Although flow has been studied extensively in music and sport, there is a lack of research comparing these two domains. With the aim of filling this gap, elite musicians and top athletes in Slovenia ...were contrasted in the current study. Differences for flow and satisfaction with life between elite musicians and top athletes were explored. Individual versus group performance setting and gender differences were considered. 452 participants; 114 elite Slovenian musicians (mean age 23.46 years) and 338 top Slovenian athletes (mean age 22.40 years) answered questions about flow and satisfaction with life measures. The results show differences between elite musicians and top athletes in four flow dimensions: transformation of time and autotelic experience were higher in musicians while clear goals and unambiguous feedback were higher in athletes. However, differences in global flow were not confirmed. Elite musicians and top athletes experienced flow more often in group than in individual performance settings and surprisingly it was experienced more in male than in female top performers. Satisfaction with life has a positive correlation with all nine dimensions of flow, but only challenge-skill balance was a significant predictor for satisfaction with life.
The theme of this research was the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) ’s Athnavi, which started in 2010 as an employment support program providing matching between companies and top athletes. In 2018, ...the author of this research paper focused on a possibility that Athnavi may be a new model of corporate sports and clarified some activities of twelve (12) companies, which had employed top athletes in an earlier stage of Athnavi, from a human resources management perspective through interviews with them in 2016. This research, after more than seven (7) years has passed, clarified the achievements of Athnavi, which has been regarded as established, through investigating its real situation, including what changes have occurred up to the present time.
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•Top long-distance runners daily took heat-inactivated Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305.•CP2305 intake lightened fatigue and improved mental state in the athletes.•CP2305 intake increased ...α- and β-diversities of fecal microbiota.•CP2305 intake corrected altered-expression of mitochondrial function-related genes.
The heat-inactivated, enteric-colonizing Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305) ameliorates psychological stress-related symptoms. In this study, we examined effects of CP2305 on top athletes experiencing physical and mental stresses. Forty-nine male university Ekiden (long distance relay race) runners daily took the CP2305-containing beverage for 12 weeks during training for and competing in All-Japan university championships. The CP2305 intake significantly facilitated recovery from fatigue and relieved anxiety and depressive mood, compared with placebo intake. The CP2305 intake significantly prevented the training-induced reduction of hemoglobin and facilitated exercise-induced increase in serum growth hormone levels. The CP2305 intake significantly increased the alpha- and beta-diversities of fecal microbiota, and the compositions of Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium. Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood leukocytes indicated that CP2305 prevented the stress-induced changes in the expression of genes related to mitochondrial functions. Our results suggest that daily intake of paraprobiotic CP2305 may be beneficial to athletes facing stressful situations.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Knowledge about the functioning of the motor cortex during muscle fatigue is important to appropriately understand the condition, and it is also important in improving the competitive skills of ...endurance competitors. This study aimed to examine the time-course oxygenation of the bilateral motor cortex during a high-intensity exhaustive pinching task in well-trained athletes. Twelve healthy right-handed male athletes participated in the present study. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), positioned over the bilateral motor cortices, measured the activation/oxygenation throughout the pinching task until voluntary exhaustion. Subjects sustained 80% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) during the task until peak voluntary exhaustion. After the start of the motor task, contralateral motor cortex oxygenation increased significantly compared with the resting values (p < 0.05). However, with time, when exhaustion occurred, it significantly decreased to the lower value compared with the resting level (p < 0.01). In contrast, in the ipsilateral motor cortex, no change was observed in oxygenation/activation immediately after the start of exercise. However, in the latter phase of the motor task, oxygenation/activation significantly increased compared with the resting level (p < 0.001). These results suggest that complementary activation in the ipsilateral motor cortex to activation in the contralateral motor cortex occurs during fatiguing exercise in well-trained athletes.Keywords: muscle fatigue; bilateral hemisphere interaction; top athletes
Abstract
Some jobs have a higher level of challenges and adversities. Individuals pursuing these jobs learn how to react to challenges and build up resilience. Within this study, we concentrated on ...the potential career path of top athletes as entrepreneurs, who are both expected to have a higher level of resilience than non-athletes. The purpose of this research was to examine if resilience is a determining factor on entrepreneurial intention and if the model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be applied in general and for specific groups with a high level of resilience. To address the research questions, we collected data from a sample of 195 top athletes and 142 non-athletes. First, the level of resilience and entrepreneurial intention were compared with an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Subsequently, the structural equation model tested the influence of resilience on entrepreneurial intention, mediated by the TPB, first for the whole sample and then as a multigroup comparison for both groups. Resilience had an indirect influence on entrepreneurial intention, mediated by the explaining factors of the TPB (personal attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control). The multigroup comparison revealed a difference in the influence of perceived behavioral control on entrepreneurial intention between top athletes and non-athletes. Based on these results, this research added further knowledge to the field of entrepreneurial intention by examining the specific role of resilience necessary for careers as top athletes and entrepreneurs. It also contributes by researching the specific group of top athletes compared to non-athletes and extrapolating recommendations in entrepreneurship education for both groups, as creating athletes' awareness of potential overconfidence or implementing resilience training in education for non-athletes.
Purpose: to determine model characteristics of the competitive activity of female MMA mixed martial arts athletes of different weight classes.
Material & Method: the study involved 150 top female ...mixed martial arts MMA fighters. Participants were divided into 3 groups according to the weight class of 50 athletes each: Strawweight (48 kg to 52 kg), Flyweight (52 kg to 56 kg), and Bantamweight (56 kg to 61 kg). The following methods were used: analysis of scientific and methodological information and Internet sources; generalization of best practices; analysis of protocols and videos of competitive activities; methods of mathematical statistics.
Results: female athletes of each weight class have their characteristics in terms of competitive activity indicators. Thus, the finish of the fight with a striking differential, attempts, and accuracy of takedowns is significantly better (p<0.05-0.01) in women`s strawweight fighters. Strawweight female fighters perform a large number of sig strikes landed, which have high accuracy, due to which they win the fight, and this is explained by a large arsenal of technical and tactical actions. Women’s flyweight fighters need more time to finish the fight early. They also have the least number of sig strikes landed during the fight, which are performed with little accuracy, and this is due to the rational distribution of strength in a fight. Women’s bantamweight fighters conduct a large number of knockdowns landed and submissions during the entire fight, this can be explained by the high level of development of special endurance. It was found that the representatives of all weight classes perform mostly distance strikes landed and their sig head strikes landed are the best ones.
Conclusions: applying methods of pedagogical observation and mathematical statistics allowed us to determine the structure and model characteristics of modern competitive activities of elite female mixed martial arts MMA athletes for each weight class. The model characteristics obtained during the study can be used to plan the training process of qualified female athletes and to solve the issues of managing their preparation for competitions.
The role of personality traits as predictors of entrepreneurial intention and success has been widely researched. This article investigates the personality traits of top athletes practising low-risk- ...and high-risk-sports and, based on the person-job fit theory, compares them to the personality traits commonly associated with entrepreneurship. To achieve this aim, the big five personality traits and risk propensity of 43 non-athletes, 36 top athletes practising a low-risk-sport, and 31 top athletes practising a high-risk-sport are measured and analysed with an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. Furthermore, an explanatory approach is used to explain the similarities between the athletes’ and the entrepreneurs’ careers. The results show top athletes’ personality traits match the detected directions for entrepreneurial intention and success, and the discussion examines whether entrepreneurship might be an appropriate second career choice for athletes. This study is based on data gathered from high-level competition athletes and thus makes it possible to draw inferences on the eligibility of athletes to become entrepreneurs based on their personality traits. The findings also signal the need for focused entrepreneurship education as well as an awareness among potential investors and future employers who could facilitate professional athletes becoming entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.
The purpose of this study was to describe the anthropometric characteristics and body composition of elite handball and volleyball players from the Serbian national league as well as to make ...comparisons between them. Sixty males were enrolled, divided into three groups: 15 handball players, 14 volleyball players, and 31 healthy sedentary subjects. All subjects were assessed for the anthropometric measures required for the calculation of body composition variables, using the standardized procedures recommended by established literature. Data were analysed using SPSS, and the descriptive statistics were expressed as a mean (SD) for each variable, while the ANOVA and LSD Post Hoc tests were carried out to detect the effects of each type of sport. The results showed there was no significant difference for body weight and body mass index, nor were there any differences for the bone contents of bodies among the groups, while significant differences were found for body height, as well as for muscle and fat content of body among the groups. These findings may give coaches from the region better working knowledge and enable them to follow recent selection process methods and to be more careful during talent identification.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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