Athletic Success Research Articles

Assessment of The Basketball Skills for Secondary School Students in Henan Province, China

Background and Aim: Henan Province is currently prioritizing sports, particularly basketball, offering numerous opportunities for youth to excel. Researchers are focusing on the evolution of basketball education in junior high schools across Henan Province, recognizing the sport's significance within the curriculum and its potential for student development. Materials and Methods: The research study utilized a sample mean group consisting of students at the secondary school level 2 in 10 schools within Henan Province. The sample size of 302 students was determined using Krejcie and Morgan's ready-made sample table. This sample included 157 male students and 145 female students, selected through multi-stage random sampling. Test tool that Drib test, Harrison, Field Goal speed test of Johson and Wall Baunce test of Bunn statistic used parentage valve, Average ( ) Derivation (SD) and T score Results: The assessment of basketball skills among male students in Secondary 2 in Henan Province for the 2023 academic year showed high proficiency. For dribbling in a zigzag, the mean was 25.99 with an SD of 1.63; for shooting a goal quickly, it was 15.10 with an SD of 1.79; and for receiving the ball against the wall, it was 13.39 with an SD of 1.58. For female students, a mean below 17.3 is considered a very high level (T score of 35), while a mean above 24.63 is considered a very low level (T score of 55 or more). Conclusion: Advocates for athletes to prioritize physical training, mental preparation, and skill practice, highlighting the interconnectedness of body condition and mental state in athletic success.

Psychological and nutritional analysis of athletes for Semarang sports week championship 2023

Athlete psychology and nutrition play an important role in athlete success. These factors influence each other, so knowing athletes' psychology and nutrition levels is necessary. This study aimed to analyze the level of psychology and nutrition of athletes. The research method used in this study is a survey with an ex post facto research design. This research survey uses the distribution of questionnaires in accordance with the instruments used. The sample involved in this study were athletes who participated in the 2023 Provincial Sports Week championship (PORPROV), with the total sampling technique involving as many as 285 athletes. The analysis technique in this study uses descriptive quantitative to determine the mean and standard deviation and is categorized into 5 levels. From the results of the table analysis above, the psychological aspects of the 285 athletes involved in this study showed good results. The results of the table analysis above show that the nutritional adequacy of the 285 athletes involved in this study is sufficient. This study concludes that the psychological and nutrition of athletes need to be improved, given the importance of these factors as one of improving achievement.

Standing Long Jump Performance Is Enhanced When Using an External as Well as Holistic Focus of Attention: A Kinematic Study.

Standing long jump is known as one of the important skills in the success of athletes in most sports. In addition, one of the most effective factors that can affect standing long jump distance and kinematics is the focus of attention used by the athlete. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the effect of internal, external, and holistic focus of attention instructions on standing long jump performance and kinematics. The participants were 30 novices (all males; mean age = 21.70 ± 2.21 years; mean height = 175.73 ± 6.09 cm; and mean weight = 73.76 ± 11.77 kg) who performed 12 standing long jumps in four focus of attention conditions. Internal focus, external focus, holistic focus, and control conditions were implemented in a counterbalanced order. Jump distance and maximum knee flexion angle before take-off were recorded in all trials. The results showed that in relation to the standing long jump performance, the distance was similar in external and holistic focus conditions, and both were superior to internal or control conditions. There was no difference between control and internal focus of attention conditions. The results related to movement kinematics, however, did not report a difference between the maximum flexion angles before take-off. This study replicates the benefits of external and holistic focus instructions for jump distance, but this difference was not a product of different maximum knee flexion angles. It is suggested that coaches implement external and/or holistic focus cues to maximize athlete performance in jumping tasks.

Unveiling the Best Practices of Winning Coaches: A Phenomenological Study

This research investigated the experiences of coaches who trained student-athletes within Monkayo East District, Davao de Oro, Philippines. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, the study employed in-depth interviews with six participants to explore four core questions. It examined how coaches' methods influenced athletes' physical capabilities and contributed to their overall athletic success. Furthermore, the research identified the challenges coaches encountered, including managing uncooperative athletes, navigating the balance between academics and athletic training, overcoming financial constraints, and crafting individualized plans for each athlete. The study shed light on strategies for overcoming these challenges, emphasizing the significance of compassion, clear communication, and fostering a supportive environment. Additionally, it explored the multifaceted role coaches played in preparing athletes for high-pressure competitions and making a lasting impact on their lives. The findings illuminated that effective coaching transcended technical training, encompassing a holistic approach that integrated personal development. This research offered valuable insights for future endeavors in the field of sports coaching, informing both research and practical applications.

It's about the long game, not epic workouts: unpacking HIIT for endurance athletes.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) prescriptions manipulate intensity, duration, and recovery variables in multiple combinations. Researchers often compare different HIIT variable combinations and treat HIIT prescription as a "maximization problem", seeking to identify the prescription(s) that induce the largest acute VO2/HR/RPE response. However, studies connecting the magnitude of specific acute HIIT response variables like work time>90% of VO2max and resulting cellular signalling and/or translation to protein upregulation and performance enhancement are lacking. This is also not how successful endurance athletes train. First, HIIT training cannot be seen in isolation. Successful endurance athletes perform most of their training volume below the first lactate turn point (<LT1), with "threshold training" and HIIT as integrated parts of a synergistic combination of training intensities and durations. Second, molecular signalling research reveals multiple, "overlapping" signalling pathways driving peripheral adaptations, with those pathways most sensitive to work intensity showing substantial feedback inhibition. This makes current training content and longer-term training history critical modulators of HIIT adaptive responses. Third, long term maximization of endurance capacity extends over years. Successful endurance athletes balance low-intensity and high-intensity, low systemic stress, and high systemic stress training sessions over time. The endurance training process is therefore an "optimization problem". Effective HIIT sessions generate both cellular signal and systemic stress that each individual athlete responds to and recovers from over weeks, months, and even years of training. It is not "epic" HIIT sessions but effective integration of intensity, duration, and frequency of all training stimuli over time that drives endurance performance success.

Training Session Models in Endurance Sports: A Norwegian Perspective on Best Practice Recommendations.

Our scientific understanding of the mechanistic and practical connections between training session prescriptions, their execution by athletes, and adaptations over time in elite endurance sports remains limited. These connections are fundamental to the art and science of coaching. By using successful Norwegian endurance coaches as key informants, the aim of this study is to describe and compare best practice session models across different exercise intensities in Olympic endurance sports. Data collection was based on a four-step pragmatic qualitative study design, involving questionnaires, training logs from successful athletes, and in-depth and semi-structured interviews, followed by negotiation among researchers and coaches to assure our interpretations. Twelve successful and experienced male Norwegian coaches from biathlon, cross-country skiing, long-distance running, road cycling, rowing, speed skating, swimming, and triathlon were chosen as key informants. They had been responsible for the training of world-class endurance athletes who altogether have won > 370 medals in international championships. The duration of low-intensity training (LIT) sessions ranges from 30min to 7h across sports, mainly due to modality-specific constraints and load tolerance considerations. Cross-training accounts for a considerable part of LIT sessions in several sports. Moderate (MIT)- and high-intensity training (HIT) sessions are mainly conducted as intervals in specific modalities, but competitions also account for a large proportion of annual HIT in most sports. Interval sessions are characterized by a high accumulated volume, a progressive increase in intensity throughout the session, and a controlled, rather than exhaustive, execution approach. A clear trend towards shorter intervals and lower work: rest ratio with increasing intensity was observed. Overall, the analyzed sports implement considerably more MIT than HIT sessions across the annual cycle. This study provides novel insights on quantitative and qualitative aspects of training session models across intensities employed by successful athletes in Olympic endurance sports. The interval training sessions revealed in this study are generally more voluminous, more controlled, and less exhaustive than most previous recommendations outlined in research literature.

Effects of Pilate Mat Exercises on Agility and Flexibility of Athletes - A Pilot Study

Background-Athletes are always looking for ways to get better at what they do and get hurt less frequently. Movement efficiency and total physical capability are influenced by flexibility and agility, which are essential elements of athletic success. Pilates mat movements have a reputation for enhancing body awareness, flexibility, and core strength. Despite its growing popularity, the impact of incorporating Pilates into athletes' training routines, particularly concerning flexibility and agility, remains largely unexplored. Objective-The purpose of this study was to evaluate the agility and flexibility of athletes who included Pilates mat movements in their training regimen to a control group who continued with their regular training regimen. Methods-Two groups, Group A (experimental) and Group B (control), each with fifteen participants, were randomly selected from among the thirty participants. Group B adhered to their regular training program without making any alterations, Group A engaged in Pilates mat exercises three days per week for six weeks, following informed consent obtained from each participant prior to the intervention. Agility and flexibility were assessed using the 4 x 10-meter shuttle run test and the sit and reach test before and after a six-week intervention period. Results and Conclusion-Compared to Group B, Group A showed noticeably greater flexibility and agility after the intervention. With a standard deviation of improvement of 2.90, the experimental group (Group A) demonstrated an average improvement in the sit and reach test score from 21.5 to 27.7. Group B, the control group, saw very little improvement; mean scores varied greatly, going from 22.18 to 22.20. Group A's mean time in the 4 x 10-meter shuttle run test increased from 23.3 to 21, while Group B's mean time only marginally improved from 21.53 to 22.07. These results imply that adding Pilates mat exercises to athletes' training regimens can increase their flexibility and agility, which may help them perform better on the field and avoid injuries. To confirm these results and investigate the long-term advantages of Pilates for athletes, more studies with bigger sample numbers and longer intervention times are necessary.

In memory of Kristaps Juris Keggi — a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Kristaps Juris Keggi was born on August 9, 1934 in Riga in the family of surgeon Janis Keggi. In 1944, the family moved to Germany and then to the United States, where Kristaps received his medical education at Yale University. In 1966, he became an associate professor at the University’s Orthopaedic school and focused on hip and knee arthroplasty. In the 70s of the twentieth century, Kristaps Keggi developed direct anterior approach to the hip joint and started to do arthroplasty using a minimally invasive technique. Over the years, he performed more than 10,000 total hip replacements with his technology at hospitals in New Haven and Waterbury, Connecticut, and authored 135 scientific papers and monographs. In 1989, Kristaps became a Clinical professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Yale Medical School and in 2008 was elected a Full professor. During this time, he trained hundreds of residents and became the founder of his own orthopedic school. Keggi was known for a variety of innovative technologies that were widely used all over the world. In 1988, Keggi organized a non-profit Orthopedic Foundation to provide educational programs for official academic exchanges between the United States and the republics of the USSR. For 10 years, more than 300 doctors from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic States, Central Asia, Vietnam and East Germany have received scholarships and the opportunity to learn the basics of the hip and knee arthroplasties In parallel, he traveled to the clinics with lectures, seminars and demonstration surgeries. For outstanding services to national healthcare, in 1993 he was elected a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and, subsequently, the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2012, Professor Keggi was awarded the silver medal “For Medical Dignity and Service to Russian Medicine”. A brilliant surgeon, inventor, scientist and teacher, successful athlete, philanthropist, Kristaps Juris Keggi died on July 4, 2023, leaving in our hearts a feeling of deep respect and vivid impressions from communicating with him.

An Analysis of the Potential of Philippine Sports as a Tool for Public Diplomacy

With the growing lapses of sports-based strategies in the Philippine setting, the gap between its theoretical foundation and its praxis has ballooned, predominantly attributed to the need for more academic work in this area. Correspondingly, this study provides implications for sports-related strategies for predicting a positive public image of the Philippines and harboring peaceful state cooperation through the merits of soft power. To achieve this, this paper has contrived the objectives, including (1) identifying the implications of hosting the SEA Games 2019 for the country by examining the management of the Philippine government, (2) determining the implications of the elite sporting success of Filipino athletes in sports tournaments, and, lastly, (3) identifying the potential of sports through the implementation of sports-related strategy by the Philippines. Moreover, this paper implements qualitative methods, including document review and key informant interviews, to gather pertinent testimonials from various sub-sectors in sports, including national elite athletes, professional coaches, and sports experts, to assess the state of Philippine sports and significantly determine its potential as a serious form of public diplomacy, particularly in achieving its intended outcomes. This study infers that Philippine sports have the capability to influence the country's stature with consideration of the global media as well as advance its foreign policy of international cooperation.

Intergenerational Judo: Synthesising Evidence- and Eminence-Based Knowledge on Judo across Ages.

In alignment with European policies regarding intergenerational sports, this study seeks to integrate existing evidence- (i.e., umbrella review) and eminence- (i.e., international validated educational courses for coaches) based knowledge on judo training across the lifespan. For evidence knowledge, searches of the Google Scholar, ISI-WoS, PubMed, and Scopus databases (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024535420) for studies focused on training youth and older judo practitioners, with no time restriction up to April 2024, were conducted. This resulted in 16 systematic reviews meeting the inclusion criteria, with an "excellent" (n = 6), "good" (n = 7), and "fair" (n = 3) quality according to the NIH tool. With a large sample size (n = 372,655), the reviews focused on wellbeing (n = 9; bone status, injuries, and psychophysical effects) and performance (n = 7; athlete success, combat time, rapid weight loss, and the Special Judo Fitness Test), examining athletic levels (novices to Olympics), sex, and age (children to older adults). For eminence knowledge, the International Judo Federation Academy courses encompassed the "Undergraduate Certificate as Judo Instructor" (UCJI), which provides a comprehensive structure for teaching judo, including techniques, moral code, roles, responsibilities, refereeing, safety, and age-specific belt examination requirements and progression, and the "Educating Judo Coaches for Older Practitioners" (EdJCO) curricula, which provide theoretical and applied modules (e.g., ageing, health, and organisation) to train older judo practitioners. The findings were summarised in a framework, highlighting the most relevant aspects of intergenerational judo programmes (i.e., aims, key characteristics, coaches' roles, barriers, and facilitators). To develop a comprehensive educational intergenerational judo methodology, future research should examine coaches' and practitioners' opinions on intergenerational judo activities carried out in different national contexts.

Exploring Coach-Athlete Relationships in University Basketball and Their Influence on Athlete Growth and Success Towards Building Champions

In order to study the relationship between coaches and players in college basketball and its impact on the growth and success of athletes, this paper investigated all the players of the basketball team of Yulin University. The interviewed athletes identified the relationship between their coach and athlete relationship and athlete growth and success. In this study, a combination of face-to-face survey and quantitative analysis was used to collect and compare data. There are 34 basketball players in the school, all of them selected as the study sample. The results are as follows: 1). Based from the findings of the study, the researcher came up with the following conclusions: 2). Majority of the athletes are male of not more than twenty-two years of age from level 1 and have been playing basketball for few years. 3). The dynamic and interpersonal connection between the coach and the basketball athletes is highly evident among the teams. 4). Basketball athletes have relatively the same perceptions on the coach-athlete relationships regardless of their sex, age, year level, and years of basketball experience.5). The growth and success of the basketball athletes is highly influenced by the coaching and the athletes’ experiences in the field of basketball sports. 6). Athletes have relatively the same assessment on their growth and success regardless of their sex, age, year level, and years of experience in basketball. 7). The growth and success of the basketball athletes is highly influenced by how the coaches and the athletes are being connected which involves communication, trust, mutual respect, and the exchange of feedback. This paper provides valuable insights and evidence-based strategies for both coaches and athletes to refine their techniques and ultimately improve athlete performance and personal growth. The research can enhance the ability of coaches, inspire athletes, provide information for managers, and promote the research of sports psychology, and ultimately promote the overall growth and success of college basketball players.

The Dominant Sports Coaching Style Preferred by the Athletes from a State University in the Philippines

This research explores the dominant sports coaching style preferred by athletes at Cavite State University Imus Campus in the Philippines. Drawing upon a descriptive research methodology, the study investigates athletes' preferences across various demographic factors and types of sports played. A total of 183 officially enrolled athletes participated in the study, providing valuable insights into their coaching preferences. The findings reveal a universal preference for democratic coaching styles (x̄= 4.69) among athletes, emphasizing collaboration, communication, and participatory decision-making. Regardless of age, sex, year level, or degree program, athletes consistently rated democratic coaching as their preferred style. However, variations and exceptions were observed across certain types of sports, highlighting the importance of tailored coaching approaches. An interesting finding emerged regarding archery, where the athlete's average ratings for all coaching styles—Democratic, Autocratic, and Laissez-Faire—were consistently rated as x̄=5.00, suggesting a preference for any coaching style by a single athlete. Moreover, exceptions were observed in specific sports. For instance, in Chess, an Autocratic coaching style was dominant, indicating a preference for a directive approach (x̄=4.91). Similarly, in Lawn Tennis, athletes showed dual preferences for both Democratic and Autocratic coaching styles. It is significant that coaches recognize and adapt to athletes' preferences to optimize engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes. Aligning the appropriate coaching style to the athletes’ preference, can enhance the overall athletic experience and contribute to the success and satisfaction of athletes in their sporting endeavors.

Coaching Transition and Nature of Change: An Examination of NCAA DI Team Sports

NCAA Division I team sport head coaches typically end their coaching roles by taking a more prestigious and lucrative position, or by being fired. These differences in the nature of the leadership change suggest differences in programmatic conditions at the time of change. How a leader leaves the program undoubtedly reverberates through the program resulting in coaches, players, administrators, and fans with varying levels of satisfaction. While literature is replete with the impact of leadership changes, there is little evidence to distinguish among nature of change, and strong evidence that a negative head coaching change precedes athletic and academic decline. Thus, this study investigated 414 NCAA Division I team–sport head coaching changes using a variety of athletic and academic variables to determine what best predicts specific types of coaching changes. Results indicated athletic success has the strongest relationship and is most predictive, as expected, particularly in revenue sports. Other noteworthy findings, however, revealed female coaches have less negative coaching changes than males, and that hiring an alum or having a high Academic Progress Rate predicted a negative change. These findings reveal there are variables beyond winning that influence the nature of change and establish patterns that could assist administrators in times of transition.

Examining classroom learning behaviors academic and athletic motivation in collegiate athletes

College student-athletes balance the demands of both sport and school in the context of higher education; high levels of motivation are necessary for success in both spaces. Studies have evaluated learning styles and academic motivational outcomes in college student athletes but there is a need to explore how motivation impacts both academic and athletic success. The present study examined the relationship academic, student athletic, and career athletic motivation had with learning styles and major (STEM vs. non-STEM) using Self-Determination Theory as the theoretical lens. College Division I, II, III, and Club college athletes took the Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scale and Student Athletes Motivation toward Sports and Academics Questionnaire. Learning styles were grouped into intrinsic (independent, participant, and collaborative) and extrinsic (dependent, avoidant, and competitive) styles. There were positive relationships between intrinsic learning style and both student athletic (r(147) = .19, p = .02) and academic (r(147) = .30, p &lt; .001) motivation. Extrinsic learning style was positively correlated with career athletic (r(147) = .27, p = .001) and student athletic (r(147) = .16, p &lt; .05) motivation but negatively corelated with academic motivation (r(147) = -.17, p = .03). Athletes in STEM majors (M = 3.88, SD = 0.36) had significantly higher academic motivation than non-STEM majors (M = 3.66, SD = 0.40), t(182) = 3.85, p &lt; .001. Athletes in non-STEM majors (M = 4.00, SD = 0.88) had significantly higher career athletic motivation than STEM majors (M = 3.56, SD = 0.91), t(182) = -3.29, p = .001. Findings suggest being more independent, participant, and collaborative in class is related to motivation both in school and in student athletic endeavors. Athletes pursuing a STEM major may show higher academic motivation than athletes pursuing non-STEM majors. Encouraging student-athlete learning autonomy via education/intervention could improve intrinsic motivation in sport and classes, though further exploration of these factors is necessary to fully understand their relationship in college student-athletes.

Practical application of a heuristic model for swim coaches to optimize training

Swim coaches routinely monitor the performance and performance determining variables of their athletes to optimize training programs in an individual-specific manner with the ultimate aim to swim faster and win races. To interpret the collected data, they require a suitable, and practically useful, conceptual framework, which can be found in the power balance of swimming. For coaches a heuristic model for training and performance optimization based on the power balance has been proposed. We build on this model and illustrate how it can be employed in the training practice using data of an exemplary sub-elite swimmer (700 FINA points), which was collected continuously during two training sessions. Variables that are used in daily swim training practice, such as heart rate (HR), stroke count (SC), stroke rate (SR), and lap time (LT), were measured. By combining external load variables (e.g. LT) and internal load variables (e.g. HR) with technical variables (e.g. SR), the degree to which the swimmer complies with the training program can be determined. The measured values of these variables are presented using a traffic light feedback system indicating the degree of compliance. The traffic light system enables coaches to adjust the program if deemed necessary. It is thus shown how the model and commonly measured variables can assist swim coaches in the design and evaluation of training sessions in their pursuit of personal performance improvement leading to greater athletic success.

Meta-analysis of genomic variants in power and endurance sports to decode the impact of genomics on athletic performance and success.

Association between genomic variants and athletic performance has seen a high degree of controversy, as there is often conflicting data as far as the association of genomic variants with endurance, speed and strength is concerned. Here, findings from a thorough meta-analysis from 4228 articles exploring the association of genomic variants with athletic performance in power and endurance sports are summarized, aiming to confirm or overrule the association of genetic variants with athletic performance of all types. From the 4228 articles, only 107 were eligible for further analysis, including 37 different genes. From these, there were 21 articles for the ACE gene, 29 articles for the ACTN3 gene and 8 articles for both the ACE and ACTN3 genes, including 54,382 subjects in total, from which 11,501 were endurance and power athletes and 42,881 control subjects. These data show that there is no statistically significant association between genomic variants and athletic performance either for endurance or power sports, underlying the fact that it is highly risky and even unethical to make such genetic testing services for athletic performance available to the general public. Overall, a strict regulatory monitoring should be exercised by health and other legislative authorities to protect the public from such services from an emerging discipline that still lacks the necessary scientific evidence and subsequent regulatory approval.

Performance pathways in elite middle- and long-distance track and field athletes: The influence of a successful youth

ObjectivesThere is limited information on the performance progression of athletics endurance athletes from junior-to-senior status and the determinants of success in adulthood. This study aimed to quantify the youth-to-senior transition rate, the likelihood of success and the relationship between youth and senior performance amongst world-class athletes competing in middle- and long-distance disciplines. DesignRetrospective design examining public data between 2000 and 2019. MethodsThe performances of 4678 international athletes (45.3 % female) were analysed. World's all-time top 50 athletes were identified for U18 and Senior categories (age ≥ 20 years). Youth-to-senior transition rate and transition probabilities were calculated. Correlations between best U18 and Senior performances were determined to assess the stability of the performance. ResultsThe youth-to-senior transition rate for top U18 athletes was low for males and females (~19 % and 21 %). Nevertheless, the probability of transition to a top senior was ~7 times higher for top U18 athletes than for non-top U18 athletes. The correlations between youth and senior best performances were low-to-high. ConclusionsFew top U18 athletes maintained top world ranking status during their senior careers. Still, they are more likely to become top senior athletes than those who did not perform at the top level in U18. The association between youth and senior performance is stronger when comparing the same discipline or when athletes competed over longer distances in their senior compared to U18 career. Being a successful youth athlete may represent a small advantage for future success, however, it does not guarantee advancement to the senior top level.

Dynamics of cytomorphological indicators in armwrestlers during the training process and competitive activity

The issue of the functional state of the body of arm wrestlers is poorly studied. There are isolated research data on the improvement of the functional state of the body of arm wrestlers as a result of training. The study of the functional state of the body of these athletes is extremely important, as it determines the athlete's success during competitions and the growth of skill during many years of sports training. The purpose of this work was to determine the cytomorphological indicators of the buccal epithelium of arm wrestlers during the training process and during the performance at the championship of the Lviv region on February 10-11, 2024.&#x0D; As a result of research, we established that the cytomorphological indicators of the buccal epithelium of arm wrestlers, obtained by us during the training process, indicate the absence of discomfort in the body of athletes after training, which is due to the adequacy of physical exertion during training, which is not excessive for athletes of a given age.&#x0D; Changes in the cytomorphological indicators of the buccal epithelium during the Championship of the Lviv Region indicate a significant strain on the body's functional systems, signs of dehydration in the winner who played twelve matches (on both hands). In other athletes, there are certain signs of discomfort and strain on the body's functional systems (cytolysis, karyolysis, karyorrhexis, the presence of binucleated cells and leukocytes). The indicators we obtained during the athletes' performance at the Lviv Region Championship show gradual progressive changes in the athletes' bodies (the development of fatigue and dehydration) depending on the duration of their participation in the competition.

The impact of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on isometric bench press performance in trained athletes

Athletic development centers on optimizing performance, including technical skills and fundamental motor abilities such as strength and speed. Parameters such as maximum contraction force and rate of force development, influence athletic success, although performance gains become harder to achieve as athletic abilities increase. Non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation of the cerebellum (CB-tDCS) has been used successfully to increase force production in novices, although the potential effects in athletes remain unexplored. The present study examined the effects of CB-tDCS on maximum isometric voluntary contraction force (MVCiso) and isometric rate of force development (RFDiso) during a bench press task in well-trained athletes. 21 healthy, male, strength-trained athletes participated in a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded crossover design. Each participant completed the isometric bench press (iBP) task on two separate days, with at least 5 days between sessions, while receiving either CB-tDCS or sham stimulation. Electromyography (EMG) recordings of three muscles involved in iBP were acquired bilaterally to uncover differences in neuromuscular activation and agonist-antagonist co-contraction between conditions. Contrary to our hypothesis, no significant differences in MVCiso and RFDiso were observed between CB-tDCS and sham conditions. Furthermore, no tDCS-induced differences in neuromuscular activation or agonist-antagonist co-contraction were revealed. Here, we argue that the effects of CB-tDCS on force production appear to depend on the individual's training status. Future research should study individual differences in tDCS responses between athletes and novices, as well as the potential of high-definition tDCS for precise brain region targeting to potentially enhance motor performance in athletic populations.

Competitive effectiveness of Kazakhstani athletes specializing in Greco-Roman wrestling in the international sports arena

Despite the great popularity of Greco-Roman style wrestling and the success of Kazakhstan athletes in the international sports arena, there is no in-depth analysis of the competitive performance of our athletes at major sports competitions in the literature available to us. The purpose of the study was to analyze the performances of Kazakhstan Greco-Roman wrestlers at major international competitions. Such research methods as analysis of literary sources, analysis of protocols of performances of Kazakhstan athletes at international competitions, analysis of profiles of Kazakhstan athletes in the International Wrestling Database were used. Analyzing the performances of Kazakhstan Greco-Roman wrestlers at such major international competitions as the World Cup and the Olympic Games, we can conclude that their competitive performance has decreased. In recent years, the share of gold medals in the medal standings of the national team has decreased and the share of bronze medals has increased. Kazakhstan Greco-Roman wrestlers are one of the regular participants of major international sports competitions. During the entire period of participation, Kazakhstan athletes at international competitions have won 12 medals of the European Championship, 43 medals of the World Championship and 16 medals of the Olympic Games. However, in recent years there has been a decrease in the competitive effectiveness of our athletes at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.