speed and agility

Non-avialan theropod dinosaurs had diverse ecologies and varied skull morphologies. Previous studies of theropod cranial morphology mostly focused on higher-level taxa or characteristics associated with herbivory. To better understand morphological disparity and function within carnivorous theropod families, here we focus on the Dromaeosauridae, 'raptors' traditionally seen as agile carnivorous hunters.We applied 2D geometric morphometrics to quantify skull shape, performed mechanical advantage analysis to assess the efficiency of bite force transfer, and performed finite element analysis to examine strain distribution in the skull during biting...

Dietze-Hermosa, MS, Montalvo, S, Gonzalez, MP, and Dorgo, S. The impact of an 8-week, resisted, sprint training program on ice skating performance in male youth ice hockey players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 957-965, 2024-The purposes of this randomized control study were to (a) compare the effects of an on-ice versus an overground resisted sprint training intervention and a control condition and (b) identify changes in ice skating kinematics and kinetics after training intervention participation. Twenty-four youth ice hockey players were randomly allocated into 3 groups: (a) on-ice resisted sprint training (on-ice RST); (b) overground resisted sprint training (overground RST); and (c) body weight resistance training (control)...

In this study, a set of 316 L stainless steel test specimens was additively manufactured by laser-based Powder Bed Fusion. The process parameters were varied for each specimen in terms of laser scan speed and laser power. The objective was to use a narrow band of parameters well inside the process window, demonstrating detailed parameter engineering for specialized additive manufacturing cases. The process variation was monitored using Optical Tomography to capture light emissions from the layer surfaces. Process emission values were stored in a statistical form...

Nature abounds with examples of superior mobility through the fusion of aerial and ground movement. Drawing inspiration from such multimodal locomotion, we introduce a high-performance hybrid hopping and flying robot. The proposed robot seamlessly integrates a nano quadcopter with a passive telescopic leg, overcoming limitations of previous jumping mechanisms that rely on stance phase leg actuation. Based on the identified dynamics, a thrust-based control method and detachable active aerodynamic surfaces were devised for the robot to perform continuous jumps with and without position feedback...

Change of direction speed (CODS) is determined by several physical aspects, such as linear sprint speed, reactive strength and power of leg muscles. It appears that core strength may also play a role in CODS, however, its relationship to CODS remains unclear. The aim of this narrative review was to analyze the literature addressing a) the relationship between core strength and CODS and b) the effect of core strength training on CODS. This analysis revealed a significant relationship between the parameters of core strength and stability (the pressure of the activated core muscles during lower limb movement and the greatest mean force output of maximum volunteered contraction) and the time in the Agility T-Test...

The rapid advancement of prevailing communication and sensing technologies necessitates cost-effective millimeter-wave arrays equipped with a massive number of phase-shifting cells to perform complicated beamforming tasks. Conventional approaches employing semiconductor switch/varactor components or tunable materials encounter obstacles such as quantization loss, high cost, high complexity, and limited adaptability for realizing large-scale arrays and operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. Here, we report a low-cost, ultrathin, fast-response, and large-scale solution relying on advanced metasurface (i...

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, the development of training programs for speed, agility and reaction time responses in football players is increasing widely. Motor imagery is a new method that uses collateral with physical training. However, there is still a scarcity of evidence concerning the addition of motor imagery protocol to routine training programs. OBJECTIVE: The main objective was to compare speed, agility and reaction time after motor imagery training in university athletes and amateur athletes who received and did not receive motor imagery training for 2 weeks...

BACKGROUND: The need for monitoring regularly physical fitness in youth is well established for public health issues. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the International Fitness Scale questionnaire (IFIS) to assess physical fitness in French children in the school context. METHODS: A sample of 2 060 children (1054 boys), aged 10.6 ± 0.9 years, participated in the validation study while an independent sample of 366 children (175 boys), aged 9 to 11 years, participated in the assessment of reliability...

BACKGROUND: Complex contrast training (CCT) is potentially an efficient method to improve physical abilities such as muscle strength, power output, speed, agility, are extremely important in developing soccer players of different age categories. AIM: This study aimed to analyze the effects of 6 weeks of CCT program applied in different training frequency (sessions per week) on youth soccer players performance. METHODS: Twenty-one youth soccer players (age: 15...

INTRODUCTION: For individuals with limb loss, bone-anchored implants create a direct structural and functional connection to a terminal prosthesis. Here, we characterized the mechanical loads distal to the abutment during several functional performance tests in Service members with transfemoral (TF) limb loss, to expand on prior work evaluating more steady-state ambulation on level ground or slopes/stairs. METHODS: Two males with unilateral TF limb loss and two males with bilateral TF limb loss participated after two-stage osseointegration (24 and 12 months, respectively)...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationships between 24-h movement behaviors and physical fitness (PF) in preschool children. METHODS: The study was conducted on 474 children aged 3-6 years in Zhuhai. Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) were collected by the accelerometer, and sleep time was assessed through the parent-report questionnaire. Balance, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), flexibility, muscle strength, muscular endurance, and speed-agility were measured using a balance beam test, 20 m shuttle run test, sit and reach test, handgrip test, sit-ups, and 4 × 10 m shuttle run test respectively...

Accipitriformes are diverse in their prey preferences and use their grasping feet for hunting. Little is known about the architectural design of muscles related to grasping among species of different sizes, diets, and foraging behaviors. In the present study, we report quantitative data and analysis of the pelvic musculature of the Japanese sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), common buzzard (Buteo buteo), northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), and cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus)...

In recent years, both domestic and international research on quadruped robots has advanced towards high dynamics and agility, with a focus on high-speed locomotion as a representative motion in high-dynamic activities. Quadruped animals like cheetahs exhibit high-speed running capabilities, attributed to the indispensable role played by their flexible spines during the flight phase motion. This paper establishes dynamic models of flexible spinal quadruped robots with different degrees of simplification, providing a parameterized description of the flight phase motion for both rigid-trunk and flexible-spine quadruped robots...

Skill-related physical fitness significantly correlates with sports performance. Plyometric training (PT) is an effective method for improving physical fitness in athletes. However, its impact on skill-related physical fitness in badminton players remains uncertain. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PT on skill-related physical fitness in badminton players. Five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and SPORTSDiscus) were searched until February 2024...

Lockie, RG, Orr, RM, Montes, F, and Dawes, JJ. A research note exploring the impact of firefighter trainee fitness on academy graduation or release. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-This study investigated the impact of fitness test performance on firefighter trainee ability to graduate an academy using ordinal logistic generalized linear models. Retrospective analysis was conducted on trainee data (N = 686) from one fire department who completed an occupational physical ability test (OPAT) that included the following: Illinois agility test (IAT); push-ups; pull-ups; leg tucks; maximal aerobic capacity (V̇o2max); backward overhead 4...

Training and assessment of agility is often prioritised by soccer coaches and practitioners aiming to develop multi-directional speed. Although the importance of agility is advocated throughout childhood and adolescence, limited data evidence agility performance at different stages of adolescence. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in multi-directional speed performance in youth soccer players spanning an entire soccer academy. A total of 86 male junior-elite soccer players volunteered to participate...

Performing agile navigation with four-legged robots is a challenging task because of the highly dynamic motions, contacts with various parts of the robot, and the limited field of view of the perception sensors. Here, we propose a fully learned approach to training such robots and conquer scenarios that are reminiscent of parkour challenges. The method involves training advanced locomotion skills for several types of obstacles, such as walking, jumping, climbing, and crouching, and then using a high-level policy to select and control those skills across the terrain...

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week speed, agility, and quickness (SAQ) training on performance changes in linear sprint speed, change-of-direction (COD) speed, and reactive agility of U-20 female football players. Nineteen female football players randomly served as either experimental (n = 9) or control groups (n = 10). The players were tested for physical fitness tests: linear sprint speed including both short and long distances (5- and 10-m sprints without a ball and 20- and 30-m sprints with and without dribbling), COD speed (arrowhead agility test with and without dribbling a ball, Southeast Missouri [SEMO] agility test, and 22-m repeated slalom dribbling test), and reactive agility...

The present study examines the influence of technical, physical, and relative age characteristics on players selection success within the Scottish Performance School trials. Ninety adolescent players (81 males, 9 females; mean ± standard deviation: age = 11.3 ± 0.4 years, height = 149.6 ± 6.9 cm, mass 38.1 ± 4.7 kg) performed a battery of physical fitness (20m Sprint, CMJ, 5-0-5 agility test), anthropometric, and 8 small-sided games (SSG; 9v9) as part of a talent identification (TID) programme...

AIM: To evaluate the effect of a 12-week physical training regime comprising five components - speed, power, agility, reaction, quickness - on young football players' performance in terms of their capacity to move quickly in different phases. METHODS: The football players were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 12) and a control group (n = 12). The rapid change of direction mobility was systematically investigated by using outdoor tests, the Illinois 505 Agility Test, the Square Pace Test, the Nebraska Agility Test, and the T-Shape Agility Test...