1,720,958 research outputs found
Performance does not differ between official and simulated archery competitions
No full textIntroduction:
Recent studies found physiological and psychometric differences, in elite basketball (Moreira et al., 2012a) and jiu-jitsu (Moreira et al., 2012b) athletes, between official (OC) and simulated competitions (SC). Archery is a sport characterized by only one automated technical skill (Tursi and Napolitano, 2014) that lasts just few seconds, thus it is easy to simulate a competition with research purposes. However, to our knowledge no studies evaluated any difference between archery OC and SC and this does not allow to use SCs instead of OCs in research settings. The present study aimed to assess if archers’ performances differ between OC and SC. The influence of different train- ing regimens was evaluated as well
Methods:
24 male athletes (age 22.8±2.1; BMI 23.7±2.1) with at least 4 years of archery experience were recruited and their performances (i.e. total score) were recorded during an OC and a SC, before and after 3 different training (6 months) regimens (subjects were randomly assigned to the groups). The first group underwent solely a specific technical training program (3 sessions per week, 90 min per session). The other groups also engaged (3 sessions per week, 90 min per session) in either a resistance training program based on weight machines only (group 2) or a specific training program characterized by elastic bands and calisthenics exercises aimed at simulating the shooting technique. In order to assess if the type of competition could affect the performance, the total scores of the OC and SC performed before the training periods were compared using a 2-tailed paired sample t-test. Thereafter, a mixed between-within subjects ANOVA was run to assess if the performance, during OC or SC competitions (within factor), was influenced by the type of training (between factor) and/or the time (within factor), i.e. before and after training. Alpha was set at 0.05.
Results:
No statistical difference (p=0.969) was found between the pre-training scores of OC (520.08±11.16) and SC (520.13±11.05), which resulted strongly (r=0.89) and significantly correlated (p<0.001). Also, training type, time, and time x type interaction did not affect the scores of OC and SC, which always resulted not significantly different.
Discussion:
The results highlight that conducting an OC or a SC to evaluate the athletes’ performance yield similar results and those results do not seem to be influenced by training. Therefore, archery SCs appear to be well representative of OCs, regardless the training program used. Hence, SCs could be used instead of OCs in research settings. References:
Tursi D, Napolitano S. (2014). Technical movements in archery. J Hum Sport Exerc, 9:S570-5
Moreira A, McGuigan M, et al. (2012a). Monitoring Internal Load Parameters During Simulated and Official Basketball Matches. J Strength Cond Res, 26:861-6
Moreira A, Franchini E, et al. (2012b). Salivary Cortisol and Immunoglobulin A Responses to simulated and Official Jiu-Jitsu Matches. J Strength Cond Res, 26:2185-9
Functional and mental training effects in archery sport performance
No full textPurpose: In archery, use of elastic bands, along with bodyweight exercises (i.e. ‘‘functional training’’), is widely accepted as a training strategy that effectively improves shooting technique (Lee and De Bondt 2005) because it allows to simulate the shooting action without bow and arrow. Indeed, Monzoni et al. (2017) demonstrated that athletes’ performance in official competition increased significantly more after a functional training program aimed at improving strength (using elastic bands and calisthenics) and balance (exercises per- formed using the BOSUÓ instable support), compared to gym workout alone. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to com- pare, in high level archers, the effects of two different training programs on the performance during official competitions, in which a group will performed a combination of mental and functional training. Methods: 20 male athletes with a minimum of 6 years of archery experience were recruited. Participants were assigned to one experimental group (EG) and to one control group (CG) with a balanced random order. The performance (i.e. total score of the participants) of each group was recorded during official competitions that took place just before and after the 6-month training intervention. All archers underwent a specific technical training program (3 sessions per week, 90 min per session) and functional training program (3 sessions per week, 90 min per session). In addition, the EG has performed a specific mental training program (2 session per week, 60 min per session) executing concentration exercises and analysis of personal technique.
Results: No statistical differences were found among the pre-training scores of the two groups, whereas the Ds resulted significantly different (p \ 0.05). The D of EG (3.87 ± 1.45%) increased significantly (p \ 0.001) more than the D of CG (1.28 ± 1.19%). Conclusion: The results highlight that the use of functional training (using elastic bands, calisthenics and the BOSU ball, with the aim of simulating the shooting technique) combined with mental training (executing concentration exercises and analysis of personal technique) within an additional specific archery training program is effective in improving athletes’ performance during official competitions. References
Dal Monte A (1983) La valutazione funzionale dell’atleta. Sansoni Editore, Firenze
Tursi D, Napolitano S (2014) Technical movements in archery. J Hum Sport Exerc 9(Proc1):S570–S575
Monzoni R, Lucertini F, Ferri Marini C, Federici A (2017) Functional training is effective in improving archery sport performance. J Hum Sport Exerc 12(PROC3):S1118–S111
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Comfort assessment in the use of shotgun for skeet shooting: An EMG based approach
No full textIn the last decades the improvements of sportive performance are due to the consistent innovation in equipment, clothing and training. Hence for what regards the equipment, comfort is becoming everyday more interesting as it strongly influences the performance and the risks of injuries. Is therefore, proposed in this research a methodology for an assessment of the comfort using frequency domain indexes, that are fatigue dependent, extrapolated from the surface electromyographic signal. The use of mean and median frequency of the surface electromyography were found to be useful indicators of fatigue in dynamic condition hence fatigue can be used as one of the variables concurring in the assessment of comfort. The methodology proposed could be used for both improvement of the performances of the athlete and either for quantifying the comfort in the interaction between the athlete and his sport equipment
Analysis of perceived comfort in Compak Sporting competition
No full textINTRODUCTION: Comfort perceived by the shooter is influenced by several factors including the recoil of the shotgun and the number of
shots fired in a certain time. In general, the recoil of a shotgun is influenced by its own weight and by the presence or absence of recoil
reduction systems. On the other hand, a clay shooting sport such as Compak Sporting consists of two 25 clays series per day, for a total
of 200 clays in 4 consecutive days. In this discipline over&under shotgun is widespread.
In this study the perceived comfort is investigated in terms of exertion and ache produced by shotgun recoil on shooter using skin temperature
responses, pain and effort scales.
METHODS: A Compak Sporting simulated competition was carried out using three over&under shotguns (model 828U, Benelli Armi
S.p.A., Urbino, Italy): two hunting shotguns (weight 3019 g) differing in the presence (S1) or absence (S2) of ‘Progressive Comfort System’
(damping device) and one sportive (weight 3564 g) without damping device (S3).
6 male subjects (age 26.8±4.6 yrs; BMI 22.9±1.5 kg/m2) with a minimum of 4 years shooting experience were recruited. Each shooter
fired with all shotguns and was blinded to which one was firing with. Shooting sessions were separated by 30 days of rest. The onset of
fatigue or pain was investigated by means of two different approaches. Infrared thermography images (IR) was used as an objective
measure to analyse the presence of any injuries on the upper trunk. In contrast, a subjective measure of pain and exertion was performed
through Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The evaluation tests were carried out before and after two
shooting series, per four consecutive days. One-way ANOVA was used to compare VAS, RPE and temperature variations within the
interface area between the shotgun and the shooter, which was formerly identified inside the infrared images.
RESULTS: The evaluation tests showed these results: VAS=2.2±1.7; RPE=6.8±0.5; IR=0.43±0.26°C for S1; VAS=6.0±1.5; RPE=7.8±0.5;
IR=0.82±0.5°C for S2; VAS=2.5±1.5; RPE=6.7±0.6; IR=0.36±0.32°C for S3. Using a heavier shotgun (S3) or one with a damping device (S1)
led to a significantly (p<0.02) reduced temperature increase compared to a light shotgun (S2). The same trend was observed through
subjective measures: both VAS and RPE confirm a significant reduction (p<0.02) in pain and exertion perceived by shooters using S1 and
S3 compared to S2.
CONCLUSION: Objective and subjective measures of comfort perceived by the shooter in a simulated competition show the same tendency.
In general, a heavier shotgun or one lighter but equipped with a damping device causes a lower recoil than that produced by a
light shotgun. This results in less effort and pain experienced by the shooter leading to an improved perception of comfort. These finding
are well supported by both quantitative (IR) and qualitative (VAS,RPE) data with strong statistical significance
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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