in field or court sports: a summary of the literature since 1980.

Epidemiological data show that in the last 10 years alone the incidence and rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have not changed appreciably. Furthermore, many ACL injuries appear to be noncontact in nature and sustained while engaging in some field or court sport. Thus, the need to investigate novel methods and adopt training strategies to prevent ACL injuries is paramount.

Bilateral contact ground reaction forces and contact times during plyometric drop jumping.

Drop jumping (DJ) is used in training programs aimed to improve lower extremity explosive power. When performing double-leg drop jumps, it is important to provide an equal stimulus to both legs to ensure balanced development of the lower legs. The aim of this study was to bilaterally analyze the ground reactions forces and temporal components of drop jumping from 3 heights.

Bilateral neuromuscular and force differences during a plyometric task.

The purpose of this article is to compare the bilateral neuromuscular and force contribution during a plyometric bounce drop jump task and to assess the affects of nonsimultaneous foot placement. Sixteen male participants performed bounce drop jumps from a height of 0.4 m.