Search Results (83)

Emotional processes and sleep quality have become fundamental aspects of performance in Paralympic sports among elite and youth athletes. The objective of this study was to compare levels of depression, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality among youth and adult athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) belonging to the national CP Football team in Chile. A total of 10 adult and 12 youth national team athletes participated, completing the DASS-21, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaires. The athletes were competing in their respective categories at the 2024 Parapan American Games. A cross-sectional design was used to compare the parameters of depression, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality of youth and adult male athletes with CP of a national team selected to compete in a regional event. Significant differences were found where young athletes had lower levels of depression (χ² = 4.77, p = 0.02, OR = 11.0) and anxiety (χ² = 6.71, p = 0.01, OR = 16.5). Similar differences could be observed in favor of young athletes in sleep latency (p = 0.04; d = 0.34), bedtime (p = 0.02; d = 0.20), total hours of sleep (p = 0.04; d = 0.10), subjective sleep quality (p = 0.002; d = 0.56), and objective sleep quality (p < 0.001; d = 0.65). This study suggests that adult para-athletes from a national CP Football team exhibit higher levels of depression and anxiety compared to their youth counterparts. Additionally, objective and subjective measures show that adults experience poorer sleep quality. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions by psychological support teams, aiming to enhance athlete performance by promoting healthy habits that address these mental health challenges. Full article

Objective: Understanding unique ways that strength and power contribute to on-field performance in collegiate-based American football might aid coaches in recruiting and determining starters. Using retrospective analysis of existing data, including starting status (STR) and number of defensive tackles or contributing plays (CP), we sought a viable strategy to observe on-field play. Our purpose was to determine what role baseline and in-season strength, and power metrics contributed to on-field football performance (e.g., using STR and CP) from one Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) university. We hypothesized greater pre-season (baseline) and in-season (repeated variables) strength and power outcomes would lead to an increased number of STR among players (n = 53) as well as CP among defensive players (n = 30). Method: Power, determined through countermovement jump (CMJ) was observed weekly using a VALD Performance force deck (i.e., jump height) over a 9-week, in-season period (excluding weeks 6 and 8, a bye week, and erroneous data, respectively). Baseline measures of strength and power were also collected at the beginning of the season for each player using four specific measurements, namely the following: (a) peak vertical jump; (b) pull-ups to failure; (c) a one rep max for bench press; (d) power clean. Pearson’s correlation was used to correlate baseline measures and weekly power, along with baseline measures and the total number of STR and CP each week. Additionally, linear regressions were used to examine the effects of baseline measures (vertical jump, bench press) on STR and CP. Results: Moderate correlations (r > 0.5) were observed between baseline variables and weekly CMJ measures. Baseline measures of power clean were correlated with CP only in week 4. All other analyses were not significant. Conclusions: Since our on-field performance variables were not significant, future research should focus on more potent variables, as reported in the literature, such as football IQ, initial recruiting status, and psychological resilience, in addition to accounting for strength and power metrics. Full article

Background/Objectives: The number of systematic reviews evaluating the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in sports is increasing. To synthesize pooled incidence and prevalence rates of sport-related ACL injuries based on published systematic reviews with meta-analyses. Methods: An overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis was conducted. The CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched from inception to 17 October 2023. AMSTAR 2 was used to assess the methodological quality of reviews. The degree of overlap between reviews was calculated when possible. Results: Seven systematic reviews including 51 meta-analyses of interest were included. The prevalence of ACL injuries was not meta-analyzed. Meta-analyses mainly showed that ACL injuries may have a high incidence in American football, basketball, European football/soccer, and volleyball, among other sports. In addition, ACL injuries may have a higher incidence in females than males in some sports. For example, the pooled incidence rates of ACL injuries in basketball ranged from 0.091 (95%CI, 0.074–0.111) to 0.110 (95%CI, 0.094–0.128) among female athletes, whereas this incidence ranged from 0.024 (95%CI, 0.016–0.034) to 0.027 (95%CI, 0.019–0.035) among male athletes. Conclusions: Sport-related ACL injuries may have a high incidence in sports such as American football, basketball, European football/soccer, or volleyball and show differences between sexes. Therefore, a sex-specific prevention of these injuries may be needed. Full article

A stinger is the transient sensory and motor loss of one upper extremity caused by a stretch or compression injury to the brachial plexus or the exiting cervical nerve roots. Athletes from contact sports like American football, rugby, wrestling, and horseback riding are most affected. Given today’s competitive athletic culture and recent advancements in sports medicine, understanding the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of stingers is crucial. Thus, this narrative review highlights current knowledge of pathology, clinical features, diagnostic modalities, radiologic measurements, management, rehabilitation, and return-to-play protocols. Recent and prominent English publications on adult athletes revealed that the brachial plexus upper roots (C5 and C6) are most affected. Stingers accounted for 62.2% of neck injuries in National Football League athletes and affected up to 50.3% of football players. Grading is based on injury severity to the nerves. Most stingers are mild, lasting a few seconds to minutes. Return-to-play protocols remain controversial; however, stingers have promising prognoses and can mostly be resolved with conservative treatment and rehabilitation. Severe injuries require surgical intervention but rarely occur in athletics. In conclusion, many recent developments in the evaluation and treatment of stingers impact current treatment plans, return-to-play decisions, and the future of athletes. Full article

The primary aim of this scoping review was to identify practical risk factors associated with an elevated risk in anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACLI) in elite male field team athletes that can be applied meaningfully in screening tools by team support personnel. Five relevant databases were searched (SportsDISCUS, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) following the PRISMA-ScR protocol using the criteria: (1) written in English and peer-reviewed; (2) full-text available; (3) discussed ACLI screening tests; (4) an elite athlete cohort; (5) males; (6) field team sport. The search identified 962 manuscripts, with nine manuscripts meeting the inclusion criteria. Field sports represented were soccer (n = 7), American football (n = 1), and a mixed-sport cohort of soccer, rugby, and field hockey (n = 1). Manuscripts reported modifiable risk factors (the joint range of motion n = 1, biomechanics n = 3, and strength n = 1) and non-modifiable (anatomical n = 2 and genetics n = 2). Whilst the joint range of motion screening indicated statistical significance to ACLI risk, there was little predictive value. Non-modifiable risk factors were significantly correlated to ACLI and reported a higher predictive capacity for ACLI risk. There is limited systematic research investigating and providing predictive insight for screening tests of ACLI risk in elite male team sport athletes. Future prospective investigations should consider the validity of ACLI screening tests in elite male field-based sport populations, and establish efficacy, so that sporting clubs can confidently implement screening tests of value into practice. Full article

This preliminary study investigates the potential relationship between electrophysiological profiles measured by quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and attentional performance in 34 university American football players. QEEG data revealed patterns associated with burnout, chronic pain, and insomnia among the athletes. Attentional performance was generally average, but players exhibited faster reaction times in the alertness task without warning, fewer errors in the sustained attention task, and lower scores in the divided attention task, favoring visual information over auditory information. Significant negative correlations emerged between QEEG profiles associated with burnout, ADHD, depression, and anxiety and specific attentional subcomponents. These findings suggest a link between mental health-related brain activity and attentional performance. In a clinical context, they emphasize the need for early detection and intervention in mental health problems. This might improve cognitive performance and well-being in athletes. However, due to the small sample size and the lack of a control group, these results are considered preliminary, and further research is required to confirm and expand on these associations. Full article

Objectives: The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to profile body composition and physical fitness characteristics of collegiate American football starters and (b) to examine differences in key performance indicators across position groups. These indicators included select measures of body composition, joint kinematics, as well as muscular strength and power. Methods: Sixteen National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-II American football athletes (age: 22.25 ± 1.1 years; height: 183.75 ± 7.8 cm; and body mass: 97.22 ± 20.39 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. A Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance by ranks test with Dunn test post-hoc adjustments was used to examine position differences between Line (n = 3), Big Skill (n = 6), and Skill (n = 7) position groups with α priori set at p < 0.05. Results: The findings of this study suggest that significant differences in body composition (p = 0.004), muscular strength (p = 0.01), and muscular power (p = 0.03) exist between position groups. However, no significant differences were observed in joint kinematics as assessed by the bilateral squat test (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Therefore, key findings from this study suggest that although significant differences in body composition, muscular strength, and muscular power exist, an emphasis should be placed on the regular assessment, development, and maintenance of optimal joint kinematics within collegiate American football populations as this appears to be a shared key performance indicator among starters. Full article

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the level of physical capacities of Italian American Football (AF) players and compare their performances with published data of American college players. A secondary aim was to assess whether the performance of Italian players in the NFL Combine tests has improved over time compared to previously tested players of similar competitive level. A total of 41 Italian AF players (age 28.1 ± 4.7 y, stature 181.1 ± 5.9 cm, body mass 98.3 ± 17.8 kg) competing in the 2020/2021 Division I Championship, participated in this study and performed the NFL Combine test battery. Methods: The NFL Combine test battery includes the 40-yard dash, the 20-yard shuttle, the 3-cone drill tests, the broad jump test, the vertical jump test, and the maximum number of repetitions at bench press with a 100 kg load. Players were divided into three groups based on their playing position: skill players (SP = 14), big skill players (BSP = 9), or linemen (LM = 13). In addition, players’ performance scores were normalized to their stature and body weight. Results: Italian players showed lower performances in all the six tests compared to American college players. Significant differences were observed between player positions. Normalized performances were significantly lower in Italian compared to American players. Conclusions: Despite an improving trend in the NFL Combine tests being registered in Italian AF players, a relevant gap still exists compared to their US counterparts. Full article

Background/Objectives: Using advanced methodologies may enhance athlete profiling. This study profiled morphological and laboratory-derived performance biomechanics by position of American-style football players training for the draft. Methods: Fifty-five players were categorized into three groups: Big (e.g., lineman; n = 17), Big–skill (e.g., tight end; n = 11), and Skill (e.g., receiver; n = 27). Body fat (BF%), lean body mass (LBM), and total body mass were measured using a bioelectrical impedance device. Running ground reaction force (GRF) and ground contact time (GCT) were obtained using an instrumented treadmill synchronized with a motion capture system. Dual uniaxial force plates captured countermovement jump height (CMJ-JH), normalized peak power (CMJ-NPP), and reactive strength. Asymmetry was calculated for running force, GCT, and CMJ eccentric and concentric impulse (IMP). MANOVA determined between-group differences, and radar plots for morphological and performance characteristics were created using Z-scores. Results: There was a between-group difference (F(26,80) = 5.70, p < 0.001; Wilk’s Λ = 0.123, partial η² = 0.649). Fisher’s least squares difference post hoc analyses showed that participants in the Skill group had greater JH, CMJ-NPP, reactive strength, and running GRF values versus Big players but not Big–skill players (p < 0.05). Big athletes had greater BF%, LBM, total body mass, and GCT values than Skill and Big–skill athletes (p < 0.05). Big–skill players had greater GCT asymmetry than Skill and Big players (p < 0.05). Asymmetries in running forces, CMJ eccentric, and concentric IMP were not different (p > 0.05). Morphological and performance biomechanics differences are pronounced between Skill and Big players. Big–skill players possess characteristics from both groups. Laboratory-derived metrics offer precise values of running and jumping force strategies and body composition that can aid sports science researchers and practitioners in refining draft trainee profiles. Full article

This paper focuses on applying the Marshall-Olkin approach to generate a new bivariate distribution. The distribution is called the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution, and its marginal distribution is the exponentiated Lomax distribution. Numerous attributes are examined, including the joint reliability and hazard functions, the bivariate probability density function, and its marginals. The joint probability density function and joint cumulative distribution function can be stated analytically. Different contour plots of the joint probability density function and joint reliability and hazard rate functions of the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution are given. The unknown parameters and reliability and hazard rate functions of the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution are estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Also, the Bayesian technique is applied to derive the Bayes estimators and reliability and hazard rate functions of the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution. In addition, maximum likelihood and Bayesian two-sample prediction are considered to predict a future observation from a future sample of the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution. A simulation study is presented to investigate the theoretical findings derived in this paper and to evaluate the performance of the maximum likelihood and Bayes estimates and predictors. Furthermore, the real data set used in this paper comprises the scoring times from 42 American Football League matches that took place over three consecutive independent weekends in 1986. The results of utilizing the real data set approve the practicality and flexibility of the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution in real-world situations, and the bivariate exponentiated Lomax distribution is suitable for modeling this bivariate data set. Full article

Preparation of athletes to begin a competition or enter mid-competition with the ability to reach peak performance immediately may be partly dependent on the efficacy of the warmup protocol. Previous research on flexible barbells reported significant differences in muscle activation when compared to steel barbells. The manufacturers of handheld flexible bars with a combined weight of 3.63 kg claim that using them immediately before competition helps increase power and jump height. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of maximal jumping with handheld flexible bars on maximal jump parameters in Division-I American collegiate football players. Participants completed 10 warmup jumps with no weight, flexible barbells, or similarly weighted dumbbells and immediately completed a maximal countermovement jump. When comparing the effects of different high-velocity warmup (HVW) protocols, there were no differences in any jump parameters as measured by a portable force plate. Likewise, the use of flexible bars during the warmup did not result in enhanced muscle activity when executing a maximal jump in comparison to control conditions. Based on these results there is no evidence to support the use of flexible bars during a warmup just prior to entry into a competition to enhance jumping power. Full article

The process of manually annotating sports footage is a demanding one. In American football alone, coaches spend thousands of hours reviewing and analyzing videos each season. We aim to automate this process by developing a system that generates comprehensive statistical reports from full-length football game videos. Having previously demonstrated the proof of concept for our system, here, we present optimizations to our preprocessing techniques along with an inventive method for multi-person event detection in sports videos. Employing a long short-term memory (LSTM)-based architecture to detect the snap in American football, we achieve an outstanding LSI (Levenshtein similarity index) of 0.9445, suggesting a normalized difference of less than 0.06 between predictions and ground truth labels. We also illustrate the utility of snap detection as a means of identifying the offensive players’ assuming of formation. Our results exhibit not only the success of our unique approach and underlying optimizations but also the potential for continued robustness as we pursue the development of our remaining system components. Full article

This study examines heat exposure and its impact on the thermal comfort and health of spectators within a semi-outdoor American college football stadium in the southeastern United States. Over 50 sensors were deployed during the 2016 season from late August to late November to measure temperature and humidity across various stadium locations. Significant variations in temperature, heat index, and a modified version of the physiological equivalent temperature (mPET) were found within the stadium, with some areas exceeding National Weather Service heat alert thresholds during certain games. Moreover, mean temperatures in the stadium were higher than those measured at a nearby weather station, while the mean heat index was higher in the seating areas than in other stadium locations and at the nearby weather station. Reductions in modeled wind speed resulted in significant decreases in thermal comfort and greater physical stress among spectators, particularly when the wind was calm. Heat-related illness comprised up to two-thirds of all cases treated by first aid and emergency medical services during particularly hot games. Most of these occurred in the most thermally oppressive parts of the stadium. These results highlight the need for greater monitoring of heat exposure inside stadiums, earlier implementation of heat action plans to raise awareness and educate spectators on heat mitigation strategies, and incorporation of stadium design modifications that improve circulation, increase shade, and reduce crowding. Full article

Background/Objectives: Previous evidence has shown that American football headgear (e.g., facemasks, visors/eye shields) differentially impairs reaction time (RT) to visual stimuli, most notably in peripheral fields of view. However, this has only been established with stationary RT testing, which may not translate to gameplay situations that require gross motor skills. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to build upon previous findings to elucidate the effects of various American football headgear on gross motor visuomotor drill performance. Methods: Division 1 NCAA football players (n = 16) with normal/corrected-to-normal vision participated and completed two experiments (EXP), each with differing conditions: EXP1- Varying facemask reinforcement and EXP2- Varying visor/eye shield light transmittance. In EXP1, participants completed an agility test for the following conditions: baseline/no helmet (BL), helmet + light (HL), helmet + medium (HM), and helmet + heavy (HH) face mask reinforcement. In EXP2, participants completed an agility test for the following conditions: baseline/no helmet (BL), helmet + clear visor (HCV), helmet + smoke-tinted visor (HSV), and helmet + mirrored visor (HMV). For each condition in EXP1 and EXP2, participants completed a reactive agility task using a FITLIGHT trainer system where five poles were equipped with a total of ten LED sensors and were placed in a semi-circle 1 m around a center point. Participants were asked to step and reach with their hands to hit each ten lights individually as fast as possible upon illumination. Each reactive agility test was repeated for a total of three attempts. Results: Average reaction time was analyzed and compared between conditions and according to visual fields of interest (e.g., central vs. peripheral). Results from EXP1 showed that compared to BL, reactive agility was worsened by HL (p = 0.030), HM (p = 0.034), and HH (p = 0.003) conditions. No differences between facemask conditions existed for overall performance (p > 0.05). For EXP2, HCV (p < 0.001), HSV (p < 0.001), and HMV (p < 0.001) conditions resulted in worsened reactive agility performance compared to BL. No differences between visor conditions existed for overall performance (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that American football headgear impairs reactive agility, which could result in worsened game performance and safety. Future studies investigating training strategies to overcome impairments are warranted. Full article

American football is one of the most popular team sports in the United States. There are approximately 16,000 high school and 890 college football teams, and each team plays around 10–14 games per football season. Contrary to most casual fans’ views, American football is more than speed and power, it requires preparation and strategies. Coaches analyze hours of video of their own and opponents’ games to extract important information such as offensive play formations, personnel packages and opposing coaches’ tendency to gain competitive advantages. This time-consuming and slow process called “tagging” takes away the coaches’ time from other duties and limits the players’ time for preparation and training. In this work, we created three datasets for our experiments to demonstrate the importance of player detection accuracy, which is easily affected by camera placement and player occlusion issues. We applied a unique data augmentation technique to generate data for each specific experiment. Our model achieved a remarkable 98.52% accuracy in play type recognition and 92.38% accuracy in player position recognition for the experiment that assumes no missing players or no occlusion problem, which could be achieved by placing the camera high above the football field. Full article