1,721,134 research outputs found
Relative Age Effect in Olympic Karate: Evidence from Tokyo 2020
Full text linkBackground: The Relative Age Effect (RAE) refers to the advantage conferred to athletes born earlier within a selection year. In karate, particularly at the highest level, evidence is lacking. This study aimed to examine the presence of RAE among male and female karate athletes competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in two competitive disciplines: kata and kumite. Methods: Data from 81 athletes (42 males, 39 females) were retrieved from open-access databases. Birthdates were grouped into quartiles (Q1-Q4) and semesters (S1-S2). Chi-squared tests and odds ratios (ORs) were used to assess deviations from a uniform distribution, while binary logistic regression examined the association between semester of birth and medal attainment. Results: The overall distribution of birth quartiles significantly deviated from a uniform distribution (χ2(3) = 9.81, p = 0.020), indicating a higher proportion of athletes born in Q1 (38%) compared with Q4 (19%; OR = 2.07). RAE was particularly evident in kumite (χ2(3) = 17.87, p < 0.001; OR = 3.50 for Q1 vs. Q4) and among female athletes (χ2(3) = 9.92, p = 0.019), whereas no significant effect was found in kata or among males. Logistic regression revealed no significant association between semester of birth and medal success (OR = 0.49, 95% CI [0.20-1.21], p = 0.125). Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence of RAE in Olympic karate, especially among females and in kumite. However, relative age did not predict performance outcomes, suggesting that once athletes reach the Olympic level, technical and tactical factors outweigh birthdate advantages
Aggression and sport: A cross-sectional study on behavioral tendencies of athletes
Full text link: This cross-sectional study aimed to measure aggression in a more heterogeneous population of athletes, with the purpose of determining whether some specific conditions are related to aggressive behaviour. Athletes of 18-64 years old were enrolled in the study. The Italian version of Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) was self-administered. A total of 390 questionnaires were collected. Males showed higher levels of physical aggression (19.58 ± 6.32) than females (15.69 ± 6.65), p < 0.001 and a significant reduction in all domains of the questionnaire with advancing age, except for physical aggression. Furthermore, subjects who practiced full contact sports showed higher levels of physical aggression (20.23 ± 6.68) than those who practiced partial contact (17.89 ± 5.86) or non-contact sports (17.19 ± 6.64) p < 0.006. Finally, those who have played competitively in the past showed lower levels of anger (14.95 ± 5.22) than those who have played amateurishly (16.05 ± 5.54), p < 0.05. Age and gender appeared to be significant in aggression scores. Martial artists and combat sports players showed significantly higher levels of physical aggression than those who practice partial contact or non-contact sports. The type of sport (individual or team players), the practice time (beginners or experts) and the current level of sport (amateurs or competitive players) did not affect the aggression scores. Instead, the past level of sport participation is correlated with current anger
A cross-sectional analysis between physical activity levels, weight status and empathy-related behaviors in a sample of Tuscany primary school children
No full textBackground: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and the development of relational empathy skills in children, taking into account weight status. Methods: Parents/guardians of primary school children were involved in filling out a questionnaire: the Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue-I13) and children were asked to complete the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) to investigate the self-reported PA levels. The weight status was assessed using a self-reported Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: Three hundred seventy parents or guardians of students who attended primary school (8.53±1.61 yrs) were recruited. The total score was 2.41±0.89 for PAQ-C and 41.17±6.32 for EmQue-I13. The three domains of EmQue-I13 were: contagion (8.16±2.67), attention to others' feelings (19.40±2.99) and prosocial actions (13.62±3.01). Linear regression models showed that a higher PAQ-C score was positively associated with empathy-related total score P<0.000. Weight status, age and gender were not associated with EmQue-I13. Conclusions: Our results underline the positive association between physical activity and the development of relational empathic skills
Morphological Characteristics of Elite International Soccer Referees: Somatotype and Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis
Full text linkThis study aimed to assess the physical characteristics of elite international soccer referees, compare them with other referee populations in the literature, and establish reference tolerance ellipses for the bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) point graph. Forty-one elite international soccer referees (age 38.8 ± 3.6 years) participated in the study. The participants underwent body composition assessments, including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, BIVA, and somatotype. The Somatotype Attitudinal Distance (SAD), the two-sample Hotelling’s T2 test and the Mahalanobis test were used to determine somatotype and bioelectrical vector differences with the literature. The average somatotype of the referees was a balanced mesomorph (2.8, 6.5, 2.8). Elite international referees significantly differed from other samples in the literature (SAD = 2.1, 2.6, 2.9 with respect to Zimbabwean, Brazilian, and South African referees, respectively). The bioelectrical vector was significantly different from the general population (T2 ≤ 76.6; F = 38.8; D = 1.44; p 2 ≤ 25.3; F = 12.6; D = 0.8; p < 0.001). Somatotype values and tolerance ellipses from this study may be useful as a reference for developing training programs and improving the selection process of referees in soccer
Physical performance and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis of female track and field athletes according to the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle
No full textPurpose: The menstrual cycle (MC) and body composition are key biological variables in the study of female sports performance. This study aims to evaluate changes in body composition and performance during the follicular phase of the MC and verify any possible relationship between these changes. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 12 female track and field athletes (age 22.3 ± 2.6 years). Body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA), and physical performance was evaluated through tests of muscle flexibility, vertical and horizontal jump, speed, and endurance. Assessments were conducted during the early follicular phase (EF) and the late follicular phase (LF). Differences were analyzed using the paired sample t test, while Pearson’s correlation was applied to assess relationships between BIVA and performance variables across the EF and LF phases. Results: During the EF phase, standing long jump performance was reduced (2.36 ± 0.15 m vs. 2.40 ± 0.16 m; p < 0.03), and 400-m run times were slower (69.38 ± 5.68 s vs. 67.77 ± 6.22 s; p < 0.003) compared to the LF phase. No significant differences were observed in other performance parameters. No conclusive correlations were identified between BIVA values and physical performance across the EF and LF phases. Conclusion: Female athletes’ performance during the MC may be influenced by various factors. However, biological variables such as body composition likely offer only partial insights into these variations. A multidisciplinary and individualized approach is, therefore, recommended to optimize sports performance
Changes in global longitudinal strain in renal transplant recipients following 12 months of exercise
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Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis and track and field jump performance across different specialties: Sex differences and electrode configuration
Full text linkThe assessment of athletic performance using non-invasive methods has been a significant focus in research aimed at measuring physiological parameters. This study explores the application of bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) among track and field athletes, with a focus on sex differences, electrode configu- ration, and the correlation between BIVA parameters and jump performances. This cross-sectional study involved 61 Italian track and field athletes: 31 females and 30 males (age: 21.4±3.8; 21.1±2.6years; stature: 166.1±6.1; 180.1±5.0cm; body mass: 57.4±9.7; 72.5±10.5kg, respectively). Anthropometric measure- ments, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and athletic jump performance were conducted. The RXc graph, two-sample Hotelling's T2 test for BIVA, and one- way ANOVA for specialty comparisons were employed. Pearson and Spearman's tests evaluated the correlations between BIVA parameters and jump perfor- mance. Differences in bioimpedance values were observed between athlete groups. Lateral asymmetries were more pronounced in females. Correlations between BIVA and jump performance also varied by sex and electrode configura- tion, ranging from r=−0.072, p=0.699–r=0.555, p=0.001 in females, and from r=0.204, p=0.281–r=0.691, p=0.001 in males. This study highlights the utility of BIVA in providing rapid and non-invasive assessments of body composition and its relationship with jump performance, considering variations in athlete sex and electrode configuration
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
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