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Sports
Special Issues
Advancing Athlete Assessment and Performance Training
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Advancing Athlete Assessment and Performance Training

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2026 | Viewed by 506

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Timothy J. Suchomel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
Interests: strength and conditioning; weightlifting movements; athlete testing and monitoring; postactivation potentiation; eccentric training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Assessing athlete performance to provide actionable information is key. While assessments may include a broad range of tests that measure an athlete’s strength, muscular endurance, muscle function, physiological characteristics, etc., research that provides novel insights into these protocols may be used to enhance best practices. Beyond assessment, strength and conditioning programs are used to enhance fitness characteristics that underpin athletic performance. Because training strategies may yield different results, practical research that highlights the benefits and limitations of various training methods is needed, as it may drive programming decisions made for athletes. This Special Issue calls for applied research papers that address topics related to athlete assessment and strength and conditioning training methods used to enhance athletic performance. While original research articles can be acute or longitudinal in nature, this Special Issue is also accepting systematic reviews and meta-analyses, scoping reviews, and case study articles that focus on the highlighted topics within the athletic population.

Dr. Timothy J. Suchomel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • strength
  • power
  • weightlifting
  • athlete monitoring
  • force
  • impulse
  • eccentric training
  • testing
  • sport science

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 459 KB  
Article
Stability of Rowing Technique and Specificity of Training Load: A Pilot Longitudinal Study in Young Athletes
by Igor E. Anpilogov, Nicolas H. Kruchynsky and Eugene B. Postnikov
Sports 2026, 14(5), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14050214 - 21 May 2026
Abstract
Tracking biomechanical changes associated with different training modalities remains a methodological challenge in applied sports science. This pilot longitudinal study examined stroke technique stability in seven junior rowers (aged 16.6 ± 0.5 years) across three measurement sessions (March, April, June), separated by two [...] Read more.
Tracking biomechanical changes associated with different training modalities remains a methodological challenge in applied sports science. This pilot longitudinal study examined stroke technique stability in seven junior rowers (aged 16.6 ± 0.5 years) across three measurement sessions (March, April, June), separated by two training mesocycles emphasising strength training and intensive rowing, respectively. Upper body angular velocity was recorded using a smartphone-based MEMS sensor fixed to the upper back during incremental ergometer exercise. Overall stroke duration and its standard deviation remained stable throughout the study period, whereas the durations of the two stroke phases corresponding to forward (drive) and backward (recovery) body motion changed systematically across mesocycles. Phase-specific changes were statistically significant in 10 of 12 paired comparisons (rank-sum test) and 7 of 12 within-subject comparisons (Wilcoxon signed-rank test) for phase durations, and in 9 and 5 of 12 comparisons for their standard deviations, respectively. These findings suggest that the internal structure of the rowing stroke is sensitive to training load specificity, even when overall stroke timing remains unchanged, and that smartphone-based angular velocity analysis provides a feasible tool for individualized biomechanical monitoring in young athletes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Athlete Assessment and Performance Training)
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11 pages, 502 KB  
Article
The Correlation Between Functional Movement Screen Scores and Self-Reported Injury History Among Competitive Male Padel Players: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Khalid Yaseen, Mohannad Felemban, Layan Barassin, Elan Alnakeeb, Anfal Astek, Ziyad Neamatallah, Mazen Homoud, Khalid Alsayed, Mishari Rowished, Mazen Almutairi and Ayah Ismail
Sports 2026, 14(5), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14050208 - 18 May 2026
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Abstract
Background: Padel is a rapidly growing sport, yet limited evidence is available regarding movement quality and injury history among competitive players. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) may help describe movement patterns associated with previous injury, although its predictive value remains uncertain. This study [...] Read more.
Background: Padel is a rapidly growing sport, yet limited evidence is available regarding movement quality and injury history among competitive players. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) may help describe movement patterns associated with previous injury, although its predictive value remains uncertain. This study examined the association between FMS total and component scores and self-reported injury history among competitive male padel players. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 17 competitive male padel players, with 9 injured and 8 uninjured based on self-reported musculoskeletal injury history within the preceding 12 months. Movement quality was assessed using the seven-item FMS. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to examine the association between FMS total score and injury history, while Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare FMS total and component scores between groups. The seven component-level comparisons were considered exploratory. Bonferroni correction was applied by using an adjusted significance threshold of α = 0.05/7 = 0.007; therefore, unadjusted p-values were interpreted against this corrected threshold. Results: Lower FMS total scores were associated with previous injury history (ρ = −0.703, 95% CI: −0.89 to −0.38, p = 0.002). Previously injured players demonstrated lower FMS total scores than uninjured players (p = 0.005). Among individual components, the In-Line Lunge showed a significant between-group difference after Bonferroni correction (p = 0.004), suggesting lower performance in a task requiring lower-limb stability, mobility, and trunk control. Conclusions: In this small exploratory cross-sectional study, lower FMS scores were associated with self-reported previous injury among competitive male padel players. These findings should be interpreted cautiously, as the study design does not allow causal or predictive conclusions. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify whether FMS scores have practical value in monitoring movement quality in padel athletes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Athlete Assessment and Performance Training)
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