Athletic Skills Research Articles

Talent Selectıon in Sport With Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods: TOPSIS and VIKOR Comparison

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods refer to a successful system used in various fields. Developed to facilitate the decision-maker's task, this system employs qualitative and quantitative methods by weighting criteria in a setting with a large number of alternatives. Similarly, the talent selection process in sports is based on making a decision by interpreting the different skills of many athletes in accordance with the appropriate discipline. However, during this process, errors can occur in preferences due to overlooked minor details or when athletes cannot have the opportunity to present themselves. MCDM methods provide an opportunity in this regard by blending athletes' quantitative data with their qualitative values in order to minimize errors. Thus, in this study, TOPSIS and VIKOR among MCDM methods were applied to the same athletes’ data by using common criteria weights, and athletes were ranked from the best to the worst option. While TOPSIS method ranking has the score distribution between 0.731 and 0.116, VIKOR method has the score distribution between 0.091 (closest to 0) and 0.488 (closest to 1). While there was a 10% exact match between the two methods, it was observed that three alternatives (B, G, and F) changed places (B,G,F) by 3 ranks and other three alternatives (C, D, and J) by 2 ranks. The results of the ranking revealed differences in the rankings of the two methods, but the most significant discrepancies were observed in the middle ranges.

Biomechanics research on laterality effect between dominant and non-dominant during double roundhouse kick in the competitive taekwondo

BackgroundThe Double Roundhouse Kick (DRK) is one of the major scoring tools and athletes employ the leg of the dominant side (DS) or the non-dominant side (NS) for always attacking in an alternating state. The purpose is to examine the discrepancies in the biomechanical characteristics of the DS and NS of the leg of the DRK skills of sub-elite taekwondo athletes. MethodsUsing the Vicon, Kistler, and Daedo brand Electronic Body Protector (EBP), collection of the DRK data (attack time, joint angle, joint angular velocity, joint moment, ground reaction force, etc.) of 12 sub-elite taekwondo athletes (19.6 ± 2.0 yr, 180 ± 7.3 cm, 70 ± 9.8 kg) with the DS leg and NS leg. The measured data analyses via Visual3D, and statistical methods using nonparametric tests paired with samples based on the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (The significance level is set as significant for P<0.05, and very significant for P<0.01). Results(i) There is no statistically significant discrepancy between the DS and NS at the time of hit (P>0.05) and shift of the center of gravity (P>0.05). (ii) Attacking leg (AL): the maximum knee flexion angle (Knee-MFA) (P<0.05) and the peak linear velocity of attack of the foot in the vertical hitting direction (P<0.01) on the DS was greater than that on the NS during the first hit phase (P1). (iii) Supporting leg (SL): the peak hip extension moment (P<0.05) on the DS was reported to be higher than that of the NS during the second hit phase (P2). (iv) Symmetry Index (SI): In the P1, the vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) of the SL leads to SI = 10.19 %, and in the P2, the vGRF of the SL results in SI = 18.48 %. ConclusionsThe DRK requires more and more symmetry between the DS and NS. The Knee-MFA of the AL and the line of attack speed of the foot in the vertical striking direction of the SL exhibited significant discrepancies. The DS has higher striking speed, athletes need to improve the striking speed of the NS leg in training, achieving more scoring opportunities in the game. Both the DS and NS revealed strong symmetry in the peak SI of the ground reaction force of the SL stirrup; however, weak symmetry was attained in the peak SI of the vGRF of the SL landing cushion.

The Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Student Success in Athletic Training Students

Context Many athletic training programs are not meeting accreditation standards involving measures of student success, causing programs to be noncompliant with these standards and showing current and prospective students that their program may not prepare them for a successful career. Studies have shown that psychosocial factors, including psychological needs and measures of student motivation, may be related to student success. Objective To examine the relationships between psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), measures of student motivation (controlled and autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, and academic and athletic trainer identity), and measures of student success (persistence, intention to leave, perceived academic performance, and grade point average [GPA]) in athletic training students. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Entry-level master’s athletic training programs. Patients or Other Participants Ninety-seven current entry-level master’s athletic training students who held a noncertified student National Athletic Trainers’ Association membership in 2020. Data Collection and Analysis Responses to surveys were estimated using a path model, in which 4 measures of student success were specified to be predicted by psychological needs directly and indirectly through measures of student motivation. Results Persistence was positively predicted by autonomy and autonomous motivation. Intention to leave was positively predicted by controlled motivation. Perceived academic performance was positively predicted by competence and autonomous motivation. Finally, GPA was predicted positively by academic identity and negatively by athletic trainer identity. Findings also showed an indirect relationship between competence and GPA through academic identity. Overall, findings showed that autonomy, competence, autonomous motivation, and academic identity were important predictors of student success. Conclusion(s) Athletic training students should be provided opportunities to practice athletic training skills and knowledge and to make choices regarding patient care in real-life situations and regarding their learning environment. These opportunities for independence may result in greater autonomy, competence, autonomous motivation, and academic identity, and, in turn, greater student success.

The Effect of Imegery Training on Increasing Shooting Accuracy in the 10 m Air Rifle Women's Class Before Porprov XI in 2022

The research problem is the low ability to shoot air rifles in Class 10 m Air Rifle Women athletes before PORPROV XI 2022, due to the still weak accuracy of the players. This is evident from the various tournaments that have taken part, very rarely athletes are able to shoot on target. Mental imagery is one of the mental exercises that really has an influence on improving performance, especially in shooting. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of imagery training on increasing the accuracy of the 10 m Air Rifle Women Class before PORPROV XI 2022. The research design used was experimental one pre-test-post-test group, and the type of research is using experimental research. The research sample consisted of 9 athletes shooting the PERBAKIN NTB air rifle. The research instrument used was shooting 60 shots for 75 minutes. Based on data processing and analysis, the increase in the results of the initial training test was 73.33%. So the researchers concluded that: "There is an effect of imagery training on increasing the accuracy of the 10 m Class Air Rifle Women's shot before PORPROV XI 2022" meaning that there is a significant (real) effect of mental imagery training on the shooting skills of athletes shooting air rifles.

Organization of Diving Sports Branches at the Indonesian Diving Sports Association in Central Java Province

This study aims to determine the Organization of Diving Sports Branches at the Indonesian Diving Sports Association in Central Java Province. This research is a qualitative interpretative research. Data collection techniques using interviews and document analysis. In this study, the chairpersons, administrators and athletes of POSSI Central Java were used as samples. Data analysis in this study has 4 stages, namely: data collection stage, data reduction stage, data presentation stage, conclusion drawing stage. Based on the results of the research that In addition, POSSI Central Java's efforts and commitment in developing diving can also be linked to sport development theory. They organize various activities and trainings to improve the skills of athletes and coaches, as well as actively holding championships and recreational events for the community. A holistic approach that includes coaching young athletes and underwater environment conservation campaigns also reflects the organization's efforts to develop diving sports sustainably. Research on sports development strategies and the role of organizations in encouraging community participation in sports can also be a reference to discuss the success of POSSI Central Java in developing diving sports in the region. Based on the results of the research and the results of the data analysis conducted, it shows that the Organization of Diving Sport Branch POSSI Central Java Province: POSSI Central Java Province shows a well-organized management structure, with experienced and competent leaders. This leadership structure provides a strong foundation for the development of diving in the region. The history of the development of diving and the innovation of scuba equipment are important parts in developing modern diving. POSSI Central Java also shows effort and commitment in developing diving sports with a holistic approach that includes the development of young athletes and underwater environmental conservation campaigns.

Changing the level of mental health and fundamental movement skills on pencak silat athletes through game-based circuit training

Purpose: The decline in mental health and fundamental movement skills of athletes in the COVID-19 era has become a crucial issue and limited research on the effects of game-based circuit training towards changes in mental health levels and fundamental movement skills was a gap in this research. This study aims to investigate the effects of game-based circuit training in changing mental health levels and fundamental movement skills.&#x0D; Material and methods: This study adapted a quantitative approach with experimental methods. The participants in this study were pencak silat athletes at the Makassar State University located in Indonesia (n=40). Participants were divided into 2 groups, an experimental group that received game-based circuit training (n=20) and a control group that only did their usual daily training (n=20). Instrument that used to measure mental health was depression, anxiety and stress while fundamental movement skills used the gross motor development test. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS to find the normality, mean and standard deviation. Meanwhile, Paired sample t-test was used to test differences in mental health and fundamental movement skills scores in the experimental and control groups.&#x0D; Results: This study has obtained several findings. First, game-based circuit training was proven to significantly change mental health levels (p&lt;0.05). Second, game-based circuit training could also change the level of fundamental movement skills became better (p&lt;0.05), but different results were shown in the control group which had no effect on mental health and fundamental movement skills (p&gt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusions: This research has a great contribution to the development of sports, especially in pencak silat and provide solutions for coaches and athletes in maintaining the quality of mental health and fundamental movement skills through game-based circuits.

The naturalness bias in sport

We examined the naturalness bias - the tendency to prefer people who seem to come by their talent naturally and not through work or effort - on ratings of athletic ability. Football (soccer) coaches, athletes, fans, and non-fans (n = 430) read about an athlete described as either being a natural or a striver. After watching a video of the athlete going through drills, participants rated the athlete on likelihood of success, athletic skill, mental strength, and physiological ability. Participants of all expertise levels tended to rate the athlete described as a natural as being higher in mental toughness than did the participants rating the athlete described as being a striver. There were no significant differences in ratings for the natural and the striver for measures of skill and explosiveness. It appears that the naturalness bias was most likely to influence ratings not easily judged by viewing a single performance.

“Fake it or hide it till you make it”: A thematic analysis of hiding techniques in physical education among students in secondary school

Some students find engaging in physical education (PE) problematic or undesirable to the extent that it makes them adopt strategies to avoid taking part, also known as hiding techniques. There is a need to get a deeper understanding of hiding techniques as a behavioral strategy in PE, especially the underlying causes as to why students choose to engage in them. Hence, the purpose of the current study was two-fold: (a) to investigate the situations and activities in which students engage in hiding techniques in PE and (b) to elucidate students’ motives for engaging in these hiding techniques. 10 Norwegian ninth-grade students (six girls and four boys, all aged 14 years) participated in in-depth interviews using vignettes. Reflexive thematic analysis of the data revealed that hiding techniques can be characterized into active and passive hiding techniques. Active hiding techniques were divided into: “avoiding the ball,” “reducing effort,” and “social dizziness.” Passive hiding techniques were divided into: “forgetting gym clothing,” “faking soreness,” and “warming the bench.” Furthermore, the use of different hiding techniques was found to be situationally related and activity specific. The findings also revealed the following motives for using hiding techniques: low perceived competence, fear of failure, too high expectations, and exposure of perceived low athletic skills. The findings of the current study allow us to reflect on possible ways to organize PE to prevent the use of hiding techniques.

Acute Effect of Four Stretching Protocols on Change of Direction in U-17 Male Soccer Players.

The ability to rapidly change direction while sprinting is a desirable athletic skill in soccer. Enhancing change of direction (COD) performance depends almost exclusively on specific training, with stretching traditionally considered one such intervention. However, the comparative impact of diverse stretching methods on COD in soccer players remains an area of interest. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of different stretching methods on COD ability in soccer players. Twelve male soccer players playing in the national championship football division II (age: 16.3 ± 0.3 years, height: 1.81 ± 0.10 m, body mass: 67.7 ± 7.2 kg) were tested for COD performance (i.e., Illinois agility test) after (1) control condition (20 min general warm-up without stretching), (2) static stretching, (3) dynamic stretching, (4) combined static-dynamic stretching, and (5) combined dynamic-static stretching. The duration of stretching intervention was approximately 6 min for static and dynamic stretching and 12 min for both the combined stretching conditions. The experimental sessions were separated by 72 h. COD improved after dynamic stretching when compared to any other condition (p: 0.03-0.002; ηp2: 0.56-0.73), except for the control condition (p = 0.146; ηp2 = 0.18). In contrast, static stretching induced a detrimental effect on COD when compared only to the dynamic stretching condition (p < 0.01; ES = 1.35). Dynamic stretching exercises used by male soccer players in the warm-up improved COD. Other forms of stretching exercises, particularly static stretching, negatively impacted the COD performance. Therefore, coaches can consider integrating dynamic stretching protocols tailored to the athletes' specific needs. Moreover, extending the investigation to encompass a wider range of athletes, including different age groups and genders, would enhance the applicability and generalization of the findings.

The Coach Leadership Style: How it Impacts on the Sports Commitment and Playing Skills of Student Tennis Athletes?

Study purpose. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the coach’s leadership style model on increasing the level of sports commitment and tennis skills. Materials and methods. A mixed method was applied in this study. The participants (n=30) were student athletes at Surabaya State University. This study used the quantitative instrument which used the sports commitment grade scale to assess the level of sports commitment, the forehand and backhand tests were used to measure playing skills. While the qualitative instrument used in-depth interviews. The independent sample t-test was used to present differences in sports commitment scores and playing skills before and after the experiment in the experimental and control groups. The paired sample t-test was used to evaluate the effect of the coach’s leadership style model on the experimental and control groups. Qualitative statistical analysis used qualitative thematic analysis. Results. The quantitative study results showed that there was no difference in the level of sports commitment and playing skills between the experimental and control groups before the experiment (p&gt;0.05), but there was a difference after the experiment (p&lt;0.05). The paired sample t-test proved that the effect on increasing sports commitment and playing skills in the experimental group was better than in the control group (p&lt;0.05). In qualitative research, student athletes stated that the coach’s leadership style had advantages and disadvantages. Conclusions. Finally, student athletes emphasized that this program had a real and positive impact on the development of their sports commitment and playing skills.

The Impact of a Psychological Skills Training and Mindfulness-Based Intervention on the Mental Toughness, Competitive Anxiety, and Coping Skills of Futsal Players-A Longitudinal Convergent Mixed-Methods Design.

Despite the sport's popularity, there is a paucity in futsal psychological interventional research. This study analysed the impact of a ten-session psychological skills training and mindfulness-based intervention (PSTMI) on the mental toughness, competitive anxiety, and athletic coping skills of national league futsal players (n = 13). It also analysed whether these variables were predicted by playing experience. Pre-/post-intervention questionnaires were filled in and analysed (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire, and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with seven athletes; quantitative and qualitative data were integrated in a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Results revealed significant medium-to-large improvements in mental toughness, cognitive anxiety, and coping skills following the PSTMI. Years of playing experience positively and significantly predicted better self-confidence and coping skills. Thematic analysis generated five themes: (1) post-intervention enhancement in athletic performance and well-being; (2) the non-athletic commitments of futsal players; (3) diverse views on how to improve the intervention; (4) instilling social identity through sport psychology sessions; and (5) the impact of years of experience on skill learning. Results mirrored those from other sporting disciplines. The PSTMI was well-received and equipped athletes with beneficial psychological skills, stressing the need for more sport psychology resources in futsal.

Effective utilization of attentional resources in postural control in athletes of skill-oriented sports: an event-related potential study.

Postural control plays a key role in skill-oriented sports. Athletes of skill-oriented sports (hereinafter referred to as "skilled athletes") usually showed better control ability compared with non-athletes. However, research focused on the single postural task, rarely considering the actual situation in skill-oriented sports in which other processes, such as cognitive control, frequently accompany postural control. This study aims to explore how skilled athletes control their posture under the dual-task situation and use limited attentional resources. A total of 26 skilled athletes and 26 non-athletes were required to perform the postural control and N-back tasks simultaneously. Center of pressure (COP) trajectory, reaction times (RTs), and discriminability (d') of N-back tasks were recorded and evaluated, along with event-related potentials, including N1 (Oz, PO7, and PO8), P2 (Fz, FCz, Cz, and Pz) components, and the spectral power of alpha band. Skilled athletes demonstrated more postural control stability and a higher d' than non-athletes in all dual tasks. Besides, they showed enhanced N1, P2 amplitudes and reduced alpha band power during dual-tasking. Notably, in skilled athletes, a significant negative correlation between N1 amplitude and d' was observed, while significant positive correlations between alpha band power and postural control performance were also identified. This study investigates the potential advantages of skilled athletes in postural control from the view of neuroscience. Compared to non-athletes, skilled athletes could decrease the consumption of attentional resources in postural control and recruit more attentional resources in stimulus discrimination and evaluation in cognitive tasks. Since the allocation of attentional resources plays a crucial part in postural control in skilled athletes, optimizing the postural control training program and the selection of skilled athletes from a dual-task perspective is important.

Relationship between Body Center of Mass Velocity and Lower Limb Joint Angles during Advance Lunge in Skilled Male University Fencers

We investigated the influence of advance lunging in fencing from the perspective of velocity and lower limb joint angles to identify how the joint angles contribute to the peak velocity in a lunge with advance (LWA). Fourteen skilled athletes (age: 19.6 ± 0.9 years, height: 171.2 cm ± 5.2 cm, weight: 63.7 kg ± 5.3 kg, and fencing experience: 9.7 ± 3.1 years) participated by performing two types of attacking movements, and data were collected with a 3D movement analysis system. A correlation between the peak velocity of the body center of mass (CoM) in an advance lunge and several joint angle variables (rear hip peak flexion angle (r = 0.63), rear ankle peak dorsiflexion angle (r = −0.66), rear ankle range of motion (r = −0.59), and front hip peak extension angle (r = 0.54)) was revealed. In addition, the joint angle variables that significantly predicted peak CoM velocity during an LWA were the rear knee peak flexion angle (β = 0.542), rear knee peak extension angle (β = −0.537), and front knee peak extension angle (β = −0.460). Our findings suggest that the rear leg hip joint, rear leg ankle joint, and front leg hip joint may control the acceleration generated by an LWA. Furthermore, more flexion of the rear leg knee joint in the early phase of the lunge and greater extension of the rear and front leg knee joints at the end of the lunge phase may help increase peak velocity.

Skilled Performers Show Right Parietal Lateralization during Anticipation of Volleyball Attacks.

Global and local biological motion processing are likely influenced by an observer's perceptual experience. Skilled athletes anticipating an opponent's movements use globally distributed motion information, while less skilled athletes focus on single kinematic cues. Published reports have demonstrated that attention can be primed globally or locally before perceptual tasks; such an intervention could highlight motion processing mechanisms used by skilled and less skilled observers. In this study, we examined skill differences in biological motion processing using attentional priming. Skilled (N = 16) and less skilled (N = 16) players anticipated temporally occluded videos of volleyball attacks after being primed using a Navon matching task while parietal EEG was measured. Skilled players were more accurate than less skilled players across priming conditions. Global priming improved performance in both skill groups. Skilled players showed significantly reduced alpha and beta power in the right compared to left parietal region, but brain activity was not affected by the priming interventions. Our findings highlight the importance of right parietal dominance for skilled performers, which may be functional for inhibiting left hemispheric local processing or enhancing visual spatial attention for dynamic visual scenes. Further work is needed to systematically determine the function of this pattern of brain activity during skilled anticipation.

Training mental imagery skills of elite athletes in virtual reality

Mental imagery practice is widely used to help athletes prepare for competitions, as it can produce motor actions that enhance performance. The goal of imagery training for athletes is to create realistic images in their minds and to familiarize them with certain procedures, environments, and other aspects related to competition. Traditional imagery training methods use still images or videos, and athletes study the pictures or watch the videos in order to mentally rehearse. However, factors such as distractions and low realism can affect the training quality. In this paper, we present a Virtual Reality (VR) solution and a study that explores our hypotheses that H1: high-fidelity VR systems improve mental imagery skills, that H2: the presence of elements such as virtual onlookers or photographers in the VR environment arouse stronger emotional reactions and affect, and that H3: the presence of elements such as onlookers or photographers in the VR environment results in better mental imagery skill improvement. For that purpose, seven elite snow sports athletes were exposed to three training methods, Video, VR-Empty, and VR-Crowded. Our results show that a VR simulation with virtual onlookers (VR-Crowded) can significantly increase heart rate, which can induce increased emotional arousal. The results from validated questionnaires show no significant difference for the three training methods in terms of mental imagery and affect, but the results show an ascending trend for the athlete’s arousal from Video to the VR-Crowded condition. Gaze detection heat maps of interest areas for the two VR conditions support hypothesis H2 that environmental factors such as the presence of photographers, staff, and onlookers can increase head and eye movement, possibly indicating an increase in emotional arousal during imagery training. According to verbal feedback and interviews, athletes are more likely to use innovative training methods (e.g., the high-fidelity VR method) than traditional video-training methods.

P2M-WBF: PELATIHAN GIZI OLAHRAGA UNTUK ATLET SKI AIR DAN WAKEBOARD DKI JAKARTA

P2M-WBF is a community service program for the fostered area of ??the Faculty of Jakarta State University with the Indonesian Ski air dan wakeboard National Training Center at POPKI Cibubur Jl. Karya Bakti, RT.8/RW.7, Cibubur, Kec. Ciracas, City of East Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta 13720. The aim of this Community Service Program is to carry out training and assistance to improve the physical condition of Indonesian National Ski air dan wakeboard National Training Athletes in preparation for the Championships. The method of carrying out the activity is the instructor method which comes from licensed trainers who have qualifications in the field of Nationally licensed Physical Conditions Training. While the material to be provided in the implementation of community service consists of: Providing subject matter which includes: 1) forms and models of physical exercise; 2) Carry out theoretical and practical evaluations. The objectives of this activity are: 1) As an effort to increase knowledge, understanding and skills for Indonesian Ski air dan wakeboard Athletes regarding physical condition training programs; 2) as an effort to improve the quality and human resources, especially the Indonesian Ski air dan wakeboard National Training Athletes

P2M-WBF: STRATEGI MENINGKATKAN KONDISI FISIK ATLET SKI AIR DAN WAKEBOARD DKI JAKARTA

P2M-WBF It is a community service program in the target area of ??the Faculty of Jakarta State University at the PSAWI Pengprov (Indonesian Water Ski and Wakeboard Association) DKI Jakarta. This Community Service aims to increase athletes' knowledge about improving the physicality of Water Skiing and Wakeboarding in achieving optimal performance. The method of carrying out the activity is the lecture method and instructors from DKI Jakarta PSAWI Pengprov who have qualifications in the field of Water Skiing and Wakeboard sports that are Nationally licensed and speakers who have licenses in the field of improving physical conditions. While the material that will be given in the implementation of community service consists of: 1) carrying out the pre-test, 2) Providing the main material for Improving Physical Conditions; 3) Providing practical materials; 4) Carrying out theoretical and practical evaluations. The objectives of this activity are: 1) As an effort to increase knowledge, understanding, and skills for Water Ski and Wakeboard athletes; 2) as an effort to improve the quality and human resources, especially for DKI Jakarta water ski and wakeboard athletes in obtaining optimal performance

P2M-WBF: PELATIHAN PENINGKATAN KONDISI FISIK ATLET PELATNAS TAEKWONDO INDONESIA DI POPKI CIBUBUR

P2M-WBF is a community service program for the fostered area of ??the Faculty of Jakarta State University with the Indonesian Taekwondo National Training Center at POPKI Cibubur Jl. Karya Bakti, RT.8/RW.7, Cibubur, Kec. Ciracas, City of East Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta 13720. The aim of this Community Service Program is to carry out training and assistance to improve the physical condition of Indonesian National Taekwondo National Training Athletes in preparation for the Championships. The method of carrying out the activity is the instructor method which comes from licensed trainers who have qualifications in the field of Nationally licensed Physical Conditions Training. While the material to be provided in the implementation of community service consists of: Providing subject matter which includes: 1) forms and models of physical exercise; 2) Carry out theoretical and practical evaluations. The objectives of this activity are: 1) As an effort to increase knowledge, understanding and skills for Indonesian Taekwondo Athletes regarding physical condition training programs; 2) as an effort to improve the quality and human resources, especially the Indonesian Taekwondo National Training Athletes

A Research Note on Relationships Between Age, Body Size, Strength, and Power With Throwing Velocity in High School Water Polo Players.

Lockie, RG, Wakely, AM, Viramontes, E, and Dawes, JJ. A research note on relationships between age, body size, strength, and power with throwing velocity in high school water polo players. J Strength Cond Res 37(8): e466-e469, 2023-A successful high school strength and conditioning program should aim to improve fitness and develop motor skills in athletes. This research note investigated the relationships between throwing velocity with age, height, body mass, strength, and power in male high school water polo athletes. Fifteen (n = 15) water polo athletes (age: 15.67 ± 0.98; height: 177.63 ± 6.53 cm; body mass: 78.07 ± 16.08 kg) from one high school program were recruited. Strength was measured using combined grip strength from both hands and a leg/back dynamometer. Power was measured by a vertical jump and 2-kg seated medicine ball throw (MBT). Subjects also threw a water polo ball with maximum effort to measure throwing velocity. Pearson's correlation and stepwise regression were used to calculate relationships between throwing velocity with age, body size, strength, and power (p < 0.05). Age (r = 0.530), grip strength (r = 0.674), leg/back strength (r = 0.699), and the MBT (r = 0.670) all showed significant positive relationships with throwing velocity. Leg/back strength predicted throwing velocity with 49% explained variance (r2 = 0.490, p < 0.004). With age, explained variance increased to 66% (r2 = 0.664, p < 0.001). Throwing velocity related to age, which could be expected with maturation. However, stronger relationships were seen for upper-body (grip) and lower-body (leg/back) strength, and upper-body power (MBT). Strength and conditioning programs for high school athletes who develop upper- and lower-body strength and upper-body power could enhance throwing velocity among water polo (and potentially other overhead throwing) athletes.

Effects of expertise in skill-oriented sports on postural control: An event-related potential study using dual-task paradigm

Postural control is a fundamental aspect of motor skills and is crucial for achieving optimal performance in sports. However, previous studies mainly explored the postural control ability of athletes of skill-oriented sports (skilled athletes) under single postural control conditions, disregarding the processing characteristics of postural control in real sports scenarios. This research used the event-related potential (ERP) to investigate the postural control ability of skilled athletes during the action inhibition process by a dual-task paradigm. The study included 26 skilled athletes and 25 nonathletes who simultaneously completed a postural control task and a Go/Nogo task. The results showed that skilled athletes exhibited superior postural control performance in all three standing positions and higher N1 and P3 component amplitudes than nonathletes. The study illustrated that skilled athletes exhibit higher flexibility in allocating attentional resources to ensure optimal postural control and action inhibition performance. These findings suggest that skilled athletes possess a higher level of control automation in complex standing positions and more efficient and economical brain processing characteristics, which may contribute to their exceptional performance in sports.