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Acute Effects of Stretching on Flexibility, Power and Sport Specific Performance in Fencers

100%

Tsolakis C., Douvis A., Tsigganos G., Zacharogiannis E., Smirniotou A.

Journal of Human Kinetics

2010

vol. 26

105-114

Elite athletes are eager to perform to the best of their ability, regardless of different warm-up stretching techniques used before training or competition which actually help or hinder specific performance variables. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of static or ballistic stretching on flexibility and leg power characteristics of fencing performance in fencers of both genders. Ten male and ten female international level fencers participated in this study. Each subject performed static or ballistic stretching (3 sets of 20 sec) on three muscles of the lower limbs on separate days. Flexibility, squat jump, countermovement jump, drop jump, time and power of lunge and shuttle run test were measured before and after different stretching interventions. Neither static nor ballistic stretching exercises affected flexibility, jumping ability and leg functional fencing performance tests. Moreover, stretching conditions did not affect differently. The results of this study suggest that static or ballistic stretching in the later stages of a general warm-up normally used before training or competition does not hinder specific performance in fencing. Consequently, fencers can continue performing any type of stretching before training or competition at their preference.

Assessment of Change of Direction and Agility. Running and Dribbling among Soccer, Basketball and Handball Players: The Concept of “Agility deficit”

86%

Bekris E., Gioldasis A., Zacharakis E., Noutsos K., Meletakos P., Smirniotou A.

vol. 44

63-77

The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of change of direction (COD) and agility among players engaged in soccer, basketball, and handball. Additionally, the researchers introduced the novel concept of “Agility deficit”, aimed at evaluating distinctions between COD and agility during running (COD-R; Agility-R) and dribbling (COD-D; Agility-D). The participant cohort comprises 38 individuals with an average age of 20.63 years, distributed across 13 handball players, 12 soccer players, and 13 basketball players. Statistical analyses, specifically ANOVA accompanied by Tukey’s post hoc comparisons, have been employed to discern significant differences among subgroups. While no noteworthy disparities among groups were observed in both COD-D and Agility-D when participants manipulated the balls using their hands, a marked superiority in performance emerged for soccer players when the balls were manipulated with their legs. Soccer players exhibited expedited responses compared to their basketball and handball counterparts when confronted with a visual stimulus during the Agility-R test (reduced Agility-R deficit). Furthermore, the Agility-D deficit underscored the heightened visual challenge to react in visual stimuli during dribbling in soccer. Independent of the type of ball handling, soccer players consistently demonstrated a diminished Agility-D deficit, affirming their superior visual ability. The performance in Agility-D further revealed that visual ability plays a pivotal role in influencing dribbling ability. The study posits that, for a comprehensive assessment of a player’s visual ability during running or dribbling, interpretations of both Agility-R deficit and Agility-D deficit are imperative. Consequently, the proposed indexes of Agility-R deficit and Agility-D deficit present valuable tools for evaluating players’ COD and Agility abilities during running or dibbling. However, the efficacy of these assessments in real-game situations remains undetermined, requiring further investigation.

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1 Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine

1 Journal of Human Kinetics

1 2023

1 2010

2 Smirniotou A.

1 Bekris E.

1 Douvis A.

1 Gioldasis A.

1 Meletakos P.

1 Noutsos K.

1 Tsigganos G.

1 Tsolakis C.

1 Zacharakis E.

1 Zacharogiannis E.

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Acute Effects of Stretching on Flexibility, Power and Sport Specific Performance in Fencers

Assessment of Change of Direction and Agility. Running and Dribbling among Soccer, Basketball and Handball Players: The Concept of “Agility deficit”