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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 8002

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jesús Siquier-Coll

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Guest Editor

Department of Communication and Education, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Dos Hermanas, Spain
Interests: heat stress; heat acclimation; performance optimization; physiological adaptions; trace elements; health; oxidative stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ismael Martínez Guardado

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Health Sciences, Camilo José Cela University, C. Castillo de Alarcón, 49, Villafranca del Castillo, 28692 Madrid, Spain
Interests: gut microbiota; hypoxia training; environmental stress; performance; optimization; physiological adaptions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In contemporary sports science, there exists a discernible paradigm shift characterized by emerging trends that significantly influence the domains of training, performance, coaching, and health. Notably, a predominant trend involves the amalgamation of data analytics and technological advancements, wherein wearable sensors and sophisticated tracking systems are deployed to monitor athletes' physiological parameters, biomechanical patterns, and performance metrics in real-time. This integration enables coaches and sports scientists to make empirically informed decisions, thereby optimizing training protocols and performance outcomes.

Furthermore, there is a notable trend towards the individualization of training regimes, whereby customized programs are tailored to accommodate the unique physiological and psychological profiles of athletes. This personalized approach encompasses bespoke nutrition plans, recovery strategies, and workload management techniques, which collectively aim to augment performance while mitigating the risk of injuries.

Moreover, interdisciplinary collaboration among sports scientists, nutritionists, physiotherapists, and coaches is expanding, fostering comprehensive approaches to optimizing athletic performance and nurturing long-term well-being. These evolving trends underscore a commitment to advancing the scientific frontier of sports performance while championing holistic athlete development and health.

Therefore, this Special Issue entitled “New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science” welcomes the submission of recent research work on this promising application area for human performance.

Dr. Jesús Siquier-Coll
Dr. Ismael Martínez Guardado
Guest Editors

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Keywords

wearable technology
personalized training
mental health in sports
data analytics and interdisciplinary collaboration

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 224 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Activity Profiles in Division I Female Field Hockey Athletes: Before and after Game Time Modifications

by Kathleen A. Bieryla, Jeremy Cook and Ryan C. Snyder

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(15), 6674; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14156674 - 31 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1945

Abstract

Collegiate field hockey in the United States underwent a game format change in 2019, moving from two halves to four quarters to align with international play. The purpose of this study is to report physical activity profiles for US Collegiate Division I female field hockey athletes in the game format of four quarters and compare activity pre- and post-rule change. Activity profiles of a US Collegiate Division I female field hockey team were recorded using a Polar Pro Sensor. Fifteen regular season games from 2018 were analyzed from 21 players, and fifteen regular season games from 2019 were analyzed from 20 players. Absolute and relative activity profile data, including total distance, maximum velocity, low-speed and high-speed running, and number of surges for the team and positional difference, were compared across the two seasons. While an increase in the number of substitutions as well as a decrease in match time was noted, overall, the change in format had minimal impact on player performance profiles, including total time played, distance traveled, and maximum velocity. The results suggest the change in format did not alter the physical activity profiles for midfielders or forwards but did change for defenders. Implications for performance that existed before the rule change can be seen as consistent going forward. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science)

12 pages, 969 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Validation of the Defensive Reactive Agility Test in Top-Level Volleyball Male Players: A New Approach to Evaluating Slide Speed Using Witty SEM

by Pavol Horička, Ľubomír Paška, Marek Popowczak, Dawid Koźlenia, Jaromír Šimonek and Jarosław Domaradzki

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(15), 6391; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14156391 - 23 Jul 2024

Viewed by 914

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to provide a new tool to measure the level of defensive agility objectively. Methods: The sample included 14 elite male volleyball players of the University of Nitra club (22.3 ± 5.7 years). Measurements consisted of body height (BH); body weight (BM); body mass index (BMI), and the defensive agility test (DRAT (test-retest)) with an interval of one week between the two tests using an electronic timer (Witty photocell) and Witty SEM lights (Microgate, ITA). The validation included assessing the equality of mean values in the test and retest (t-Student), effect sizes with Cohen’s d, analysis of variance (ANOVA), intraclass correlation coefficient determinations (ICC model), and random intercept correlation (Φ). Results: The results indicated no significant differences in both tests except for left movement (p = 0.0255). The ICC value of the test time was statistically significant (0.91); standard error of measurement (SEM = 0.02); repeatability coefficient (RC = 0.20); minimal difference (MD = 0.04). Effect sizes were trivial to small (d = ˂−0.05–0.17>; right), medium (d = 0.35; backward) a large (d = −0.67; left). Conclusions: The DRAT test showed excellent reliability in total time (ICC = 0.91). Validation of the DRAT test’s consistency, reliability, accuracy and validity can help coaches make decisions about evaluating and monitoring defensive reactive agility performance in sports games. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science)

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12 pages, 2316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technical and Physical Load Variables at Different Positions in U18 Semi-Professional Soccer Players: Differences between the First and Second Half

by José Carlos Barbero-Álvarez, Luis Manuel Martínez-Aranda, Filipe Manuel Clemente and Francisco Tomás González-Fernández

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(13), 5811; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135811 - 3 Jul 2024

Viewed by 644

Abstract

Among the many factors that can affect men’s soccer performance, technical and tactical actions can obscure relevant game data, even affecting specialists in both the programming and design of training tasks. We aimed to evaluate the technical and physical load variables of different positions in U18 semi-professional soccer players and observe the differences between the first and second halves during 10 matches of the 2021/2022 Spanish Football U18 National League Championship. A total of 246 match records (10 matches) were collected from the 2021/2022 Spanish Football U18 National League Championship. Two teams participated, with a total of 49 athletes. Our study’s results indicate that, concerning technical performance, no significant differences between halves were found for goalkeepers, wingers, and forwards. However, significant declines were observed in the number of ball contacts, different actions per time, and possessions per time among central defenders, lateral defenders, and central midfielders. Regarding the observed physical load demands, it was noted that in outfield players, there was a significant decline in total distances covered at different speed thresholds, as well as a decrease in the number and distance of acceleration measures, most of which were lower in the second halves compared to the first, irrespective of playing positions. This study contributes to enhancing our understanding of the multifaceted dynamics of soccer performance and provides valuable insights for coaches, players, and researchers aiming to optimize player performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science)

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13 pages, 1213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quarterly Percentual Change in Height, Weight, Body Fat and Muscle Mass in Young Football Players of Different Categories

by Moisés Falces-Prieto, Ricardo Martín-Moya, Gabriel Delgado-García, Rui Miguel Silva, Halil Ibrahim Ceylan and Juan Carlos de la Cruz-Márquez

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3915; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14093915 - 4 May 2024

Viewed by 1355

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the change of Body Composition (BC) (height, weight, body fat percentage and muscle mass) as a function of the trimester and category in a sample of young soccer players. Data collection was performed in five consecutive seasons (2016–2021). The sample consisted of 741 young male football players of different categories (Under 14 year old (U14), U15, U16, U17 and U18) belonging to a high-performance football academy. Considering the trimestral change of all the raw anthropometrics variables a set of new variables called the trimestral change in percentage (TC) of each raw variable was computed. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA (including the raw anthropometric variables as dependent and trimester and the age-category as independent) revealed differences for the anthropometric variables (p value < 0.001 in all cases), concluding that the effect of trimester reaches conventional levels of statistical significance. The trimester by age in contrast was significant (p < 0.05) in all raw variables except for the height. Considering the TC variables, the variable height-TC showed an increase (p value < 0.05) while the variable muscle mass-TC was near the significative value (p = 0.09). In this case the interaction trimester by age category was not significative (p > 0.05 in all cases). It seems that height suffers more changes in the first trimester but the weight, body fat percentage and muscle mass changes more in the second and third trimester. It is important to modulate the training load according to the trimester-specific response, although these improvements may vary according to factors such as genetics, diet, sleep and the specific training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science)

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18 pages, 1633 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Uncovering Success Patterns in Track Cycling: Integrating Performance Data with Coaches and Athletes’ Perspectives

by Leonardo Cesanelli, Thomas Lagoute, Berta Ylaite, Julio Calleja-González, Eneko Fernández-Peña, Danguole Satkunskiene, Nuno Leite and Tomas Venckunas

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 3125; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14073125 - 8 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1475

Abstract

Track cycling entails a challenging progression from the youth categories to elite competition. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the importance of early performance and various publicly available performance indicators in predicting the success of male and female cyclists across different track disciplines. Additionally, the study enriches the findings by incorporating interviews with international-level coaches and athletes. A retrospective analysis of data from UCI track cycling databases was conducted, supplemented by interviews with international-level coaches and athletes. The success rate for highly ranked junior track cyclists was found to be less than 20%, with a majority of these athletes specializing in sprint events, regardless of gender. The study indicated that the UCI ranking and points earned during the season were not reliable indicators for distinguishing future success (p < 0.05). From the interviews, we identified three main themes: (1) trends in career success from the youth to elite categories, (2) performance markers as predictors of future success, and (3) the challenges and time involved in reaching elite categories. Junior category performance alone may not be the sole indicator of future success in track cycling. However, integrating performance analyses with practitioners and athletes’ perspectives enables a deeper understanding of the results and the developmental context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science)

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13 pages, 1722 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acute Effect of Passive Hyperthermia on Lactate Concentrations

by Jesús Siquier-Coll, Juan Manuel Flores, Francisco Javier Grijota, Ignacio Bartolomé, Marcos Maynar-Mariño and Víctor Toro-Román

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 2895; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14072895 - 29 Mar 2024

Viewed by 723

Abstract

Background: Knowledge on the effect of heat on recovery is still incomplete. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of a passive acute hyperthermic stimulus before and after a lactic anaerobic test on the production and oxidation of lactate blood concentrations. In addition, the purpose was to evaluate the effect that the application of this previous hyperthermic stimulus may have on the athletic performance in the test. Methods: For this purpose, a cross-over design through an anaerobic treadmill test in three different situations (normothermia, pre-test hyperthermia, and post-test hyperthermia) was performed. Twelve male subjects participated (age: 21.25 ± 1.64 years; height: 1.76 m ± 0.08; weight: 72.59 ± 9.44 kg). An anthropometric assessment was carried out with weight, height, skinfolds, body perimeters and diameters, and external and internal body temperatures in each of the tests. A nutritional survey was also carried out 48 h prior to each test. Results: The results of the study showed a decrease in blood lactate concentrations when the hyperthermic effect was applied as passive recovery just after the end of the test (p < 0.05). A decrease in lactate concentrations was also achieved when applying the hyperthermic effect just before the start of the test (p < 0.05). However, no significant improvements were obtained from this application of heat on test performance. Conclusions: The results suggest that the application of passive acute hyperthermia has a favourable effect in terms of decreasing blood lactate concentrations in a 5 min recovery period after lactic anaerobic activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Training, Performance, Coaching and Health in Sports Science)

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