Showing items 1 - 17 of 17

Your selections:

The effect of yoga on the state anxiety and mood state of athletes

- Timmermans, Chad, Spittle, Michael, Plaisted, Vicki

  • Authors: Timmermans, Chad , Spittle, Michael , Plaisted, Vicki
  • Date: 2003
  • Type: Text , Conference paper
  • Relation: Paper presented at XIth European Congress of Sport Psychology, Copenhagen, Denmark : 22nd-27th July 2003
  • Full Text: false
  • Description: Introduction: This study examined the effect of yoga on the state anxiety and mood states of athletes. Yoga has long been practised by athletes but its influence on the mood state of athletes has not been empirically examined. Method: Participants were 15 female netball players, aged between 18 and 27 years (M = 20.97, SD = 3.09) who completed the Abbreviated Profile of Mood States (APOMS) and the state anxiety inventory (A-State) before and after each of six yoga or strength and conditioning sessions completed one night per week. Participants acted as their own controls with all participants completing both treatments. The main hypothesis was that yoga participants would report significantly greater changes in mood state and state anxiety than strength and conditioning participants. Results: A One-Way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) indicated that yoga sessions had significantly greater pre to post test change on overall mood state and state anxiety compared to strength and conditioning sessions. In addition, on the subscales of the APOMS, yoga produced significantly greater pre to post test decreases on confusion and tension than strength and conditioning. Conclusion: Results support the use of yoga to positively enhance mood state and decrease state anxiety in athlete populations.Implications for coaches and athletes are discussed including the potential use of alternative and holistic training methods for the management of mood and anxiety. Future research directions are also discussed including investigating alternative approaches to the management of mood and anxiety in athletes and further investigation into the components of yoga.
  • Description: 2003003782

Agonist-antagonist paired set resistance training: a brief review

- Robbins, Daniel, Young, Warren, Behm, David, Payne, Warren

  • Authors: Robbins, Daniel , Young, Warren , Behm, David , Payne, Warren
  • Date: 2010
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of strength and conditioning research Vol. 24, no. 10 (2010), p. 2873-2882
  • Full Text: false
  • Description: Agonist-antagonist paired set (APS) training refers to the coupling of agonist and antagonist exercises, performed in an alternating manner with rest intervals between each set. The purpose of this review is to identify the proposed benefits and possible underlying mechanisms of APS training and to suggest how APS training may be exploited. Furthermore, areas deserving of further research attention will be presented. This review will also suggest a common terminology (i.e., APS training) for describing training modalities that alternate agonist and antagonist exercises. Although somewhat equivocal, evidence exists supporting the use of APS as a means of enhancing short-term power measures. Evidence also exists suggesting APS training is an efficacious and efficient means of developing strength and power. Time-efficient methods of developing strength and power would have benefits for athletes and the general population. Athletes able to spend less time developing strength and power would have more time to devote to other aspects of performance or other unrelated tasks. The general population may be more willing to adhere to less time-consuming resistance training programs that offer similar results, as compared to more time-consuming programs. This review concludes that the practical applicability of APS training in terms of acute performance enhancement is limited. However, the use of APS training as an efficacious and time-effective method for developing strength and power may hold some merit.

The effect of 4 weeks fasting during Ramadan upon isokinetic knee flexor/extensor performance

- Grantham, Justin, Belhaj, Jilal, O'Brien, Brendan, Balasekaran, Govindasamy

“I did not ‘choke’!” : Introducing a preliminary self-presentation model of “choking” in sport

- Mesagno, Christopher

  • Authors: Mesagno, Christopher
  • Date: 2008
  • Type: Text , Conference paper
  • Relation: Paper presented at 43rd Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania : 23rd-26th September 2008 p. 219-223
  • Full Text: false
  • Description: Based on recently proposed definitions, “choking under pressure” (i.e., choking) is defined as a critical deterioration in the execution of habitual processes as a result of an elevation in anxiety levels under perceived pressure, leading to substandard performance. Researchers have provided descriptive choking models (i.e., self-focus and distraction models) with the self-focus model receiving the most empirical support, however, no one has offered explanatory models that may answer the question “why does choking occur?” Thus, the present paper is an amalgamation of three interconnected studies that, in part, examined the psychological characteristics of “choking-susceptible” athletes using qualitative interviews, which helped to develop an explanatory model of choking. A total of 174 experienced athletes completed three psychological inventories to purposively sample 14 choking-susceptible athletes who participated in a series of single-case designs that included both low- and high-pressure phases. After the experimental phase, participants were interviewed about their experience and content analyses were conducted. Common choking-related themes were increased public self-awareness, fear of evaluation/failure, and self-monitoring techniques. Further qualitative cross-case analyses provided evidence for a preliminary self-presentation model of choking that link public self-awareness, anxiety, and conveying a positive self-presentation, which will be discussed.
  • Description: 2003006464

The influence of glycerol hyperhydration on run performance within an Olympic distance triathlon

- Van Ewyk, Gerald

  • Authors: Van Ewyk, Gerald
  • Date: 2004
  • Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
  • Full Text:
  • Description: This study was designed to determine the impact of glycerol hyperhydration, compared with a placebo hyperhydration, on the run performance during an Olympic distance triathlon. Ten competitive triathletes (mean peak oxygen consumption, VO2 peak = 65.5 ± 5.5 ml.kg.-1min-1) undertook two simulated Olympic Distance Triathlons in 31° C and 61% relative humidity. The trials were split into two work phases: a fixed workload phase comprising a 18-20 min swim and a 60 min cycle and, a self regulated time trial run over 10 kilometres conducted on a treadmill. One hundred and fifty min prior each trial, either a glycerol solution (1 g.kg.-1 body mass (BM) in a 4% carbohydrate – electrolyte drink) or a placebo of equal volume of the 4% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution was ingested over one hour. The total fluid intake in each trial was 23 ml.kg.-1 BM. A randomised, double blind, cross over design was used. Due to either 1) the arduous nature of the trials 2) the side effects associated with the ingestion of glycerol 3) or the combination of the two aforementioned reasons, only five of the 10 subjects completed the final 10 km self regulated time trial for both treatments. Only the data obtained from these five subjects were reported in this study. Glycerol ingestion expanded body water over the placebo by 154 ml (26%). At 60 and 90 min after the start of drinking, urine output was significantly higher with glycerol than placebo treatment (216.4, 366.4 ml vs 81.0, 242.0 ml, respectively) but significantly higher at 120 min in the placebo (421.6 ml vs 131.2 ml). There were no significant differences in heart rate and rectal temperature during the swim and cycle phases. However, there were significant increases in heart rate (at 5, 10, 15, 25 and 30 min) and rectal temperature (at 5, 20 and 30 min) during the 10 km run in the glycerol trial. The mean 10 km run time for the placebo trial was 40 min 21 sec (± 2.9 min) while the glycerol trial was 39 min 22 sec (± 2.0 min). The mean difference of 2.1% in finishing time between trials was not significant. Three of the five subjects in the glycerol trial improved their 10 km time by 7.0, 2.4 and 2.7%, respectively. The finishing time for one subject did not change for both trials while another subject had deteriorated by 2.3% in the glycerol trial. In the glycerol treatment, five subjects complained of bloating and nausea while only one subject complained of feeling unwell in the placebo treatment. Data from this study have shown that glycerol hyperhydration did not significantly improve performance while plasma volume expansion and subsequent lower rectal temperature and lower heart rates were not evident. The exact mechanisms of how glycerol hyperhydration can improve performance warrant further investigation.
  • Description: Masters in Applied Science

Activity profiles of the Australian female netball team players during international competition: Implications for training practice

- Fox, Aaron, Spittle, Michael, Otago, Leonie, Saunders, Natalie

  • Authors: Fox, Aaron , Spittle, Michael , Otago, Leonie , Saunders, Natalie
  • Date: 2013
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 31, no. 14 (2013), p. 1588-1595
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: In elite sport, to remain competitive at the international level, it is critical to understand the game demands on players to ensure sport specific training programmes are designed for optimal athlete preparation and conditioning. In netball, recent research examining the activity patterns of players at the elite level is lacking, with only one study undertaken on this level of competition in the past 30 years. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide coaches with up to date knowledge of player activity patterns as a basis for the design of optimal sport specific training programmes. The Australian female netball team were analysed using video footage of three international test matches. Player activity was categorised into five movement and eight game-based activities; and further classified as work or rest. Results suggest that differences in the current game exist when compared to the previous analysis. Positional differences were also found with regard to player activity confirming the need for an individualised component of training based on player position. © 2013 Copyright © 2013 Taylor & Francis.
  • Description: C1

Cardiac response to exercise in normal ageing : What can we learn from masters athletes?

- Beaumont, Alexander, Campbell, Amy, Grace, Fergal, Sculthorpe, Nicholas

  • Authors: Beaumont, Alexander , Campbell, Amy , Grace, Fergal , Sculthorpe, Nicholas
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Current Cardiology Reviews Vol. 14, no. 4 (2018), p. 245-253
  • Full Text:
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Background: Ageing is associated with an inexorable decline in cardiac and vascular function, resulting in an increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Lifestyle factors such as exercise have emerged as a primary therapeutic target in the prevention of CVD, yet older individuals are frequently reported as being the least active, with few meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines. In contrast, well trained older individuals (Masters athletes) have superior functional capacity than their sedentary peers and are often comparable with young non-athletes. Therefore, the 'masters' athlete may be viewed as a unique non-pharmacological model which may allow researchers to disentangle the inexorable from the preventable and the magnitude of the unavoidable 'true' reduction in cardiac function due to ageing. Conclusion: This review examines evidence from studies which have compared cardiac structure and function in well trained older athletes, with age-matched controls but otherwise healthy. © 2018 Bentham Science Publishers.

A prospective cohort study on symptoms of common mental disorders among Dutch elite athletes

- Gouttebarge, Vincent, Jonkers, Ruud, Moen, Maarten, Verhagen, Evert, Wylleman, Paul, Kerkhoffs, Gino

  • Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Jonkers, Ruud , Moen, Maarten , Verhagen, Evert , Wylleman, Paul , Kerkhoffs, Gino
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Physician and Sportsmedicine Vol. 45, no. 4 (2017), p. 426-432
  • Full Text:
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Objective: Scientific knowledge about symptoms of common mental disorders in elite sports is scarce. Consequently, the objectives of the study were to (i) establish the 12-month incidence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD; distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, adverse alcohol use, eating disorders) among Dutch elite athletes and (ii) explore their potential association with several stressors (being injured, recent life events, career dissatisfaction).Methods: A prospective cohort study with a 12-month follow-up period was conducted. The study used validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of common mental disorders (thus not clinically diagnosed) as well as several stressors; an electronic questionnaire was set up and repeatedly distributed.Results: A total of 203 elite athletes gave their written informed consent to participate in the study, from which 143 completed the 12-month follow-up period (follow-up rate of 70%). Incidence of symptoms of CMD ranged from 6% for adverse alcohol use to 57% for symptoms of anxiety/depression. Over the follow-up period, around 17% of the participants reported two simultaneous symptoms of CMD, and around 19% reported three simultaneous symptoms of CMD. Inferences between some stressors and symptoms of CMD were found but none of the associations were statistically significant.Conclusions: Substantial 12-month incidence rates of symptoms of CMD (self-reported and not clinically diagnosed) were found among Dutch elite athletes (especially for anxiety/depression), appearing similar to the ones found among athletes from other sports disciplines and the Dutch general population. Also, inferences between some stressors and symptoms of CMD were found but none of the associations were statistically significant. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve awareness and psychological resilience of athletes, which would likely improve their performance and quality-of-life.

A preliminary video analysis of concussion in the National Rugby League

- Gardner, Andrew, Iverson, Grant, Quinn, Tanya, Makdissi, Michael, Levi, Christopher, Shultz, Sandy, Wright, David, Stanwell, Peter

  • Authors: Gardner, Andrew , Iverson, Grant , Quinn, Tanya , Makdissi, Michael , Levi, Christopher , Shultz, Sandy , Wright, David , Stanwell, Peter
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Brain Injury Vol. 29, no. 10 (2015), p. 1182-1185
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Primary objective: To conduct the first video analysis of concussion in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) and describe player and injury characteristics, situational factors and time to return to play.Research design: Descriptive, observational case series.Methods and procedures: Video analysis of 20 medically diagnosed concussions for three consenting clubs during the 2013 NRL season.Main outcome and results: Most concussions (83%) occurred during a high tackle, and all injured ball carriers were hit high. Loss of consciousness was observed in 30% of cases. Common observable signs of injury included clutching of the head, balance problems or wobbly legs and a blank or vacant state. There were no post-concussive seizures. All players with loss of consciousness were removed from play. However, only half of the total sample was removed from play and one athlete who was removed returned to play in the same match. Of the players who were removed from play, the large majority returned the following week. Illegal play accounted for 25% of all concussions.Conclusions: Video analysis may be a useful method to study the incidence, mechanism and management of concussion in sports such as Rugby League. Future studies may include larger numbers to validate this preliminary data and may also investigate other levels of play and age ranges. © 2015 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Aerobic training protects cardiac function during advancing age : A meta-analysis of four decades of controlled studies

- Beaumont, Alexander, Grace, Fergal, Richards, Joanna, Campbell, Amy, Sculthorpe, Nicholas

  • Authors: Beaumont, Alexander , Grace, Fergal , Richards, Joanna , Campbell, Amy , Sculthorpe, Nicholas
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 49, no. 2 (2019), p. 199-219
  • Full Text:
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Background: In contrast to younger athletes, there is comparatively less literature examining cardiac structure and function in older athletes. However, a progressive accumulation of studies during the past four decades offers a body of literature worthy of systematic scrutiny. Objectives: We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of controlled echocardiography studies comparing left ventricular (LV) structure and function in aerobically trained older athletes (> 45 years) with age-matched untrained controls, in addition to investigating the influence of chronological age. Methods: Electronic databases were searched from inception to January 2018 before conducting a random-effects meta-analysis to calculate pooled differences in means, effect size and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Study heterogeneity was reported using Cochran’s Q and I2 statistic. Results: Overall, 32 studies (644 athletes; 582 controls) were included. Athletes had greater LV end-diastolic diameter (3.65 mm, 95% CI 2.66–4.64), interventricular septal thickness (1.23 mm, 95% CI 0.85–1.60), posterior wall thickness (1.20 mm, 95% CI 0.83–1.56), LV mass (72 g, 95% CI 46–98), LV mass index (28.17 g·m2, 95% CI 19.84–36.49) and stroke volume (13.59 mL, 95% CI 7.20–19.98) (all p < 0.01). Athletes had superior global diastolic function [ratio of early (E) to late (A) mitral inflow velocity (E/A) 0.18, 95% CI 0.13–0.24, p < 0.01; ratio of early (e′) to late (a′) diastolic annular tissue velocity (e′/a′) 0.23, 95% CI 0.06–0.40, p = 0.01], lower A (−8.20 cm·s−1, 95% CI −11.90 to −4.51, p < 0.01) and a′ (−0.72 cm·s−1, 95% CI −1.31 to −0.12, p = 0.02), and more rapid e′ (0.96 cm·s−1, 95% CI 0.05–1.86, p = 0.04). Meta-regression for chronological age identified that athlete–control differences, in the main, are maintained during advancing age. Conclusions: Athletic older men have larger cardiac dimensions and enjoy more favourable cardiac function than healthy, non-athletic counterparts. Notably, the athlete groups maintain these effects during chronological ageing. © 2018, The Author(s).

Protecting the health of the @hlete : how online technology may aid our common goal to prevent injury and illness in sport

- Verhagen, Evert, Bolling, Caroline

  • Authors: Verhagen, Evert , Bolling, Caroline
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 49, no. 18 (2015), p. 1174-1178
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Online technology dominates our era and eHealth has become a reality for sports clinicians and researchers. Contemporary online platforms enable self-monitoring and provide tailored feedback to the different stakeholders who play a role in the health and care of athletes. Innovations such as digital monitoring, mobile applications and connected hardware provide the critical tools to solve current enigmas in sports medicine research, and to streamline and facilitate injury prevention, management and rehabilitation. eHealth is not an emerging future of sports medicine-the technology to move our field forward in terms of research and practice is already available. This Analysis is based on Evert Verhagen's keynote presentation at the IOC World Conference on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (Monaco, 12 April 2014). It outlines the use of eHealth in research, implementation and practice, and provides an overview of possibilities and opportunities that existing and emerging eHealth solutions provide for sports and exercise medicine and physiotherapy.

Normative MRI, ultrasound and muscle functional MRI findings in the forearms of asymptomatic elite rowers

- Drew, Michael, Trease, Larissa, Caneiro, J. P., Hooper, Ivan, Ooi, Chin-Chin, Counsel, Peter, Connell, David, Rice, Anthony, Knight, Emma, Hoy, Gregory, Lovell, Gregory

  • Authors: Drew, Michael , Trease, Larissa , Caneiro, J. P. , Hooper, Ivan , Ooi, Chin-Chin , Counsel, Peter , Connell, David , Rice, Anthony , Knight, Emma , Hoy, Gregory , Lovell, Gregory
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 19, no. 2 (2016), p. 103-108
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Objectives Forearm injuries are common and debilitating to elite rowers. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome, intersection syndrome and proximal radial bone stress injuries have been documented in this population. This paper explores the imaging findings related to these conditions in asymptomatic elite rowers. Design Observational study. Methods 19 asymptomatic senior elite and under-23 rowers currently competing at National level or above underwent ultrasound (US), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and muscle functional MRI evaluation of their forearms. A comprehensive evaluation sheet identifying characteristics of bone stress, intersection syndrome and chronic exertional compartment syndrome was utilised based on a literature search and review by senior clinicians working with this population. Results Peritendinous fluid of Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (n=10, 53%) or Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (n=6, 32%) was a common finding on US. MRI had a higher rate of identification than US. Extensor Digitorum (Coeff=−1.76, 95%CI −3.04 to −0.49), Flexor Carpi Radialis (Coeff=−2.86, 95%CI −5.35 to −0.38) and Flexor Carpi Ulnaris (Coeff=−3.31, 95%CI −5.30 to −1.32), Pronator Teres (Coeff=−3.94, 95%CI −6.89 to −0.99), and Supinator (Coeff=−168, 95%CI −3.28 to −0.02) showed statistically significant changes immediately post-exercise. Mild proximal radial marrow hyperintensity was present (n=15, 78.9%) with three participants (15.8%) also having mild periosteal oedema of the radius. Conclusions Imaging findings commonly seen in symptomatic populations are observed in elite, asymptomatic rowers. Care should be taken when diagnosing bone stress injuries, intersection syndrome and compartment syndrome on imaging findings alone. Data presented can be utilised as a normative dataset for future case studies.

Exercise interventions for the prevention and treatment of groin pain and injury in athletes : A critical and systematic review

- Charlton, Paula, Drew, Michael, Mentiplay, Benjamin, Grimaldi, Alison, Clark, Ross

  • Authors: Charlton, Paula , Drew, Michael , Mentiplay, Benjamin , Grimaldi, Alison , Clark, Ross
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 47, no. 10 (2017), p. 2011-2026
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Background: Groin injury is a common musculoskeletal complaint for athletes competing in a variety of sports. The extent to which exercise interventions incorporating external load are an appropriate option for the treatment and prevention of groin injury in athletes is not yet clear. Objectives: The aim of this review was to describe and evaluate exercise therapy interventions and outcomes for the treatment and prevention of groin injury with specific attention to application of external load. Data Sources: The databases Medline, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched on 18 April 2016. Study Eligibility Criteria: This review was registered as PROSPERO CRD42016037752 and a systematic search was conducted with the following inclusion criteria: any study design evaluating exercise interventions for the prevention or treatment of groin pain in athletes. Data Analysis: Two independent authors screened search results, performed data extraction, assessed risk of bias using the modified Downs and Black appraisal tool and determined strength and level of evidence. Reporting standards for exercise interventions were assessed using the Consensus for Exercise Reporting Template (CERT). Results: A total of 1320 titles were identified with 14 studies satisfying the inclusion criteria, four (29%) of which demonstrated low risk of bias. Ten (71%) studies utilised external load as a component of the exercise intervention. Reporting standards for exercise intervention scores ranged from 0 to 63%. Conclusion: There is limited evidence from level 2 and 3 studies indicating exercise therapy may reduce the incidence and hazard risk of sustaining a groin injury in athletes. There is strong evidence from level 4 studies indicating exercise therapy is beneficial as a treatment for groin injury in athletes in terms of symptom remission, return to sport and recurrence outcomes. However, there are limited studies with low risk of bias, and exercise interventions for the treatment of groin injury are poorly described. © 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.

Validity of injury self-reports by novice runners : Comparison with reports by sports medicine physicians

- Smits, Dirk-Wouter, Backx, Frank, van der Worp, Henk, van Middelkoop, Marienke, Hartgens, Fred, Verhagen, Evert, Kluitenberg, Bas, Huisstede, Bionka

  • Authors: Smits, Dirk-Wouter , Backx, Frank , van der Worp, Henk , van Middelkoop, Marienke , Hartgens, Fred , Verhagen, Evert , Kluitenberg, Bas , Huisstede, Bionka
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Research in Sports Medicine Vol. 27, no. 1 (2019), p. 72-87
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: This study examined the criterion validity of self-reported running-related injuries (RRI) by novice runners. Fifty-eight participants (41 females; age 46 ± 11 yrs) of the “Start-to-Run” program provided self-reports on their RRIs using an online questionnaire. Subsequently, they attended injury consultations with sports medicine physicians who provided physician-reports (blinded for the self-reports) as a reference standard. Self-reports and physician-reports included information on injury location (i.e., hip/groin, upper leg, knee, lower leg, and ankle/foot) and injury type (i.e., muscle-tendon unit, joint, ligament, or bone). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were 100% for all five injury locations. For injury type, sensitivity was low (66% for muscle-tendon unit, 50% for ligament, and 40% for bone) and lowest for joint injuries (17%). In conclusion, the validity of self-reported RRIs by novice runners is good for injury locations but not for injury types. In particular for joint injuries, the validity of novice runners’ self-reports is low. Abbreviations: RRI: Running Related Injury; SMC: Sports Medicine Centre; MTU: Muscle Tendon Unit; PPV: Positive Predictive Value.

Choking under pressure : A review of current debates, literature, and interventions

- Mesagno, Christopher, Geukes, Katharina, Larkin, Paul

  • Authors: Mesagno, Christopher , Geukes, Katharina , Larkin, Paul
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Contemporary Advances in Sport Psychology : A review p. 148-174
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Athletes who "crumble" under the pressure of competition are often defamed, embarrassed, and sometimes ostracized from the sportinf community. One Australian elite rower, Sally Robbins, was heavily shunned and vilified by the media and rowin community for a potential choking under pressure episode. Sally was a member of the Australian Women's Eight rowing team competing in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. With 500 meters to complete the race and the team in medal contention, Sally stopped rowing, collapsing in the lap of one of her teammates, with her oar dragging in the water because of intense exhaustion, with the team finishing in last place. This episode may have been exacerbated by the reported intense anxiety she was experiencing prior to the well-publicized Olympic final. In fact, this was not the first time extreme anxiety and concomitant exhaustion had befallen on Sally with reports suggesting perhaps it happened up to nine times previously (Wilkins, 2008). After that event, "Lay down Sally (as she was quickly labeled by Australian media and public) ... was derided as a quitter and labeled un-Australian.... The lay down Sally affair ended in misery, defamation lawsuits and recriminations" (Davis, 2008, p.98). This type of incidence has led to media speculation about choking so often that Davis (2008), an Australian magazine editor and newpaper reporter, wrote a book explaining many potential choking incidences from elite international competitions. Some choking incidences are more easily detectable than others. For example, tennis player Jana Novotna played Steffi Graf in the 1993 Wimbledon women's final, led the match 6-7, 6-4, and had a game point at 4-1 in the third and final set. Novotna lost the game and Steffi Graf won the final five games of the match and the Grand Slam title. Professional golfers Jean Van de Velde and Greg Norman also squandered leads to lose major championships, but in different ways. Van de Velde drastically "lost the plot" in the 1999 British Open after leading the tournament over 71 holes with a 3-shot lead going into the final hole. Off the tee, each of his shots went into the rough, hit the grandstand, in a water hazard, into the greenside bunker, on the green and finally in the hole for a triple bogey and tie for the lead. Van de Velde eventually lost in a three-person playoff. Greg Norman's 1996 U.S. Masters choking episode was similar because a large lead (i.e. six strokes) diminished, however, this occurred in a round-long (rather than an acute one-hole) collapse and eventual loss to Nick Faldo by five strokes. One reason these situations could be classified as choking episodes is they were based on the person's normal standard of play, rather than on other's success. For example, Novotna's performance deterioration was credited for the choking incident and not because Graf played exceptionally well in the last set to win the tournament. Nevertheless, some researchers (e.g. Buszard

Through the lens of the trainer-masseurs: Australia's incongruous engagement with the olympic amateur ethos

- Strachan, Shirley, Reeves, Keir

  • Authors: Strachan, Shirley , Reeves, Keir
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Journal article
  • Relation: International journal of the history of sport Vol. 39, no. 6 (2022), p. 631-652
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: This paper examines the history of coach/trainer-masseur support to Australian athletes at Olympic Games during the twentieth century. Given Australia's cultural historical connection to Great Britain, the Australian Olympic Federation (AOF) pursued a strict interpretation of amateurism, best understood in the global context of amateur ideals and elite athletics. The AOF's proscriptive application of Olympic amateur rules and values throughout the organisation meant that the core issue that surfaced in delivering amateur status was the discrimination against overt specialized professional support. Ultimately the AOF's motivation emphasized promoting an amateur ethos of recreation and Olympic sporting values. It also pursued a strategic priority of athletic competitiveness at the Olympics. The result was an irreconcilable underlying tension that became untenable by the 1970s. Until then, the AOF responded by engaging coach/trainer-masseurs, also referred to as athletes' attendants. This group was distinguishable as non-specialized attendants and included masseurs, coach-masseurs, trainer-masseurs and physical directors in contrast to specialized professional coaches and masseurs/physiotherapists. Ultimately, Australian athletes benefitted from non-specialized coach/trainer masseurs expert support and their professional emphasis on winning.

Validating an inertial measurement unit for cricket fast bowling : a first step in assessing the feasibility of diagnosing back injury risk in cricket fast bowlers during a tele-sport-and-exercise medicine consultation

- Harnett, Keegan, Plint, Brenda, Chan, Ka, Clark, Benjamin, Netto, Kevin, Davey, Paul, Müller, Sean, Rosalie, Simon

  • Authors: Harnett, Keegan , Plint, Brenda , Chan, Ka , Clark, Benjamin , Netto, Kevin , Davey, Paul , Müller, Sean , Rosalie, Simon
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: PeerJ Vol. 10, no. (2022), p.
  • Full Text:
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: This study aimed to validate an array-based inertial measurement unit to measure cricket fast bowling kinematics as a first step in assessing feasibility for tele-sport-and-exercise medicine. We concurrently captured shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis, trunk lateral flexion, and knee flexion angles at front foot contact of eight cricket medium-fast bowlers using inertial measurement unit and optical motion capture. We used one sample t-tests and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) to determine the mean difference between the two systems and Smallest Worth-while Change statistic to determine whether any differences were meaningful. A statistically significant (p < 0.001) but small mean difference of -4.7̊ ± 8.6̊ (95% Confidence Interval (CI) [-3.1̊ to -6.4̊], LOA [-22.2 to 12.7], SWC 3.9̊) in shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis angle was found between the systems. There were no statistically significant differences between the two systems in trunk lateral flexion and knee flexion with the mean differences being 0.1̊ ± 10.8̊ (95% CI [-1.9̊ to 2.2̊], LOA [-22.5 to 22.7], SWC 1.2̊) and 1.6̊ ± 10.1̊ (95% CI [-0.2̊ to 3.3̊], LOA [-19.2 to 22.3], SWC 1.9̊) respectively. The inertial measurement unit-based system tested allows for accurate measurement of specific cricket fast bowling kinematics and could be used in determining injury risk in the context of tele-sport-and-exercise-medicine. Copyright 2022 Harnett et al.
  • 1