Showing papers in "European Journal of Sport Science in 2005"

The effect of motivational music on sub-maximal exercise

Abstract: This study examined the effect of motivational music on a 20-min sub-maximal cycle task. Eighteen untrained student volunteers (10 males, 8 females) were required to partake in three experimental conditions: no music, oudeterous (non-motivational) music, and motivational music. Participants’ in-task affective states and rate of perceived exertion were assessed on rating scales during the trials and the distance traveled for each trial was recorded. In addition, participants’ attitudes towards the exercise experience were assessed on rating scales administered post-trial. The results of the study indicate that both motivational and oudeterous music can significantly increase distance traveled when compared to the control condition. However, no significant differences were observed between the two music conditions and the increased exercise intensity associated with musical accompaniments was not associated with an increased perception of effort. Both music conditions elicited increased in-task aff...

The organisational performance of national swimming federations in Mediterranean countries: A comparative approach

Abstract: This paper confronts the basic questions involved in the measurement of the performance of national sport organisations through a specific approach conceived and carried out for national swimming federations in four Mediterranean countries (Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain). In the past there has been a number of studies assessing the effectiveness or the performance of NSOs (national sporting organisations/national governing bodies/national sport federations), but these were predominantly descriptive, specific to a particular point in time, and were not related to the establishment of a stable measurement system for management control. Performance is viewed here, in a broad sense, as the ability to acquire and process human, financial and physical resources to achieve the goals of the organisation. To measure a multidimensional performance we propose to use a specific model with a systemic approach (applied from Madella, A. (1998). La performance di successo delle organizzazioni-Spunti di rifle...

Using cognitive general imagery to improve soccer strategies

Abstract: Athletes use imagery for both cognitive and motivational functions (Paivio 1985) The cognitive function involves the rehearsal of skills (cognitive specific) and strategies of play (cognitive general). To date most of the imagery research has been concerned with skill rehearsal (cognitive specific), and there have been no controlled studies investigating the effects of cognitive general imagery on the learning and performance of game plans or strategies of play. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a cognitive general imagery intervention on three distinct soccer strategies in a young elite female soccer team. Participants were 13 competitive female soccer players with a mean age of 12.54 years. Imagery scores were determined via the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ; Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998) prior to, during, and after the intervention. A staggered multiple baseline design across behaviors was used to evaluate the effect of imagery on three distinct socce...

How does coping change with development? A review of childhood and adolescence sport coping research

Abstract: It is important to study how children and adolescents cope with stressors in sport because effective coping enhances sport experiences and prevents psychological and physiological problems that can lead to sport withdrawal The purpose of this review was to summarize the existing child and adolescent coping research to establish how coping changes with development in the achievement context of sport We reviewed and summarized relevant coping research published from 1980 to 2004 using a ‘content analysis’ approach to identify consistencies and limitations in this literature Four content areas were examined: coping responses, gender differences, consistency of coping/coping style, and coping effectiveness Ways in which coping changes with development from childhood to adolescence were examined within each of these content areas Fundamental future research questions and implications for research design are presented

Sport and the welfare state in Europe1 This article is based on an intercultural comparative project on “Sport and Welfare Policies” including six European countries (Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain), financed by the Club of Cologne (Heinemann, 1999).

Abstract: The article analyses the mutual interconnection between welfare states and sports systems in six European countries (Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain). It seeks to address, on the one hand, questions such as the following: what were the underlying rationales and ideologies evident in the justification of sports policy in welfare frameworks? What cultural values, historical contexts, and political configurations were evident in the specific arrangements of a given welfare state and its governmental welfare poicy infrastructure? On the other hand it portrays the legal, institutional and organisational similarities and dissimilarities which exist in a given country between the institutional structure of the sport system and the organisation of the welfare state, and seeks to identify to what extent comparable structural elements have developed, and where dissimilarities can be found. This paper illustrates how, where sports and welfare systems in different European countries are...

From anti-doping to a ‘performance policy’ sport technology, being human, and doing ethics

Abstract: This paper discusses three questions concerning the ethics of performance enhancement in sport. The first has to do with the improvement to policy and argues that there is a need for policy about doping to be re-constituted and to question the conceptual priority of ‘anti’ doping. It is argued that policy discussions about science in sport must recognise the broader context of sport technology and seek to develop a policy about ‘performance’, rather than ‘doping’. The second argues that a quantitative enhancement to a sporting performance has no value and is, thus, unethical, unless the motivation behind using it implies something meaningful about being human. Thus, unless the use of the technology is constitutive of our humanness, then it is not a justifiable method of altering (rather than enhancing) performance. This rules out the legitimacy of using performance enhancement to gain an advantage over other competitors, who do not have access to similar means. Finally, the third argument claims ...

Effects of self-modeling on figure skating jump performance and psychological variables

Abstract: This study investigated whether self-modeling plus physical practice would improve intermediate level figure skaters’ jump performance, as well as their self-efficacy, motivation, and state anxiety, when compared to physical practice alone. Twelve female figure skaters (M=13.4 years of age, SD=1.4) participated in a within-participant design where they received a self-modeling intervention for one jump and a control condition for another jump. They were also compared with a separate control group of 7 skaters (M=14.2 years of age, SD=2.35) who received no intervention. We hypothesized that skaters would show greater improvement in physical and psychological performance scores for jumps in the self-modeling condition than for jumps in the control conditions. We also hypothesized that increased self-efficacy and motivation and decreased state anxiety would mediate the relationship between self-modeling and physical performance. Counter to our predictions, no differences existed between the two cond...

Nutritional needs of elite endurance athletes. Part I: Carbohydrate and fluid requirements

Abstract: Both carbohydrate depletion and dehydration have been shown to decrease performance whilst severe dehydration can also cause adverse health effects. Therefore carbohydrate and fluid requirements are increased with exercise. Ingestion of 200–300 g of CHO 3–4 h prior to exercise is an effective strategy in order to meet daily CHO demands and increase CHO availability during the subsequent exercise period. There is little evidence that CHO during the hour immediately prior to exercise has adverse effects such as rebound hypoglycaemia. CHO ingestion during exercise has been shown to improve performance as measured by enhanced work output or decreased exercise time to complete a fixed amount of work. Recent studies have demonstrated that exogenous CHO oxidation rates can be increased by ingesting combinations of CHO that use different intestinal CHO transporters. After exercise maximal muscle glycogen re-synthesis rates can be achieved by ingesting CHO at a rate of ∼1.2 g/kg/h, in relatively frequent ...

The governance of professional soccer: Five case studies – Algeria, China, England, France and Japan

Abstract: Although there has been a rapid growth in the globalisation of sport and its delivery to world markets, nevertheless there is a variety of models of sport-business whose characteristics are the product of local histories, local political and sporting cultures, local economic conditions and so on. This paper does not seek to deny the increasingly obvious impact of globalisation on professional sport, but rather it seeks to articulate the ways in which such global phenomena are locally mediated in professional soccer systems in five countries, to identify and to explain local responses to global pressures. The five examples include the oldest professional football system, that of England, and a second contrasting European system, France, together with three relatively recently established professional football systems in Japan a developed capitalist economy, Algeria, which is developing a post-socialist sports economy, and China which is experimenting in sport as in other areas with a ‘socialist ma...

Debilitative interpretations of competitive anxiety: A qualitative examination of elite performers

Abstract: Research has not accounted for a small but significant proportion of elite performers who consistently report debilitative interpretations of competitive anxiety-related symptoms. Interviews were used to investigate elite athletes’ precompetitive thoughts, feelings, and mental strategies underlying symptom interpretation. Six male athletes, from a variety of sports (M age = 23.3, SD=2.2), who were currently competing within the UK, were found to hold debilitative interpretations. Data were drawn from verbatim transcripts and the content analysed. Four general dimensions traced the participants’ precompetitive states and mental skills from early competitive experiences to the present day. Findings indicated that the participants reported early debilitating symptoms, which became habituated throughout their respective careers. Possible explanations as to why these elite performers consistently reported negative interpretations related to mental preparation and effectiveness, psychological skills, c...

Relationship between before-to-after-exercise feeling state changes and exercise session attendance over 14 weeks: Testing principles of Operant Conditioning

Abstract: A preliminary field study was conducted to estimate relationships between changes in feelings states occurring from before to after 20- to 30-min bouts of moderate cardiovascular exercise, and two measures of adherence to exercise in 66 adults (M age=38 yrs, 30% males) initiating regimens of 3x/week. Positive pre- to post-exercise changes in participants’ feeling state scores ranged from 0 to 100% (M=73.2%, SD=28.8). Significant positive correlations were found between percentage of positive changes and exercise session attendance (r=0.36, p=0.003), and number of days of adherence to exercise (r=0.37, p=0.002), over 14 weeks. Results were interpreted as supporting principles of operant conditioning, and the possibility of exercise-induced feeling changes having direct reinforcing and punishing properties on the behavior of exercise in adults initiating programs. Accounting for identified correlates of exercise maintenance was suggested for extensions of this research. Applied uses of the abbrevia...

Injuries in handball: Examination of the risk factors

Abstract: This paper examines the influence of selected risk factors on injuries among male players of competition handball. Data relating to risk factors were collected using a self-report questionnaire. The factors that were examined were age, height, weight, body mass index, field position, past sport experience, level of competition, pre-season conditioning, number of practices per week, frequency of participation in games, use of prophylactic equipment, use of stretching exercises, and technical training. The questionnaire was administered to 216 male handball players. Nearly half of the players (42.6% or n=92) reported that they had been injured during the previous two years. The injury incidence was 8.14 injuries per 1,000 game hours for the preceding two years. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the variables “use of prophylactic equipment” and the “number of practices per week” contributed significantly to the prediction of an injury in handball players. The results of this study suggest t...

Changes in running endurance performance following intermittent altitude exposure simulated with tents

Abstract: The effect of intermittent hypoxia on sea-level endurance performance was assessed by using hypoxic tents to simulate the live high-train low approach to altitude training. Eleven male sub-elite competitive runners and triathletes participated in a crossover study of usual training (control) and usual training with altitude exposure (altitude). Altitude treatment consisted of 25±3 d (mean±SD) of sleeping in tents for 8.1±0.6 h.d−1, progressing from a simulated altitude of 2500 m to 3500 m above sea level. Washout period between control and altitude treatments was 4 wk. Three treadmill runs to exhaustion lasting ∼2, ∼4 and ∼8 min were completed 7 and 12 d after control and altitude treatments. Times for standard competition distances (800, 1500 and 3000 m), were predicted using a log-log model, improved by 1.0% (90% confidence limits, ±1.3%), 1.4% (±1.2%) and 1.9% (±1.5%), respectively. Improvements were greater in the six athletes with an I allele for angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE): 2.3% (±1...

The strategic and political consequences of using demographic criteria for the organization of European leagues.

Abstract: The hypothesis of the Americanization of European club sports competitions has been the subject of much analysis. The main concept examined in this article is the growing reliance on demographic criteria, particularly the economic potential of the market zone. The purpose is to consider the consequences (rather than the likelihood) of a scenario in which demographic criteria become the sole variables of club location and their qualification in European championships. Such a change would have consequences for the both the private (shareholders or potential investors, direct supporters or general audience, sponsors, etc.) and public (federations, local government, states, European governing bodies) sectors. The first part of the paper reviews the relevant demographic criteria in sports and then recalls the current strategies for league organization on both sides of the Atlantic. The second part is devoted to assessing the consequences of these strategies for those involved. General questions are then raised about the future of professional sports teams in Europe. The analytical method is based on principles taken from demographics, geomarketing (as geographic information system, GIS) and the political economy of sport. The data concern six major leagues on both sides of the Atlantic.

The response of intracellular signaling and muscle-protein metabolism to nutrition and exercise

Abstract: In recent years, a body of literature examining the response of muscle-protein metabolism to exercise and nutrition has arisen. Developments in methods, especially stable isotopic tracer methodology, have allowed much information to be gathered in vivo in humans. The metabolic mechanism behind increased muscle mass requires that muscle-protein synthesis exceeds breakdown, i.e., net muscle-protein synthesis. Increased net muscle-protein balance may occur due to exercise, but net synthesis may occur only with the addition of nutrients, particularly a source of amino acids. The major impact of increased amino acid availability on net muscle-protein balance is due to stimulation of muscle-protein synthesis and less to inhibition of muscle-protein breakdown. Amino acids seem to stimulate muscle-protein synthesis, not only by mass action, i.e., providing substrate, but also as signals for initiation of protein synthesis. Stimulation of muscle-protein synthesis by amino acid ingestion may be linked to i...

Nutritional needs of elite endurance athletes. Part II: Dietary protein and the potential role of caffeine and creatine

Abstract: Amino acids contribute between 2–8% of the energy needs during endurance exercise. Endurance exercise training leads to an adaptive reduction in the oxidation of amino acids at the same absolute exercise intensity, however, the capacity to oxidize amino acids goes up due to the increase in the total amount of the rate limiting enzyme, branched chain 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase. There appears to be a modest increase (range = 12–95%) in protein requirements only for very well trained athletes who are actively training. Although the majority of athletes will have ample dietary protein to meet any increased need, those on a hypoenergetic diet or during extreme periods of physical stress may need dietary manipulation to accommodate the need. Caffeine is a trimethylxanthine derivative that is common in many foods and beverages. The consumption of caffeine (3–7 mg/kg) prior to endurance exercise improves performance for habitual and non-habitual consumers. The ergogenic effect is likely due to a direct eff...

High Body Mass Index is Not a Barrier to Physical Activity: Analysis of International Rugby Players' Anthropometric Data

Abstract: Recent data indicate that levels of overweight and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. At a population level (and commonly to assess individual health risk), the prevalence of overweight and obesity is calculated using cut-offs of the Body Mass Index (BMI) derived from height and weight. Similarly, the BMI is also used to classify individuals and to provide a notional indication of potential health risk. It is likely that epidemiologic surveys that are reliant on BMI as a measure of adiposity will overestimate the number of individuals in the overweight (and slightly obese) categories. This tendency to misclassify individuals may be more pronounced in athletic populations or groups in which the proportion of more active individuals is higher. This differential is most pronounced in sports where it is advantageous to have a high BMI (but not necessarily high fatness). To illustrate this point we calculated the BMIs of international professional rugby players from the four teams involved in the semi-finals of the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) cut-offs for BMI, approximately 65% of the players were classified as overweight and approximately 25% as obese. These findings demonstrate that a high BMI is commonplace (and a potentially desirable attribute for sport performance) in professional rugby players. An unanswered question is what proportion of the wider population, classified as overweight (or obese) according to the BMI, is misclassified according to both fatness and health risk? It is evident that being overweight should not be an obstacle to a physically active lifestyle. Similarly, a reliance on BMI alone may misclassify a number of individuals who might otherwise have been automatically considered fat and/or unfit.

Is the highest fat oxidation rate coincident with the anaerobic threshold in obese women and men

Abstract: In this study we determined the exercise intensity that elicits the highest fat oxidation rate in 15 obese women and 13 obese men. Furthermore the relationship between this intensity with the lactate (LT) and ventilatory thresholds (VT) was investigated in order to give training recommendation for maximal fat utilization during endurance exercise. After an incremental exercise test until exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, subjects performed six 20-min exercise bouts of 25, 35, 45, 55, 65 and 75% VO2peak. The 20 min stages were randomly assigned and spread over two separate occasions (three bouts per occasion). Substrate oxidation was measured with indirect calorimetry and was calculated using stochiometric equations. In both, women and men the highest fat oxidation rate occurred at 65% VO2peak and this did not coincide with either the VT or LT. A significant correlation between VT and LT could not be found in women (r=0.33) nor men (r=0.277). In obese women and men training recommendation for maxim...

Effect of bag holding on the center of foot pressure and the lower leg muscle activities

Abstract: This study examined the influence of holding a bag with one hand on the center of foot pressure (COP) and the electromyographic responses in lower leg muscles. Thirteen healthy male adults participated in this study to keep an upright posture while holding a load with the dominant hand with four bag weight conditions (0%, 15%, 30%, and 45% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the jerk strength). Integrated Electromyography (iEMG) and mean power frequency (MPF) of EMG were calculated to estimate the degree of muscle activity and fatigue in the tibialis anterior and soleus that are involved in ankle joint control. Body sway was evaluated by the mean position of left-right (X) and front-back (Y) axis sway and the following 4 body sway factors; unit time sway factor (F1), front-back sway factor (F2), left-right sway factor (F3), high frequency band power spectrum factor (F4). When holding a bag at 45% MVC or more of the jerk strength with a single hand for one minute, muscle activity in the lowe...

High Body Mass Index is not a barrier to physical activity: Analysis of international rugby players’ anthropometric data

Abstract: The brief report entitled ‘‘High Body Mass Index is not a barrier to physical activity: Analysis of international rugby players’ anthropometric data’’ by (King, Hills, & Blundell, 2005) provides further evidence of the limitation of using the body mass index (BMI) to assess body composition. Most notably King et al. (2005) highlight the overestimation of the prevalence of obesity levels in rugby players. Because the BMI is the quotient of body mass and height squared a high BMI indicates that an individual has a high body mass relative to their height. Subsequently, the BMI does not provide an indication of body composition, rather a scaled measure of body mass to stature. Athletic populations, particularly those dominated by strength and power, will have many individuals that have a high body mass for their height (i.e., high BMI) as a result of lean mass development. In addition to not providing an indication of adiposity the BMI also has limited applications for monitoring changes in body composition. In particular Olds (2001) found that the BMI of elite rugby players has increased over the past /30 years as the players have improved physically. Moreover, rugby players that increase body mass will have an accompanied increase in the BMI with no indication of the level of adiposity. The BMI therefore cannot be used to monitor the training of elite athletes as they require a more specific measure of body fat levels. The levels of both adipose and muscle mass are of interest to practitioners in elite sport. Such a method of monitoring the body composition of athletes has been presented by Hopkins, Anderson, Lee, Touretsky, and Pyne (2002) and subsequently reported for elite rugby players (Duthie, Pyne, Hahn, Livingstone, & Hopkins, 2004). The authors also present evidence of the ability of individuals with a high BMI (i.e., typical classified as being ‘‘overweight’’) to perform regular exercise. Although this suggestion is warranted, care should be taken by individuals that have extremely high levels of obesity. In such instances the gradual increase in physical activity should be accompanied by nutritional modifications to assist in the reduction of body fat levels. The investigation presented provides a critical analysis of the measure (BMI) regularly used in practical settings and provides strong evidence why the BMI should not be used in sporting populations. Moreover, the use of the BMI is questioned in populations when the body composition of the individual requires assessment.

Decreased energy expenditure during prolonged sub-maximal exercise in a warm environment

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a warm environment on thermoregulation and energy expenditure during sub-maximal prolonged exercise in humans. Six healthy male subjects cycled for 120 min at an intensity of 60% maximal oxygen uptake (Vo2max) at three environmental temperatures (10°C, CT; 20°C, MT; and 30°C, WT). Although oxygen uptake at WT showed a significantly lower value compared to those at MT and CT, no significant differences of respiratory exchange ratio were observed among the three environmental trials. A remarkable decrease in total energy expenditure during the 120-min exercise at WT was observed in comparison with those at MT and CT (p<0.05). Changes in rectal temperature, mean skin temperature, and mean body temperature at WT were significantly higher than those at both MT and CT. Although increases in mean body temperature from rest every five minutes during exercise were not different among three environmental temperatures, mean energy expenditures ev...