Youth Team Research Articles

Benefits of the clinical pilates program in lower back pain in young handball players

Introduction: Handball is one of most associated sports with low back injuries. Low back pain is one of the main reasons for physical incapacity among athletes, with a negative impact on training and competition [1]. Clinical pilates uses minimal loads to improve trunk activation and endurance, aiming to improve posture and movement control through the strengthening of the core, leading to the decrease of low back pain [2,3]. The goal of this study was to verify the benefits on low back pain, through the application of a clinical pilates program, during six weeks, in young handball players of the youth team, junior and senior, of the Ginásio Clube do Sul. Materials and methods: This study included 18 male, athletes with lumbar pain from training overload existing for more than 3 months. The subjects were, randomized into two groups: experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). The EG performed a clinical Pilates program before the usual handball weekly workouts and the control group performed only the usual handball weekly workouts, and they were given a flyer with trunk strengthening and postural control exercises. The study lasted six weeks, with evaluation moments at week 0 (M0) and in the end of week 6 (M1). The study was approved by Ginásio Clube do Sul and all participants gave their informed consent. Results: Both groups were homogeneous regarding participants age (19.66 ± 2.85 vs 19.61 ± 2.96) and weight (80.78 ± 7.35 vs 80.58 ± 5.43). In the mean values, athletes in the EG had lower values than the CG in functional disability (2.1 ± 1.5 vs 3.25 ± 1.75) and pain score (3 ± 1.5, vs 4.25 ± 0.7), and higher values for endurance of the trunk (flexors - 73.9 ± 24.5, extensors - 75.3 ± 24.7, right lateral flexors - 41.1 ± 26.5, left lateral flexors - 43.35 ± 26.8; ± 24.1, vs flexors 56.1 ± 24.1, extensors- 63.2 ± 15.6, right lateral flexors- 32.8 ± 16.1, left lateral flexors- 35.5 ± 19.2). Within groups, we could see statistically significant differences in the functional disability variable (p = 0.02), pain intensity (p = 0.03) and endurance in the trunk flexors (p = 0.04) and extensors (p = 0.01) for the EG, from M0 to M1; In CG, there are no statistically significant differences except from pain intensity (p = 0.04). The functional disability and pain intensity value decreased from M0 to M1 in the EG with a moderate to high effect. The value of endurance of trunk flexors and extensors increase from M0 to M1 with a moderate to high effect. Discussion and conclusion: Clinical Pilates has benefits on handball athletes with low back pain, leading to a decrease in pain intensity and functional incapacity, as well as an increase in the endurance of the trunk flexors and extensors. Despite clinical Pilates have promising effects controling pain symptomatology, functional capacity and endurance of the trunk in young Handball athletes, further investigation with larger sample is needed.

A Mendelian Randomization Study of Serum Uric Acid Levels and Diabetes Risk: Evidence from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort

Background: Limited Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have assessed the causal relationship between serum uric acid levels and diabetes risk. Here we investigated causality between the serum uric acid concentration and diabetes risk in Chinese population. Methods: In the observational analysis, based on the Dongfeng-Tongji (DFTJ) prospective cohort (n=15,195) we tested the association of serum uric acid levels with incident diabetes risk. In the instrumental variable analysis, we examined the association of the genetic risk score (GRS) of serum uric acid with diabetes risk in case-control design (2,539 cases and 4,595 controls) via MR analysis. Findings: During a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.5 (0.5) years, 1,156 incident diabetes cases were identified. Compared with those in the lowest quintile of serum uric acid levels, the HRs of incident diabetes were 1.19 (95% CI 0.96-1.48), 1.12 (95% CI 0.90-1.40), 1.38 (95% CI 1.12- 1.70), and 1.51 (95% CI 1.23-1.87) for Q2, Q3, Q4 and Q5, respectively (P-trend < 0.001). The GRS was strongly associated with serum uric acid levels (β=0.17, 95% CI 0.15-0.19; P = 2.81×10-67). However, no significant association was observed between the GRS and diabetes risk (OR=1.01, 95 CI 0.95-1.06; P = 0.75). Interpretation: Even though serum uric acid levels were significantly associated with increased incident diabetes risk, the results did not provide evidence for a causal relationship between them. Funding: The grant from the National Natural Science Foundation (grant NSFC-81522040 and 81473051), National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC0907501), and the Program for HUST Academic Frontier Youth Team . Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The present study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China and the Ethics Committee of Dongfeng General Hospital, Shiyan, China. All participants provided written informed consent.

Some questions of development of authentic tradition of the copy in the city youth folklorist collective

The opinion on the issue of assimilating the authentic manner of singing and traditional musical material in the modern city secondary youth folklore group is presented. Issues such as: mastering the local performing tradition by artists - singers in the youth team, and related to this aspect of the problem of finding reference sound in the folklore tradition.

SHOOTING ANALYSIS OF LITHUANIAN NATIONAL BASKETBALL MEN’S TEAMS IN DIFFERENT AGE CATEGORIES

Background. One of the most important problems for players, coaches and scientists is improving the accuracy of shooting the basket. It is the most important technique for playing basketball, and its dependence on performance is multifaceted. Methods. All 37 games in the 2015 European Championships in U16, U18, U20 and men’s national team were analyzed. Data was selected from the official boxscores of FIBA (International Basketball Federation). The following absolute game-related statistics were gathered: free-throws, 2-point and 3-point field goals (both successful and unsuccessful). The obtained values of the rate of success of 2-point, 3-point and free throw shooting were tested by the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-test. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows, version 20.0, and statistical significance was set at p &lt; .05. Results. Comparing the number and accuracy of shots taken from 2-point distance, we found that there was no significant difference between men of different ages (p &gt; .05). Most 3-point shots were done by U16 youth team, the least was in men’s national basketball team, a significant difference in the indicators (p &lt; .05) was found between all the teams, except between men’s national team and U18 (p &gt; .05). Comparing free-throws’ indicators between different age groups, most throws were done by U16 team, the least were done by the U20 team (p &lt; .05); however, there were no differences between the other significant indicators (p &gt; .05). Comparing free-throws accuracy indicators between the different age groups of basketball teams, significant differences in indicators were found between men’s national basketball team and U20, U16 (p &lt; .05). Conclusions. The count of 2-point shots made in Lithuanian different age basketball national team games was more or less similar. Most 3-point shots were made by U16 team and the national men’s team made least 3-pointers. The indicators of accuracy did not have a significant difference between national teams, except for free throws: men’s national team made these shots most accurately, opposite situation was with U16 team.

Building New China, Colonizing Kokonor: Resettlement to Qinghai in the 1950s by Gregory Rohlf

Reviewed by: Building New China, Colonizing Kokonor: Resettlement to Qinghai in the 1950s by Gregory Rohlf Xiangli Ding Gregory Rohlf. Building New China, Colonizing Kokonor: Resettlement to Qinghai in the 1950s. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016. 301 pp. $100.00 (cloth), $48.99 (paper). In this ambitious monograph, Gregory Rohlf illustrates the rationales for and tensions throughout the movement to resettle Qinghai in the 1950s. As state-building efforts, the resettlement and reclamation programs aimed to increase agricultural production and consolidate the Communist state’s frontier control. Yet few resettlers remained in Qinghai, proving that the Communist state’s assimilation of rural Qinghai had failed in the 1950s. Rohlf starts with Sun Yat-sen’s call for colonization of the Northeast and Northwest of China in 1920. Under the Nationalist government, cultivated lands had been doubled in Qinghai by the 1940s. In the 1950s, the Chinese Communist state continued this practice at an unprecedented scale and pace. A variety of push factors formed the mechanism for the state-sponsored resettlement to the frontier regions in the 1950s. According to Rohlf, those factors included social welfare resettlement of the poor and veterans, reservoir displacement, deployment of soldiers and prisoners, and ethnic discrimination against Hui, a Muslim minority in China. Rohlf incisively points out that many of those resettlements were not explicitly designed to consolidate state power in border regions. In particular, he uses reservoir displacement in Henan to exemplify local government’s incentive “to make local problems disappear” (51). In 1956, more than 70% of resettlers were Hui Muslims from North China (54). However, due to restricted access to relevant archival documents, the author remains ambivalent about whether targeting Hui people was a provincial initiative or a policy made by the central government. Considering its wide practice in multiple provinces, it seems more likely to have been a policy from the top. In chapter 2, through analysis of the Communist state’s administrative structure, Rohlf identifies three streams of agricultural resettlement to border areas: the Ministry of Agriculture’s state-owned farms, the Ministry of the Interior’s social welfare programs, and the laogai (劳改 reeducation through labor) system’s exile of political prisoners. Rohlf argues that these three streams were “brought together to protect and expand Chinese sovereignty through farm settlements” (70). Unsurprisingly, the resettlement program in the 1950s was also subject to influence from the Soviet Union. Rohlf reveals that the resettlement organized by the Communist Youth League was a brainchild of Hu Yaobang, who was directly inspired by Nikita Khrushchev’s Virgin Lands program. More importantly, the agricultural resettlement program worked in close connection with other projects in Qinghai. It was designed to produce grain for several key projects, such as the building of a railroad and 221 nuclear labs in Haiyan County. It would have been fascinating if Rohlf had fleshed out this part of the story further.1 Furthermore, Rohlf strives to find the personal agency of those resettlers who participated in the state-sponsored resettlement of Qinghai. Many youth team members believed state propaganda and were willing to settle in the most disadvantaged places for the sake of the country. Other invisible factors, such as political and peer pressures and [End Page E-19] curiosity about the outside world, also drove them to leave their homes. As to the majority of the rural resettlers, however, because of the lack of memoirs and other historical records, Rohlf reminds us that it is hard to provide a complete “grassroots” explanation of their incentives for joining the resettlement. The next two chapters provide a more grassroots narrative of the resettlement process. Chapter 3 examines the response of local people in Qinghai to the state-sponsored resettlement. The cost of resettlement was not fully covered by the government. Instead, Qinghai locals were under pressure to provide household necessities and food to newcomers. Moreover, collectivization in the 1950s complicated the resettlement process. In contrast to the hospitality and harmony depicted in official narratives, many locals worried that resettlers would squander their already limited resources. For example, “a vice co-op chief destroyed kang beds in his home, leading others in the co-op to do the same or move into hitherto...

Genetic Risk, Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle, and Type 2 Diabetes: The Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort Study

Background: Genetic and lifestyle factors both contribute to diabetes development, but whether healthy lifestyle could reduce diabetes risk among individuals with different genetic profile is unknown. Methods: A prospective cohort study with 19,005 participants from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort were performed. Adherence to a healthy lifestyle was determined on the basis of six factors: non-smoker, non-drinker, healthy diet, body mass index of 18.5 to 23.9 kg/m2, waist circumference <85 cm for men and <80 cm for women, and higher level of physical exercise. Hazard ratios (HRs) of combined healthy lifestyle factors on incident diabetes were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression. A polygenic risk score of 88 single nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with diabetes was constructed to test for an association with diabetes risk among 7,344 individuals, estimated using Logistic regression. Findings: Of 19,005 individuals, 10,438 (54.9%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 63.2 (7.7) years. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years 1,555 incident diabetes (8.2%) were ascertained. The risk of diabetes escalated with the increment of genetic risk score. Per SD of simple and weighted GRS increase was respectively significantly associated with 1.42 and 1.45 fold higher diabetes risk. Compared with poor lifestyle (0 to 2 healthy lifestyle factors), individuals with intermediate (3 or 4 healthy lifestyle factors) or ideal lifestyle (5 or 6 healthy lifestyle factors) had 23% (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69-0.87) and 46% (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.45-0.65) decreased risk of incident diabetes, respectively. The association of lifestyle factors with diabetes risk was independent of genetic risk stratums. Among individuals at the high genetic risk group, intermediate and ideal lifestyle was associated with 29% lower (OR, 0.71; 95% CI: 0.58-0.86) and 49% lower (OR, 0.51; 95% CI: 0.38-0.69) risk of diabetes. Interpretation: Genetic and lifestyle factors were independently associated with diabetes risk. A healthy lifestyle could lower diabetes risk across different genetic risk categories, emphasizing the benefit of entire populations adhering to a healthy lifestyle, independent of genetic risk. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the grant from the National Natural Science Foundation (grant NSFC-81522040, 81473051, and 81230069); the Program for HUST Academic Frontier Youth Team; National Key RD the 111 Project (No. B12004); the Program for Changjiang Scholars; Innovative Research Team in University of Ministry of Education of China (No. IRT1246); China Postdoctoral Science Funding (2018M630869); and China Medical Board (No. 12-113). Declaration of Interests: No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported. Ethics Approval Statement: The present study has been approved by the Ethics and Human Subject Committee of the School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Dongfeng General Hospital, the Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DMC). All study participants provided written informed consents.

An analytical study of some biomechanical variables and the achievement level of 2000 m rowing

This study aimed to analyse the first 250 m in rowing (2000 m) racing by finding the relationship between some biomechanical variables and the achievement(time) of the race. The study design was an analytical descriptive method linked to the relationship between variables, with the intention of selected the participants which is represented by 6 of the best achievements players from the Iraqi National Youth Team for rowing, All participants performed the test between 13:00 - 14:00 h afternoons, which is the same weekly training time for participants. The level of the relationship between the biomechanical variables and the achievement was uneven in terms of the strength and weakness of the relationship, however, the research ended in results that can be used as a guide for the training rowing. It very important to focus on the training of special endurance because of it an important factor in this types of racing which require the rower to stay in the same velocity to the end of the race, this can be as a proposed study.

The relative age effect in selection to international team matches in Norwegian handball.

Many elite sport organisations have introduced structured talent identification and development (TID) initiatives in youth sports to better facilitate elite sport performance. However, selection mechanisms for TID programmes (e.g., junior international team) are biased towards relatively older athletes and limited studies exist with Scandinavian contexts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the relative age effect (RAE) in youth, junior and senior male and female international team selections among Norwegian handball players (n = 657). A Chi-square goodness-of-fit test assessed whether a skewed birthdate distribution occurred at the youth, junior and senior international team levels and odds-ratios were calculated for RAE distribution. Moreover, a Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess differences between the number of international youth, junior and senior level appearances by birth quartiles. Significant uneven birth date distributions were shown for youth (χ2(7) = female 40.383 and male 105.716, p <0.001) and junior (χ2(7) = female 27.427 and male 30.948, p <0.001) international players, favouring the relatively older player (odds-ratio of 1.9–8.3). At the senior level, no uneven distribution was identified. The comparison of the number of matches in each age category and the quartile of birth showed a difference in the women’s youth category, where players in quartile 8 had a significantly lower number of appearances compared to quartile 1. The results form part of a growing body of knowledge about selection mechanisms in sport, which favours relatively older athletes within Norwegian Handball. Such findings are important for policy and practice for informing TID programmes for inclusive selection opportunities for all players.

The Effects of Natural Grass Turf on Some Motoric Characteristics of Young Soccer Players

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of soccer training on natural turfs on strength, speed, power and balance characteristics in prepubertal children. Twenty-two male athletes chosen from the 12-13 age group who play soccer in the youth team of an amateur soccer club from Istanbul, Turkey volunteered to participate in our study. In the study, 30 m sprint, Y-balance, standing long jump and vertical jump tests were done as pre- and post-tests. The same training program was assigned to the players, who were separated into two groups. One group was trained on synthetic grass turf (SG) while the other group was trained on natural grass turf (NG) for eight weeks. As a result of the statistical analyses, significant improvements were observed in all parameters between pre-and post-test measurements of both SG and NG groups (p&lt;0.05). When the developmental differences of the groups were examined, statistical improvement was found in the standing long jump parameter in favor of the group that trained on Natural Grass turf (p=0.037). In conclusion, depending on the characteristics of the soccer game, enhancements were observed on both surfaces. However, the challenge effect of natural grass turf was more effective than that of synthetic grass turf on leg strength improvement. It is considered that as a result of continuing their soccer trainings on natural grass turfs, young players can improve their performance and can avoid possible injuries.

Facilitators to support the implementation of injury prevention training in youth handball: A concept mapping approach.

There is a need for research to identify effective implementation strategies for injury prevention training within real‐world community sports. The aim of this ecological participatory study was to identify facilitators, among stakeholders at multiple levels, that could help injury prevention training become part of regular training routines in youth team handball. Concept mapping, a mixed‐method approach for qualitative data collection and quantitative data analysis, was used. Stakeholders (n = 196) of two community team handball clubs (29% players, 13% coaches, 38% caregivers, 11% club, district and national handball administrators, 9% unknown) participated in a brainstorming process. After the research team synthesized the 235 generated statements, 50 stakeholders (34% players, 22% coaches, 24% caregivers, 20% administrators) sorted 89 unique facilitator statements into clusters and rated them for importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis yielded five clusters (stress value 0.231): “Understanding and applying knowledge,” “Education, knowledge, and consistency,” “Set‐up and exercises,” “Inspiration, motivation, and routines,” and “Club policy and expert collaboration.” The cluster “Understanding and applying knowledge” had the highest mean importance (3.17 out of 4) and feasibility (2.93) ratings. The 32 statements rated as both highly important and feasible (Go‐zone) indicate action is required at the individual (end‐users) and organizational (policymakers) levels to implement injury prevention training. Results suggest that developing evidence‐based context‐specific injury prevention training, incorporating physiological, biomechanical and psychological components, and an associated context‐specific implementation plan in partnership with all stakeholders should be a high priority to facilitate the implementation of injury prevention training in youth team handball.

Self-Assessment of Attitudes of the Lithuanian and European Judo Coaches and Athletes Towards Spiritual and Moral Traits of Their Personality

The aim of the research was to identify the self-assessment of the attitudes of the judo coaches and athletes possessing different levels of mastership towards their own spiritual traits and moral behaviour. The research was based on the assumption that different levels of sport mastership as well as age might influence the self-assessment of the personal attitudes of the judo sportsmen and coaches to their own spiritual traits and moral behaviour. The research volume and organization. Following the aforementioned assumption, the four groups of the respondents were chosen: members of the Lithuanian National Youth Team of Judo (n = 20), their mean age was 17.2 ± 1.25 years; the youth elite of European judo, i.e. champions and prizewinners (n = 20), their mean age was 17.5 ± 1.6 years; Lithuanian judo coaches (n = 20), their mean age was 38.7 ± 2.8 years; and coaches of the champions and other prizewinners of contests (n = 20), their mean age was 40.5 ± 3.6 years. The main method of research was an anonymous interview in writing. A questionnaire with closed questions aiming to analyze the self-assessment of the attitudes of the Lithuanian and European judo coaches and athletes towards their own spiritual traits and moral behaviour was worked out on the basis of the semiotic models offered by J. Dailidienė (1997). The questionnaire appendices provided a clear conceptual definition of each trait (the concepts were explained on the basis of L. Jovaiša (1993 a, b) “Dictionary of Pedagogic Terms” and “Principles of Education” (1993)). The respondents were asked to mark their personal consideration of all the traits that were characteristic of them. By following Dalidienė’s suggestion, they were grouped into two blocks: the ones related with morality and the ones related with spirituality. Mathematical statistics. The data were analyzed by employing the statistic data analysis software SPSS 13.0 applying the method of descriptive statistics. The reliability of the difference between the groups was estimated on the basis of the chi square criterion. When its value was p &lt; 0.05, the differences were regarded as statistically significant. The majority of the Lithuanian and European judo coaches and athletes included diligence (85—100%) and persistency (60—90%) into their Self-image. Lithuanian judo coaches (p &lt; 0.05) distinguished courageousness as their common trait, whereas the European judo coaches (p &lt; 0.05) distinguished dutifulness and fellow-feeling; a significant part of the European judo elite athletes (p &lt; 0.05) emphasized friendliness and attentiveness.Keywords: self-assessment of judo coaches and judo athletes, spiritual features, moral features.

Correlation between Factors of Psychological Preparation and Physical Condition and Team Performance in Latvian Youth Basketball

Topicality of the research stems out of theoretically argued and empirically proved facts, analyzing the test results of Latvian youth national basketball teams in the preparation period before the European Championship Games in 2007 and 2008. Scientific investigation of dominating factors of athletes’ psychological preparation and physical condition requires research as there is a range of discrepancies: imbalance between the increasing number of important competitions and athletes’ inability to maintain concentration for a long time at the necessary level as it affects the quality of performance; the discrepancy between players’ opinion about the cohesion level necessary in winning teams and the real situation; imbalance between the belief that psychological preparedness is one of the most important parts of the preparation process and the inability to use theory in practice. Research aim is to evaluate the correlation between the Latvian National Youth Basketball Team players’ psychological preparation and physical condition factor structure and performance. The research methods: testing, inquiry, the analysis of game score sheets; mathematical statistics. Researching team cohesion and team success (performance) in sport, A. Carron, S. Bray and M. Eys (2002) analysed whether team cohesion correlated with team success. They concluded that there was a mutual connection between team cohesion in GI-U and ATG-U scales and team success (r = 0.60 and r = 0.62 (p = 0.01)) and much attention was paid to the content of the ATG-T scale (Carron, Bray, Eys, 2002). But in the research carried out in Latvia the connection between GI-U and GI-S, and team success (performance) (r = 0.60 and r = 0.598 (p = 0.01)) was found. “Success” was characterized by ranged percentage of team wins and loses (their rank was processed with the help of SPSS programme). We suppose that the differences were determined by applying different research design or the differences in the players’ mentality. In the course of the research the criteria to evaluate the content of the factor structure elements were established and the recommendations to improve the content were developed. As a result of the factor analysis of the young basketball players’ psychological preparation and physical condition indices three factors were obtained — “team cohesion”, “physical condition and emotional stability”, and “motivation and self-regulation”. The results in the complex research in Latvian youth teams allow to make suggestions how to optimize basketball players’ training, based upon statistically significant correlation coefficients. The analysis of the results shows that working with young Latvian athletes more attention should be paid to the improvement of the players’ self-regulation skills, understanding the importance of emotions and emotional conditions in sport, as well as the development of concentration and imagination abilities and to the content of team cohesion structure characterising scale (ATG-T, GI-T, GI-S).Keywords: team cohesion, mental stability, basketball

Linking motivational climate with moral behavior in youth sport: The role of social support, perspective taking, and moral disengagement.

This study investigated whether motivational climate was associated with prosocial and antisocial behavior in youth athletes directly and indirectly via social support (i.e., emotional and esteem support), perspective taking, and moral disengagement. Two-hundred and seventy-five youth team sport players (156 boys; 119 girls) aged 11 to 16 years completed questionnaires assessing the study variables. Structural equation modelling revealed that mastery climate was positively associated with prosocial teammate behavior both directly and indirectly via social support. Mastery climate was also indirectly associated with prosocial opponent behavior via social support and perspective taking. Mastery climate was negatively associated with antisocial behavior towards opponents and teammates indirectly via social support, perspective taking, and moral disengagement. Performance climate was positively associated with antisocial behavior towards teammates directly and indirectly via moral disengagement: It was also indirectly associated with antisocial behavior towards opponents via moral disengagement. Our findings extend understanding about the variables that might explain relationships between motivational climate and moral conduct in youth athletes. Implications for sport practitioners are considered, especially in relation to approaches that could help foster moral character in young people through sport.

Shooting Diversity in Lithuanian Youth Female Basketball Players in Centre Position Depending on the Rank of Competition Level

Research background and hypothesis. Higher levels of competition rank have significant influence on the structure and shooting performance in youth basketball. The aim of the study was to investigate the interaction of shooting and match results of Lithuanian female youth national team players dependent on the competition level.Research methods. The basketball players (n = 7) of the Lithuanian Basketball Centre were investigated. The performance indicators of those players were analyzed on the basis of the data collected during the Lithuanian Women “A” league and European Basketball Championship of 2011. We analyzed the statistics of six selected key indicators: 2- and 3- point field goal attempts, free-throws. The data were processed by SPSS 17.0 for Windows. Person’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the relationships between the match results within all shooting types and different players.Research results. The top efficacy of shooting was found in Lithuanian Championship (LC), the lowest – in European Championship (EC). The highest efficiency of free throws was found in the II nd period (62.53%), two-points (44.74%) and three-points (19.45%) shooting efficacy in the I st period in LC. Seven players of LBC in Lithuanian Championship earned the majority part of all points i. e. 74% in the I st period and 75% in the II nd period. However, the contribution of 7 players of LBC in the international competition level of EC was less, 59% of total team points. Discussion and conclusions. Though the players performed successfully and efficiently in both stages of LC and won all matches with a great difference in points, remarkable decrease in shooting efficacy and winning one match only (out of 9) in EC might be considered as not adequate level of mastership in the opponents’ teams in LC or not adequate individual level of sport performance. Lithuanian basketball federation should rethink the system of targeted training of the Lithuanian youth team during the preparatory period in order to manage suitable local competition level for better advance in the performance at the international level.Keywords: sport performance, sport games, sport contest model, shooting efficacy in basketball.

The Relative Age Effect in Poland's Elite Youth Soccer Players.

The relative age effect (RAE) is related to discrimination against youth athletes born in the last quarter of the calendar year. The current study presents research on the RAE in elite youth soccer players in Poland. Players in the Central Junior League (CLJ) finals represent 0.59% of the 25,756 players under 20 years old (U20). This study analyzed the post-game protocols of the CLJ knockout stage from the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons as well as the U17-U21 teams during 2015, including only players who played on the field for at least one minute (n = 395). The results revealed the existence of RAE in the examined groups ( CLJ 2013/2014, χ23 = 15.441, p < 0.01, CLJ 2014/2015, χ23 = 20.891, p < 0.001 U17-U21, χ23 = 25.110, p < 0.001). In addition, the results differed by monthly birth distribution in the Polish population (PP) between 1995 and 1999. This study is the first to examine the RAE in youth soccer in Poland. The occurrence of the RAE with regard to the most promising youth and national team players suggests that a similar effect exists among younger age categories. To reduce the RAE related to identifying soccer talent, tools should be implemented to optimize the player-selection process, such as those that consider the biological development of a player.

The Relationship Between Early and Senior Level Participation in International Women's and Men's Handball.

International competitions at the youth elite level have become an important part of attempts to identify, foster and develop sporting talent. However, sports science scholars disagree strongly about the value and importance of such competitions because little is known about the relationship between early performance, at both the team and individual level, and later success in adult elite sports. The first aim of this study was therefore to explore the relationship between international match experience at the youth international team level and subsequent match experience at the junior and the senior international team levels. The second aim of this study was to explore the relationship between youth national team results and subsequent junior and senior national team results in international competitions. The individual-level analysis was based on official match participation statistics of all Norwegian handball players with either youth, junior and/or senior national team experience (n = 657) between the years 1993 and 2017. The team level analysis was based on team result rankings from the handball European and World Championships at the youth, junior and senior national team levels during this period. Statistical analysis at the individual level showed a significant difference between those handball players who did and did not have international match exposure at the youth and junior levels, and the number of matches they played at the senior international team level. No to weak correlations were found between the number of matches played at the youth, junior and senior international team levels. Statistical analysis at the team level showed a strong correlation between result rankings at the youth, junior and senior international team levels. Collectively, these findings suggest that having youth and junior international experience is strongly associated with the number of matches played at the senior international level. However, the number of matches played at the youth and junior international levels does not appear to determine success or predict which players will or will not achieve success at the senior international level.

ОНЛАЙН РЕСУРС ДЛЯ ПРОВЕДЕНИЯ ОТКРЫТОГО КОНКУРСА В МОЛОДЕЖНЫЕ СБОРНЫЕ КОМАНДЫ В ФОРМАТЕ ЛИЧНОГО ПЕРВЕНСТВА

Aim. The aim of this article is to create an online tool for prompt and qualitative selection of players for youth teams in the form of a personal championship. Materials and methods. A personal championship is a set of micro matches with a standard ratio of players (4×4, 5×5, etc.), where each player participates in the same number of matches with the rest part of the team both as a partner and as a rival. We created an algorithm for a personal championship with any number of players, which allows us to distribute partners and rivals with the least error. This provides visualization of the difference between players and the possibility to perform matches in a playoff format. We demonstrated the increase in the results of handball players aged 14–16 after implementation of the abovementioned tool. Results. In team sports 80 % of success depends on player’s genes and just 20 % is the result of coach’s efforts. That is why the selection activity of the coach is more important. However, coaches are usually not so competent in the assessment of players and can position successfully only about 30–40 % of the team. We created an online tool (available at http://personal-champ.ra-first.com/championships) generating teams for micro matches with a standard ratio of players (4×4, 5×5, 6×6) and uniform distribution of all partners and rivals. This allows us to estimate the difference created by the player in micro matches. The algorithm positions players from the highest to lowest results. This competition should be used for gifted children from related sports to improve the potential of our national team. Conclusion. This tool was created for youth teams in mini-football (coach of the team – Honored Coach of Russia, Ph.D. in Pedagogy, Skorovich SL). This online tool proposed for ordinary sports schools and clubs in team sports contributes to the elimination of the deficiency in practice and promotes rapid growth of professional skills.

The number of purposeful headers female youth soccer players experience during games depends on player age but not player position

ABSTRACTPurpose: The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and characteristics of purposeful soccer heading in youth players based on age, position, and head impact location.Methods: Game video was recorded for three female youth teams [under-13 (U13), under-14 (U14), and under-15 (U15)] for an entire season. Purposeful headers were categorized for these three teams and their opposition.Results: The median number of headers experienced during games was one, and the minimum number of headers was zero. The maximum number of headers performed during a game by a U13 player was eight, and nine for U14 and U15 players. There were statistically significant differences in the number of headers performed in the different age groups (p < 0.05), but no significant differences between player position (p > 0.05). There was no significant association between head impact location and game scenario (p > 0.05).Conclusions: Our study shows that youth players frequently head the ball during games. This information may guide data-driven approaches regarding heading restrictions in youth soccer.

Risiko-Screening im Handballsport – Welche funktionellen Tests sind sinnvoll?

Applying functional tests in sports is one way to optimise injury prevention. Based on the results, corrective exercises may be recommended to address deficits. The aim of this study was to compare the results of selected functional tests with the occurrence of injuries in young handball players. Thirty-one players from youth teams of a Handball Bundesliga club participated in this study. In the run-up to the second half of the season, all players completed the Functional Movement Screen, the Y-balance test, front hop, side hop and square hop tests. All injuries that occurred after the tests were recorded until the end of the season. Within the investigation period, four non-contact and four contact injuries occurred. Players with non-contact injuries performed the side hop test with a limb symmetry index of 78 % (uninjured players and players with contact injuries: > 85 %) and the Y-balance test with a composite score of 87 % (uninjured players and players with contact injuries: > 90 %). Results of the Functional Movement Screen, the front and square hop tests did not differ between injured and uninjured players. The results of this study suggest that functional test batteries in handball should consider low-threshold as well as high-threshold tests. Based on this experience, the Y-balance test and the side hop test seem to be particularly suitable for handball athletes.

Efeito da idade relativa sobre a seleção de atletas para as categorias de base de um clube de futebol

The objective of the study was to evaluate the relative age effect (RAE) on the selection of athletes for the youth teams in a soccer club in 2016. Athletes aged between 12 and 17 years old were classified according to category, age and position, and divided into quartiles, according to date of birth. Chi‐square test was applied with significance of 5%. Of the total of 746 athletes, 88 (11.8%) comprised the team. Second category, it was observed that 54.8% of the approved ones were born in the first quartile (January to March) (p=0.04). For age, association was observed for sub13 and sub17, where 55% (p=0.04) and 50% (p=0.04) were born in this quartile. The same was observed among those in the midfield position (57.9%, p=0.01). In this way, we conclude the existence of the RAE among these athletes.