Models of injury and practical tips for using imagery in rehabilitation

Athletes’ reactions to injuries are varied and involve not only physical, but also mental responses. The perception of injury and individual diff erences can infl uence the results of rehabilitation. This article presents four models that show these relationships. Special attention is paid to the diffi culties faced by athletes when returning to sp Imagery is a mental training technique recommended in the rehabilitation process. Correct application of this method is thought to be important in recovery. There are several main factors that are considered to aff ect the eff ectiveness of imagery training. Real examples of the use of the technique by injured athletes are useful for understanding what to pay attention to. Our purpose is to show that imagery training can help in an injury situation. ort after injury.

The trouble with Physical Culture. Notes Inspired by Maria Zowisło’s book Man and Values in Physical Culture: A Theoretical Study.

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Sense of Self-Worth and Executive Aspects of the Self Among Female Handball Players and Physical Education Students

Introduction. The ambiguous results of research and various contradictory conclusions resulting from them, motivate researchers to undertake further attempts at analyses that could shed additional light on personality determinants of sports success. The authors of the study made 3 dimensions of personality the subject of their research – signifi cant from the point of view of achieving high sports results: self-esteem, hope for success and self-effi cacy. Objective. The aim of the study was to investigate self-esteem and selected personality traits describing the executive functions of the self and empirical verifi cation of the relationship between variables among female handball players and physical education students. Material and methods. The study comprised 3 groups of women: the fi rst – 33 female handball players aged 15-32, players of 1st league sports teams with an average training experience of over 10 years. The second – 42 female physical education students. The control group (non-training), consisted of female 39 philology students. In total, 114 women were included in the study. The following were used: the Polish adaptation of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), the Hope for Success Questionnaire (KNS) by Łaguna, Trzebiński and Zięba, modelled on the basis of the Hope Scale by Snyder et al., and the Polish version of the Generalised Self-Effi cacy Scale (GSES) created by Schwarzer and Jerusalem. Results. Handball players do not diff er in their personality dimensions from female students of physical education, but they have greater willpower than non-trained women. In turn, physical education students, compared to the control group, are characterised by higher self-esteem, greater hope for success (greater willpower and the ability to fi nd solutions) and they have a stronger belief in their own effi cacy. Statistically signifi cant, positive correlations between self-esteem and features describing executive aspects of the self were found in all 3 groups of respondents. Similarly, in all 3 groups of women, a direct relationship between two-dimensional hope for success and self-effi cacy was observed. Conclusions. The study may be a contribution to research on the personality of handball players and have practical applications, being of interest to sports psychologists and coaches working with handball players.

The legacy of the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the context of sports tourism

The IV Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Ga-Pa) are regarded by researchers as a test stage for the international demonstration of the German Reich’s economic power in relation to the Games of the XI Olympiad in Berlin, which were organized half a year later. Through the Games, Adolf Hitler sought to test all of his resources and means, thereby testing the country’s readiness to host another major sporting event. Despite numerous controversies related to the intense exposition of Nazi politics and anti-Semitism, the Olympic Games were remembered among the international public as a professionally organized event, among others thanks to the modern and extremely functional sports facilities of the time. The aim of this paper is to characterize the Olympic legacy of Ga- Pa, which due to its numerous remnants and nowadays well-maintained historical sports base contributes to the development of sports tourism in Germany. This account is briefl y preceded by an account of the preparation and course of the IV Winter Olympics.

Review of the book titled “How to Become a Champion in Sport and in Life” [in Polish: Jak zostać mistrzem w sporcie i w życiu] by Jan Blecharz, Małgorzata Siekańska and Gershon Tenenbaum

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Can Sport Exist Without Aggression? On a Certain Thought Experiment by Stanisław Lem

The main objective of the paper is to present and analyse a thought experiment concerning the existence and specifi city of sport in a society completely devoid of aggression. The experiment comes from the novel Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem, Polish writer and thinker. The article provides an explanation why sports, and boxing in particular, were included in Lem’s refl ections on the problem of evil and attempts to “improve the world”. Lem’s vision of sport in a society subjected to betrization – a procedure that eliminates aggression – is presented and commented on from the perspective of the contemporary philosophy of sport. The presented analysis of Lem’s considerations focuses on their relationships with currently debated issues. An illustration of this thread of considerations is tchoukball – a sport designed to minimise players’s aggression.

Evaluation and emotional consequences of the decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Polish Elite Athletes

In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee decided to cancel the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and postpone it to 2021. This decision caused a lot of emotions among elite athletes and disrupted their preparation cycle for the most important quadrennial athletic competition. The aim of the study was to investigate how Polish elite athletes regard this decision and what emotions they feel about it. The current training situation of athletes was also monitored during the study. 478 Polish elite athletes took part in the survey. The results showed that the athletes feel stronger sadness and uncertainty compared to the beginning of the year. Athletes with Olympic qualifi cation consider the decision to cancel the Olympic Games to be much more negative, but – what is interesting – is that they rate the current training options higher and declare feeling less concern about their sports form next year. Two independent clusters show that some athletes experience an increase in negative emotions, while others do not experience major changes (compared to the beginning of the year). Using factor analysis, two factors were also distinguished – emotional and sports. Both exhibited statistically signifi cantly correlations with opinions about the current training situation. The results obtained allow for the development of valuable recommendations regarding support for athletes. Strengthening the ability to regulate emotions, working with the structure of properly formulated goals and building awareness of maintaining a good attitude and approach will be particularly important.

The perception of Jerzy Kukuczka among the French alpine community through the press media (1979-1989)

In order to understand the perception of Jerzy Kukuczka by the mountaineering community, this study focuses on the receptivity of his exploits in the French culture during his period of activity (1979-1989). As an emblematic actor of international alpinism during the 1980’s, J. Kukuczka contributed with the Polish climbers of the golden generation to establishing new standards of diffi culty in the Himalayas. While his achievements remain internationally known, no study has looked at the way his expeditions have been portrayed in the media. It emerges that the image left by the character is that of an ice warrior resistant to pain. J. Kukuczka embodies the man of the people who, thanks to his willpower, managed to emancipate himself from his condition as a miner to reach the summits. The spectacle of his competition with Reinhold Messner contributed to his fame: his innovative itineraries underline a performative aim where the mountain becomes a place of sporting confrontation.

“Twenty Years of Studies in Sport Humanities – a Look at the Journal’s Archival Issues”

In the text, it is shows how the journal – Studia Humanistyczne [Eng. Humanistic Studies] has changed, initially published as Zeszyty Naukowe [Eng. Scientifi c Notebooks], then as an independent periodical, to fi nally assume the form of the English-language Studies in Sport Humanities. The stages of the Journal’s operation, managed by successive Editors-in-Chief, were presented. It was showed who comprised the Editorial Board and what modifi cations the Journal underwent to fi nally take the present form of international Studies in Sport Humanities.

The Mood of Elite Polish Athletes and P.E. Students During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of the study was to compare mood during the fi rst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in athletes - potential Olympians (n = 57, including 28 men and 29 women) involved in Olympic preparations and extramural physical education students (n = 54, including 28 men and 26 women). The age of the subjects was between 18 and 45 years. The additional objective was to determine diff erentiation according to gender. The Polish version of the Profi le of Mood States by McNair, Lorr & Droppleman was used in the form of an on-line survey. There were no signifi cant differences between the men and women (main gender eff ect). The athletes demonstrated lower levels of anger and confusion than the students (main group eff ect). In the case of tension, a signifi cant interaction was found between the group and gender: among athletes, a lower level of tension was found in men, and among students - in women.