Laura Lunetta

Bio: Laura Lunetta is an academic researcher from University of Rome Tor Vergata. The author has contributed to research in topics: Exercise physiology & Dance. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 6 citations.

Gender differences in instep soccer kicking biomechanics, investigated through a 3D human motion tracker system.

Abstract: BACKGROUND This study aims at describing and comparing each other male and female soccer players kicking instep a stationary ball. The different measures we collected by the 3D motion capture system Movit G1 and the High-Speed Camera (240 fps) were considered as dependent variables, whereas the gender was considered as the independent one. METHODS Twenty soccer well trained non-professional players: 10 men (age: 25.3±6.5 yrs; height 1.80±0.07 m; body mass 76.9±13.2 kg) and 10 women (age: 19±3.34 yrs; height 1.64±0.07 m; body mass 58.2±7.2 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. RESULTS Gender differences were found, with a statistical significance (P 0.5). The most relevant ones were the differences in hip extension of the kicking leg when the foot of the supporting one touches the ground, just before the impact on the ball (independent sample t-Test; P=0.03; Cohen d=1.64) and the speed of the ball, reached immediately after kicking (P<0.001;d=1.23). CONCLUSIONS These results, together with the greater pelvic acceleration shown by men compared to women, highlight the need to develop a gender-differentiated training model, in order to customize the kicking technique in women and to reduce the likelihood, currently higher than for men, of kicking related injuries.

Biomechanics and Physiology in top level Pole Dancers. A case study

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and physiological demands of three top-level pole dancers’ performances during a simulated competition. Three elite pole dancers, participated in the study. Physical data pertaining to the accelerations and the rotational values were collected. A complete video footage was recorded. Blood Pressure, Heart Rates, Blood Lactate concentrations were recorded during the performance. Before and after the simulated competitions some postural stability tests were also performed. Accelerations along the vertical axis reached »2G and rotational movements around the pole, reached »400°/s. Blood Pressure values ranged from 120/75 before and to 145/58 mmHg at the end of performance, respectively. Heart Rates reached a mean peak value of »114% of the Maximal Estimated Heart Rates (HRmax) and a mean HRmax% of 74.59±8.82% during the simulated competition. Blood Lactate concentration ranged from 11.43±2.13 to 10.63±1.65 mmol/L measured at 1 min and 5 min after the completion of the competition, respectively. Postural effects were observed on balance, after the performances. The results of this case study confirm that the Pole Dancing requires heavy physiological and physical demands on the performers. Specific training routines should be designed in order to cope efficiently with this physical activity.

Fundamental Movement Skills Are More than Run, Throw and Catch: The Role of Stability Skills

Abstract: Introduction: In motor development literature fundamental movement skills are divided into three constructs: locomotive, object control and stability skills. Most fundamental movement skills research has focused on children’s competency in locomotor and object control skills. The first aim of this study was to validate a test battery to assess the construct of stability skills, in children aged 6 to 10 (M age = 8.2, SD = 1.2). Secondly we assessed how the stability skills construct fitted into a model of fundamental movement skill. Method: The Delphi method was used to select the stability skill battery. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess if the skills loaded onto the same construct and a new model of FMS was developed using structural equation modelling. Results: Three postural control tasks were selected (the log roll, rock and back support) because they had good face and content validity. These skills also demonstrated good predictive validity with gymnasts scoring significantly better than children without gymnastic training and children from a high SES school performing better than those from a mid and low SES schools and the mid SES children scored better than the low SES children (all p < .05). Inter rater reliability tests were excellent for all three skills (ICC = 0.81, 0.87, 0.87) as was test re-test reliability (ICC 0.87–0.95). CFA provided good construct validity, and structural equation modelling revealed stability skills to be an independent factor in an overall FMS model which included locomotor (r = .88), object control (r = .76) and stability skills (r = .81). Discussion: This study provides a rationale for the inclusion of stability skills in FMS assessment. The stability skills could be used alongside other FMS assessment tools to provide a holistic assessment of children’s fundamental movement skills.

An exploration of heart rate and perceived exertion differences between class and competition in freestyle-disco dance

Abstract: Freestyle-disco is a relatively new and complex competitive dance style that, to our knowledge, has yet to be researched. Thus, the purpose of this research was to explore two fundamental physiolog...

Sports Dance Action Recognition System Oriented to Human Motion Monitoring and Sensing

Abstract: Because of its high research value, action recognition has become a very popular research direction in recent years. However, the research on the combination of motion recognition technology and dance movements is still in its infancy. At the same time, due to the high complexity of dance movements and the problems of human body self-occlusion when performing dances, research on dance video action recognition has been caused. Progress is relatively slow. This article mainly introduces the research of sports dance action recognition system oriented to human motion monitoring and sensing, fully considers the abovementioned problems, and makes in-depth research and analysis on the current excellent action recognition research content in this field. This paper proposes a research method of sports dance movement recognition for human movement monitoring and sensing, including sports dance movement classification algorithm and sports dance movement preprocessing algorithm, which is used to conduct research experiments on sports dance movement recognition for human movement monitoring and sensing. The experimental results of this article show that the average recognition accuracy of the sports dance action recognition system for human motion monitoring and sensing is 92%, which can be used in daily sports dance training and competition.

Impact of DanceSport on General Fitness from the Perspective of Chinese Athletes.

Abstract: Energy metabolism and motion are the essence of dance. Scientific training of athletes involves theoretical guidance in terms of fitness, talent-based selection, and high-performance practice. However, limited research work is carried out on the physiological strain of DanceSport competitions. Therefore, proper channel needs to be established for aerobic-based exercise on participant’s performance and general fitness. Competition simulation is used to collect personal data from real-time experimentations. Database gathers athlete information based on age, gender, and performance. Furthermore, results are obtained from experiment, record, and simulation in comparison to evaluate athlete performance. Main purpose of this article is to discover the characteristics of DanceSport from the perspectives of energetics in 32 domestic elite. Finally, World DanceSport Federation Judging System 2.1 “WFJS2.1” strategy is utilized for international game challenges.