Average Players Research Articles

Інноваційні методологічні підходи до оцінки психофізичних здібностей гандболістів на етапі попередньої базової підготовки

The article deals with the psychophysical abilities of young handball players at the stage of preliminary basic training. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the level of formation of such abilities as reaction speed, coordination of movements, concentration of attention and the ability to make decisions in stressful situations. The scientific relevance of the study is due to the need to improve training methods aimed at increasing the effectiveness of athletes' preparation for competitions. The purpose of the study is to analyze and evaluate the psychophysical abilities of young handball players, which will help to determine the effectiveness of the applied training methods and contribute to the development of new approaches to the training of athletes. Material and methods of research. Handball players at the stage of preliminary basic training (103 people) at the age of 15-16 years old, involved in the championship of Ukraine among boys, took part in the pedagogical experiment. To implement the goals and objectives of the study used a set of methods: theoretical analysis, synthesis and generalization; pedagogical observation; pedagogical testing; mathematical and statistical data processing. Research Results. It was found that the psychophysical abilities of young handball players who are at the stage of preliminary basic training correspond to a satisfactory level. However, in order to achieve high results in the future it is necessary to improve training programs taking into account the individual characteristics of each athlete. Analysis of the test results showed that the majority of handball players, both from the experimental and control groups, demonstrate similar results on the complex index of psychophysical abilities, which allowed us to conclude that there were no significant differences in the levels of development of psychophysical abilities between the groups at the beginning of the study. It was revealed that the average characteristics of different psychophysical tests in the majority of athletes correspond to a satisfactory level. For example, the speed of reaction to visual stimuli, reaction speed in game conditions, as well as the results of specialized handball tests showed that the level of formation of these abilities is sufficient for participation in competitions, but requires improvement to achieve high results. It is important to note that the highest average values of complex indicators of psychophysical abilities were observed in point guard players, which corresponds to the average level of formation. Line players also showed the results corresponding to the average level, while half-middle and edge players showed slightly lower values corresponding to the satisfactory level. Conclusions. The conducted study showed that at the stage of preliminary basic training most young handball players have a satisfactory level of development of psychophysical abilities, which indicates that there is a potential to improve their sports training by improving training methods. Given that different players demonstrate different levels of development of psychophysical abilities, especially among midfield and edge players, it is necessary to develop and implement individual training programs, which will optimize the training of each player in accordance with his individual characteristics and increase the overall effectiveness of the team.

Chess and Freedom

Abstract The tension between the game of chess as strictly regulated by rules and the idea of freedom can be traced in three radidal examples separated by media and different periods of the twentieth century. The first emphatic employment of the concept of freedom is in the title of a chess journal issued by the Communist opposition of the central German working-class chess organization at the end of the Weimar Republic. In the journal Frei Schach! the radical subsection of “Red Sports Unity” asserts its claim for supremacy, demanding revolutionary goals in the class struggle. But this journalistic appeal to freedom was countered by the use of the same concept by the moderate alternative central chess organisation, and soon even by the National Socialists suppressing both working-class organisations. In the cultural scene after the second world war there was a distant, strangely depoliticized echo of freedom in chess. In the Austrian avantgarde dramatist Wolfgang Bauer`s version of Ibsen`s modernist revision of classical drama in the play Ghosts there is a farcical use of everyday objects as a replacement of chess elements. They function as a postmodern parody of the conventional structures of a conversation play. Compared to such highly idiosyncratic ludic transformation of chess games, today`s digitalized chess in which the computer is the final arbiter makes the game more accessible to the masses. The surface democratic appeal in which average players can turn into critics of the chess elite is accompanied by the complete subjection to digitalisation on a late capitalist agenda. However, this does not completely deprive the traditional game of chess of its promise of playful enjoyment for an increasing number of people on a global scale.

Effects of interdependent network reciprocity on the evolution of public cooperation

This paper investigates the impact of resource interaction between interdependent networks on public cooperation. The resource interaction is staged between the upper and bottom two-layer network and reallocates payoffs depending on the gap between the bottom network average payoff and players’ payoff. It is shown that such a redistribution mechanism effective the cooperation level on the upper network presents a non-monotonic influence, while the network reciprocity fails on the bottom network with the increment of resource interaction strength parameter α. By examining the behavior of sponsors and recipients within cooperators and defectors, the equilibrium state can be attributed to the evolution of correlated cooperator pairs between interdependent networks. Our results provided a theoretical analysis of the group cooperation induced by the resource interaction factors.

The Influence of Subjective Perceptions and the Efficacy of Objective Evaluation in Soccer School Players' Classification: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The first objective was to investigate the influence of subjective perceptions and the efficacy of objective evaluation regarding the classification of soccer school players by their level of performance. The second objective was to advise on accurate collocation according to objective assessment of players' performance. An objective evaluation of the players' motor performance abilities and coaches' subjective perceptions of the players' levels of performance was conducted with 34 young football players (U11) from Torino FC soccer school. The players were allocated to three groups based on their perceived performance level at the start of the season. The players were evaluated using a field test battery, and team coaches provided subjective ratings of the players' abilities. MANOVA showed significant differences between the playing levels (F = 2.185, p < 0.05; partial η2 = 0.34) in the 10 × 5 shuttle run, 20 m sprint test (objective evaluations), heading, understanding of the game, positioning on the field, speed and agility (subjective perception) (F = 1.951, p < 0.05; partial η2 = 0.43). A discriminant analysis of the field test scores revealed that 76.5% of players were correctly categorised in one of the three performance-level groups. However, the first group (the best players) had the lowest predictive accuracy rate (58.3%). By comparison, the second group (the average players) had a much higher predictive accuracy rate (83.3%), and the third (the weakest players) had the highest (90.0%). These findings support the role of objective performance evaluation in categorising players of different skill in soccer schools.

Evaluating the performance of non-reactive and reactive agility tests in elite and average soccer players under the age of 14

Evaluating the performance of non-reactive and reactive agility tests in elite and average soccer players under the age of 14

NPIPVis: A visualization system involving NBA visual analysis and integrated learning model prediction

BackgroundData-driven event analysis has gradually become the backbone of modern competitive sports analysis. Competitive sports data analysis tasks increasingly use computer vision and machine-learning models for intelligent data analysis. Existing sports visualization systems focus on the player–team data visualization, which is not intuitive enough for team season win–loss data and game time-series data visualization and neglects the prediction of all-star players. MethodsThis study used an interactive visualization system designed with parallel aggregated ordered hypergraph dynamic hypergraphs, Calliope visualization data story technology, and iStoryline narrative visualization technology to visualize the regular statistics and game time data of players and teams. NPIPVis includes dynamic hypergraphs of a teamʹs wins and losses and game plot narrative visualization components. In addition, an integrated learning-based all-star player prediction model, SRR-voting, which starts from the existing minority and majority samples, was proposed using the synthetic minority oversampling technique and RandomUnderSampler methods to generate and eliminate samples of a certain size to balance the number of allstar and average players in the datasets. Next, a random forest algorithm was introduced to extract and construct the features of players and combined with the voting integrated model to predict the all-star players, using Grid-SearchCV, to optimize the hyperparameters of each model in integrated learning and then combined with five-fold cross-validation to improve the generalization ability of the model. Finally, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model was introduced to enhance the interpretability of the model. ResultsThe experimental results of comparing the SRR-voting model with six common models show that the accuracy, F1-score, and recall metrics are significantly improved, which verifies the effectiveness and practicality of the SRR-voting model. ConclusionsThis study combines data visualization and machine learning to design a National Basketball Association data visualization system to help the general audience visualize game data and predict all-star players; this can also be extended to other sports events or related fields.

Countermovement Jump with the Help of Wings in 16-Year-Old Volleyball Players

Vertical jump is combined with the assessment of the strength and strength of the muscles of the lower extremities that are fundamental components of the volleyball game's work.The Countermovement Jump with arm (CMJA) test as a specific specifically for the assessment of the offensive force of volleyball players.Methods: Female (F) - Males (M) average volleyball players were tested in CMJA at the GFRP; Force(F max), Power(P max) and gravity shift relationship Jump Height(JH). Anthropometric measurements of volleyball players were also developed; Body Height (BH cm), Body Mass (BMI% kg/m²), Body Weight (BW kg). Results: The differences between the two groups found in the study resulted in significant differences in BH cm (F-172, M-187.3), BW kg (F- 62.2, M -79.3), BMI kg / m² (F-21.1, M -22.6), Jump place in JP cm (F-266, M-310), Jump Attack in JA cm (F-274, M-321). But even the data captured by the Leonardo platform in the CMJA test gives us a noticeable difference between the two groups; (F-6.4,M-4.5), P max (F-3.08, M-4.78) and diff P max Left - Right(F-2.59,M-0.56),V max m/%(F-5.2,M-4.4). Conclusion: The results obtained suggest changes to the performance of volleyball players in "vertical jump" in the parameters of force, speed, and power. These indicators are valid for any trainer or volleyball player to implement a detailed and specific training program for the further development of the physical qualities of volleyball players, especially vertical tipping in gaining the lower extremity muscular power.

Injury Profile in Women's Football: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Football is the most popular sport among women; however, little is known about the injury profile in this population. This information would help design tailored injury risk mitigation strategies that may make football safer for women. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological data of injuries in women´s football. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was performed up to January 2020 in PubMed, Web of Science, Sportdiscus and the Cochrane Library databases. Twenty-two studies reporting the incidence of injuries in women football were analysed. Two reviewers independently extracted data (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] for inter-reviewer reliability = 0.87) and assessed study quality using the STROBE statement, GRADE approach, Newcastle Ottawa Scale and Downs and Black assessment tools. Studies were combined in pooled analyses (injury incidence and injury proportion) using a Poisson random effects regression model. The overall incidence of injuries in female football players was 6.1 injuries/1000h of exposure. Match injury incidence (19.2 injuries/1000h of exposure) was almost six times higher than training injury incidence rate (3.5 injuries/1000h of exposure). Lower extremity injuries had the highest incidence rates (4.8 injuries/1000h of exposure). The most common types of injuries were muscle/tendon (1.8 injuries/1000h of exposure) and joint (non-bone) and ligament (1.5 injuries/1000h of exposure), which were frequently associated with traumatic incidents. Slight/minimal injuries (1-3days of time loss) were the most common. The incidence rate of injuries during matches in the top five world ranking leagues was higher than the rest of the leagues (19.3 vs 10.7 injuries/1000h of exposure, respectively). The weighted injury proportion was 1.1 (95% confidence interval = 0.6-1.7) whereby on average players sustained more than one injury per season. Female football players are exposed to a substantial risk of sustaining injuries, especially during matches that require the highest level of performance. To markedly reduce overall injury burden, efforts should focus on introducing and evaluating preventative measures that target match specific dynamics to make football players more capable of responding to the challenges that they have to deal with during match play. This systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (ID = CRD42019118152).

RETRACTED: Preventive monitoring of basketball players' knee pads based on IoT wearable devices

The Internet of Things based on the rapid development of Internet intelligence for the wearable device The Internet is where shooting performance can be tracked and remote analysis has prompted us to develop a form of basketball player device. The purpose of this article is to evaluate basketball coaches who use the system with particular emphasis on identifying players using micro sensors. An online survey was conducted by basketball coaches from international basketball related associations and social networking sites. Based on the data, therefore, how player tracking is obtained, as well as the range and players, to promote Wii surveillance, multiple responses, compromised standards at the Licert level, and collected through open-ended questions this research can propose annual scale and real-time analysis, seamless throw movement system design professional basketball player. It depends on angular velocity data. Three different basketball shoes, a built-in motion sensor and three-axis acceleration data can be collected about. Three basketball dribble, jump, turn around. A new research analysis tool has been developed to shoot the individual ideological actions of each player. Developmental tools have been shown to be closer than conventional knee pads. The results show that the system can accurately estimate the average difference basketball players. In analytical mode, extended wrist activity in other sports can develop the most important player skill level.

Intimidation, Discrimination, and Retaliation: Hit-by-Pitches during the Integration of Major League Baseball

During the first ten seasons of integrated Major League Baseball, black batters were hit by pitches about 86% more often per plate-appearance than white batters. However, on average black players during this period were superior players. To investigate to what extent the difference in hit-by-pitch can be explained by performance and characteristics other than race, we use a fractional logit model to estimate hit-by-pitch per plate appearance during a season. Our data are from Baseball-Reference.com. Controlling for differences in performance and other characteristics and including interaction terms with race, the difference falls to about 42%. A little over half the difference is explained by factors beyond race. The remaining difference might reflect different batting styles for early black batters. However, when observations where hit-by-pitch per plate appearance are in the top 2.5% of the sample are removed, black players were about 46% more likely to be hit. Plots of the marginal effects from a model using interactive terms show that the likelihood of a black player being hit rose relative to that of a white player as base-on-balls, singles, doubles, home runs, or stolen bases per plate appearance rose. Some pitchers may have exhibited animosity towards black players either by hitting them or taking less care to avoid hitting them. Our findings support previous research that better batters and batters who play for teams who score more runs are more likely to be hit by pitches. Because empirical evidence suggests pitchers might alter pitches to intimidate, discriminate, or retaliate, changes to existing rules could reduce the frequency of hits-by-pitch.

Time for a true display of skill: Top players in League of Legends have better executive control

Research into the effects of action video gaming on cognition has largely relied on self-reported action video game experience and extended video game training. Only a few studies have focused on participants' actual gaming skills. However, whether superior players and average players have different executive control is still not fully demonstrated. This study had top-ranking League of Legends players (global top 0.17%; N = 35) and average-ranking League of Legends players (N = 35) perform two cognitive tasks that aimed to measure three aspects of executive functioning: cognitive flexibility, interference control, and impulsive control. We controlled self-reported gaming experience, so that top-ranking players and average-ranking players had similar years of play and hours of play per week. We found that compared to a group of average players, top players showed smaller task-switching costs and smaller response-congruency effects in a Stroop-switching test. In a continuous performance test, top players indicated higher hit rates and lower false alarm rates as compared to average players. These findings suggest that top players have better cognitive flexibility and more accurate control of interference in the context of task-switching. Moreover, top players exhibit better impulsive control. The present study provides evidence that players' gaming skills rather than gaming experience are related to cognitive abilities, which may explain why previous studies on self-reported gaming experience and those assessing supervised training and cognitive performance have shown inconsistent results.

Evolution of a Player: Transitions in NBA Player Classifications

Using principal components analysis (PCA) and hierarchal clustering, I classify all professional basketball players in the NBA since the 2000-01 season and observe their classification transitions under a Markov transition matrix framework. Player attributes—including shot type and location distributions, usage, assists, rebounds, steals, and other offensive and defensive statistics—are used to identify five principal components of basketball playing styles: “Inside vs Outside,” “Offensive Aggressiveness,” “Efficiency vs Midrange,” “Midrange Facilitator” and “Floor Stretching.” Hierarchal clustering on the principal components identifies twelve unique player classifications. The model successfully characterizes how players evolve and develop over time. Certain early-career classifications are more likely to transition to higher-skilled classifications. Star players tend to begin their careers in higher-skilled classifications and are more stable within their classifications than average or marginal players. Player classifications are found to be less stable for rookies than for the player population as a whole.

Are Soccer Players Older Now Than Before? Aging Trends and Market Value in the Last Three Decades of the UEFA Champions League.

The aims of the current study were to analyze the evolution of players’ age in the UEFA Champions League since the start of its modern-day format in 1992–1993 up until 2017–2018 and to determine how the players’ age relates to their market value. The sample consisted of all players participating in the UEFA Champions League from the 1992–1993 to 2017–2018 seasons (n = 16062). The following variables were used in this study: players’ age, number of seasons in the club, number of Champions Leagues won, team performance, and market value of the player in the season. Data were examined using a one-way ANOVA and a linear regression. The main finding of the current study is that an aging trend has occurred in the last three decades in the Champions League. A significant increase in average players’ age (>1.6 years) was observed, rising from an age of 24.9 to 26.5 years. Goalkeepers and Center Backs tend to peak later than attackers, and their peak performance can last until an age of about 31 years. Finally, an inverted-U curve defines the association between market value and age, with peak value appearing in the 26–30 age range. These results provide useful information regarding at which age soccer players are likely to perform at the highest level, as well as the age they are likely to have the highest market value.

Effects of the Pitch Surface on Displacement of Youth Players During Soccer Match-Play.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of different pitch surfaces (artificial turf, natural turf and dirt field) on positioning and displacement of young soccer players (age: 13.4 ± 0.5 yrs; body height: 161.82 ± 7.52 cm; body mass: 50.79 ± 7.22 kg and playing experience: 3.5 ± 1.4 yrs). Data were collected using GPS units which allowed to calculate spatial distribution variability, assessed by measuring entropy of individual distribution maps (ShannEn). Ellipsoidal areas (m2) representing players’ displacement on the pitch, centred on the average players’ positional coordinates, were also calculated, with axes corresponding to the standard deviations of the displacement in the longitudinal and lateral directions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate differences between pitch surfaces and across players’ positions. There was significant effect in positioning (η2 = 0.146; p < 0.001) and displacement (η2 = 0.063; p < 0.05) by the players between pitch surfaces. A dirt field condition induced an increase in the players’ movement variability, while players’ displacement was more restricted when playing on artificial turf. Also, there were significant effects on positioning (η2 = 0.496; p < 0.001) and displacement (η2 = 0.339; p < 0.001) across players’ positions. Central midfielders presented the greatest movement variability and displacement while fullbacks showed the lowest variability. Subsequently, the results may contribute to implement strategies that optimise players’ performance in different surface conditions.

There and back again: Adaptation after repeated rule changes of the game

Rule changes have offered a natural experimental setting in the sports environment and beyond for many years. However, an understanding of human behavioural adaptation processes after repeated rule changes is missing from the extant literature. The NBA offers a unique setting in which the three-point line was moved (shortened) for a period of three seasons (1994–95 to 1996–97) and then returned (lengthened) to its original position (pre 1994–95). We are therefore not only able to explore the behavioural changes after reducing distance restrictions but also how players re-adapt to the original, more difficult condition. Using a dataset of almost 700,000 player-game level observations we find that (on average) players instantaneously adjust to rule changes. Good scorers and younger players take particular advantage of the situation. On the other hand, older players decrease their 3-point attempt ratio and do not readjust after a return to the original distance. Positive feedback regarding 3-point efficiency encourages players to try more shots while efficiency gains in 2-point shots reduces this incentive, indicating that players may follow the heuristic of “win-stay”. Finally, making 3-point shots easier for a couple of seasons has positive externalities on efficiency that last more than a decade after the re-adjustment of the distance.

Computer football: Plays, players and strategies choices

In this paper a simulator of soccer football game is present. The algorithms of virtual soccer players' interaction assemble a concurrent system which formal modeling is on the base of a context-free grammar. Nash equilibrium is our method for strategic choices: the strategy profiles that fit this equilibrium set effective combinations of game. Profiles of players and teams are quantified from statistics of previous top tournaments. Simulations are made respectively with 4-3-3, 4-4-2 or 5-3-2, defenders-midfielder-forwarders formation, with average profile players as well as with specific profiles so estimate the advantages of our simulator.

Learning in a Local Interaction Hawk-Dove Game

We study how players in a local interaction hawk dove game will learn, if they can either imitate the most successful player in the neighborhood or play a best reply versus the opponent's previous action. From simulations it appears that each learning strategy will be used, because each performs better when it is less popular. Despite that, clustering may occur if players choose their learning strategy on the basis of largely similar information. Finally, on average players will play Hawk with a probability larger than in the mixed Nash equilibrium of the stage game.

Welfare effects of payment truncation in piece rate tournaments

This article analyzes the optimal response of a principal to the regulatory proposal which would truncate agents’ bonus payment in a piece rate tournament at zero. In a model with risk-neutral and heterogenous abilities agents, we analyze the principal’s problem of optimal choice of contract parameters under both regular and truncated tournament scenarios. The results show that the principal could significantly mitigate potential welfare losses due to tournament truncation by adjusting the payment scheme. The optimal adaptation to tournament truncation results in a situation where both higher and lower ability players would benefit from the policy while average ability players would lose.

Business model innovation processes of average market players: a qualitative‐empirical analysis

Business model innovation is by now mainly understood as a strategic option for firms to enhance competitiveness. As a result, business model innovation research usually focuses on outperforming firms that deliberately innovate their business models. We enhance this rather narrow perspective by analysing business model innovation processes of average market players against the background of a multiple‐case study. Our findings show that average market players do at least initially not deliberately pursue business model innovation. Instead, they experience business model innovation as a highly emergent and very often unintended process. We identify four phases of this process and describe them in detail. Furthermore, we highlight factors that determine whether a firm is able to complete the process step or not. The results of our study are reflected in a newly developed process model that considerably enhances the understanding of business model innovation processes with regard to average market players and may serve as framework for future research.

Solving a Complex Language Game by Using Knowledge-Based Word Associations Discovery

“The Guillotine” is a language game whose goal is to predict the unique word that is linked in some way to five words given as clues, generally unrelated to each other. The ability of the human player to find the solution depends on the richness of her cultural background. We designed an artificial player for that game, based on a large knowledge repository built by exploiting several sources available on the web, such as Wikipedia, that provide the system with the cultural and linguistic background needed to understand clues. The “brain” of the system is a spreading activation algorithm that starts processing clues, finds associations between them and words within the knowledge repository, and computes a list of candidate solutions. In this paper we focus on the problem of finding the most promising candidate solution to be provided as the final answer. We improved the spreading algorithm by means of two strategies for finding associations also between candidate solutions and clues. Those strategies allow bidirectional reasoning and select the candidate solution which is the most connected with the clues. Experiments show that the performance of the system is comparable to that of average human players.