Sports Psychology, performance

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this scoping review are to discuss, firstly, the positive aspects of wearing face masks during training (such as a barrier to COVID-19 transmission, air pollutant exposure, and adding load on respiratory resistance flow); secondly, the negative aspects (adverse effects on body temperature and hypoxia risks); and thirdly, the training responses of wearing face masks on aerobic and anaerobic performance. NEWS: Besides social distancing and hand hygiene, wearing a face mask is proposed to be the prime advocacy for virus containment...

INTRODUCTION: Subjective well-being has numerous indicators of global well-being, however, the most important are life satisfaction and attachments, which can be both positive and negative. The leadership of the coach is an integral part of the process that cares for the relationship of the athlete and coach, where the coach has a fundamental role on the athlete, and consequently on his subjective well-being. OBJECTIVE: The study has the purpose to analyse if and in what way the Basic Psychological Needs-relationship, autonomy and social relationship (mediator 1, M1) and the autonomous motivation (mediator 2, M2) mediate the relationship of the variables of democratic style (independent variable, X) with subjective well-being-life satisfaction and positive attachment (dependent variable, Y)...

CONTEXT: Injury-related fear and quadriceps strength are independently associated with secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk. It is not known whether injury-related fear and quadriceps strength are associated, despite their individual predictive capabilities of secondary ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between injury-related fear and quadriceps strength in individuals at least 1 year after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study...

This analysis of secondary outcomes investigated the applicability of supramaximal High-intensity interval training (HIT) with individually prescribed external intensity performed on stationary bicycles. Sixty-eight participants with a median (min;max) age of 69 (66;79), at the time not engaged in regular exercise were randomized to 25 twice-weekly sessions of supramaximal HIT (20-minute session with 10 × 6-second intervals) or moderate intensity training (MIT, 40-minute session with 3 × 8-minute intervals)...

Psychological skills training (PST) programs have been consistently reported as an important part of preparation for optimal performance in high performance sport. However, there is much less research about the quality and characteristics of the working relationship between a sport psychology practitioner (SPP) and an athlete and, importantly, how that relationship facilitates learning. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper was to explore the working relationship between a SPP and a volleyball player and how that working relationship facilitated the learning processes utilized by this player, as she prepared for the demands of her sport and life...

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to see whether those who had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions on their dominant legs performed better than those who had them on their nondominant legs 1-10 years after the surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An examination of people who sustained injuries to their dominant ( n = 25) and nondominant ( n = 25) legs between 1 and 10 years after ACL repair was undertaken in a cross-sectional research with 50 people aged 20-38...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the independent and joint associations between sedentary behaviors (SB) and physical activity (PA) with inhibitory control (IC) in adults. METHODS: A total of 111 participants (median age = 30 years; 60% women), completed the Stroop Color-Words test to assess IC. They also wore accelerometers for seven days to measure SB, light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and daily steps. We previously set cutoff points for SB and PA measurements and tested them to determine their association with IC...

INTRODUCTION: Executive functions (EFs) are relevant for game performance in soccer and have been investigated in previous research. However, emotions are a well-known performance factor in sport competitions, which may affect performance by means of EFs. The diagnostic of EFs has mainly been performed disregarding the potential impact of emotional states. Thus, we aimed to initially analyze interaction between emotional states and EFs in two studies with male youth elite soccer players...

This study explores the experiences of British elite swimmers in developing life skills during and throughout their athletic careers, examining the factors that influence their perspectives on this skill development. Six high-profile British swimmers, who have competed at the Commonwealth and/or Olympic Games, were recruited for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was applied. Through the analysis, two key themes were identified from the thematic analysis: (a) Implicit life skill development through athletic and educational experience, and (b) Understanding the influence of swimming on life skill development...

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Internet-based psychological interventions have increased the accessibility of evidence-based treatments in clinical psychology but are still an unexplored delivery format in sport psychology research. This study describes the development and evaluates the experiences of an internet-based acceptance and commitment therapy/training (I-ACT) intervention in ice hockey players focusing on performance enhancement and a sustainable sport participation. I-ACT consisted of seven weekly modules and the feasibility of the intervention was investigated using a qualitative research design...

Retirement is one of the most impactful career transitions athletes face. Researchers recognise the role that athletic identity plays in this, but analysis of identity content and change processes is limited. Addressing this gap, we conducted a qualitative study exploring the experience of identity change in 21 competitive and successful elite athletes who had retired from sport. All participated in a one-session psychoeducational program that explored the challenges of transitioning out of sport before being interviewed about their understanding of identity in sport, and their experiences negotiating identity loss and change in retirement...

Anxiety has been the primary focus of emotion research in sport psychology. Most of the existing anxiety measures focus on the competition related anxiety. Little is known about the way in which anxiety affects athletic outcomes in extreme sports. We contribute to the literature on anxiety in extreme sports by: (1) developing and providing a preliminary validation for a novel, theoretically anchored sport climbing inventory, Climbing Anxiety Scale (CAS-20), among an international sample of rock-climbers (N = 153); and (2) providing preliminary evidence on its factorial and criterion-related validity...

Research has reliably demonstrated that an external focus of attention during skill production enhances performance, retention, and transfer relative to an internal focus on movement mechanics. The optimisation of external focus points, across a range of contexts and performers, is important for effective skill production. Two studies were conducted evaluating the impact of external focus distance in an applied, continuous sports skill (kayak sprinting) with participants of two different expertise levels. In Study 1, using a within-participants design, recreational kayakers (n = 20) were timed sprinting 75 m in a surf ski under proximal external focus, distal external focus, and control conditions...

BACKGROUND: People with chronic pain might evade certain movements to prevent their experience of pain. Movement-evoked pain (MEP) might induce lower functionality during daily activities. HYPOTHESIS: (1) MEP after physical fitness tests would vary depending on the main musculature involved in the test; (2) physical and psychological factors would be associated with MEP in patients with NSCLBP. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3...

The purpose of this study is to deeply understand the psychological state of boxers before the competition, and explore an efficient boxing action classification and recognition model supported by artificial intelligence (AI) technology through these psychological characteristics. Firstly, this study systematically measures the key psychological dimensions of boxers, such as anxiety level, self-confidence, team identity, and opponent attitude, through psychological scale survey to obtain detailed psychological data...

BACKGROUND: Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are small synthetic drug molecules that are still not approved as medicine in Europe or the United States but are sold on illegal websites to improve sport performance, particularly bodybuilding. AIM: To address the quality issues of illegal SARM products and their increasing diffusion in Italy with their potential health risks for consumers. METHODS: Web-based tools were used to investigate retail websites, trending searches, and information exchange via social media...

This research provides a pilot study of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health Framework (ICF) involving persons with disabilities (PWD) with and without lived experience of sport participation in Scotland. National surveys in Scotland provide limited information on the nature of individual disability restricting the understanding of the relationship between disability and sport and physical activity participation. The ICF is a framework that aims to describe and classify functioning and thus can be used as a tool to provide a more detailed description of impairment for PWDs beyond their clinical condition...

INTRODUCTION: Participation in team sports requires collaboration among multiple individuals over an extended period. Success in the game relies on more than just individual excellence; it necessitates effective teamwork. Team-building interventions have been shown to enhance team functioning, particularly in fostering cohesion among sports teams. This study aims to identify crucial factors in team-building interventions that contribute to improved team cohesion in sports teams. METHODS: A comprehensive meta-analysis of 15 articles was conducted to identify the crucial factors in team-building interventions that contribute to improved team cohesion in sports teams...

INTRODUCTION: Doctors need to consistently maintain their clinical performance across a range of different situations by managing the stress response provoked by these situations. Six performance-related adaptive and maladaptive psychological characteristics and psychological skills can distinguish between how athletes manage their stress response and consistently maintain an optimal level of performance across a variety of situations. The aim of the study was to understand how the performance-related psychological characteristics and skills identified in athletes are applied by doctors...