Male Team Sport Research Articles

Does the Trunk Stability Push-Up Provide an Effective Measure of Upper-Body Function Specific to Male Team Sport Athletes?

Does the Trunk Stability Push-Up Provide an Effective Measure of Upper-Body Function Specific to Male Team Sport Athletes? Study background: The trunk stability push-up (TSPU) is a closed-chain test that can measure upper-body functional strength, but may not relate to sport-specific performance. The bilateral medicine ball chest pass (MBCP) is a more sport-specific openchain assessment. This research investigated whether the TSPU related to bilateral MBCP to determine whether it was a valid test of team sport upper-body function. The bilateral MBCP is a more effective test of upperbody function than the TSPU, and can discriminate between athletes with different upper-body function. This assessment related to the unilateral MBCP and TSPU, indicating its applicability for team sports.

The relationship between bilateral differences of knee flexor and extensor isokinetic strength and multi-directional speed

This study analyzed relationships between bilateral concentric (60 ◦ /s, 180 ◦ /s, 240 ◦ /s) and eccentric (30 ◦ /s) knee extensor and flexor strength differences, and linear (40-meter sprint), and change-of-direction (T-test) speed in 16 male team sport athletes. It was hypothesized that lower between-leg strength differences would be associated with faster speeds. Subjects were divided into faster and slower groups based on total time; a one-way analysis of variance (p 0.05) determined bilateral torque and work differences that distinguished the groups. All data was combined to correlate (p 0.05) torque and work differences with sprint times. The faster group exhibited greater differences in concentric knee extensor torque at 240 ◦ /s (faster = 11.74 ± 8.65%; slower = 4.13 ± 4.34%), and smaller differences in eccentric knee flexor torque (faster = 5.64 ± 4.10%; slower = 12.41 ± 7.55%) and work (faster = 6.36 ± 6.65%; slower = 15.55 ± 6.05%). Negative correlations were found between concentric 180 ◦ /s and 240 ◦ /s knee extensor torque differences and sprint times; however, speed was not negatively affected. Positive correlations existed between eccentric knee flexor work differences and sprint times. Eccentric strength differences negatively impacted multi-directional speed, as balanced eccentric strength is necessary for effective sprinting, deceleration, and changing direction.

Effects of different precooling techniques on repeat sprint ability in team sport athletes

This study aimed to compare the simultaneous use of internal and external precooling methods with singular methods and their effect on repeated sprint cycling in hot/humid conditions. Twelve male team sport players completed four experimental conditions, initially involving a 30-min precooling period consisting of either a cooling jacket (J); ingestion of an ice slushy ice slushy; combination of cooling jacket and ice ingestion (J + ice slushy); or control (CONT). This was followed by 70 min of repeat sprint cycling (in~35°C, 60% relative humidity [RH]), consisting of 2×30-min halves, separated by a 10-min half-time period where the same cooling method was again used. Each half comprised 30×4 s maximal sprints on 60 s, interspersed with sub-maximal exercise at varying intensities. Total mean power and work performed were significantly higher (p = 0.02) in J + ice slushy (233.6±31.4 W) compared to ice slushy (211.8±34.5 kJ), while moderate effect sizes (ES: d = 0.67) suggested lower core temperatures (TC) in J + ice slushy (36.8±0.3°C) compared to J (37.0±0.3°C) and CONT (37.0±0.3°C) following precooling. A moderate ES (d = 0.57) also indicated lower TC in J + ice slushy (38.2±0.3) compared to ice slushy (38.4±0.4°C) after half-time cooling. Change (Δ) in mean skin temperature over half-time cooling was significantly greater (p = 0.036) for J (1.0±0.4°C) compared to ice slushy (0.5±0.5°C), and ES (d = 0.5–1.10) also suggested a greater Δ for J compared to the other conditions. Sweat loss was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in ice slushy and J + ice slushy compared to J and CONT. In conclusion, a combination of (external and internal) body cooling techniques may enhance repeated sprint performance in the heat compared to individual cooling methods.

Whole body kinematics and knee moments that occur during an overhead catch and landing task in sport

BackgroundAthletes suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury tend to exhibit similar body postures that in sidestep cutting are associated with increased knee moments. This relationship, however, has not been investigated in landing. Catching a ball in different overhead positions may affect landing postures and knee joint moments. This study investigated these possible relationships. It was anticipated that some joint postures would be associated increased knee loads during the landing task. MethodsTwenty-five healthy male team sports athletes performed four variations of a landing task. Full body kinematics were identified at initial contact. Peak flexion, valgus and internal rotation moments at the knee, measured during early landing, were normalized to mass and height and statistically compared. Intra-participant correlations were performed between all kinematics and each moment. Mean slopes for each correlation were used to identify the existence of relationships between full body kinematics and knee joint moments.FindingsLanding after an overhead catch when the ball moved towards a player's support leg resulted in increased peak valgus moments. These increased valgus moments were correlated with increased knee flexion, hip flexion, and torso lean, as well as torso rotation towards the support leg, and foot and knee external rotation. Increased internal rotation moments were correlated with reduced hip abduction and external rotation, increased ankle inversion, knee external rotation and torso lean away from the support leg.InterpretationLearning to land with techniques that do not reflect postures associated with high knee moments may reduce an athlete's risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Initiate: Constructing the ‘reality’ of male team sport initiation rituals

This article re-enacts a typical experience of male sport initiation at a university in the south of England and presents a confessional account of my own shifting epistemological position and desire to create more balanced, ethical, reflexive and self-effacing research. The tale of initiation is constructed from ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with male collegiate football (soccer) players and subsequent purposive conversations with male collegiate rugby players. It aims to confront the reader with the lived experience of male student sport initiations, providing a platform for unremitting reflection and greater possibilities for academic recourse. In particular, I suggest, the tale constructs a dais for sociological dialogue about the existentiality and configurations of, and relationships between, deviance, masculinities and subcultural identities in a student sport setting.

Perceptions and Strategies of Effective Coaching Leadership: A Qualitative Investigation of Professional Coaches and Players

This paper outlines thendings from a qualitative investigation of the perceptions about, and strategies of, eSective coaching leadership within three male Australian professional team sport contexts. Data collection involved semi-structured observations and interviews with coaches and players from professional cricket, rugby union and rugby league teams at training and competi- tion venues in Australia. Data analysis revealed three major properties that underpin perceived eSective coach leadership—(1) Develop a personalised approach, (2) Delegate responsibilities and (3) Decision-making. Thendings showed that coaches in these professional sport settings possessed their own personal approach to leadership, yet develop a leadership style that resonates with the ideals of support staS and players. The results also demonstrated how a player-centred approach to coach leadership was more highly valued than the traditional, coach- centred approach within these professional contexts. The implications for coaching practice are discussed in relation to previous leadership and coaching literature.

No Relative Age Effect in the Birth Dates of Award-Winning Athletes in Male Professional Team Sports

(2011). No Relative Age Effect in the Birth Dates of Award-Winning Athletes in Male Professional Team Sports. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport: Vol. 82, No. 3, pp. 570-573.

Male Team Sport Hazing Initiations in a Culture of Decreasing Homohysteria

In this longitudinal ethnographic research, we report on 7 years of hazing rituals on two separate men’s sports teams at one university in the United Kingdom. Using 38 in-depth interviews alongside naturalistic observations of the initiation rituals, we demonstrate that hazing activities have changed from being centered around homophobic same-sex activities to focusing on extreme levels of alcohol consumption. We show that whereas same-sex activities once occurred paradoxically to prohibit them, today these initiations open up the possibility of same-sex behaviors for young men in the life stage of emergent adulthood.

Inclusive masculinities of university soccer players in the American Midwest

Male teamsport athletes have traditionally been described as some of the most homophobic and femphobic men in North American culture. However, in this ethnographic research of an education-based soccer team at a small Catholic university in a rural part of Middle America, I use inclusive masculinity theory to highlight that a softer version of masculinity is in operation. I use participant observation and 22 in-depth interviews to show that these men are gay friendly, that they avoid fights, and that they use reciprocal disclosure and homosocial tactility to emotionally bond. Although the type of masculinity the men on this team exhibit retains some orthodox behaviours, it is nonetheless far removed from the traditional model of hegemonic masculinity commonly attributed to teamsport athletes found in American institutes of sport and education.

“Josh Wears Pink Cleats”: Inclusive Masculinity on the Soccer Field

In this ethnographic research of a college-based soccer team at a large liberal college in Northeast America, I document the existence of more inclusive versions of masculinity that contrast conventional understandings of male teamsport athletes. Using participant observation and 21 in-depth interviews, I show that these men demonstrate metrosexual and inclusive behaviors and attitudes. The styles of masculinity these men enact are more relaxed, liberal, and inclusive; they are well styled, well groomed, gay friendly, and they are emotionally and physically close to other men. They are far removed from the traditional orthodox sporting masculinities of previous generations. Symbolizing their difference, their gendered expressions also extend to the wearing of pink soccer boots (cleats), without homophobic judgment from teammates. I discuss the wearing of pink cleats as a symbolic sociological moment, revealing the changing nature of masculinities among this group of college-based soccer players.

No Relative Age Effect in the Birth Dates of Award-Winning Athletes in Male Professional Team Sports

No Relative Age Effect in the Birth Dates of Award-Winning Athletes in Male Professional Team Sports

Coaches’ Perceived Knowledge of the National Standards for Sport Coaches: Insights into Coach Development

To help develop consistent training for coaches, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education created the National Standards for Sport Coaches (NSSC), which consists of eight domains and 40 standards. The purpose of this study was to examine high school coaches’ perceived knowledge related to the NSSC, continuing education, and sources of feedback. Information was gathered from 162 male and female team sport coaches from Mississippi and Kentucky. Four main findings emerged: 1) coaches perceived themselves to be above average in all 40 standards; 2) there were no significant differences between states of Kentucky and Mississippi for perceived knowledge in any domain 3) a difference in perceived knowledge based on years of coaching was found for Domain 5: Teaching and Communication; and 4) coaches reported most frequently using assistant coaches, their self, athletic directors, and athletes as sources of coaching feedback.

Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Male Intercollegiate Student-Athletes and Nonathletes

This study examined the athletic status differences in reported depressive symptoms between male intercollegiate team sport athletes (n= 66) and male nonathletes (n = 51) enrolled at one of two public universities in the Southeastern United States, while controlling for preferred (task-oriented and emotion-oriented) coping strategies. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the athletes reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms than nonathletes while controlling for coping strategy selection (p&lt; .05). In terms of the actual prevalence rates of depressive symptoms, 29.4% of the nonathletes met the criterion for possible depression compared with only 15.6% of the athletes. Overall, athletic participation in an intercollegiate team sport appears related to lower levels of depression. The potentially distress-buffering aspects of athletic involvement and implications for future research are discussed.

Coping with Academy-to-First-Team Transitions in Elite English Male Team Sports: The Coaches' Perspective

Perceptions of seven elite development coaches (M age = 45.47 years) were examined in relation to the academy-to-first-team career transitions: 1) The nature of these transitions; 2) Sources of strain for the athletes; 3) Coping strategies athletes used and were influenced to use; and 4) Uniquely, athletes' use of meaning-focused coping (MFC) strategies. This transition, which was specifically studied within football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket, is comparable to Bloom's development-to-perfection/mastery transitions, and similar transitional models described by Wylleman and Lavallee, and Stambulova. Coaches reported that this transition was potentially extremely demanding, with athletic and social sources of strain being problematic. Evidence suggested that meaning-focused coping was an important technique for successful transitions. Further, coaches also believed coping strategies closely resembling planful problem solving, acceptance of responsibility, self-control and positive-reappraisal strategies, to be beneficial to transition success, whilst strategies similar to distancing and escape avoidance coping could be detrimental.

Team Sport Players' Perception of Imagery Use and Confidence in Sport

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.&#x0D; The relationship of imagery use and confidence were examined on forty-eight elite male team sport players in volleyball, basketball and football from Botswana with mean age {M=22.50; 1.32} using Sport Imagery Questionnaire {SIQ} and the Sources of Sport Confidence Questionnaire {SSCQ} The result of the correlation matrix indicated a positive but moderate relationship of perceived imagery use and sport confidence with correlation value ranging from r=.30 to .77. The result further revealed an apparent significant {P&lt;.05} composite effect of the imagery use on the team sport players' sport confidence. The reflection of the dual motivational and cognitive functions of imagery use for the prediction of the team sport players' sport confidence was also revealed in the study.&#x0D; 本文旨在探討博茨瓦納青年人參與排球、籃球和足球等隊際運動對意象及信心的關係，結果顯示兩者存有明顯的正相關。

Effects of Static Stretching in Warm-Up on Repeated Sprint Performance

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of static stretching during warm-up on repeated sprint performance and also to assess any influence of the order in which dynamic activities (i.e., run-throughs and drills) and static stretching are conducted. Thirteen male team sport players completed a repeated sprint ability test consisting of three sets of maximal 6 x 20-m sprints (going every 25 seconds) after performing one of three different warm-up protocols in a within-subjects counterbalanced design. Each warm-up protocol involved an initial 1000-m jog, followed by either dynamic activities only (D), static stretching followed by dynamic activities (S-D), or dynamic activities followed by static stretching (D-S). First (FST), best (BST) and total (TST) 20-m sprint times were determined for each individual set of the repeated sprint ability test and overall (3 sets combined). Although consistent significant differences were not observed between trials for TST, BST, and FST, the mean values for TST in all individual sets and overall were generally slowest in the D-S condition (D = 60.264 +/- 1.127 seconds; S-D = 60.347 +/- 1.774 seconds; D-S = 60.830 +/- 1.786 seconds). This trend was supported by moderate to large effect sizes and qualitative indications of "possible" or "likely" benefits for TST, BST, and FST for the D and S-D warm-ups compared to D-S. No significant differences or large effect sizes were noted between D and S-D, indicating similar repeated sprint ability performance. Overall, these results suggest that 20-m repeated sprint ability may be compromised when static stretching is conducted after dynamic activities and immediately prior to performance (D-S).

Muscle Deoxygenation during Repeated Sprint Running: Effect of Active vs. Passive Recovery

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of active (AR) versus passive recovery (PR) on muscle deoxygenation during short repeated maximal running. Ten male team sport athletes (26.9+/-3.7y) performed 6 repeated maximal 4-s sprints interspersed with 21 s of either AR (2 m.s (-1)) or PR (standing) on a non-motorized treadmill. Mean running speed (AvSp (mean)), percentage speed decrement (Sp%Dec), oxygen uptake (V O (2)), deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) and blood lactate ([La] (b)) were computed for each recovery condition. Compared to PR, AvSp (mean) was lower (3.79+/-0.28 vs. 4.09+/-0.32m.s (-1); P<0.001) and Sp%Dec higher (7.2+/-3.7 vs. 3.2+/-0.1.3%; P<0.001) for AR. Mean V O (2) (3.64+/-0.44 vs. 2.91+/-0.47L.min (-1), P<0.001), HHb (94.4+/-16.8 vs. 83.4+/-4.8% of HHb during the first sprint, P=0.02) and [La] (b) (13.5+/-2.5 vs. 12.7+/-2.2 mmol.l (-1), P=0.03) were significantly higher during AR compared to PR. In conclusion, during run-based repeated sprinting, AR was associated with reduced repeated sprint ability and higher muscle deoxygenation.

Adolescent–parent attachment characteristics and quality of youth sport friendship

Objectives To examine the link between security of adolescent–parent attachment relationships and experiences of friendship quality in male team sport participants. Design and method Ninety six male adolescents involved in team sports completed self-report assessments of relationship security with a key parental attachment figure and of the nature of their friendship with a nominated sporting best friend. Teammates and coaches also provided ratings related to how easy they found it to get along with participants. Results Results provided evidence that the nature of the adolescent–parent attachment relationship was significantly related to sporting friendship experiences. More secure adolescent–parent attachment characteristics corresponded to more positive sporting friendships. Furthermore, sporting friendship dyads where both friends reported more secure attachment relations with parents were experienced more positively than dyads where both friends were less securely attached to parents or even where one friend was less securely attached. Conclusion There is a suggestion that adolescent attachment relations with parents are indicative of underpinning working models of attachment that may subsequently influence the manner in which youngsters negotiate friendships in sporting contexts.

“I Used to Think Women Were Weak”: Orthodox Masculinity, Gender Segregation, and Sport

This article explores the cultural and structural forces that help influence the reproduction of sexist, misogynistic, and antifeminine attitudes among men in team sports. It first shows how the segregation of men into a homosocial environment limits their social contact with women and fosters an oppositional masculinity that influences the reproduction of orthodox views regarding women. However, this research also shows that when these same men compete in the gender‐integrated sport of cheerleading, they positively reformulate their attitudes toward women. These findings therefore suggest that gender‐integrating sports might potentially decrease some of the socionegative outcomes attributed to male team sport athletes, possibly including violence against women.

Selected physical capacity norms for Australian football players at the non-elite level

Australian football is a popular male team sport that consists mainly of participants competing at the non-elite level. The main purpose of this study was to compare in non-elite Australian football players competing in sub-elite and community leagues, selected physical capacities recognised as predictors of lower extremity injury in Australian football and/or other sports. Participants were 143 adult (mean age of 22.2 years) male Western Australian footballers from the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) (sub-elite) and the Western Australian Amateur Football League (WAAFL) (community). During the 2005 regular playing season participants completed a questionnaire and a physical measurement testing session. The physical testing session involved the following lower extremity measures: generalised joint laxity, leg length discrepancy, presence of Morton's toe, foot arch, hamstring flexibility and static balance. Football players from the sub-elite and community leagues did not differ significantly in any of the physical testing session measures or in the questionnaire items relating to injury number in the past 12 months and lower limb preventative device use. However, they did differ in some measures with players from the sub-elite league significantly more likely to stretch after a match and training, and to have a designated stretching leader at their club. While players from the community league were significantly more likely to smoke and to participate in sports additional to Australian football. Although the selected physical capacities did not differ between the sub-elite and community players in this study, future research should be aimed at identifying differences for a greater number of physical capacities, including skill and endurance, while utilising a larger sample.