Agility Testing in Youth Football (Soccer)Players; Evaluating Reliability, Validity, and Correlates of Newly Developed Testing Protocols.

Reactive agility (RAG) and change of direction speed (CODS) are important determinants of success in football (soccer), but there is an evident lack of information on reliable and valid football-specific testing procedures which will be applicable in defining sport-specific RAG and CODS in youth players. This study evaluated reliability and construct validity of newly developed tests of football-specific RAG (FS_RAG) and CODS (FS_CODS), which involved the ball kicking football technique. Additionally, factors associated with FS_RAG and FS_CODS were evaluated.

Importance of Agility Performance in Professional Futsal Players; Reliability and Applicability of Newly Developed Testing Protocols.

The purpose of this study was to determine the inter- and intra-testing reliability of newly developed tests of the change of direction speed (CODS) and reactive agility (RAG) in competitive futsal players. Additionally, the developed tests were evaluated for their validity with regard to the differentiation of two performance-levels. Thirty-two professional male futsal players (age = 26.

Vitamin D Status and Analysis of Specific Correlates in Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Croatia.

Vitamin D deficiency is a globally important problem, particularly in children, but there is a lack of information regarding this deficiency in preschool children from southeastern Europe. This study aimed to establish the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and associations of gender, time spent outdoors, physical activity (PA), and body mass index (as predictors) with the 25(OH)D level (outcome) in healthy preschool children. The participants were preschoolers (all 5⁻6 years of age) from southern Croatia.

Maturity Status as a Determinant of the Relationships Between Conditioning Qualities and Preplanned Agility in Young Handball Athletes.

Hammami, R, Sekulic, D, Selmi, MA, Fadhloun, M, Spasic, M, Uljevic, O, and Chaouachi, A. Maturity status as a determinant of the relationships between conditioning qualities and preplanned agility in young handball athletes. J Strength Cond Res 32(8): 2302-2313, 2018-Studies performed thus far have not accounted for the potential influence of maturity on determinants of preplanned agility.

Importance of Reactive Agility and Change of Direction Speed in Differentiating Performance Levels in Junior Soccer Players: Reliability and Validity of Newly Developed Soccer-Specific Tests.

Agility is a significant determinant of success in soccer; however, studies have rarely presented and evaluated soccer-specific tests of reactive agility (S_RAG) and non-reactive agility (change of direction speed - S_CODS) or their applicability in this sport. The aim of this study was to define the reliability and validity of newly developed tests of the S_RAG and S_CODS to discriminate between the performance levels of junior soccer players. The study consisted of 20 players who were involved at the highest national competitive rank (all males; age: 17.

The Effects of 3-Month Skill-Based and Plyometric Conditioning on Fitness Parameters in Junior Female Volleyball Players.

Purpose: This study compared the effects of skill-based and plyometric conditioning (both performed in addition to regular volleyball training twice a week for 12 wk) on fitness parameters in female junior volleyball players.

Methods: The participants [n = 47; age: 16.6 (0.

Plyometric Training Improves Sprinting, Jumping and Throwing Capacities of High Level Female Volleyball Players Better Than Skill-Based Conditioning.

There is an evident lack of studies on the effectiveness of plyometric- and skill-based-conditioning in volleyball. This study aimed to evaluate effects of 12-week plyometric- and volleyball-skill-based training on specific conditioning abilities in female volleyball players. The sample included 41 high-level female volleyball players (21.

Evaluation of different jumping tests in defining position-specific and performance-level differences in high level basketball players.

The importance of jumping ability in basketball is well known, but there is an evident lack of studies that have examined different jumping testing protocols in basketball players at advanced levels. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of different tests of jumping capacity in identifying differences between (i) playing position and (ii) competitive levels of professional players. Participants were 110 male professional basketball players (height: 194.

Analyzing the relationship between anthropometric and motor indices with basketball specific pre-planned and non-planned agility performances.

Background: Although agility is an important quality in basketball, factors associated with basketball specific pre-planned-agility (change-of-direction-speed, CODS) and non-planned-agility (reactive agility, RA) are rarely investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate relationship between anthropometric and motor indices with basketball-specific CODS and RA in male basketball players of high performance level.

Methods: We tested 88 high-level male basketball players (height: 194.

Reliability and Factorial Validity of Non-Specific and Tennis-Specific Pre-Planned Agility Tests; Preliminary Analysis.

Agility is an important quality in tennis, yet there is an evident lack of studies focussing on the applicability of tennis-specific agility performances and comparing them to equivalent non-specific agility performances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and factorial validity of three tests of pre-planned agility, performed in specific (with a tennis racquet) and non-specific (without a tennis racquet) conditions. The sample consisted of 33 tennis players (13 males and 20 females; age: 18.

Doping Attitudes and Covariates of Potential Doping Behaviour in High-Level Team-Sport Athletes; Gender Specific Analysis.

Team sports are rarely studied with regard to doping behaviour and doping-related factors regardless of their global popularity. This study aimed to investigate doping factors and covariates of potential doping behaviour in high-level team-sport athletes. The subjects were 457 high-performing, national- and international-level athletes (21.

Evaluation of Basketball-Specific Agility: Applicability of Preplanned and Nonplanned Agility Performances for Differentiating Playing Positions and Playing Levels.

Sekulic, D, Pehar, M, Krolo, A, Spasic, M, Uljevic, O, Calleja-González, J, and Sattler, T. Evaluation of basketball-specific agility: applicability of preplanned and nonplanned agility performances for differentiating playing positions and playing levels. J Strength Cond Res 31(8): 2278-2288, 2017-The importance of agility in basketball is well known, but there is an evident lack of studies examining basketball-specific agility performances in high-level players.

Evidencing the association between swimming capacities and performance indicators in water polo: a multiple regression study.

Background: Swimming capacities are hypothesized to be important determinants of water polo performance but there is an evident lack of studies examining different swimming capacities in relation to specific offensive and defensive performance variables in this sport. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between five swimming capacities and six performance determinants in water polo.

Methods: The sample comprised 79 high-level youth water polo players (all males, 17-18 years of age).

Analysis of the Association Between Motor and Anthropometric Variables with Change of Direction Speed and Reactive Agility Performance.

There is an evident lack of studies examining the factors associated with reactive agility performances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between anthropometrics, body composition, jumping capacity, reactive strength, and balance with a stop-and-go change of direction speed (CODS) and reactive agility. The total sample comprised 39 male (body height: 182.

Examination of the community-specific prevalence of and factors associated with substance use and misuse among Rural and Urban adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Objective: The community of residence (ie, urban vs rural) is one of the known factors of influence on substance use and misuse (SUM). The aim of this study was to explore the community-specific prevalence of SUM and the associations that exist between scholastic, familial, sports and sociodemographic factors with SUM in adolescents from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, which was completed between November and December 2014, the participants were 957 adolescents (aged 17 to 18 years) from Bosnia and Herzegovina (485; 50.

Success in Adopting Technique of Alpine Skiing with Respect to Motor Abilities of the Children Aged 7-8 Years.

The aim of this research was to determine relations between estimated motor abilities and efficiency of alpine ski learning in children ski beginners. It included 54 children between 7 and 8 years of age (average 7.44 ± 0.

Sport specific fitness status in junior water polo players--Playing position approach.

Aim: The aim of this investigation was to study the physical fitness differences between two qualitative levels of junior water polo players, with regard to their playing positions.

Methods: The sample (N.=54, males; 16-18 years of age) comprised 13 members of the Junior National Squad (JNS; 5 centres and 8 perimeter players), and 41 team athletes (TA; 11 centres and 30 perimeter players).

The development of a new stop'n'go reactive-agility test.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and the validity of a newly constructed reactive-agility test that can be used to define the reactive-agility performance in sports that employ repeated scenarios of "stop'n'go" agility. Measuring is done by original hardware based on the ATMEL microcontroller AT89C51RE2. A total of 36 college-aged male athletes (age, 22.

Sport-specific and anthropometric factors of quality in junior male water polo players.

There is evident lack of studies which examined anthropological determinants of success in water polo. The aim of this investigation was to study the physical fitness differences between two qualitative levels of junior water polo players (males; 16-18 years of age; 6+ year of experience in water polo). The sample (N = 54) comprised of 13 members of the junior national-squad (5 centers and 8 perimeter players), and 41 team-athletes (11 centers and 30 perimeter players).

Sport-specific motor fitness tests in water polo: reliability, validity and playing position differences.

Sport-specific motor fitness tests are not often examined in water polo. In this study we examined the reliability, factorial and discriminative validity of 10 water-polo-specific motor-fitness tests, namely: three tests of in-water jumps (thrusts), two characteristic swimming sprints (10 and 20 metres from the water start), three ball-throws (shoots), one test of passing precision (accuracy), and a test of the dynamometric force produced while using the eggbeater kick. The sample of subjects consisted of 54 young male water polo players (15 to 17 years of age; 1.

Reliability, validity, and applicability of isolated and combined sport-specific tests of conditioning capacities in top-level junior water polo athletes.

Standard testing procedures are of limited applicability in water sports, such as water polo. The aim of this investigation was to construct and validate methods for determining water polo-specific conditioning capacities. We constructed 4 combined-capacity tests that were designed to mimic real-game water polo performances: sprint swimming performance, shooting performance, jumping performance, and precision performance.

Sport nutrition and doping in tennis: an analysis of athletes' attitudes and knowledge.

Nutrition and doping issues are rarely studied in the sport of tennis. The aims of this investigation were to determine knowledge on doping (KD) and knowledge on sport nutrition (KSN), and corresponding socio-demographic-, sport-, and sport-nutrition- and doping-factors among an international sample of high-level tennis players of both sexes (43 females; 22 years old on average). In the first phase of the investigation, the KSN and KD questionnaires were studied for their reliability and validity.

General anthropometric and specific physical fitness profile of high-level junior water polo players.

The aim of this study was to investigate the status and playing position differences in anthropometric measures and specific physical fitness in high-level junior water polo players. The sample of subjects comprised 110 water polo players (17 to 18 years of age), including one of the world's best national junior teams for 2010. The subjects were divided according to their playing positions into: Centers (N = 16), Wings (N = 28), perimeter players (Drivers; N = 25), Points (N = 19), and Goalkeepers (N = 18).

Vertical jumping tests in volleyball: reliability, validity, and playing-position specifics.

Vertical jumping is known to be important in volleyball, and jumping performance tests are frequently studied for their reliability and validity. However, most studies concerning jumping in volleyball have dealt with standard rather than sport-specific jumping procedures and tests. The aims of this study, therefore, were (a) to determine the reliability and factorial validity of 2 volleyball-specific jumping tests, the block jump (BJ) test and the attack jump (AJ) test, relative to 2 frequently used and systematically validated jumping tests, the countermovement jump test and the squat jump test and (b) to establish volleyball position-specific differences in the jumping tests and simple anthropometric indices (body height [BH], body weight, and body mass index [BMI]).

Lactate profile during greco-roman wrestling matchx.

The objective of this study was to determine and compare lactate profile of two groups of Greco-Roman wrestlers with different competences and training experience. Study was conducted on 10 wrestles that were members of Croatian national team and 10 wrestlers that were members of Wrestling club Split. Lactate samples were collected at four intervals during control fights that were held according to international wrestling rules of World wrestling federation FILA.