Establishing Normative Reference Values for the Utah Seated Medicine Ball Throw Protocol in Adolescents

The seated medicine ball throw (SMBT) is a field test intended to assess upper-body muscular power by measuring the maximal distance an individual can throw a medicine ball from an isolated, seated position. The SMBT has been used to assess upper-body power in various populations and to establish concurrent validity for other measures of upper-body power such as the bench press power test and the plyometric push-up. The SMBT is less costly and simpler to incorporate into a field test battery than other upper body power assessments. While the SMBT is a valid, reliable field test for upper-body power, normative reference standards for most populations, including adolescent (12-15 years old) physical education students, do not exist. Purpose: This study reports distances thrown in the SMBT to establish normative reference values in male and female physical education students, ages 12-15 years old. Methods: One hundred thirteen untrained male and female physical education students aged 12-15 years performed the SMBT field test three times on a single testing day. Participants threw a 2kg medicine ball with a 19.5 cm diameter while seated at 90 degrees after recording height and weight. Results: Participant data was separated by age gender for analysis. Mean and standard deviation for the SMBT for males was 4.3+/-0.7m and 5.2+/-0.8 m for ages 12-13 and 14-15, respectively, and for females was 3.4+/-0.5m and 3.7+/-0.5m for ages 12-13 and 14-15, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients for between-trials comparisons for males and females ranged from r=0.85-0.97. Pearson correlation coefficients for average SMBT and age of participants was r=0.93. Normative reference values as percentile ranks for the SMBT scores for age groups 12-13 and 14-15 among males and females, respectively, were also established. Conclusion: The data presented provides an initial set of normative reference standards for coaches and students to determine upper-body muscular power using the SMBT.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE SKILL RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS EVALUATION INDEX SYSTEM OF CHINESE YOUNG MALE TENNIS PLAYERS

The skill-related physical fitness evaluation index system is an important reference basis for evaluating the competitive level of tennis players. At present, there are few studies on the skill-related physical fitness evaluation index system of Chinese young male tennis players. Based on the characteristics of tennis events and the sensitive period of the development of young tennis players skill-related physical fitness variables, this study uses literature methods, Delphi method and other research methods to construct an evaluation index system for Chinese young male tennis players skills related physical fitness. The results show that: Chinese young male tennis players skill-related physical fitness includes six first-level indicators including speed, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility, and power, 11 second-level indicators such as aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, upper body power, and lower body power, etc. 16 third-level indicators such as the hexagon test, beep test, sit and reach, etc.

Longitudinal Analysis of Basic Motor and Functional Abilities of Elementary School Pupils

The aim of the research was to conduct a longitudinal study of motor and cardiorespiratory fitness of 5th to 7th grade elementary male and female pupils in the period from 2005 to 2020. The pupils (1649) were divided into 3 generation groups: the older (2005–2009), the middle (2010–2015) and the younger group (2016 – 2020). There is a noticeable decrease in flexibility among all pupils and grades of younger generations. Results indicate poorer performance of younger gener ation of 5th graders in speed and power. The 7th grade female pupils who were tested in the 2015 – 2020 period, showed a significant decline in all motor and cardiorespiratory fitness compared to the other two generation groups, except for upper body power. Every four years, an evaluation of test results should be carried out so that each Physical Education teacher in a particular school can accurately compare and standardise the obtained values.

Effects of the lower jaw position on athletic performance of elite athletes

When an athlete wears a mouthguard, the position of the lower jaw is changed by virtue of the teeth being unable to occlude. Little research is available in in this area, which have indicated both positive impact and no positive impact.ObjectivesThis study aims to explore the influence of the lower jaw position on athletic performance in elite athletes.MethodsA repeated measures study compared two lower jaw positions, the athlete’s normal (habitual) bite and the lower jaw position when the muscles of mastication are at physiological rest (physiological rest bite). 15 athletes completed a medicine ball putt (upper body power), vertical jump (lower body power), sit and reach (composite hamstring flexibility), passive knee flexion (hamstring muscle length) and star excursion balance (stability and balance) tests in each condition.ResultsPaired t-tests showed the physiological rest bite had significant (p<0.05) positive effect on athletic performance for each test. On average the physiological rest bite provided an increase of lower body power (5.8%), upper body power (10%), hamstring flexibility (14%) and balance and stability (4.8%) compared to the habitual bite.ConclusionThis study provides evidence of the need for further research to confirm if the lower jaw position can be optimised for athletic performance in athletes.

We Need You: Influence of Hiring Demand and Modified Applicant Testing on the Physical Fitness of Law Enforcement Recruits

A challenge for law enforcement agencies is the many positions that need filling. Agencies may modify their applicant test battery (ATB; multilevelled testing including fitness, background checks, psychological evaluations) to increase the hiring pool of potential recruits by augmenting the utility of testing. This study determined fitness differences of law enforcement recruits hired under two different ATB protocols. Retrospective analysis was conducted on seven academy classes (442 males, 84 females) hired under an older ATB, and one class (45 males, 13 females) hired under a newer ATB. Recruits completed the following before academy: 60 s push-ups and sit-ups (muscular endurance); vertical jump (lower-body power); medicine ball throw (upper-body power); 75 yard pursuit run (75PR; change-of-direction speed); and 20 m multistage fitness test (20MSFT; aerobic fitness). Independent sample t-tests (p ≤ 0.001) and effect sizes (d) evaluated between-group fitness differences for recruits hired under the different ATB protocols (combined sexes, males, and females). There were no significant differences between the ATB groups. However, newer ATB female recruits completed 13% fewer 20MSFT shuttles than the older ATB group, which, although not significant (p = 0.007), did have a moderate effect (d = 0.62). Females hired under the newer ATB had lower aerobic fitness, which could impact physical training performance and graduation.

Adaptations of the Upper Body to Plyometric Training in Cricket Players of Different Age Groups

Context: Neuromuscular adaptations following exercise training are believed to enhance sports performance. While abundant research is available on adaptations of the lower body to plyometric training, little is known about adaptations of the upper body to plyometric training. Objective: To examine the effect of plyometric training on neuromuscular adaptations in cricket players of different age groups. Design: Randomized parallel group active-controlled trial. Setting: Research laboratory, school cricket ground, and sports complex field. Participants: Fifty-nine cricket players were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. Interventions: The experimental group was subjected to 8 weeks of medicine ball plyometric training held thrice per week. Neuromuscular adaptations were analyzed pretraining and posttraining in 3 age groups: <18, 18–25, and >25 years. Analysis of variance was used to ascertain the training effects between and within the 6 subgroups, that is, age group <18 years (control and experimental), age group 18–25 years (control and experimental), and age group >25 years (control and experimental). Main outcome measures: Muscle activation, upper body balance, upper body power, and muscle strength. Results: Out of 59, 55 participants completed the study. Subjects aged <18 years (adolescents) showed significantly greater improvements than those from the groups 18–25 years and >25 years (adults) on upper body balance and upper body power. Significant improvements were observed in the experimental subjects of all age groups on their muscle activity of biceps brachii, upper body balance, and upper body power following medicine ball plyometric training. Conclusions: Though adolescent subjects were found to be more adaptive than adult subjects, experimental subjects showed significantly greater neuromuscular adaptations to medicine ball plyometric training than controls. These findings emphasize the need for coaches and athletic trainers to inculcate medicine ball plyometric exercises in training regimes of cricket players so as to improve their upper body performance.