Sports Health & Fitness – The Sport Journal

Associations Between Game Outcome, Game Location, and Wellness in Division I Women’s Lacrosse Athletes

Authors: Sarah L. Grace,¹ Abigail P. Cooley,¹ Jennifer A. Bunn², Paula Parker¹

¹ Department of Exercise Science, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, USA

² Department of Kinesiology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

Correspondence:

Paula Parker, Ed.D
PO Box 414,
Buies Creek, NC 27506
pparker@campbell.edu
910-893-1360

Sarah L. Grace is an undergraduate student at Campbell University. She is studying Biology and plans to attend Dental School upon graduation.

Abigail P. Cooley is a recent graduate of Campbell University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Humanities in December 2022 and plans to attend Medical School.

Jennifer A. Bunn, PhD, FACSM, is an Associate Dean in the College of Health Sciences and a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology at Sam Houston State University. Her areas of research interest include physiological factors affecting female collegiate athlete performance.

Paula Parker, EdD, CMPC, is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Exercise Science at Campbell University. Her areas of research interest include psychological factors affecting female collegiate athlete performance.

Associations between game outcome, game location, and wellness in Division I women’s lacrosse athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: Athlete wellness—a subjective measure assessing the response to the previous day’s physiological and psychological stress—has subsequent influence on the day’s performance. Game location (i.e., home, away) is also believed to influence performance and game outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine if game location and game day wellness were related to game outcome for a collegiate women’s lacrosse team. METHODS: Athletes (n = 34) completed a daily subjective wellness survey each morning. The survey consisted of questions related to muscle soreness, sleep quality, stress, and fatigue, with responses rated in arbitrary units (AU) using the anchors of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100, and higher scores represented positive affect. The scores of each of the four responses were averaged to calculate the overall wellness score. Individual athlete wellness scores were categorized as above or below the team mean for each game. A chi-square analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the wellness variables and game location with the game outcome. RESULTS: The season consisted of seven losses and nine wins, with 10 games played at an away location and six games played at home. Location was not related to game outcome (p = .152), nor were any of the game day wellness sub-scores or composite score (wellness: 71.4 ± 2.7 AU, p = .614; muscle soreness: 63.8 ± 2.9 AU, p = .527; sleep: 83.0 ± 3.4 AU, p = .527; energy: 80.0 ± 1.5 AU, p = .490; stress: 65.0 ± 4.7 AU, p = .490). CONCLUSIONS: Game location, and game day wellness were not related to game outcome in Division I women’s lacrosse athletes. These findings refute previous beliefs regarding the importance of “home field advantage.” Further exploration regarding sleep quality differences in relation to game location and subsequent game outcome are warranted. APPLICATION IN SPORT: Coaches and athletes can use this information to refute previously believed notions about advantages to playing home games. Coaches can work with their athletes to ensure similar pre-game preparation on and off the field for optimal performance.

Key Words: team sports, sleep, stress

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-11-03T17:25:12-05:00November 3rd, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Effect of Shoulder and Hand Position on Sport-Specific Grip Force in Rock Climbers

Authors: Erika Nelson-Wong^1,2,Johnathon Crawley², Kevin Cowell³,Lena Parker², Emily Higgins²,Stephanie Huang²,Claire Lorbiecki²,Shawn Wood²

¹Department of Physical Therapy, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, USA

²School of Physical Therapy, Regis University, Denver, CO USA

³The Climb Clinic, Broomfield, CO USA

Correspondence:

Erika Nelson-Wong, PT, DPT, PhD

18770 W. 60^th Ave, Golden, CO 80403, USA

enelsonwong@augie.edu

303-862-1985

Erika Nelson-Wong, PT, DPT, PhD is currently a Professor of Physical Therapy at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. She was a Professor of Physical Therapy at Regis University during the time of this study. Her research interests focus on predictive factors for development of musculoskeletal disorders with an emphasis on biomechanics of movement.

Johnathon Crawley, PT, DPT, Lena Parker, PT, DPT, Emily Higgins, PT, DPT, Stephanie Huang, PT, DPT, Claire Lorbiecki, PT, DPT, and Shawn Wood, PT, DPT were student physical therapists in the School of Physical Therapy at Regis University during the time of this study and were awarded their DPT degrees in May 2022.

Kevin Cowell, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT is the owner of The Climb Clinic and has a specialty physical therapy practice focused on injury rehabilitation and performance improvement of rock climbers of all skill levels.

Effect of Shoulder and Hand Position on Sport-Specific Grip Force in Rock Climbers

Abstract

Purpose: Rock climbing has become popular as a recreational activity. Overuse injuries of fingers and hands are common due to uniquely high demands placed on these structures. Climbers adapt hand positions to match types of holds on rock climbing routes, with open-hand and half-crimp positions being most used. The primary purpose of this study was to explore differences in climbing-specific grip strength between 2 hand positions and 2 shoulder positions. Methods: Participants’ maximum isometric pull was tested on a 20mm edge climbing hold attached to a force transducer in each of 4 hand/shoulder position combinations bilaterally. 46 participants (20 female) across skill levels were included for analysis. Peak force was extracted and normalized to participants’ body weight. Mixed model ANOVAs were used to explore effects and interactions between shoulder position, hand position and skill level. Paired t-tests were used explore asymmetry between dominant and non-dominant hands. Results: Half-crimp position was stronger than open-hand position and shoulder position did not impact force production. Climbers of higher skill level had higher force production in both hand positions. Greater asymmetry was observed in climbers of higher skill in the half-crimp position only.

Conclusion: Findings support using a single shoulder position for testing finger strength versus multiple positions. Climbers of all levels should emphasize both open-hand and half-crimp training for performance and injury prevention. Applications in Sport: Shoulder position did not impact force in open-hand or half-crimp grip. Higher skill climbers produced greater force. Force was higher in half-crimp versus open-hand positions independent of skill. Climbers use open-hand and half-crimp positions and should train both for performance and injury prevention. Strength testing could include a single shoulder angle for efficiency.

Key Words: Rock Climbing, Performance, Injury Prevention, Training

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-10-20T11:44:52-05:00October 20th, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Affective Forecasting and Social Physique Anxiety among Female Athletes: A Pilot Study

Authors: Jessica Wolverton¹ & Urska Dobersek²

¹Athletics Department, McDaniel College, Westminster, USA; ²Department of Psychology, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN USA

Corresponding Author:

Jessica Wolverton, M.S.
2 College Hill Westminster, MD 21157
jwolverton@mcdaniel.edu
410-857-2566

Jessica Wolverton, MS is a former collegiate volleyball coach and a current collegiate athletics administrator. Her research focus includes well-being, mental health resourcing, and programming for student-athletes.
Urska Dobersek, Ph.D., CMPC is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Southern Indiana. Her research interests include individuals’ identities, objectification of women, sexual and mate selection, and diet and mental health

Affective Forecasting and Social Physique Anxiety among Female Athletes: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

While people make affective forecasts every day, they overestimate the impact of future events on their emotional states — displaying an impact bias. Comparatively few studies examined athletes’ accuracy of specific emotions in aesthetic sports. To remedy this gap, we explored predicted social physique anxiety and self-presentational concerns in an experimental analysis of 156 female collegiate volleyball players between 18 and 23 years of age. Athletes completed a Demographic Questionnaire and the Trait Anxiety Inventory before being randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions (i.e., control, practice, intersquad scrimmage game, or heavy spectator game). After the manipulation, their social physique anxiety levels and self-presentational concerns in sport were assessed. A one-way Analysis of Variance revealed significant differences among the conditions on social physique anxiety, F(3, 152) = 4.70, p = .004, h² = .09. Specifically, Tukey HSD post-hoc test revealed that athletes in the control condition scored higher on social physique anxiety (M = 2.74, SD = 0.71) compared with intersquad scrimmage game condition (M = 2.15, SD = 0.70), p < .01, d = .83. No other significant differences were observed. Contrary to prior literature, athletes overestimated their forecasted anxiety in the control group and underestimated their forecasted social physique anxiety levels in a game closed to large crowds. Our study extends previous work on affective forecasting, and more importantly, provides additional information on specific emotions in aesthetic sports. Our findings suggest that coaches and sport psychology consultants could potentially reduce athletes’ social physique anxiety and self-presentational concerns by channeling their attention to the task at hand.

Key Words: affective forecasting, social physique anxiety, self-presentational concerns, pilot study

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-09-27T11:50:12-05:00September 29th, 2023|Research, Sports Coaching, Sports Health & Fitness, Women and Sports|Comments Off

Understanding written message framing, motivation, and performance in competitive cyclists

Authors:¹Kimberly S. Fasczewski, ¹Paige N. Bramblett, ¹Landry K. Bobo, ²James Peterman, ¹R. Andrew Shanely

¹Department of Public Health and Exercise Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA

²Fisher Institute of Health, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA

Correspondence:

Kimberly S. Fasczewski, PhD.
Department of Public Health and Exercise Science
Beaver College of Health Sciences, 1179 State Farm Rd
Boone, NC 28608-207
Phone: 828-262-7987
fasczewskiks@appstate.edu

Understanding written message framing, motivation, and performance in competitive cyclists

Abstract

Purpose: An athlete’s motivation and sport performance is impacted by their environment, including the interpersonal relationship between athlete and coach. What messages the coach conveys, and how those messages are received, can impact performance. Conveying messages via controlling message framing (dictating goals and outcomes) or informational/supportive message framing (providing information and recognizing effort) may impact the athlete’s perceptions of the environment and alter motivation, thus impacting performance. Endurance sports, such as cycling, require high amounts of self-determined motivation due to the duration and solo nature of training. Often the primary interaction with the coach is through online written communication. As such, the goal of this study was to explore the impact of written forms of controlling and informational/supportive message framing on motivation and performance in trained cyclists. Methods: Using a crossover design, 11 amateur competitive cyclists (9 Male, 2 Female; age 43.6 ± 10.3 years) were randomly assigned a written training protocol containing either controlling or informational/supportive messages and describing a specific workout with a goal of participation to exhaustion. Perceived competence, perceived autonomy, motivation, and performance (time to exhaustion) were measured for each trial. Results: No significant differences were found in perceived competence, perceived autonomy, motivation, or performance between controlling or informational/supportive conditions. There was a significant correlation between pre-task competence valuation and post-task perceived competence (r = -0.738), and autonomous motivation and time-to-exhaustion (r = -0.674) in the controlling condition. Additionally, a significant correlation was seen between perceived competence and perceived autonomy (r = 0.666) in the informational/supportive condition. Conclusions: A relationship does exist between written message framing and motivation. Motivation and performance may be increased by using informational/supportive messages in written communication with athletes. Application in Sport: Coaches must be aware of the impact communication has on athletes even when using online platforms. These interactions should be considered an important part of the coach-athlete relationship. For optimal athlete motivation and performance, coaches should focus on creating well-designed workouts that include detailed written information using supportive wording.

Keywords: (coaching, endurance athletes, online, Self-Determination Theory, cycling)

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-09-13T14:18:59-05:00September 15th, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Purposeful Practice: Constraints and Temperament Impact on Physical Performance of Collegiate Division II Soccer Athletes

Authors: Timothy Hinchman¹, Carrie D. Taylor², Eric J. Lange³, and Michael Meachum⁴

¹Department of Curriculum and Learning. Midwestern State University, Wichita Fall, Texas, USA

²Department of Counseling, Kinesiology, and Special Education, Midwestern State University, Wichita Fall, Texas, USA

³Life Sciences Department, Tulsa Community College, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

⁴ Athletic Department, Midwestern State University, Wichita Fall, Texas, USA

Correspondence:

Timothy Hinchman
Midwestern State University
Gordon T. & Ellen West College of Education
3410 Taft Boulevard, Bridwell Hall, Office 330
Wichita Falls, Texas 76308-2099.
timothy.hinchman@msutexas.edu

Dr. Timothy Hinchman is an Assistant Professor at MSU-Texas, where he has been since 2019. He imparts Science and Social Studies Methodology knowledge to aspiring elementary teachers. With an Ed.D. from the University of West Florida and academic roots in Florida State University, he brings a wealth of expertise. Dr. Hinchman’s interests focus on using constraints for increased productivity and creativity. He’s pioneering designed constraints to enhance NCAA Division II athletes’ performance. Collaborative across various fields, including education and art, his emphasis is on STEM/STEAM. Beyond academia, Dr. Hinchman’s passion for Batman and comic books shines. His goal is to present research at a major Comic-Con event. This reflects his dedication to education and diverse pursuits.

Purposeful Practice: Constraints and Temperament Impact on Physical Performance of Collegiate Division II Soccer Athletes

Abstract

This quantitative quasi-experimental study examined differences in mean and median differences of millennial soccer athlete’s performance. Research indicates that millennials struggle with complex tasks due to their fear of failure. Individual productivity has been shown to be positively influenced by the use of designed constraints. The study employed the C-BMN framework and the GPAI to analyze data pertaining to constraint-type and its influence on the productivity of 18 soccer players. Individual components teamwork and trapping showed statistical significance during the intervention, while positioning, passing, and dribbling did not. The overall GPAI showed statistical significance between the control and both constraint types. A two-mixed ANOVA showed no statistically significant interaction between constraints and temperaments however only 72% of participants completed the temperament assessment.

Keywords: Constraints, Temperament, Physical Performance, GPAI

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-09-08T11:01:36-05:00September 8th, 2023|Research, Sports Exercise Science, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off