Beach Volleyball Research Articles

Essential Aspects of Beach Volleyball Technique

Beach volleyball is a sports game practiced during performance sports activities and people who love to move, or for recreational purposes, Loisir. The game of beach volleyball resembles the game of indoor volleyball in terms of the similarity of essential execution by the volleyball player and some actions of attack or defense. However, the two sports also have significant differences. This is making beach volleyball one of the most famous and practiced sports, especially in the hot season. Also, statistics highlight that sports with the ball up in the open air have the most massive audiences among the sports practiced at the Summer Olympics.

Voleibol de Praia: Análise Temporal e Respostas Endócrinas de Atletas de Nível Nacional

The aim of this study was to characterize temporal aspects and to verify the acute effect of a beach volleyball game on testosterone, cortisol and T:C ratio in young athletes. Participants were 16 male athletes (age= 17 ± 2,44 years, height= 1,84 ± 0,06 m, body mass 76,23 ± 9,54 kg, BMI 22,35 ± 1,92, number of training sessions per week 4 ± 1,20 days). Athletes made a match with official rules which was filmed for analysis. Saliva was used to measure testosterone and cortisol levels and testosterone/cortisol ratio (T:C ratio) was calculated. Hormonal analyzes were done in duplicate using ELISA method and comparisons between beginning of the match, end of the first set and end of the match using Anova one-way of repeated measures. Total match duration was 30 min and 49s (± 0.01s), with rallies of 6s (± 01s) and time between rallies of 20s (± 0.02s). Cortisol showed a linear tendency increasing over time and T:C ratio showed a quadratic tendency reducing at the end of first set and reestablishing at the end of the game. It is noteworthy that a beach volleyball match lasting approximately 30 minutes promotes enough stimulus to generate impact on endocrine markers. Keywords: Athletes, Biological markers, Biomarkers, Athletic performance.

한국 비치발리볼 국가대표 감독 경험에 대한 자문화기술지

본 연구는 연구자의 한국 비치발리볼 국가대표 감독 경험에 대해 자문화기술지를 통해 설명하고자 하였다. 연구자 는 비치발리볼 감독으로서 국제 대회 및 아시안 게임 50회 이상 출전의 경험이 있으며, 이러한 경험을 토대로 감독의 경험 과 역할에 대해 논의해보고자 하였다. 연구에 사용된 분석 자료는 2018-2019 비치발리볼 경기 내용 및 훈련 방법, 계획, 결과 등의 자료와 메모, 자기 회상 자료, 반성 일지, 관련인 면담 텍스트 자료 등을 통해 수집하였다. 연구 결과 ‘자부심 뒤에 따라오는 커다란 무게감’과‘팀의 성공을 좌우하는 인재 선발과 선수 관리에 따른 결단력과 책임감’ 그리고 ‘비 치발리볼 감독으로서 느껴는 행복감과 삶의 의미’로 구분하여 구체적인 내용을 설명하였고 요약 하였다. 본 연구가 감독 을 꿈꾸는 모든 지도자들에게 참고 자료로 활용되기를 기대한다. 추후에는 한 종목에 국한되지 않고, 감독에게 필요한 소양, 기술, 훈련과 시합을 위한 세부적 전략 등 다양하고 구체적인 연구가 필요하다.

Influence of static balances level on competitive performance indicators of athletes 17-21 years old in beach volleyball

Background and Study Aim. To determine the influence of the level of static balance on the competitive activity of athletes aged 17-21 in beach volleyball. Material and Methods. The study involved athletes aged 17-21 years, who play beach volleyball in the Kherson region. The research was focused on the main indicators: the total number of serves, passes, tactical strikes, blocks, and how the development of static balance affects the level of their performance. Results. Acrobatic exercises in training activities for special physical training positively contributed to the increase in the samples of Bondarevsky (p <0.05), Romberg (p <0.05) and Yarotsky (p <0.05). Samples with different nature of the work performed reflect different aspects of static equilibrium: samples of Bondarevsky and Yarotsky most reflect the nature of the work performed during the competitive activities of athletes; Romberg's test only partially corresponds to these indicators. Conclusions. The proposed methodological approach significantly affects the performance of competitive activities and is directly related to the quality of tactical strikes, high-level performance in defense and the number of serves. The results of the study indicate the difference in samples with different nature of the work. Overstrain of the vestibular centers can negatively affect the quality of tactical strikes in the attack and blocking.

ANALISIS KONTEN PADA PERSEPSI ATLET WANITA MUSLIM TERHADAP ATURAN BERPAKAIAN PADA EVENT BOLA VOLI PASIR DI INDONESIA

This study aims to determine how to conduct an analysis in a phenomenon to find out the perception of Moslem female athletes of the dress code at beach volleyball events in Indonesia with a content analysis approach. Data collection was carried out through observation, interviews and documentation on Moslem female athletes in Indonesia. The results of this study found three main categories from 14 themes which are interrelated dimensions, they are authenticity and professionalism orientation, moderate orientation and athlete's achievement. These findings indicate that the relationship between perceptions, attitudes and the use of dress codes for Moslem female athletes in beach volleyball events.

Energy Availability With or Without Eating Disorder Risk in Collegiate Female Athletes and Performing Artists.

Female athletes and performing artists can present with low energy availability (LEA) from either unintentional (eg, inadvertent undereating) or intentional (eg, eating disorder [ED]) methods. Whereas LEA and ED risk have been examined independently, few researchers have examined them simultaneously. Awareness of LEA with or without ED risk may provide clinicians with innovative prevention and intervention strategies. To examine LEA with or without ED risk (eg, eating attitudes, pathogenic behaviors) in female collegiate athletes and performing artists and compare sport type and LEA with the overall ED risk. Cross-sectional study. Free living in sport-specific settings. A total of 121 collegiate female athletes and performing artists (age = 19.8 ± 2.0 years, height = 168.9 ± 7.7 cm, mass = 63.6 ± 9.3 kg) participating in equestrian (n = 28), soccer (n = 20), beach volleyball (n = 18), softball (n = 17), volleyball (n = 12), and ballet (n = 26). Anthropometric measurements (height, mass, body composition), resting metabolic rate, energy intake, total daily energy expenditure, exercise energy expenditure, Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), and EDI-3 Symptom Checklist were assessed. Chi-square analysis was used to examine differences between LEA and sport type, LEA and ED risk, ED risk and sport type, and pathogenic behaviors and sport type. Most (81%, n = 98) female athletes and performing artists displayed LEA and differences between LEA and sport type (\(\def\upalpha{\unicode[Times]{x3B1}}\)\(\def\upbeta{\unicode[Times]{x3B2}}\)\(\def\upgamma{\unicode[Times]{x3B3}}\)\(\def\updelta{\unicode[Times]{x3B4}}\)\(\def\upvarepsilon{\unicode[Times]{x3B5}}\)\(\def\upzeta{\unicode[Times]{x3B6}}\)\(\def\upeta{\unicode[Times]{x3B7}}\)\(\def\uptheta{\unicode[Times]{x3B8}}\)\(\def\upiota{\unicode[Times]{x3B9}}\)\(\def\upkappa{\unicode[Times]{x3BA}}\)\(\def\uplambda{\unicode[Times]{x3BB}}\)\(\def\upmu{\unicode[Times]{x3BC}}\)\(\def\upnu{\unicode[Times]{x3BD}}\)\(\def\upxi{\unicode[Times]{x3BE}}\)\(\def\upomicron{\unicode[Times]{x3BF}}\)\(\def\uppi{\unicode[Times]{x3C0}}\)\(\def\uprho{\unicode[Times]{x3C1}}\)\(\def\upsigma{\unicode[Times]{x3C3}}\)\(\def\uptau{\unicode[Times]{x3C4}}\)\(\def\upupsilon{\unicode[Times]{x3C5}}\)\(\def\upphi{\unicode[Times]{x3C6}}\)\(\def\upchi{\unicode[Times]{x3C7}}\)\(\def\uppsy{\unicode[Times]{x3C8}}\)\(\def\upomega{\unicode[Times]{x3C9}}\)\(\def\bialpha{\boldsymbol{\alpha}}\)\(\def\bibeta{\boldsymbol{\beta}}\)\(\def\bigamma{\boldsymbol{\gamma}}\)\(\def\bidelta{\boldsymbol{\delta}}\)\(\def\bivarepsilon{\boldsymbol{\varepsilon}}\)\(\def\bizeta{\boldsymbol{\zeta}}\)\(\def\bieta{\boldsymbol{\eta}}\)\(\def\bitheta{\boldsymbol{\theta}}\)\(\def\biiota{\boldsymbol{\iota}}\)\(\def\bikappa{\boldsymbol{\kappa}}\)\(\def\bilambda{\boldsymbol{\lambda}}\)\(\def\bimu{\boldsymbol{\mu}}\)\(\def\binu{\boldsymbol{\nu}}\)\(\def\bixi{\boldsymbol{\xi}}\)\(\def\biomicron{\boldsymbol{\micron}}\)\(\def\bipi{\boldsymbol{\pi}}\)\(\def\birho{\boldsymbol{\rho}}\)\(\def\bisigma{\boldsymbol{\sigma}}\)\(\def\bitau{\boldsymbol{\tau}}\)\(\def\biupsilon{\boldsymbol{\upsilon}}\)\(\def\biphi{\boldsymbol{\phi}}\)\(\def\bichi{\boldsymbol{\chi}}\)\(\def\bipsy{\boldsymbol{\psy}}\)\(\def\biomega{\boldsymbol{\omega}}\)\(\def\bupalpha{\bf{\alpha}}\)\(\def\bupbeta{\bf{\beta}}\)\(\def\bupgamma{\bf{\gamma}}\)\(\def\bupdelta{\bf{\delta}}\)\(\def\bupvarepsilon{\bf{\varepsilon}}\)\(\def\bupzeta{\bf{\zeta}}\)\(\def\bupeta{\bf{\eta}}\)\(\def\buptheta{\bf{\theta}}\)\(\def\bupiota{\bf{\iota}}\)\(\def\bupkappa{\bf{\kappa}}\)\(\def\buplambda{\bf{\lambda}}\)\(\def\bupmu{\bf{\mu}}\)\(\def\bupnu{\bf{\nu}}\)\(\def\bupxi{\bf{\xi}}\)\(\def\bupomicron{\bf{\micron}}\)\(\def\buppi{\bf{\pi}}\)\(\def\buprho{\bf{\rho}}\)\(\def\bupsigma{\bf{\sigma}}\)\(\def\buptau{\bf{\tau}}\)\(\def\bupupsilon{\bf{\upsilon}}\)\(\def\bupphi{\bf{\phi}}\)\(\def\bupchi{\bf{\chi}}\)\(\def\buppsy{\bf{\psy}}\)\(\def\bupomega{\bf{\omega}}\)\(\def\bGamma{\bf{\Gamma}}\)\(\def\bDelta{\bf{\Delta}}\)\(\def\bTheta{\bf{\Theta}}\)\(\def\bLambda{\bf{\Lambda}}\)\(\def\bXi{\bf{\Xi}}\)\(\def\bPi{\bf{\Pi}}\)\(\def\bSigma{\bf{\Sigma}}\)\(\def\bPhi{\bf{\Phi}}\)\(\def\bPsi{\bf{\Psi}}\)\(\def\bOmega{\bf{\Omega}}\)\({\rm{\chi }}_5^2\) = 43.8, P < .001). The majority (76.0%, n = 92) presented with an ED risk, but the ED risk did not differ by sport type (P = .94). The EDI-3 Symptom Checklist revealed that 61.2% (n = 74) engaged in pathogenic behaviors, with dieting being the most common (51.2%, n = 62). Most (76.0%, n = 92) displayed LEA with an ED risk. No differences were found in LEA by ED risk and sport type. Softball players reported the most LEA with an ED risk (82.4%, n = 14), followed by ballet dancers (76%, n = 19). Our results suggested that a large proportion of collegiate female athletes and performing artists were at risk for LEA with an ED risk, thus warranting education, identification, prevention, and intervention strategies relative to fueling for performance.

The Effect of Balance and Sand Training on Postural Control in Elite Beach Volleyball Players.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week-long balance training program on the postural control of elite male beach volleyball players and the effect on balance when swapping to specific sports training in the sand in the following 12 weeks. Six elite players were tested before and after the balance training program and also 12 weeks after the balance training had finished. To this aim, a pressure platform was used to collect the following center of pressure parameters: path length, speed, mean position, and root-mean-square amplitude in the medial-lateral and anteroposterior planes. Romberg quotients for the center of pressure parameters were also calculated. The results of the present study showed better static postural control after specific balance training: smaller path length and speed under open eyes condition in dominant (p = 0.015; p = 0.009, respectively) and non-dominant monopedal stances (p = 0.005; p = 0.004, respectively). Contrastingly, 12 weeks after the balance training program, the path length and speed values under open eyes condition in bipedal stance increased significantly (p = 0.045; p = 0.004, respectively) for sand training. According to our results, balance training is effective to achieve positive balance test scores. It is speculated, and yet to be proven, that sand training could be effective to improve dynamic and open eyes postural control during beach volleyball practice. In beach volleyball players, a balance training program is effective to develop static balance but the effect of ecological sand training on dynamic performance deserves specific investigation.

Quantifying jump-specific loads in beach volleyball by an inertial measurement device

The ability to complete a large volume of high intensity jumps represents an important performance indicator in beach volleyball. Inertial measurement units are suitable tools to monitor those jump-specific loads but the applicability in beach volleyball lacks research. This study evaluates the accuracy of a commercially available inertial measurement device in beach volleyball for (i) jump count during match-play and (ii) jump height measurement under laboratory conditions. Jump count measures were compared to retrospective video analysis to determine precision and recall. Jump heights were referenced to three-dimensional motion analysis to determine typical errors of estimate, correlations and Bland-Altman statistics. Match-play analysis results in excellent precision (0.975) for a total of 439 jumps and recall values between 0.836–1.000 depending on jump type. Jump heights revealed good to excellent correlations for block (r = 0.81) and spike jumps (r = 0.90), with a mean bias of 2.61 and 7.69 cm, respectively. The device demonstrates good validity for measuring jump count as well as vertical displacement. Due to its potential for nearly real time feedback with constraints of limited resources, we assume that this device will have considerable benefits for quantifying jump-specific load in beach volleyball.

Are Athlete-Owned Leagues a Viable Alternative for Professional Sport?

Sport leagues have been critiqued for their cartel-like behavior, monopsony power, and many occupational health risks to athletes. Athlete-owned sports leagues are an alternative way of organizing professional sport that may benefit athletes and the industry. This article examines the viability of athlete-owned leagues by reviewing theory and research on worker-owned firms and applying the findings to sports leagues with athlete ownership, with a focus on the Premier Lacrosse League. Five criteria are shown to affect the viability of worker ownership: heterogeneity of interests, capital-labor ratios, time horizons, motivation and efficiency, and conflict with capitalists. When applied to the sport industry, athlete ownership is likely in sports like beach volleyball and skateboarding but unlikely in sports like American football and soccer. Athlete-owned sports leagues have some benefits when compared with capitalist-owned leagues, but they will struggle in markets with incumbents.

Countermovement Jump Height in National-Team Athletes of Various Sports: A Framework for Practitioners and Scientists.

To quantify possible differences in countermovement jump height across sport disciplines and sex in national-team athletes. In this cross-sectional study, 588 women (23 [5] y, 66 [8]kg) and 989 men (23 [5]y, 82 [12]kg) from 44 different sport disciplines (including 299 medalists from European Championships, World Championships, and/or Olympic Games) tested a countermovement jump on a force platform at the Norwegian Olympic Training Center between 1995 and 2018. Athletic sprinting showed the highest values among the men (62.7 [4.8]cm) and women (48.4 [6.0]cm), clearly ahead of the long jump/triple jump (mean difference ± 90% CL: 6.5 ± 5.0 and 4.3 ± 4.1; very likely and likely; moderate) and speed skating sprint (11.4 ± 3.1 and 7.5 ± 5.5 cm; most likely and very likely; very large and moderate). These horizontally oriented sports displayed superior results compared with more vertically oriented and powerful sports such as beach volleyball, weightlifting, and ski jumping, both in men (from 2.9 ± 4.7 to 15.6 ± 2.9 cm; small to very large; possibly to most likely) and women (5.9 ± 4.8 to 13.4 ± 3.4 cm; large to very large; very likely to most likely), while endurance sports and precision sports were at the other end of the scale. Overall, the men jumped 33% higher than the women (10.3, ±0.6cm; most likely; large). This study provides practitioners and scientists with useful information regarding the variation in countermovement jump height among national-team athletes within and across sport disciplines.

Dynamic Behaviour of High Performance of Sand Surfaces Used in the Sports Industry

The sand surface is considered a critical injury and performance contributing factor in different sports, from beach volleyball to greyhound racing. However, there is still a significant gap in understanding the dynamic behaviour of sport sand surfaces, particularly their vibration behaviour under impact loads. The purpose of this research was to introduce different measurement techniques to the study of sports sand surface dynamic behaviour. This study utilised an experimental drop test, accelerometry, in-situ moisture content and firmness data, to investigate the possible correlation between the sand surface and injuries. The analysis is underpinned by data gathered from greyhound racing and discussed where relevant.

Epidemiology and risk factors for heat illness: 11 years of Heat Stress Monitoring Programme data from the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour

ObjectivesTo analyse 11 years of FIVB heat stress-monitoring data to determine the relative influence of the different environmental parameters in increasing the likelihood of a heat-related medical time-out (MTOheat).MethodsA total...

An Approach to Quantify the Float Effect of Float Serves in Indoor and Beach Volleyball.

The float serve is an effective weapon to impede the attack of the opposing team. Because of its great importance in indoor and beach volleyball, we measured and quantified the float effect. We recorded 24 float serves of 12 top athletes in beach volleyball and indoor volleyball, respectively, and analyzed them using video analysis. We determined the 3D trajectories of the ball flight and developed two measures to describe the size of the float effect, the mean residuals and the anticipation error. Both were derived from regression models. These measures suggest that the float effect is greater in the vertical plane than in the horizontal plane, both for indoor and beach volleyball. Analyses of ball release velocities suggest that a certain ball release velocity is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for ball floating. A validation of the float measurements with subjective expert ratings showed a correlation with the horizontal deviations. This study provides a new approach to analyze floating in on-court volleyball serves and broadens the knowledge for float effects in sports.

The Impact of Recovery Time on Performance in Division I Collegiate Beach Volleyball Players.

Holtgeerts, RN, Gann, J, Jung, HC, and Hey, W. The impact of recovery time on performance in Division I collegiate beach volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res 36(3): 667-673, 2022-The sport of beach volleyball has recently grown significantly at the collegiate level, and collegiate beach volleyball players often practice and compete 5 or 6 days per week during the competitive season. This study examined the effects of the amount of recovery time on performance in Division 1 Collegiate beach volleyball players. Ten female NCAA Division 1 beach volleyball players, aged 20.2 ± 1.23 years, participated in the study. Subjects completed 2 trials consisting of 4 sessions of volleyball play (with a 24-hour recovery trial and 48-hour recovery trial). Trials were randomized and counter balanced. Each trial measured counter-movement jump, 5-10-5 agility time, 3 beach volleyball drills, and scores of a beach volleyball match. Perceived recovery, sleep quality, and rating of perceived exertion were also recorded. The significance level set for the study was p ≤ 0.05. Counter-movement jump showed small but significant increases following the 24-hour recovery period (p ≤ 0.05). 5-10-5 agility test showed significant improvement with the 48-hour recovery period (p ≤ 0.05). Perceived Recovery scores demonstrated significant increases in both recovery periods (p ≤ 0.05). Beach volleyball drill and match performance were not affected by the change in recovery time. These results indicate that, although some physical skills are affected by recovery time, beach volleyball performance as a whole is relatively stable over several days. It is normal for NCAA athletes to play back-to-back days and with little recovery time, and these results indicate that this practice does not negatively affect sport performance.

External training load and the effects on training response following three different training sessions in young elite beach volleyball players

PurposeThe interaction between external training load (ETL) and players internal response in beach volleyball is currently poor investigated. Using single parameters (e.g. jump volume) described in indoor settings is questionable due to specific load characteristics like sandy ground and reduced number of players. The aim of this work is to analyze ETL and the effects on training response in different beach volleyball training settings.MethodsThis study was conducted with 7 youth elite athletes (age: 18.9 ± 1.3 years, height: 185.2 ± 7 cm, body mass: 75.9 ± 10.4 kg, 2 males/5 females). Training sessions were classified into three categories with (A) high session jump volume (SJV) and lower proportions of other action types like diving, reception, defense actions and setting, (B) moderate SJV and (C) low SJV and higher proportions of other action types. Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness [DOMS], Creatinkinase [CK] and session rate of perceived exertion [s-RPE] were analyzed as training response markers.ResultsMean pre to post differences in CMJ-Height were highest at sessions with high jump volume and less other actions (Session A) with no significant differences between (C) to (B) ( p = .128), (C) to (A) ( p = .237) and (B) to (A) ( p = .101). Response markers (DOMS, s-RPE, CK) showed increased values at session type C.ConclusionsSJV does not seem to trigger training response with higher marker responsiveness during low frequency sessions. Changes in directions, diving or fast getting up might rather provoke fatigue during training.

Voices of Singapore national beach volleyball female athletes: What is an ideal coach?

A coach has a great influence on athletes’ performance and development. Communication and coaching styles that work with male athletes may not be effective in female athletes. The alignment of coaching to the preferences of female athletes is important for effective coaching and their holistic development. Therefore, it is essential to understand how female athletes perceive an ideal coach. The purpose of this research is to uncover how Singapore national beach volleyball female athletes voice about an ideal coach. Seven Singapore national beach volleyball female athletes were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The three main themes are – understanding the female athletes, being a role model with responsibility, and possessing rich experience as a coach and athlete. The three main themes that were developed from the voices of the Singapore national beach volleyball female athletes are supported by the literature on transformational coaching in terms of these components: idealized influence and individualized consideration. The findings of this research could help to establish a more comfortable, trusting and well-communicated training environment for female athletes.

Desempenho técnico-tático e estados de humor: indicadores entre vitória e derrota em atletas jovens de voleibol de praia

O objetivo do estudo foi comparar indicadores de performance e o perfil de estados de humor em atletas masculinos de voleibol de praia juvenil. A amostra foi composta por 50 atletas, com faixa etária entre 15 a 17 anos, participantes dos Jogos Escolares da Juventude (JEJ). Foram filmados 16 jogos durante a fase classificatória JEJ, que foram agrupados posteriormente em vencedores e perdedores. Melhores escores com diferença significativa (p&lt;0,01) foram verificados em todos os fundamentos (saque, recepção, levantamento, ataque, bloqueio e defesa) para as equipes dos jogos vencedores. Para os estados de humor, diferenças significativas foram encontradas na perturbação total do humor e fadiga, identificando-se menores valores para as equipes vencedoras. A partir da análise de jogo, conclui-se que todos os fundamentos do voleibol de praia foram importantes indicadores de performance de atletas masculinos juvenis da modalidade. Dessa forma, não evidenciou-se discrepância em algum fundamento específico, mas o equilíbrio de um melhor desempenho apontou a diferença entre as equipes vencedoras e perdedoras nos primeiros jogos do torneio. Além disso, percebeu-se que os estados de humor que prejudicam o desempenho foram observados em menores níveis nas equipes vencedoras.

Monitoring Heart Rate Variability and Perceived Well-Being in Brazilian Elite Beach Volleyball Players: A Single-Tournament Pilot Study.

Nakamura, FY, Torres, VBC, da Silva, LS, Gantois, P, Andrade, AD, Ribeiro, ALB, Brasileiro-Santos, MdS, and Batista, GR. Monitoring heart rate variability and perceived well-being in Brazilian elite beach volleyball players: A single-tournament pilot study. J Strength Cond Res 36(6): 1708-1714, 2022-The aim of this study was to monitor the changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and perceptual well-being status after a beach volleyball (BV) tournament day in high-level U17 and senior players. Seventeen BV players (U17 [15-16 years]: n = 08; and senior [19-41 years]: n = 09) competing at national and/or international BV level participated in this study. Resting HRV and perceptual well-being measures were recorded across 4 moments: night 1 (prematches night), morning 1 (prematches morning), night 2 (postmatches night), and morning 2 (postmatches morning). Session rating of perceived exertion was assessed 10 minutes after each match, and accumulated match loads were used for analysis. Senior players presented higher values of natural logarithm of square root of the mean squared differences of successive RR intervals (lnRMSSD) at the 4 observation moments than U17 players (p = 0.006). Within-subjects analysis showed a larger mean difference regarding both lnRMSSD and natural logarithm SD of normal R-R intervals (lnSDNN) between night 1 vs. night 2 in U17 players (effect size = 1.11 and, 0.96, respectively) compared with senior (effect size = 0.40 and 0.32, respectively). Accumulated match loads were negatively correlated with percentage change in lnRMSSD (r = -0.54; p = 0.037). U17 players showed higher well-being variation than senior (group × time; p = 0.02). In conclusion, the lnRMSSD index was able to discriminate the U17 and senior BV players, and maintaining high vagally related HRV indices is an important response to BV training and competition.

Examination Of Pathogenic Behaviors And Weight Perceptions Among Female Collegiate Athletes And Dancers

Engaging in pathogenic behaviors (PB; e.g., dieting, purging, etc.) to control weight (WT) is often seen in athletics. Female athletes, especially those in aesthetic sports, have a higher risk of disordered eating, eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction. PURPOSE: To examine PB and WT perceptions [current: CWT, ideal: IWT, mental weight: MWT (perceived WT if they didn’t control their WT)] in collegiate athletes/dancers. METHODS: A convenient sample of female athletes/dancers (n=125; age: 19.8 ± 2.0; height: 163.9 ± 28.8 cm; WT: 63.6 ± 9.2 kg) across 6 sports and dance (i.e., equestrian (EQ), volleyball, beach volleyball, softball, soccer, ballet) from an NCAA Division I institution participated in a larger cross-sectional study. Participants were measured for height, WT, and body composition and completed a demographic survey (included self-reporting IWT and MWT) and the Eating Disorder Inventory-Symptoms Checklist (for PB). Basic descriptive statistics assessed demographic information. Cross-tabulations assessed the proportion of participants classified as “at risk” for PB across sport. A repeated measures ANOVA examined perceptions of WT (CWT vs. IWT vs. MWT) across sport. RESULTS: Significant differences were found for use of PB across sport [61.4%: Χ2(5, N=125) = 16.5, P=0.006]. EQ (8.9%) and ballet had the highest risk (13.4%). Significant differences were found between dieting and sport type [Χ2(5, N=125) = 12.2, P=0.033] for an overall risk of 52.8% with highest risk for EQ (13.6%) and ballet (16%). Significant differences were found between excessive exercise and sport type [Χ2(5, N=125) = 32.7, P≤0.01] for an overall risk of 13.6% with highest risk for EQ (10.4%). No significant differences were found for binge eating, purging, laxatives, diet pills, and diuretics. A significant main effect was revealed for WT perceptions across sport (F1,115=1625, P≤0.01, η2=.988), with significant interactions for WT type (F2,115=40.3, P≤0.01, η2=.260) and WT type and sport (F10,115=3.3, P=0.001, η2=.124). CONCLUSION: Overall athletes report engaging in PB, especially dieting and excessive exercise to control their WT, with aesthetic sports at higher percentages. Athletes WT perceptions are of concern, as all sports want to be smaller and assume their WT would be higher if they didn’t control their WT.

Examination Of Low Energy Availability (LEA) And Macronutrient Intake Among Beach Volleyball Players

Low energy availability (LEA) may be prevalent in female collegiate beach volleyball players, which can be a catalyst for negative health consequences. Athletes can present in a state of LEA as a result of inadequate intake of the recommended macronutrients; those being proteins (PRO), carbohydrates (CHO), and fats. PURPOSE: Examine the prevalence of LEA and macronutrient intakes (PRO, CHO, and fats) among NCAA Division I female collegiate beach volleyball players. METHODS: Data from a larger cross-sectional study was used to examine recreational athletes (n=18; age: 19.8±1.4 years; height: 174.4±5.5 cm; weight: 63.2±5.1 kg). Athletes were moderately trained (exercised a minimum of 3-4 days/week). Data collection consisted of anthropometric data, surveys (e.g., demographics, age, gender, etc.), resting metabolic rate (RMR), a 7-day online dietary log to measure energy intake (EI), and exercise logs to measure exercise energy expenditure (EEE). Basic descriptive statistics, Chi-squares, and cross-tabulations were used to examine the proportion of participants classified as “at risk” for LEA (<30 kcal/kg/FFM) and the proportion that met the macronutrient recommendations. RESULTS: Overall, beach volleyball players demonstrated the following, with 94.4% (n=17) being identified as at risk for LEA: Average energy availability (EA): 12.4±9.6 kcal/kg FFM and average EEE: 1108.7±157.6 kcals. RMR recommendations for average minimal caloric intake for the sample was 1477.7±272.3 kcals; however, 55.6% (n=10) did not meet the recommendations. Recommended CHO and PRO macronutrient intake were not met by 100% and 61.1% of the sample, respectively. Overconsumption of fat compared to the recommendation was found in 33.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Beach volleyball athletes in this sample were severely and alarmingly at risk for LEA. Most of the athletes demonstrated low CHO and PRO intake while overconsuming fat compared to the recommendations. These athletes would benefit from nutrition education focused on properly fueling and macronutrient intake, which are both essential for elite performance in the athletic arena.