Sports Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Whoop Technology On Sleep, Recovery, And Performance In Naia Baseball Players, Nolan Harms

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many key factors – including but not limited to – sleep, nutrition, travel, stress, and practice influence the optimization of athletic performance. Although previous studies have investigated the use of wearable technology in sport to track several such factors, peer-reviewed research specific to WHOOP technology is limited at best. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of WHOOP technology on sleep, recovery, and batting performance in healthy NAIA baseball players. Data was collected over the course of 4 weeks of in-season play on 10 varsity NAIA baseball players (20.40 ± 0.97 years). All games – 18 total …

Cluster Set Loading In The Back Squat: Kinetic And Kinematic Implications, Alexander Wetmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinetic and kinematic implications of cluster loading as a resistance training programming tactic. Cluster loading involves introducing rest during a set which may allow athletes to train at higher absolute intensities. Eleven trained males were recruited for this study. Subjects completed two testing sessions consisting of three sets of five back squats at 80% of their one repetition maximum. Cluster loading included 30s of inter-repetition rest. All testing was done on dualforce plates with four linear position transducers. Paired sample t-tests were used to determine differences between conditions with Cohen’s d …

Habitual Heat Exposure And Acclimatization Associated With Athletic Performance In The Multistage Marathon Des Sables, Leonidas G. Ioannou, Lydia Tsoutsoubi, Lars Nybo, Georgios I. Tsianos, Andreas D. Flouris

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Introduction

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of heat acclimatization on athletic performance during the 7-day Marathon des Sables (MdS) which takes place in the Sahara Desert.

Methods

Anonymous data for nationality and average running speed (km/h) of all runners who ran the MdS during the period 2000–2015 were collected from the official website of the race and other related websites. Average maximum temperature for each runner’s country during the month preceding the MdS was collected from www.weatherbase.com. Athletes were divided into two Torigin groups as follows: 25 to 15°C (i.e., cold countries) and 15 to …

The Assessment Of Isometric, Dynamic, And Sports-Specific Upper-Body Strength In Male And Female Competitive Surfers, Joanna Parsonage, Josh Secomb, Rebecca Dowse, Brendon Ferrier, Jeremy Sheppard, Sophia Nimphius

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in the dynamic strength index (DSI): an assessment of upper-body dynamic strength relative to maximal isometric strength. The secondary purpose was to investigate gender differences in the dynamic skill deficit (DSD): an assessment of sports-specific dynamic strength relative to maximal isometric strength, and its association with a sports-specific performance measure in surfers. Nine male (age = 30.3 ± 7.3 yrs) and eight female (age = 25.5 ± 5.2 yrs) surfers undertook three upper-body assessments: isometric push-up, dynamic push-up, and a force plate pop-up to determine the DSI and DSD. …

The Relationship Between Heart Rate Variability And Skeletal Muscle Damage In Female Collegiate Athletes, Brett Crossland, Matt Sokoloski, Brandon R. Rigby

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an accurate indicator of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity. With athletes, HRV analysis can be a useful tool in analyzing the readiness to train, recovery status, and chronic adaptations to training, and overtraining. Skeletal muscle damage, which can be an outcome of overtraining, may be assessed using biomarkers in the blood, including creatine kinase (CK). The relationship between skeletal muscle damage and measures of HRV with regards to performance is not known. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between HRV measures and serum CK concentrations. A secondary purpose …

Acute Effects Of Yoga On A Vibration Platform On Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Flexibility, And Vertical Jump, Ricardo Parra, Elijah Lopez, Jason Mendoza, Joshua Fronk, Arnold Jimenez, Ashley Rivas, Murat Karabulut

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Both yoga and whole-body vibration exercise may have a wide-range of positive effects independent of each other. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of yoga performed on and off a vibration platform on blood pressure, flexibility, and vertical jump. METHODS: Subjects (n = 14; 9 females, 5 males; mean age = 22.5 ±1.9) completed 3randomized protocols of yoga on and off a vibration platform. The testing protocols were: 1) yoga poses on vibration platform with low frequency and low amplitude (PPL), 2) yoga poses on platform with high frequency and high amplitude …

Kinematic Comparison Of Underwater Dolphin And Flutter Kicking Performed In A Prone And Supine Body Position, Peter Robinson, Taylor L. Adams, Kali Rose, Mickey B. Scharbrough, Scott P. Mclean

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Despite an increasing emphasis on underwater dolphin kicking in competitive swimming, little objective research exists to explain its preference over flutter kicking. PURPOSE: To examine kinematic characteristics of flutter and dolphin kicking performed in prone and supine body positions. METHODS: Ten collegiate swimmers (1.77±0.07 m, 72.4±7.6 kg, 19.8±1.0 yrs) experienced with dolphin and flutter kicking completed eight 10 m maximal effort underwater kicking trials. Body position and kicking style were randomly varied between trials such that half of all trials were performed using each kicking style and each body position. A calibrated underwater camera was used to record …

The Effect Of Movement Variability On Putting Proficiency During The Golf Putting Stroke, Ashley K. Richardson, Andrew C.S. Mitchell, Gerwyn Hughes

Kinesiology (Formerly Exercise and Sport Science)

Movement variability has been considered important to execute golf swing yet is comparatively unexplored regarding the golf putt. Movement variability could potentially be important considering the small margins of error between successful and a missed putt. The aim of this study was to assess whether variability of body segment rotations influence putting performance (ball kinematic measures). Eight golfers (handicap range 0-10) performed a 3.2 metre level putt wearing retro-reflective markers which were tracked using a three-dimensional motion analysis system sampling at 120 Hz. Ball roll kinematics were recorded using Quintic Ball Roll launch monitor. Movement (segment) variability was calculated based …

Scoring Analysis Of The Men’S 2014, 2015 And 2016 World Championship Tour Of Surfing: The Importance Of Aerial Manoeuvres In Competitive Surfing, Brendon Ferrier, Jeremy Sheppard, Oliver R.L. Farley, Josh L. Secomb, Joanna Parsonage, Robert Newton, Sophia Nimphius

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of aerial manoeuvres on scoring in professional surfing. 23,631 waves were analysed for the number and types of aerial manoeuvres performed from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Men’s World Championship Tour. Additionally, the awarded score, timing and order of the aerial was also analysed. Descriptive statistics and Two Way ANOVA’s were performed with Sidak Multiple Comparisons Post Hoc analysis. Results were a significantly higher score being awarded (P ≤ 0.0001) when including an aerial in competition across all three seasons. In 2015 surfers were awarded a significantly larger score …

Play Like You Mean It: Motivational Predictors Of Female Student Athletes' Practice And Game Performance, Zipporah Rebekah Foster

Online Theses and Dissertations

The current study explores how motivational reasons for goals influence athletic performance on a women's basketball team. The purpose of the current study was to expand on past research associated with fluctuation of motivation in practice and game performance throughout a season. Participants (n = 15) in the current study were female student-athletes, who completed a motivational survey that measured Relationally-Autonomous Reasons (RARs), Personally-Autonomous Reasons (PARs), and Controlled Reasons (CRs). Athletic performance was measured by examining daily practice performance and game statistics for each athlete. The results of the current study showed that RARs were associated with game performance (p < .05), however PARs and CRs were not. RARs were positively associated with game performance whereas PARs were not. The association for RARs and game performance was stronger than RARs and practice performance. Overall, the findings confirm that RARs are associated with game performance in women's sports.

The Potential Role Of Genetic Markers In Talent Identification And Athlete Assessment In Elite Sport, Ysabel Jacob, Tania Spiteri, Nicolas H. Hart, Ryan S. Anderson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In elite sporting codes, the identification and promotion of future athletes into specialised talent pathways is heavily reliant upon objective physical, technical, and tactical characteristics, in addition to subjective coach assessments. Despite the availability of a plethora of assessments, the dependence on subjective forms of identification remain commonplace in most sporting codes. More recently, genetic markers, including several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have been correlated with enhanced aerobic capacity, strength, and an overall increase in athletic ability. In this review, we discuss the effects of a number of candidate genes on athletic performance, across single-skilled and multifaceted sporting codes, and …

The Relationship Between Racing Experience And The Ability To Adhere To A Race Plan, Erika Ackerlund

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Before beginning a race, athletes formulate a plan for how they want to approach the event. Depending on the given athlete and/or race, this plan may be highly developed or composed of vague ideas. Aspects of a race plan may be formulated due to “exercise duration, race dynamics, or environmental conditions” (Wu, Abbiss, Pieffer, Brisswalter, & Nosaka, 2014).

I was curious what factors influenced an athlete’s ability to adhere to a race plan. I believe that some athletes are able to execute according to their race plan in the moment, while others are not. The null hypothesis was that racing …