Sports Health & Fitness – Page 3

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.
[email protected]

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

Reliability of a Point-of-Care Device for Saliva Analysis During Aerobic Exercise

Authors: Asher L. Flynn, Tyler Langford, Cody Whitefoot

Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN, USA

Correspondence:

Asher L. Flynn, PhD, CSCS
6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway
[email protected]
423.869.6828

Asher L Flynn, PhD, CSCS is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Lincoln Memorial University, TN. His research interests focus on fatigue and athlete monitoring in colligate athletes, and aspects of women’s soccer performance.

Tyler Langford, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Lincoln Memorial University, TN. His areas of research interest include exercise testing and prescription for special populations (incomplete spinal cord injury and older adults) as well as the use of effort perception for exercise prescription.

Cody Whitefoot, PT, DPT, OCS is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Lincoln Memorial University, TN. His research interests include the impact of blood flow restriction (BFR) on aerobic capacity and orthopedic clinical evaluation with a special emphasis on diagnostic testing.

Reliability of a Point-of-Care Device for Saliva Analysis During Aerobic Exercise

Abstract

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and Cortisol (C) have been of increasing focus as biomarkers for monitoring acute and chronic stress. Recently there has been an interest in improving point-of-care devices to increase practicality of salivary testing and remove the need for laboratory analysis. A new point-of-care device has been reported to be highly reliable during baseline testing but has yet to be proven reliable up to the expected concentrations from intense exercise (exceeding 1000 U/mL). Following a modified graded exercise test (GXT) which consisted of sAA and C analysis at baseline, 50-, 70-, and 90-percent of heart rate max, the new point-of-care device showed strong to very strong reliability across the concentration spectrum (sAA: r = 0.60; C: r = 0.73). According to the results of this study, this point-of-care device is able to assist the coaching staff in making training decisions based off of the results provided.

Key Words: Alpha-Amylase, Cortisol, Athlete Monitoring, Fatigue

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-09-01T16:29:15-05:00September 1st, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Visual Memory Recovery by Gender in Young Athletes with a Sport-Related Concussion (SRC)

Authors: Hyunsoo Yoo

Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Science and Disorders, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA

Correspondence:

Hyunsoo Yoo Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Science and Disorders
Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences
Baylor University

One Bear Place #97332
Waco, TX 76798

Visual Memory Recovery by Gender in Young Athletes with a Sport-Related Concussion (SRC)

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine 1) whether there are gender differences in the post-concussion (PC 1-3) recovery process in visual memory after a concussion, and 2) whether there is interaction between two gender groups and the number of concussions.

Method: 75 athletes with sports-related concussion in two groups by gender. The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) performance was compared between and within subjects from post-concussion test 1 (PC1) to PC3. The visual memory composite scores were obtained from ImPACT.

Results: Two gender groups were significantly different in visual memory: female athletes were higher than male athletes in visual memory composite scores. Two gender groups also exhibited different recovery pattern: female group showed early recovery from PC1 to PC2 as well as from PC1 to PC3, while male athletes showed significant recovery from PC1 to PC3 only. There was no significant interaction between visual memory scores and the number of concussions.

Conclusions: We can conclude that two gender groups differed in visual memory composite scores. Additionally, the timing of the recovery was different by gender. There was no interaction between the visual memory scores and the number of concussions sustained.

Keywords Sports-related concussion (SRC), Visual memory, Gender

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-08-25T17:53:25-05:00August 11th, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Obesity on the Line! An Analysis of High School Linemen Recruited to Play for “Power Five” Schools

Authors: Jeffrey J. Fountain¹, Peter S. Finley², and Thomas Wuerzer³

¹Department of Management at Nova Southeastern University

²Department of Management at Nova Southeastern University

³Department of Public Administration & Real Estate Development at Nova Southeastern University

Correspondence:

Jeffrey J. Fountain
Carl DeSantis Building
3301 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314-7796
[email protected]
954-262-8129

Jeffrey Fountain, Ph.D., and Peter Finley, Ph.D., are both Associate Professors of Sport and Recreation Management at the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University. Their research interests focus on issues in college athletics with an emphasis on college athlete welfare.

Thomas Wuerzer, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in theDepartment of Public Administration & Real Estate Development at Nova Southeastern University. His research focus is on Geographical Information Systems with an emphasis on Public Health

Obesity on the Line! An Analysis of High School Linemen Recruited to Play for “Power Five” Schools

Abstract

Purpose: This article explored the changing body sizes of high school football linemen recruited to play for “Power 5” schools between 2003 and 2020 when factoring in the position group. This study also allowed for a cross-sectional analysis to explore body size differences within and between “Power 5” conferences. Methods: The dataset contained 7,428 linemen, and a cross-sectional design was used to examine position and conference affiliation related to the differences in height, weight, and Body Mass Index over three time periods. Statistical analysis was conducted using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H tests and post-hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction for pairwise comparisons. Results: The results showed that while height did not significantly change, weight continued to increase, particularly among defensive tackles, offensive centers, and guards. Conclusions: In some “Power 5” conferences, the number of linemen recruits weighing more than 300 pounds had more than doubled over this period. This adds to the player obesity discussion and the systematic issues that allow linemen to continue to play at weight levels categorized as obese, with little apparent regard for the risk of injury or long-term health implications. Application in Sport: College football decision-makers will be able to use the results of this study to demonstrate a need for new health protocols and policies that reduce the number of obese and significantly overweight linemen.

Keywords: college football, BMI, health risk

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-05-05T15:24:56-05:00May 5th, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Exploring the mental health needs of university student-athletes during COVID-19

Authors: Nathan D. Grimm¹, Krista K. Fritson¹, John Duff², Micah Stall², and Christopher Waples¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE, USA

²Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE, USA

Correspondence:

Nathan D. Grimm
1011 Hope St
Mankato, MN 56001
[email protected]
(402) 719-1967

Nathan D. Grimm was an undergraduate psychology student at the University of Nebraska at Kearney during the completion of this study and is now a graduate student in the Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Krista K. Fritson, PsyD is a professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She serves as the university’s psychologist with athletes. Krista’s areas of research interest include self-efficacy, therapy outcomes, effects of journaling on student learning/engagement/wellness.

Micah Stall, MS, LAT, ATC is an Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

John Duff, MA, ATC, LAT. is an Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Christopher Waples, PhD is an associate professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. His recent research interests involve quantitative methods, psychometrics, performance feedback, and the recruitment and retention of talent.

Exploring the Mental Health Needs of University Student-Athletes During COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous effect on the world of athletics. At the beginning of the pandemic, factors like strict health measures and protocols, social isolation, and uncertainties about the future negatively affected athletes’ well-being. The present study explores if student-athletes’ mental health, specifically depression, anxiety, and reactions to competition has improved as the pandemic restrictions/impact decreased. Additionally, we examine the impact that participation in team meetings with a psychologist had on these factors.

Methods: To research this, 166 student-athletes (18-24 years old) attending a Division-II University from the Midwest completed three different questionnaires, the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and SAS-2, across three successive semesters.

Results: Two mixed factorial MANOVA were conducted in this study. The first MANOVA revealed a significant decrease in anxiety (F(2,318) = 11.08, p < .001, η_p² = 0.07) and depression (F(2,318) = 19.79, p < .001, η_p² = 0.11) symptoms among the sample athletes as pandemic restrictions decreased. The second MANOVA revealed athletes involved in team meetings reported higher levels of worry (F(1,162) = 11.94, p < .001, η_p² = 0.07), concentration disruption (F(1,162) = 20.46, p < .001, η_p² = 0.11), and somatic anxiety (F(1,162) = 4.22, p = .042, η_p² = 0.03).

Conclusions: Possible explanations for these findings are discussed. Identifying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic can further assist professionals in developing strategies to boost student-athlete mental well-being and performance during major disruptions to their lives.

Applications in Sports: This study provides evidence of the trends seen in the mental health and resilience of student-athletes as the pandemic progressed and their overall needs from coaches and administrators.

Keywords: sports, college, pandemic, anxiety, depression, reaction to competition

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Vandy Pacetti-Donelson2023-04-20T14:03:39-05:00April 20th, 2023|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off