Style Of Play Research Articles

TENNIS GEAR

Tennis equipment is one of the most important aspects of the game of tennis. Often, tennis equipment has a massive impact on how a tennis match plays out, or how the style of play evolves, even if it's less visible. Among the essential components of tennis equipment are the tennis balls and rackets. Complementing these elements is the playing surface, a critical determinant in the game of tennis. This paper aims to demonstrate the evolution of tennis equipment in the importance of quality tennis history over time and how advanced technology has or has not influenced the style of play and its speed. The discernible evolution of tennis balls, encompassing variations in size and materials, has significantly shaped the sport. Similarly, the modernization of racket design and strings, incorporating diverse materials–synthetic or natural–has ushered in a new era of heightened intensity in tennis, characterized by increased speed and power. In the same context, another key element is the playing surface, more precisely the four main surfaces, hard (or cement), clay, grass and carpet, which contributed to changing the game of tennis and its speed, stimulated by the importance of the materials used to create, or the way of maintenance of these surfaces. Finally, in this paper, we will see how tennis modernization had a great impact on the production of tennis balls and the evolution of the way rackets are made, to which is added the composition of materials used in the creation or maintenance of playing surfaces, have led to a marked transformation of the tennis game. It will also elucidate how these changes have often elicited both acclaim and discontent among professional tennis players and, in certain instances, contributed to injuries.

Exploring the impact of sepak takraw ball heading on brain injury risk: An analytical and experimental investigation

Sepak takraw, a unique sport resembling volleyball but played with the legs, is popular in Asia. Players often use their foreheads to receive the ball, exposing them to potential brain injuries. This research evaluates the potential for brain injuries from heading in sepak takraw. Using both analytical and experimental approaches, we developed a mathematical model adapted from soccer-related studies to predict peak linear acceleration (PLA). We also conducted laboratory experiments to measure PLA and peak rotational acceleration (PRA) using a ball launcher and an Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD). The mathematical model demonstrated a high level of accuracy in PLA prediction, confirming its reliability. Comparative analysis with soccer and water polo studies revealed that the measured PLA, PRA, and Head Injury Criteria (HIC) values for sepak takraw are below suggested concussion thresholds, indicating a lower risk of brain injury. However, this assessment does not account for the cumulative effects of repetitive head impacts, which increase the risk of brain injury over time. Despite sepak takraw’s distinct play style, the findings indicate that while the inherent risk of head injury from single impacts may be low, the potential long-term effects of repetitive impacts warrant further investigation. This study enhances the understanding of sports-related brain injuries and highlights the need for further research into subconcussive impacts and the development of protective measures. Our research paves the way for more comprehensive investigations, including field experiments, which are crucial for a nuanced understanding of sepak takraw’s impact dynamics.

Physical demands of collegiate basketball practice: a preliminary report on novel methods and metrics.

Knowing the specific physical demands of basketball players can provide useful information for clinical decision making when rehabilitating athletes following injury. The purpose of this observational study was to describe the physical demands of basketball play at the Division I collegiate level using video-based time-motion analysis and introduce a time-efficient alternative method of quantifying demands. Eleven NCAA Division I basketball players (6M, 5F; 4 guards, 4 centers, 3 forwards) participated in the study. Video footage was collected from four practices (2 men's, 2 women's) and used to quantify the types and frequencies of player movements based on definitions from seminal work. A second and simpler method was also used to classify movement. A two-way ANOVA was used to assess significant differences in movement by team (men's, women's) and position (guard, forward, center). There were significant differences in counts of stand/walk (p < 0.001), jog (p = 0.012), run (p = 0.001), stride/sprint (p = 0.04), and medium-intensity shuffling (p < 0.001) per minute and proportion of practice time spent in bodyweight (p < 0.001) or above-bodyweight (p < 0.001) loading between teams. There were significant differences for jog (p = 0.001) and transition (p = 0.07) rates across positions. Position and team are important considerations for rehabilitation and return-to-sport clearance. Quantification of these demands can be reliably acquired through video analysis using a simplified method (estimated foot load) or using traditional methods of movement classification and counts, particularly when applying descriptors that better capture the current style of play.

Game Dynamics in Professional Padel: Shots Per Point, Point Pace and Technical Actions.

This study aimed to determine the distributions of number of shots per point, point duration, point pace and technical actions during the match in professional men and women padel players. A total of 35,145 hits (3239 points; men = 1602 and women = 1637) were analyzed in 20 matches corresponding to quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches of the World Padel Tour 2020 season. The observations were conducted through systematic observation and involved a total of 32 players (16 men and 16 women). Men's points lasted 13.5-14.8 s, comprising 10-11 hits, resulting in a ratio of 0.80 shots per second, with no differences between sets. Women's points lasted longer than men's (14.4 to 16.2 s, p = 0.011) but included a similar number of shots per point, resulting in a lower rhythm of play (0.73-0.75 shots per second, p < 0.001), particularly in the third set (p = 0.004). Volleys, lobs and directs were used in >60% of the points, with a frequency of one to three times per point. Bandejas were used in 50-60% of the points, with a frequency of one to two times per point. Backwalls and flat smashes were used at least once in 30-48% of the points. Selective actions had a greater frequency of use in the third set (i.e., flat smash and smash x3 in women; forehand/backhand volleys and side-wall forehand in men), suggesting occasional changes in the style of play, but likely explained by the onset of fatigue. In conclusion, game volumes, intensity and actions remained broadly similar throughout professional padel matches.

How Parents Play: Play Style as a Function of Gender of Parent, Gender of Child, and Play Context

Positive effects of parent–child play have been documented but little is known about what drives this play. We observed eight-one children (kindergarten through 1st grade) of their play with the mother and father separately to determine how the play role of parents changed based on parent gender, child gender, and play context. Two significant 3-way interactions were identified: (1) parents of boys acted more often as directors in a puppet game, as facilitators in a building block game, and as co-players in a ball game, whereas parents of girls were more likely to be co-players in the puppet and building block games but facilitators in the ball game; (2) fathers tended to be directors more often than co-players in the ball game, while the opposite was true for mothers. Findings point to the important interplay of gender and context in determining the roles that parents enact when playing with children.

Play partner preferences among groups of unfamiliar juvenile male rats

Like many mammals, as juveniles, rats engage in play fighting, which in the laboratory is typically studied in dyads, and consequently, it is the researcher who determines a rat’s play partner. In real-life conditions, a rat would have many partners with whom to play. In a previous study, we found that rats do prefer to play with some individuals more than others, and surprisingly, when given the choice, unfamiliar partners are preferred to familiar ones. In this study, we assessed partner choice when all the available partners are strangers. Eight groups of six unfamiliar juvenile male rats were observed for 10 min play trials. One of the six in each group was selected as the ‘focal’ rat and his play towards, and received by, the others were scored. Social networks revealed that five of the eight groups formed preferences, with preferred partners also engaging in more play with the focal rat. The mechanism by which these preferences were formed remains to be determined, but it seems that there are individual differences, potentially in the amount and style of play, that allow an individual to select the most suitable partner from a group of strangers.

"Can I Play Too?" A Qualitative Study of Outdoor Play and Participation Among Autistic Preschoolers.

Outdoor play in homes, schools, and communities provides children with unique opportunities to explore their worlds, develop fundamental life skills, and experience belonging. However, few studies have explored outdoor free play among autistic preschoolers in natural settings from a neurodivergent-informed perspective. To explore the play preferences, opportunities, and challenges in outdoor play for autistic preschoolers. In this qualitative study, the authors used a multimethod approach to data collection using visual, verbal, and projective techniques and thematic analysis to identify and describe outdoor play occupation as expressed by autistic preschoolers. Home, community, and preschool environments in a city in Ireland. Seven autistic children and their parents, from seven diverse preschool settings in Ireland. Two overarching themes were identified: (1) outdoor play preferences and meaning and (2) the physical and social environments of outdoor play. The findings suggest that autistic preschoolers demonstrate distinctive play styles and preferences when playing freely outdoors, with physical and social barriers to outdoor play existing in community and educational contexts. The findings suggest that autistic preschoolers' outdoor play styles and preferences require support from adult advocates. Although the importance of relationships and social play cannot be overlooked, infrastructural accommodations for parents and schools are required if we are to create supportive and inclusive outdoor play environments and opportunities for freedom of expression for autistic children. Plain-Language Summary: This study explored the distinctive outdoor play preferences, opportunities, and challenges for autistic preschoolers. The findings show that autistic preschoolers face physical and social barriers to outdoor play and that they need parents, schools, and communities to create supportive and inclusive play environments and opportunities for freedom of expression.

Network structures of internet gaming disorder and gaming disorder: Symptom operationalization causes variation.

From 2022, the International Classification of Diseases, eleventh edition (ICD-11) includes the first mental disorder based on digital technology, "gaming disorder," which was previously suggested as a condition for further examination in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5). In this cross-sectional study, we provide the first large-scale network analysis of various symptom structures for these constructs to understand the complex interconnections between their proposed symptoms. Culturally diverse samples of 2,846 digital game players (M = 25.3 years) and 746 esports players (M = 23.5 years) were recruited. A network approach was applied to explore a multiverse of gaming disorder symptom structures, effects of item operationalization, and possible external moderators. Gaming disorder was measured using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale 9-Short Form (IGDS9-SF), Gaming Disorder Test, and several items borrowed from Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Scale, Personal Internet Gaming Disorder Evaluation-9, and Clinical Video game Addiction Test 2.0 scales. Two symptoms (loss of control and continued use despite problems) present in both, the DSM-5 and ICD-11, were systematically central to most of the analyzed networks. Alternative operationalizations of single items systematically caused significant network differences. Networks were invariant across groups of play style, age, gender, gaming time, and most of the psychosocial characteristics. Our results caution practitioners and researchers when studying and interpreting gaming disorder symptoms. The data indicate that even minor operational changes in symptoms can lead to significant network-level changes, thus highlighting the need for careful wording. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Physical training and external load management for young athletes

Football today is more intense and demanding than ever before and these increasing physical demands have a direct impact on grassroots players, leading to ever greater interest in determining the external load variables using GPS in lower categories. The objective of this study is to observe and analyse the mean figures for the variables Distance(m), High Acc(m) and High Dec(m), HSR Abs(m), HMLD(m) and MAX Speed (km·h-1) per player aged 15, 16 and 17 based on their position in a competitive match. We also aim to determine if U16 players are able to compete in a U17 and U18 category team. A total of 57 male players, between 15 and 17 years old, participated in the study, divided by team corresponding to their age, and members of farm teams of a professional football club in the Community of Madrid. The results obtained for the mentioned variables show that some players could play at a higher category, specifically U16 Centre-Backs and Forwards and U17 Wing-Backs, Midfielders and Wingers. However, it must be noted that these results may be influenced by factors such as biological age of the players, the minutes of play, the style of play, the rival in the match, the pitch conditions and weather. Keywords: Grassroots Football, External Load, GPS, Distance(m), High Acc(m)/Dec(m), HSR Abs(m), HMLD(m), MAX Speed(km·h-1)

How Team Player Styles Impacts Followership Behavior

This empirical research study examines the effect of Parker’s (2008) team player styles on followership behavior. While most research focuses on the team leader, most of the work accomplishments are attributed to the team players on the team. Of the four team player styles, only one, contributor significantly increases followership behavior. However, it does not add enough to raise the followership behavior into the exemplary range. Discussion of the findings is provided coupled with a post hoc analysis and ideas for future research.

Engines of the Future

Chess engines are suites of algorithms that evaluate game positions through prediction—they calculate billions of possible moves, dozens of steps into the future state of play. And over the past two decades, these algorithms have usurped humans as the principal arbiters of chess knowledge. Openings, tactics, and strategies are now all authenticated, and often dictated, by engine analysis, leading to new styles of play. This article uses the example of predictive chess engines to conceptualize an emergent temporal interplay between the future and the present. Drawing inspiration from historical metaphors of geology, this article proposes a topographical approach to temporal becoming. In this approach, engine predictions facilitate not preparations for some forecasted future state, but future‐reliant calibrations of present activity, where second‐by‐second algorithmic futures are used to make second‐by‐second decisions.

Play fighting revisited: its design features and how they shape our understanding of its mechanisms and functions

Play fighting has been one of the most intensely studied forms of play and so has provided some of our deepest insights into the understanding of play in general. As the label implies, this behavior resembles serious fighting, in that the animals compete for an advantage over one another, but unlike true aggression, for play fighting to remain playful, it also incorporates a degree of cooperation and reciprocity – restrained competition seems to be its hallmark. Despite these common features, it should be noted that both the advantage competed over and the mechanisms by which restraint is achieved varies across species. Such variation mitigates simple generalities. For example, how empirical support for a proposed adaptive function in one species not being replicated in another, is to be interpreted. What has emerged over the past few decades is that play fighting is diverse, varying across several dimensions, some superficial, some fundamental, making choosing species to compare a challenge. In this paper, we explore various design features that constitute play fighting and the ways these can be modified across different species and lineages of species. Given that a major pillar of ethology is that description precedes explanation, having a good grasp of the behavioral diversity of play fighting is an essential starting point for detailed analyses of the mechanisms and functions of play. We show that commonalities across species likely involve different mechanisms than do species idiosyncrasies, and that different styles of play fighting likely afford different adaptive opportunities.

Entschlüsselung der Komplexität von Übergängen im Fußball: ein umfassender narrativer Überblick

Abstract Background Transitions in football are pivotal moments in the game, carrying significant tactical and strategic implications. Despite the lack of a consensus on the exact definition and duration of transitions, their importance is evident in the analysis of football matches. Clear connections exist between performance indicators, team play styles, and specific game moments. The evolution of game analysis, facilitated by technology employing spatial, optical, and motion sensors, has heightened the recognition of transition actions. Methods This narrative review synthesizes perspectives on transitions from various authors and investigates how these perspectives have evolved over time. By utilizing real-time analysis through advanced technology, the review aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of transitions in football. Results Counterattacks are identified as a key outcome emerging from transitions, affirming existing literature suggesting that each transition prompts a response from the opposing team. The review underscores the need to objectively define the dichotomy of transitions in terms of the moment of play and style of play, mitigating overlap and confusion. Conclusion Transitions are complex phenomena occurring independently of ball possession. Understanding their classification, determinants, and outcomes is crucial for optimizing team performance. By shedding light on the multifaceted nature of transitions, this review contributes to a more nuanced comprehension of this critical aspect of football strategy.

Cognitive Appraisals of Organizational Stressors and Coping Styles of Football Coaches and Players in Ghana

The study assessed how football coaches and players appraised and coped with stressors they experienced or encountered. Specifically, the study assessed the following: (1) stress appraisal mechanisms employed by coaches and players, (2) coping mechanisms adopted by coaches and players, and (3) association between stress appraisals and coping styles among coaches and players in the Ghana national football league. Employing the descriptive survey design, census sampling was used to select 424 footballers and 44 coaches who answered the Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM) and the Modified Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (MCOPE) inventories. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviation) and multivariate multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that football coaches and players reportedly used more controllable-by-self and challenge appraisals and employed more problem-focused coping styles (increasing effort, active coping, and planning) than emotion-focused coping styles (seeking social support for emotional reasons, venting of emotions, and self-blame) during stressful situations. Further, those who used facilitative appraisal mechanisms adopted functional coping mechanisms and vice versa. Sport psychologists are encouraged to organize regular psychological training workshops on a variety of functional coping styles (e.g., cognitive restructuring, planning, increasing effort and active coping) to help football coaches and players deal with the demands associated with competitions to enhance their psychological well-being.

Adapting player styles to enhance learning and retention in high school science education

The impact of player styles in game-based learning on academic performance is a significant consideration, with the exploratory style being one of these styles. Despite the initial random sampling of 60 tenth-grade students to ensure unbiased representation, the sampling method became purposeful as students with the exploratory player style were selectively placed in the first experimental group. Pre-test data, collected using Bartle’s player styles questionnaire, informed the categorization of students into groups based on their styles, enhancing sampling accuracy. The Explorer player style students formed one group, while students with other styles constituted a separate group. All students completed the Player Styles questionnaire and a pre-learning test. Subsequently, an exploratory-style game was provided to all students, followed by learning and retention tests. The data analysis method employed for this study was MANCOVA. The outcomes of the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) demonstrate a substantial multivariate F value of 7.075 (df = 2) with a significant level at p &lt; .05. This outcome substantiates the existence of a notable distinction between the students belonging to the first group (exemplifying the explorer player style) and those in the second experimental group (encompassing the socializer, achiever, and killer player styles) concerning the dependent variables (learning and retention). The observed distinction is in favor of the first experimental group, underscoring the potential influence of player styles on the variables under consideration.

Effects of Repeated High-Intensity Effort Training or Repeated Sprint Training on Repeated High-Intensity Effort Ability and In-Game Performance in Professional Rugby Union Players.

Glaise, P, Rogowski, I, and Martin, C. Effects of repeated high-intensity effort training or repeated sprint training on repeated high-intensity effort ability and in-game performance in professional rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 932-940, 2024-This study investigated the effects of repeated high-intensity efforts (RHIE) training compared with repeated sprint exercise (RSE) training on RHIE ability (RHIEa) and in-game performance in professional rugby union players. Thirty-nine, male, professional, rugby union players were randomly assigned to 3 training groups (RHIE training, RSE training, and control). Repeated high-intensity effort ability and high-intensity effort characteristics (including sprints, acceleration, and contact efforts) during official games were measured before and after a 10-week specific (RHIE, RSE, or control) training period. The results of this study showed that concerning RHIEa, both the RHIE and RSE training significantly increased the players' average sprint velocity ( p < 0.001, d = -0.39 and p < 0.001, d = -0.53 respectively), average sled push velocity (ASPV; p < 0.001, d = -0.81 and p = 0.017, d = -0.48 respectively), and RHIE score ( p < 0.001, d = -0.72 and p < 0.001, d = -0.60 respectively). Repeated high-intensity effort training trended in a smaller increase in average sprint velocity than RSE training, a larger increase in ASPV, and a similar increase in RHIE score. Concerning in-game high-intensity efforts, both the RHIE and RSE training produced significant improvements in the number of sprints ( p = 0.047, d = -0.28 and p < 0.001, d = -0.47 respectively), total distance ( p < 0.001, d = -0.50 and p = 0.002, d = -0.38 respectively), the number of accelerations ( p < 0.001, d = -0.37 and p = 0.003, d = -0.32 respectively), and contact rate ( p < 0.001, d = -0.97 and p = 0.020, d = -0.28 respectively). Conversely, the magnitude of the increase in contact rate was almost twice as high in RHIE compared with RSE training. To conclude, the findings of this study were that both RSE and RHIE training are effective methods for developing RHIEa and in-game high-intensity efforts in professional rugby union. In practical applications, as the gains in certain abilities and game performance data differed depending on the training method chosen, we suggest that coaches choose the most appropriate method according to the profile of the players, their position, and the style of play they want to develop.

Classifying and quantifying team playing styles in the Australian Football League

ABSTRACT Within team sports, match outcomes and events depend on the interaction between thousands of individual actions governed by each team’s overriding style of play. Within Australian football, identifying playing styles allows coaches to improve match preparation due to an improved knowledge base that influences decisions involving training sessions, match tactics, and team selection. This study presents the clustering of teams in the Australian Football League (AFL) into playing styles based on match performance indicators extracted from games played between 2013 and 2019. Using k-means clustering, three offensive, two transitional and two scoring styles were identified, combining to create 12 playing styles. The offensive play was grouped into contested, uncontested, and non-distinct styles. The transitional play was clustered into forward half-pressure and defensive half-intercept styles. The scoring play was clustered into stoppage scoring and possession gain scoring styles. The linear model predicting the winning match margin from the explanatory variables of team playing styles and performance indicators had a lower RMSE by 64% compared to models with only playing style explanatory variables and 1.83% to models with only performance indicator explanatory variables. Identifying team playing styles allows coaches to make better-informed decisions regarding match analysis, opposition analysis, and training planning.

How to win in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022? A study on the configurations of technical and tactical indicators based on fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.

The FIFA World Cup, which represents the highest level in football, is regarded as a showcase to unfold the development trends of modern football, thus arousing great interest among researchers. However, most of the previous research designs studied the simple linear correlation between technical indicators and game outcomes, which may overlook the complex causalities in football performance. The aim of current study was to introduce a new method to examine winning patterns emerging from Qatar 2022 through a configurational lens. To this end, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted using 98 samples (n = 98) out of 49 Qatar 2022 matches discriminating winning and losing teams in regular time (group stage) and in 30 min of extra time (knockout stage). Then, we selected seven variables as our causal conditions, namely, shots on target, possession, defensive line breaks, crosses, receptions in the final third, forced turnovers, and direct pressures. Necessity analysis and sufficiency analysis of configurations were conducted according to fsQCA requirements. The fsQCA operation showed that no individual causal condition is necessary to winning a game and four configurations were derived from the QCA results and these combinations of conditions fall into three typologies of play style: a possession play style, direct play style, and all-round play style. The results confirmed the fact that football is a complex system and suggested that a winning outcome is often produced by combinations of multiple factors. The findings of the current study contribute to the literature by introducing the configurations of various technical and tactical indicators that could raise the possibility of winning and can be used by practitioners working within the fields of player development, coaching, and match preparation.

Quality not quantity: Deficient juvenile play experiences lead to altered medial prefrontal cortex neurons and sociocognitive skill deficits.

Reduced play experience over the juvenile period leads to adults with impoverished social skills and to anatomical and physiological aberrations of the neurons found in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Even rearing rats from high-playing strains with low-playing strains show these developmental consequences. In the present study, we evaluated whether low-playing rats benefit from being reared with higher playing peers. To test this, we reared male Fischer 344 rats (F344), typically thought to be a low-playing strain, with a Long-Evans (LE) peer, a relatively high-playing strain. As juveniles, F344 rats reared with LE rats experienced less play and lower quality play compared to those reared with another F344. As adults, the F344 rats reared with LE partners exhibited poorer social skills and the pyramidal neurons of their mPFC had larger dendritic arbors than F344 rats reared with same-strain peers. These findings show that being reared with a more playful partner does not improve developmental outcomes of F344 rats, rather the discordance in the play styles of F344 and LE rats leads to poorer outcomes.

The influence of physical fitness on the choice of an individual tennis playing style

The article presents the results of the influence of physical fitness on the choice of individual playing style in tennis players aged 10-12 years. It has been established that the main part of tennis players' workload consists of high-speed and speed-power work of a rather large capacity, which requires a high level of general and special endurance. 24 tennis players aged 10-12 who train in the tennis section of the Polytechnic Sports Club of NTU KhPI took part in the study. The physical qualities of tennis players were tested at the stage of preliminary basic training and the characteristics of the types of tennis playing styles were provided. With the help of factor analysis, indicators of physical fitness, choice reaction test and tests of technical and tactical fitness of tennis players were analyzed according to the methodology of the international tennis number (MTN). It has been proven that the dominant percentage of the expression of the factor corresponds to the style of play. A clear dependence of technical and tactical training on the level of development of physical qualities was revealed. It was concluded that the optimal selection and formation of one's own, individual style of play in the training of tennis players aged 10-12 will help the coach to clearly manage the process of the player's technical and tactical formation at the stages of specialized basic training, and the player to discover and make excellent use of his strengths, form the foundation for development own tactical thinking.