Knowing the current status of rhythmic gymnasts' motor abilities allows a valid objective evaluation of their competitive preparedness and facilitates planning of their further development. The main ...objective was to determine possible differences in motor abilities of rhythmic gymnasts regarding program level they were competing in, their biological age and national ranking. Three groups ofjunior rhythmic gymnasts, competing in either A, B, or C level programs, were investigated. Both the multivariate analysis of variance and univariate analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences in the selected motor abilities regarding the program. A-level rhythmic gymnasts scored best in all the tests assessing flexibility, coordination and strength. The differences in motor abilities among junior rhythmic gymnasts with regard to their national ranking showed no statistical significance, whereas biological age was statistically significant. The differences confirm that among Croatian junior rhythmic gymnasts aged 13-15, biologically advanced individuals showed a significant advantage compared to the ones that would enter puberty at a later age. The Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed significant relations between certain motor abilities among rhythmic gymnasts in A, B and C level programs. The higher the level of a program, the higher the correlatives, and vice versa. The scientific value of the proposed research is aimed at better planning, programming and control of training process in rhythmic gymnastics. Key words: rhythmic gymnastics, program level, motor abilities
Knowing the current status of
rhythmic gymnasts’ motor abilities allows a valid objective evaluation of their
competitive preparedness and facilitate planning of their further development.
The main ...objective was to determine possible differences in motor abilities of
rhythmic gymnasts regarding program level they were competing in, their age and
national ranking. Three groups of junior rhythmic gymnasts, competing in either
A, B, or C level programs, were investigated. Both the multivariate analysis of
variance and univariate analysis of variance showed statistically significant
differences in the selected motor abilities regarding the program level
(flexibility, strength and coordination). A-level rhythmic gymnasts scored best
in all the tests assessing flexibility, coordination and strength. The
differences in motor abilities between junior rhythmic gymnasts with regard to
their national ranking showed no statistical significance, whereas age was
statistically significant. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed
significant relations between certain motor abilities among rhythmic gymnasts
in A, B and C level programs. The higher the level of a program, the higher the
correlatives, and vice versa. Two tests had the largest contribution to the
success achieved in the competition: the figure of eight with bending and forward
bent on the bench. The scientific value of the proposed research is aimed at
better planning, programming and control of training process in rhythmic
gymnastics.
The main aim of this study was to examine the differences in motivation to participate in sport activities among sports students from three different countries. On a sample of 390 sports students ...from Slovenia, Croatia and Germany we studied what motivates an interest in being sports active. The sample was stratified across the choice to attend table tennis lessons at all three institutions and all students have completed the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ). The results revealed that the latent structure of the types of sports students' motives consisted of six factors (sport action with friend, popularity, fitness & health, social status, sports events, relaxation through sports). We also found significant sex differences in motivation to participate in sport activities for all sports students from the three different countries. We did not find relevant age-based differences among the students, and this is the only initial hypothesis that we can reject. Key pointsThe potential implications of the result can be in better understanding the relationship between different motivational orientations - in particular, extrinsic motivation - and sport motivation among school-aged individuals.In the context of Self Determination Theory, students can be encouraged in developing more autonomous orientations for sport activity, rather than controlled and impersonal, especially in certain countries.Significant factors of differences have been found in motivation to participate in sport activities among sports students from three different countries and also some significant sex differences have been found in motivation to participate in sport activities for all sports students.
A method of collecting data was developed in order to establish the overall structure of technical-tactical elements in table tennis and to evaluate their role in basic playing systems. For this ...purpose, a measuring instrument (a questionnaire) was formulated in order to collect the large quantity of empirical expert knowledge of eight top class table tennis trainers. On the basis of analysis of the experts' scores, the hierarchical structure of the technical-tactical elements in table tennis was obtained, which showed that the whole group of technical-tactical elements forming the table tennis technique can be divided into three basic groups: a group of technical-tactical elements (A) used in the phase of preparing one's own and disabling the opponent's attack; a group of technical-tactical elements (B) used in the phase of attack and counterattack; and a group of technical-tactical elements (C) used in the phase of defence. The relations between the obtained groups of technical-tactical elements and their role in three basic playing systems (Attack in the table zone, Attack from a half distance, Defence) were analysed by comparing the average values of the expert's scores.
Although nutrition and doping are important factors in sports, neither is often investigated in synchronized swimming (Synchro).This study aimed to define and compare Synchro athletes and their ...coaches on their knowledge of sports nutrition (KSN)and knowledge of doping (KD); and to study factors related to KSN and KD in each of these groups. Additionally, the KSNand KD questionnaires were evaluated for their reliability and validity. Altogether, 82 athletes (17.2 ± 1.92 years of age) and 28 coaches (30.8 ± 5.26 years of age) from Croatia and Serbia were included in the study, with a 99% response rate. The testand retest correlations were 0.94 and 0.90 for the KD and KSN,respectively. Subjects responded equally to 91% queries of the KD and 89% queries of the KSN. Although most of the coache sare highly educated, they declared self-education as the primary source of information about doping and sport-nutrition. Coaches scored higher than their athletes on both questionnaires which defined appropriate discriminative validity of the questionnaires. Variables such as age, sports experience and formal education are positively correlated to KSN and KD scores among athletes. The athletes who scored better on the KD are less prone to doping behavior in the future. These data reinforce the need for systematic educational programs on doping and sports nutrition in synchronized swimming. Special attention should be placed on younger athletes. Key PointsAlthough most of the synchro coaches are highly educated, self-education is declared as the primary source of information about doping and sportnutrition.The knowledge of doping and doping-health hazards are negatively related to potential doping behavior in the future among synchronized swimmersThe data reinforce the need for systematic educational programs on doping and sports nutrition in synchronized swimming.We advocate improving the knowledge of sports nutrition among older coaches and the knowledge of doping among younger coaches, while among athletes,younger swimmers should be targeted.
The goals of the research were to determine the construct validity and reliability of two psychological instruments (AIMS) and (PSICA) applied on samples of college sport students; the correlations ...between the students’ competition rank, years of engaging in sport, and level of physical exercise; the differences among the universities in different countries, as well as among students from different years of study. The stratified sample included students from six universities, in total 1498 female and male college sport students, with an average age of 20.35±1.76 years (males) and 20.14±1.55 years (females). Both psychological measuring instruments showed very satisfactory psychometric properties. Reliability is particularly high for males for AIMS, while the reliabilities for PSICA are mainly moderate to high and lower than for AIMS. The results could be explained in terms of cultural and organizational differences, and provide the information about directions in designing efficient programs for physical exercise.
On the sample of 83 top Slovenian athletes we have studied the frequency of injuries among table tennis, tennis and badminton players, types of injuries and severity of injuries--the latter based on ...data of players absences from training and/or competition processes. The most liable parts to injuries are shoulder girdle (17.27%), spine (16.55%) and ankle (15.83%), while foot (10.07%) and wrist (12.23%) are slightly less liable to injuries. The most frequent injuries in racket sports pertain to muscle tissues. According to this data, the majority of injuries occur halfway through a training session or a competition event, mostly during a competition season. The injuries primarily pertain to muscle tissues; these are followed by joint and tendon injuries. There are no differences between male and female players. Compared to other racket sports players, table tennis players suffer from fewer injuries.
Sport-specific tests are rarely investigated in synchronized swimming (synchro). The aim of this research was to study the reliability and the validity of two sport-specific tests that are based on ...synchro elements, namely, the Barracuda thrust ("Barracuda") and the Boost. The Barracuda is a move in which the swimmer begins in the back pike position (head down with the legs perpendicular to the surface of the water) and then moves the legs and hips rapidly upward, unrolling the body to obtain a maximal vertical position above the surface of the water. The Boost occurs when the swimmer rises rapidly out of the water, head first, to bring as much of the body as possible above the surface of the water. Both patterns are considered power moves and are therefore theoretically related to explosive strength. This study involved 22 female competitive synchro swimmers aged 16-18 years. The variables examined included performance on the Barracuda, Boost and countermovement jump and anthropometric measures (body height, body weight and body composition). Statistical analyses showed appropriate reliability for all tests, with no systematic bias between trials. A factor analysis calculated for the Barracuda, Boost and countermovement jump revealed one significant factor based on the Guttmann-Kaiser criterion with all three tests significantly projected. The structure of the significant factor did not change if the results for the Boost and Barracuda were normalized for body height. The Boost and Barracuda, but not the countermovement jump, were significantly correlated with the competitive achievements of the swimmers. In conclusion, the Boost and Barracuda are reliable and valid measures of the explosive strength of synchronized swimmers and are significantly related to competitive achievement.
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