Long term athlete development

OBJECTIVE: It is heavily discussed whether larger variety or specialization benefit elite performance at peak age. Therefore, this study aimed to determine technical (number of different swimming strokes) and physiological (number of different race distances) variety required to become an international-class swimmer (> 750 swimming points) based on 1'522'803 race results. RESULTS: Correlation analyses showed lower technical variety in higher ranked swimmers (P < 0...

BACKGROUND: High level of physical fitness is a paramount soccer performance factor. As such, developing key components of physical fitness such as sprinting, jumping, and change of direction (CoD) at an early age empowers both short- and long-term performance success. Although previous research in prepubertal male soccer players has reported physical fitness performance enhancements following plyometric jump training (PJT), the effects on inter-limb asymmetries remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of PJT on measures of physical fitness and inter-limb asymmetries in prepubertal male soccer players...

CONTEXT: Gait biomechanics and daily steps are important aspects of knee joint loading that change following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Understanding their relationship during the first 6 months post-ACLR could help develop comprehensive rehabilitation interventions that promote optimal joint loading following injury, thereby improving long-term knee joint health. OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to compare biomechanical gait waveforms throughout stance at early timepoints post-ACLR in individuals with different daily step behaviors at 6 months post-ACLR...

Existing literature on talent development predominantly focuses on male athletes, with limited representation of female athletes. This study aims to address this gap by examining the long-term development of female football players in an elite club. Routine lab-based assessments were conducted on 238 athletes across six teams for 7 years to determine how physical, perceptual-cognitive, and skill performance predictors fluctuated with player age and developmental stage (sampling 9-11y, specializing 12-14y, investment 15-18y, and performance +18y)...

CONTEXT: Early identification of knee osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) could enable timely interventions to improve long-term outcomes. However, little is known about the change in early OA symptoms from 6 to 12 months following ACLR. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the change over time in meeting classification criteria for early knee OA symptoms from 6 to 12 months following ACLR. DESIGN: Prospective Cohort Study...

A two-year-old Arabian horse presented for abnormal external genitalia and dangerous stallion-like behavior was diagnosed with disorder of sexual development (DSD), also known as intersex/hermaphroditism. Standing 1-stage surgical procedure performed under sedation, and local anesthesia to concurrently eliminate stallion-like behavior, risk of neoplastic transformation of intraabdominal gonads, and to replace ambiguous external genital with a functional, and cosmetically more acceptable anatomy. Step-1) Laparoscopic abdominal exploration and gonadectomy; Step-2) Rudimentary penis resection and perineal urethrostomy...

CONTEXT: Knee injury and subsequent surgery are widespread in the military setting. Associations between knee surgery and expected outcomes over time have not been consolidated and characterized systematically by procedure type across the body of literature, and the temporal expectations of these outcomes remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To summarize common postoperative follow-up times and associated outcomes that determine clinical or surgical failure in US service members after elective knee surgery...

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced cardiac remodeling can be profound, resulting in clinical overlap with dilated cardiomyopathy, yet the significance of reduced ejection fraction (EF) in athletes is unclear. The aim is to assess the prevalence, clinical consequences, and genetic predisposition of reduced EF in athletes. METHODS: Young endurance athletes were recruited from elite training programs and underwent cardiac phenotyping, genetic analyses and clinical events were recorded over a mean of 4...

Basketball shooting is a complex skill that requires visual routines and trained players typically evidence a specific oculomotor pattern. This study aimed to examine visual patterns in male novice youth and professional adult players while performing a jump shot. The sample included 20 basketball players grouped as under-16 youth (n = 10) and professional adult (n = 10) players. Each participant completed 50 shots at two distances (long range: 6.80 m; middle range: 4.23 m). Eye tracking glasses were used to obtain quiet eye (QE), the number of fixations, total fixation duration, duration of first and last fixation...

Prof. Ugo Carraro reached 80 years of age on 23 February 2023, and we wish to celebrate him and his work by reviewing his lifetime of scientific achievements in Translational Myology. Currently, he is a Senior Scholar with the University of Padova, Italy, where, as a tenured faculty member, he founded the Interdepartmental Research Center of Myology. Prof. Carraro, a pioneer in skeletal muscle research, is a world-class expert in structural and molecular investigations of skeletal muscle biology, physiology, pathology, and care...

BACKGROUND: Many concerns regarding respiratory diseases, including influenza, emerged during the epidemic of COVID-19. There were relevant research findings and suggestions for influenza prevention and treatment through physical activity, but little report about the total efficiency. So, this review was to summarize the role of physical activity in influenza prevention and treatment. MAIN BODY: The databases Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, PubMed, CNKI, and Science Direct were used to search the related literatures...

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: Middle-aged male athletes, with or without underlying coronary artery disease, exhibiting exercise induced blood pressure (BP) variability and diabetes can have an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). Assessment in athletes should include long-term arrhythmia monitoring. In addition, it is important to exert patients beyond their calculated target heart rate (HR) during an exercise stress test to detect exercise-induced AF. We suggest this strategy be specifically used for athletes with complaints of intermittent palpitation and chest pain...

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGES: Limited studies on AN in Africa, including Ethiopia. Internet and media have changed body image portrayal in developing countries. A need for a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, training on positive coaching styles, and future research. ABSTRACT: The Global Burden of Disease had estimated anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa to be 13.6 million people. The lifetime prevalence of AN ranges from 2.4 to 4.3 percent. During their lifetime, up to 4% of females and up to 0...

Early sport specialization is a popular and contentious topic in the scientific literature and popular media. The lure of extrinsic rewards has led to increasing rates of specialization among young athletes, while expert recommendations promote multisport participation. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze developmental activities of a group of elite junior hockey players in Canada. Within this context, elements of specialization were investigated in accordance with existing theoretical frameworks and long-term athlete development models to enhance the literature...

INTRODUCTION: Youth soccer academies are challenged with the constant recruitment process of young talented players to select those who will achieve long-term success as an athlete. Youth soccer academies strive to enhance the physical and technical skill development as well as personality development of talented players because psychological characteristics play a crucial role in players' future success in their transition to professional soccer. The least mature players and relatively young players may have a greater need to possess superior technical/tactical or psycho-behavioral skills than those relatively older counterparts because of the higher selection rates of early maturing players...

The pathway towards senior professional status in sport is affected by a multitude of factors. An abductive examination of the talent identification and development processes at an English Premiership rugby union (RU) club was undertaken for the present study. Part one examined the perspectives on the selection and development processes of senior academy male players ( n  = 8), whereas part two explored the perceptions of male coaches ( n  = 7). A total of three focus groups were used...

The explosion of popularity of ultra-endurance (UE) sports in the last 20 years has attracted a lot of interest amongst sport psychologists who studied many aspects of their participants. However, a temporal perspective on the development of the UE engagement was missing. With this research we aimed to explore the long-term individual journeys of UE athletes and how their passion developed over time from the moment of inception to full adoption of UE as an identity and a lifestyle. For this purpose, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 UE athletes (12 male and 4 female, mean age 43...

From a holistic perspective, the talent development environment (TDE) influences not only the athletic development but also the development of personal skills as well as the wellbeing of elite youth athletes. Alongside research on the effects of broader environmental features on athlete-related talent development (TD) outcomes, the importance of the closer social climate (i.e., teammates, coaches, support staff) is also emphasized. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between environmental features, the social climate and athlete-related TD outcomes (I)...

BACKGROUND: Sport-related concussion (SRC) has been shown to induce cerebral neurophysiological deficits, quantifiable with electroencephalography (EEG). As the adolescent brain is undergoing rapid neurodevelopment, it is fundamental to understand both the short- and long-term ramifications SRC may have on neuronal functioning. The current systematic review sought to amalgamate the literature regarding both acute/subacute (≤28 days) and chronic (>28 days) effects of SRC in adolescents via EEG and the diagnostic accuracy of this tool...

Anterior shoulder instability surgery has evolved over the decades, including both anatomic and nonanatomic repairs and reconstructions. Surgeons are continually advancing their skills and performing more of these procedures using arthroscopic as opposed to open techniques in patients with and without glenoid bone loss. However, there is a steep learning curve and increased technical demands when performing these procedures arthroscopically. Despite high success rates, bone graft resorption or lack of healing after Latarjet and Bristow procedures is well documented, and it is possible that patients develop enough scarring that their shoulders remain stable...