Acta Gymnica, 2024 (vol. 54)
Effects of CrossFit training on muscular strength, speed, agility, and VO2max in young soccer players
Omar Alsharab, Raoua Triki, Hassane Zouhal, Nidhal Jebabli, Ali Aloui, Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman
Acta Gymnica e2024.010 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.010
Background: Over the past few decades, CrossFit has become a very popular physical activity. However, there is little literature on its effect, as resistance training, on the performance of soccer players.Objective: This study examined the effects of 12 weeks of CrossFit training on muscular strength, speed, agility, and VO2max in young male soccer players. Methods: Thirty-eight soccer players were divided randomly into the experimental group (n = 19, age 17.32 ± 1.02 years, body height 1.76 ± 0.15 m, body mass 63.24 ± 5.68 kg, body mass index 21.34 ± 1.32 kg/m2) and control group (n = 19, age...
New findings on imagery use: What do exercisers imagine during gym workouts and why
Katerina Daskalaki, Manos Stefanakis, Stelios Hadjisavvas, Katerina Papadimitriou, Vivian Paraskevi Malliou
Acta Gymnica e2024.009 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.009
Background: Mental imagery (MI) is a psychological technique that is traditionally used in the absence of movement by athletes, exercisers, and dancers. In the few instances that MI (i.e., the formation of mental images) was investigated during exercise, it was found that it may produce positive emotional responses. Therefore, its use during movement deserves further investigation. Objective: The aim of the present research was to investigate the types and functions of MI used by gym members during their workouts (i.e., what do they imagine and why), both when the images are dictated by the instructors (i.e., guided MI) and when generated by the exercisers...
Non-starters vs. starters: Comparison of in-season training load relative to match load in professional soccer players
Javier Vilamitjana, Gabriel Heinze, Gonzalo Marín, Julio Calleja-González, Pablo Verde
Acta Gymnica e2024.008 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.008
Background: Sports scientists have studied in-season training periodization with elite soccer teams obtaining some calculations such as relative accumulated load. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there is scarce literature about training programs related to the loads imposed during matches in non-starter vs. starter players during different in-season periods.Objective: The main aim of the present study was to compare accumulative match and training load rates and the corresponding training/match ratio (TMr) between non-starters and starters players of an Argentine professional soccer team during two in-season periods (regular competition...
The comparison of the psoas muscle thickness and strength, and sagittal lumbopelvic alignment in female gymnasts with sway-back posture and normal posture
Leila Simorgh, Elnaz Mahdavie, Parisa Arzani
Acta Gymnica e2024.007 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.007
Background: Sway-back posture (SBP) is a common type of posture among gymnastic athletes that can cause muscle imbalances and pain in the neck and low back regions. The psoas muscle is an important postural muscle that may be involved in this posture. However, the thickness of the psoas muscle and lumbopelvic alignment in gymnasts with SBP has not been studied. Objective: This study aims to investigate the thickness and strength of the psoas muscle, lordosis, and pelvic tilt in female gymnasts with SBP and normal posture. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 17 female elite artistic gymnasts, aged 22.1 ± 5.01 years. Among them, ten had...
Effects of playing football matches with two balls on spatial exploration: Average and one-by-one analyses
Asier Gonzalez-Artetxe, Asier Los Arcos, Jokin Aginaga
Acta Gymnica e2024.006 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.006
Background: Football task design lies in manipulating the relevant features of the game considering the consequences these modifications can have on players' performance. Adding an extra ball may boost academy footballers' possibilities of interaction and challenge them to readjust their motor conduct according to the uncertainty of a novel game scenario. Objective: This study compared young footballers' spatial exploration index (SEI) overall and one by one during simulated matches played with one or two balls. Methods: Forty-four association football players from U14 and U16 teams of the same club played two 60-minute matches with all the official...
Raising awareness of the Sports Club for Health (SCforH) guidelines in the sports, higher education, and health promotion sectors: Evaluation of an educational online intervention in 34 European countries
Tena Matolić, Danijel Jurakić, ®eljko Pediąić
Acta Gymnica e2024.005 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.005
Background: Sports Club for Health (SCforH) is among the largest European initiatives that promotes health through sports clubs. The recently developed SCforH online course has never been empirically evaluated. Objective: The aims of this study were to: (i) assess participant engagement in the course and course quality; and (ii) explore differences in the engagement levels and subjective assessments of course quality by stakeholder type, EU residency status, region of Europe, and prior awareness of SCforH guidelines. Methods: The study sample included 840 participants from 34 European countries, who attended the SCforH online course. Using web trigger...
Touch as a mediator of relationships in the sports coaching profession
Petr Krol, Dana ©těrbová, Zbyněk Svozil
Acta Gymnica e2024.004 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.004
Background: Based on the theories of interactional touch and interpersonal relationships, touch can be an important part of the coaching profession. Objective: The research aimed to identify and describe what touch means in the coach-athlete relationship from the coach's perspective. There is widespread ignorance of the law and a lax approach to intimate contact with athletes in the sport environment. The main research question was formulated as follows: What does touch mean in the coach-athlete relationship from the coach's perspective? Methods: This is qualitative research conducted in the form of a multiple case study, whose unit is the case - the...
Influence of anthropometric and fitness variables on the probability of being selected for competing in the national championship in adolescent volleyball players
Mario Albaladejo-Saura, Noelia González-Gálvez, Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal, Juan A. García-Roca, Francisco Esparza-Ros
Acta Gymnica e2024.003 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.003
Background: The detection of sports talent has been a recurring concern in sports science. It has been found that there is great variability in determining which athletes may perform better in sports. Objective: The objective of the present research was to analyse the influence of anthropometric variables, physical condition, chronological and biological age, and training variables on the possibility of being selected for the regional team competing in the national championship in adolescent volleyball players. Methods: A total of 100 volleyball players (48 boys, age 14.17 ± 1.00 years; 52 girls, age 14.22 ± 1.14 years) participated in the...
Investigation of factors contributing to university students' addiction to esports games
Ahmet Yavuz Karafil, Hüseyin Şahin Uysal
Acta Gymnica e2024.002 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.002
Background: Many young people spend a significant amount of time playing esports and video games during the day and meet their social and psychological needs on these platforms. This situation can lead to people developing an addiction to esports games over time. This situation brings about many problems, notably the gradual isolation of individuals from social life over time. Especially during university years, many individuals turn to esports games as a way to escape from various issues. There could be numerous reasons for this inclination. Objective: This study aimed to uncover the factors contributing to university students' addiction to esports...
Effects of positive and negative normative feedback on the learning of throwing task in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy
Mohammad H. Zamani, Ayoub Hashemi, Rasool Abedanzadeh
Acta Gymnica e2024.001 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2024.001
Background: Cerebral palsy is a sensory and motor disease that affects control of posture and movement. Children with cerebral palsy show dysfunction in the body such as spasticity, decreased muscle strength, and selective control of movement that may limit functional activity and participation in daily life. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of positive normative feedback on the learning of a throwing task in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral pals. Methods: Twenty-four children with cerebral palsy aged 8-10 years participated in an experimental design with acquisition-retention test. The children received positive...