Efficiency in Kinesiology: Innovative Approaches in Enhancing Motor Skills for Athletic Performance, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (ISSN 2411-5142). This special issue belongs to the section "Kinesiology and Biomechanics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1784

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy
Interests: motor control; motor timing; cognitive-motor mechanisms; adaptive control; kinematics; excellent performance; neurorehabilitation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, I am announcing a 3rd edition about the implementation of innovative applied research to improve motor skills for reaching superior sporting performances.

Investigations from the last several decades have provided enough evidence for the use of certain means as the training foundation for sharpening athletic performance, both from a biomotor and from a technical standpoint.

However, as the field of sports science continues to grow, new methodologies, technologies, and applications for evaluating, improving, or even predicting motor performance draw the attention of the academic realm, infield operators, and general audiences. Nevertheless, sometimes these new means gain wide popularity without apt scientific support, and sometimes the opposite is true—that is, cutting-edge approaches which are well-validated in the lab fail to transfer within the sporting environments.

Seeing the unceasingly evolving nature of sports science as well as the continuous demand for ever-better competitive performance, the development of novel scientific approaches to improve athletes’ motor skills and performances is desired, and their promulgation is of utmost importance for trainers and scientists. Thus, further research is required to grant a deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations in using particular means when aiming to evaluate, predict, and model sporting performance in both amateur and professional/elite athletes.

In this Special Issue, we are looking for original investigations and reviews which introduce novel approaches to defining how leveraging either extrinsic (socio-economic, geographic, early sporting specialization, etc.) or intrinsic factors (training periodization, training methodology, equipment, cross-training, recovery management, etc.) may help to upgrade athletes’ motor skills to obtain their best athletic performance.

This special issue is supervised by Dr. Diego Minciacchi and assisted by Dr. Vincenzo Sorgente (University of Florence).

Dr. Diego Minciacchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • kinesiology
  • sport science
  • sport performance
  • biomechanics
  • training periodization
  • training prescription
  • exercise physiology
  • athletic performance
  • motor performance
  • motor skills

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 244 KiB  
Article
Differences in Physical Demands and Player’s Individual Performance Between Winning and Losing Quarters on U-18 Basketball Players During Competition
by Adrià Miró, Jordi Vicens-Bordas, Marco Beato, Hugo Salazar, Jordi Coma, Carles Pintado and Franc García
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2024, 9(4), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9040211 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 787
Abstract
Background: This study examines how physical demands and individual performance influence quarter results in under-18 basketball players during a six-day basketball tournament. Methods: Twelve male players from an elite Spanish team were tracked using inertial microsensors to monitor external load variables (player [...] Read more.
Background: This study examines how physical demands and individual performance influence quarter results in under-18 basketball players during a six-day basketball tournament. Methods: Twelve male players from an elite Spanish team were tracked using inertial microsensors to monitor external load variables (player load, steps, and dynamic stress load). Individual performance was assessed using the performance index rating (PIR). Results: The results showed significant differences in physical demands between quarters. Also, player load (F = 3.75, p = 0.012) and steps (F = 5.29, p = 0.001) were higher in the first quarter and decreased over time. Winning quarters had significantly higher physical demands compared to losing quarters (PL: F = 27.13, p < 0.001; steps: F = 16.70, p < 0.001; DSL: F = 9.50, p < 0.001). On the contrary, PIR did not show significant differences between winning and losing quarters (F = 2.15, p = 0.143), but tended to be higher in winning quarters. Conclusions: These results suggest that physical demands are stronger predictors of quarter results than individual performance scores, indicating that such parameters should be closely monitored by sport scientists and coaches since they can play a crucial role in team success. Full article
12 pages, 1333 KiB  
Article
The Relationship Between the Burpee Movement Program and Strength and Endurance Performance Measures in Active Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
by Ľuboslav Šiska, Gheorghe Balint, Daniel Židek, Jaromir Sedlacek, Štefan Tkacik and Nela Tatiana Balint
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2024, 9(4), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9040197 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 656
Abstract
Objectives: This paper aimed to assess the motor performance in the Burpee Movement Program through the acceleration recorded by the Phyphox mobile app and define its relationship to strength and endurance parameters. Methods: Altogether, 15 students in physical education teaching completed the 3 [...] Read more.
Objectives: This paper aimed to assess the motor performance in the Burpee Movement Program through the acceleration recorded by the Phyphox mobile app and define its relationship to strength and endurance parameters. Methods: Altogether, 15 students in physical education teaching completed the 3 × 3 min Burpee Movement Program, consisting of the repeated execution of a single burpee with maximum effort at regular intervals triggered by a sound signal. During the load phase, the intensity of the burpee and the fatigue index expressed in percentages were evaluated by means of the acceleration recorded through a mobile phone. In the second part of testing, we evaluated the performance parameters during a bench press and squat where the intensity was measured using a linear displacement transducer (Tendo Power Analyzer) and aerobic endurance was assessed with a 20 m shuttle run test (20 mSR). Results: The average intensity of the burpee ranged from 3.12 to 11.12 ms−2. The fatigue index ranged from −21.95% (which represented an increase in performance) to 33.63% (which represented a decrease in performance). The performances in the bench presses ranged from 58 to 480 W and from 175 to 696 W during the squats. The distance in the 20 m shuttle run test (20 mSR) ranged from 540 to 2000 m. The intensity of the burpee showed a significant correlation to the performances achieved in the bench presses and squats r = 0.82 and 0.79. The fatigue index showed a significant correlation to the 20 m shuttle run test (20 mSR) r = −0.67. Conclusions: These findings indicate that in, our case, the results from the Burpee Movement Program are significantly associated with the participants’ strength and endurance abilities. We recommend using BMP for the development of strength–endurance abilities, but further exploration is needed regarding the potential use of BMP as a diagnostic test. Full article
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