Annals of Applied Sport Science
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Summer 2024

Childhood stands out as a pivotal phase in motor development, making it essential to explore interventions that promote motor skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Objectives. This study investigated the impact of school-based games on motor skill development in children with ASD.

The study included 80 elementary school students, aged 11-12, from which 20 were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=10) or a control group (n=10). Employing a pretest-posttest design, the 8-week intervention consisted of 50-60 minute school-based game sessions, twice weekly. Assessment tools encompassed the Childhood Autism Test, the Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test, and a researcher-designed School Games Checklist.

Results revealed significant between-group differences favoring the experimental group (P<0.05) in post-test scores on both gross motor skills (running speed and agility, balance, bilateral coordination, strength) and fine motor skills (reaction time, visual motor control, upper limb speed, and dexterity).

The games-based program effectively enhanced motor skills in children with ASD, underlining the importance of tailored movement and sports programs to support their physical, cognitive, and social development.

In sports and physical education, success requires a range of competencies. Structuring activities within a cooperative or competitive social context can enhance motivation and performance.

The study aimed to investigate the influence of different social contexts, specifically competition and cooperation, on motor, cognitive, and affective behaviors among physical education students.

We focused on two predominant social contexts: cooperation and competition. For this purpose, seventy participants (Age: 21.96±1.92 years, Height: 1.69±0.09m, Weight: 64.67±10.37kg, 28 males) voluntarily participated in the present study. Each was paired and given instructions to either work collaboratively with their partner or compete against them. For motion analysis, we utilized Adobe Premier software; its suitability for this study was determined by its capability to capture detailed motion kinematics. Affective states were gauged through a specialized deep-learning model designed for facial expression recognition. Further details about the model's training and specificity are provided within the main manuscript.

Participants exhibited shorter movement durations in cooperative (679±320 ms; p<0.001) and competitive contexts (707±356 ms; p<0.001) compared to individual scenarios. Similarly, the accuracy was enhanced in cooperative and competitive conditions. Reaction time was notably quicker in the competition setting (186 ±78 ms) compared to individual contexts, especially with positive (180±150 ms) and negative stimuli. Emotional correspondence was significantly higher in cooperative and competitive settings, particularly in response to positive stimuli. However, emotional stability did not significantly differ across social contexts.

Drawing upon insights from neuroimaging, developmental, and social psychology, our results highlight the significant influence of social contexts, especially cooperation and competition, on motor function, responsiveness, and emotional well-being during dart-shooting tasks. In practical terms, educators and trainers in physical education can use these findings to optimize student and athlete performance. By designing activities that emphasize cooperative interactions, we can not only enhance motor skills but also improve emotional states. Furthermore, the implications of this study extend beyond sports. Other learning or professional environments could benefit from a thoughtful balance between cooperative and competitive elements, potentially transforming training methodologies and team dynamics across various fields.

This study aimed to examine the effects of complex respiratory exercise therapy on diaphragmatic thickness and the auxiliary respiratory muscle activity of stroke patients.

The study aims to investigate the effect of complex breathing exercises on diaphragm thickness and respiratory muscle activity on the paretic and nonparetic sides of stroke patients and provide basic clinical data.

A clinical sample of 30 patients with Stroke was randomly assigned to either the Experimental Group (n=15), which underwent complex respiratory exercises, or the Control Group (n=15), which served neurodevelopmental treatment alone. The intervention comprised four 40-minute sessions per week for six weeks, followed by a post-test after the six weeks. And compare intra-group variations, a paired t-test was employed, while ANCOVA was used for inter-group variations.

Concerning intra-group changes, in the case of the experimental group, significant differences appeared in the diaphragm thickness and all muscles on the paretic and nonparetic sides (p<0.01) (p<0.001). In the case of the control group, significant increases in muscle activity appeared only in the rectus abdominis muscle and the external oblique abdominal muscle on the paretic and nonparetic sides (p<0.05) (p<0.01). Concerning differences between the groups, there were significant differences in the thickness of the diaphragm on the paretic and nonparetic sides, the muscle activity of only the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the paretic side, and the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the rectus abdominis muscle, and the external oblique abdominal muscle on the nonparetic side (p<0.05) (p<0.01) (p<0.001).

Complex breathing exercises were found to increase the thickness of the diaphragm and improve the respiratory muscles safely and effectively in stroke patients. Therefore, it is thought that complex breathing exercises can be used as an effective intervention method to improve breathing in stroke patients. Therefore, more diverse studies using complex breathing exercises are needed.

The problem of insufficient motor activity in schoolchildren can be solved at physical education lessons at school by using outdoor games.

To study the influence of outdoor games on the indicators of physical fitness of primary school children in physical education classes at school.

The pedagogical experiment was conducted based on secondary school 14 in Kirov, Russia. The study involved school children who entered the first grade, 7-8 years old. Physical education classes in the control group were conducted under the requirements of the general school curriculum. The children from the experimental group also fulfilled the aim and the tasks of the general education program, but they played outdoor games for 9-10 minutes during the lesson.

Despite the improvement in the indicators in the control group, there was no significant increase from the beginning to the end of the study. In the experimental group, from the beginning to the end of the study, a significant increase in indicators for all tests was revealed: "Running for 30 meters" improvement by 18.2% (p=0.02); "Pull-up from the lying vis" improvement by 40.2% (p=0.01); "Shuttle run 3x10 m" improvement by 10.3% (p=0.02); "Tilt forward" improvement by 43.2% (p=0.01).

The results of the pedagogical experiment showed that the use of outdoor games in physical education lessons at school with children who study in the first grade has a positive and significant impact on the development of the physical qualities of children 7-8 years old.

Low basic movement skills Based on the results of the Indonesian Sports Development Index, one of the causes of the decline in basic movement skills is the low quality of physical education learning.

The purpose of this study was to test the integration of Self-efficacy (SE) in Physical Education (PE) towards increasing the mastery of motor skills and the level of student satisfaction.

This research uses an experimental method with a two-group pretest-posttest design approach. The population in this study was female students of SMA Negeri 5 Jambi City. The sample determination in this study used two types, namely cluster random sampling and random assignment. Using cluster random sampling, second-level students were obtained from three levels and the random assignment was obtained from four classes (two classes for treatment and two classes for control) and obtained N treatment=49 and N control=50. The instruments used were Get Skilled Get Active to assess movement skills and the Basic Needs Satisfaction in Sport Scale (BNSSS) to measure satisfaction.

The results of this study are that there is a significant effect There is a significant difference in the effect of non-integrated and integrated group SE on PE learning of basic movement skills (x=80.78 (3.97)> x=76.54 (4.39), value of Sig. (2-tailed)<0.005) and sports satisfaction of female students (x=108.22 (11.85)> x=102.38 (16.30), value of Sig. (2-tailed)<0.005).

The SE integration of the PE group was better than the non-integrated group in learning in increasing the mastery of movement skills and the level of student sports satisfaction. In integrating self-efficacy in physical education learning, cognitive, motivational, affective, and selection processes occur which can influence human function and are carried out to realize goals that are considered valuable, in this case, basic movement skills.

In the era of technology development and continuous improvement, all fields of society, including physical education (PE), must necessarily follow technology trends to keep up with the general development speed.

The study is to evaluate the effectiveness of online teaching of PE at HCMUTE, thereby serving as a basis for improvement of this activity.

Survey questions were carried out to measure the evaluation of indicators affecting student satisfaction with the effectiveness of online teaching of PE at HCMUTE. 400 male and female students with normal health, participating in online PE and non-sports majors. Data analysis in this study was supported by the SPSS Version 22 application.

The topic has selected 04 indicators that satisfy the conditions. Accordingly, the indicator of “Self-learning” is highly appreciated by students (X=3.90 - Agree level, P>0.05); the factors related to the indicator of “Protecting your health, avoiding disease” were assessed by students as normal (X=3.11 - Normal level, P>0.05); The indicator of “Technology applications to support online learning of PE” was highly appreciated by students (X=4.14 - within the Totally Agree range, P>0.05); The indicator of “New way of interacting when learning PE online” is highly appreciated by students when it has X=4.17 within Totally Agree, P>0.05.

Research results show that most students participating in the survey see the positive effects of studying PE online - something they have not felt before; In which, interactive activities and technology application play an important role.

Previous studies have reported that obesity is associated with poor respiratory function including reduction of functional residual capacity (FRC) and expiratory residual volume (ERV).

To investigate the effect of forward trunk lean position (FTLP) combined pursed-lip breathing (PLB) on tidal volume (VT), volume of oxygen (VO2), the volume of carbon dioxide (VCO2), heart rate (HR) during post-exercise recovery.

Twenty-two obese females performed two sitting positions, FTLP and upright position (UP) combined with PLB for 2 minutes after 40 minutes of running at moderate intensity. VT, VO2, VCO2, HR were measured in these 2 minutes. The recorded values were averaged in 30s intervals.

Although the average VT during FTLP+PLB was higher than UP+PLB, there was no statistically significant difference (30s: p=0.718, 60s: p=0.114, 90s: p=0.682, 120s: p=0.927). VT in UP+PLB at the 90s decreased while VT in FTLP+PLB at the 90s remained close to the highest point in the 60s. However, the difference was not significant. There were no significant differences in VO2, VCO2, and HR between FTLP+PLB and UP+PLB at all-time points.

FTLP+PLB and UP+PLB induce comparable changes in VT, VO2, VCO2, and HR during recovery after moderate-intensity continuous exercise in obese females. FTLP+PLB seemed to be better for maintaining VT during recovery.

Communication in sports requires special attention, especially for athletes who are in direct contact with coaches, spectators, etc.

Based on an examination of 49 years of papers related to communication with athletes published in diverse scientific documents, we examine developments in the field in this article using bibliometric analysis. This is a bibliometric review of publications related to communication between coaches and or among athletes to identify authors, countries, affiliations, the most relevant sources, and the evolution of scientific results, thematic maps, and keywords.

On February 8, 2023, the metadata search in the Scopus database using the search terms "athlete” and "communication" resulted in a total of 519 documents.

The author's keyword "communication" was the one that appeared in the most, with a total of 45 occurrences, followed by "athlete" with 44 and "sport" with 33 occurrences. The keyword "injury" was the newest keyword that came up ten times in 2017-2021 and 2022. On the thematic map, "crisis communication" is a growing topic that should receive researchers’ attention.

Researchers and scientists interested in this topic might also take advantage of several publications, authors, and trending keywords as references for further research. As a result, sports academics must work on research on the topic of communication in athletes and apply what they learn in training and competition practices.

Both affective and enjoyment responses to continuous-type exercise are regulated by the exercise intensity, but the changes in these responses during interval-type exercise with different intensity is unclear.

The present study examined the effect of different work intensities on the perceptual and health parameters during interval exercise.

Twenty-four inactive college students (aged 20.8±1.2 years; PA levels=448±80 MET-min/week) were randomized to 12 weeks of HIIE (n=12; 6-10×1-min work-intervals at 90% of MAS) or MIIE (n=12; 6-10×1-min work-intervals at 60% of MAS), both for three days in a week (36 sessions). Perceptual responses (affective, enjoyment, and perceived exertion) observed in sessions 1, 18, and 36 were analyzed. Whereas health parameters (cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition) were measured before and after 12-week exercise intervention.

HIIE generated lower affective responses at work interval 4 and end work interval in session 1 and session 18 (all P<0.04, all ES>1.70). However, HIIE elicited greater FS at the end of the work interval during sessions 18 and 36 compared to session 1 (P<0.04, ES>1.55). Both groups generated greater post-enjoyment in session 36 compared to session 1 (all P<0.02, all ES>0.60). HIIE produced greater improvement in cardiorespiratory responses and body composition than MIIE following a 12-week intervention (P<0.04, all ES>60).

HIIE appears to be a time-efficient and viable strategy to facilitate future exercise adherence while producing health benefits among physically inactive college students when considering the impact of perceptual responses and health parameters.

Child obesity is an increasing trend in Thailand. Increasing physical activity is therefore necessary.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effect of a walking intervention program on the self-efficacy, physical activity (PA), and physical fitness of obese children in Thailand and to examine whether self-efficacy mediated changes in PA and physical fitness.

A total of 42 children aged 6-19 years were randomized into two parallel groups: a control group (n=21) and an intervention group (n=21) who participated in the walking physical activity enhancement program for 8 weeks. Self-efficacy, %body fat, cardiovascular endurance, sedentary behavior (SB), steps, metabolic equivalents (METs), light PA (LPA), and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) were measured at baseline and after the end of the intervention. Multivariate analysis of variance tests was performed. METs and steps scores were highly positive; a composite score was created (i.e., Mets-Steps). Path analysis was conducted for mediation testing.

Compared to the control group, the intervention group had a significant increase in self-efficacy (p<0.05), Mets-Steps (p<0.01), and the MVPA (p<0.01) at the end of the program, while % body fat (p=0.41), cardiovascular endurance (p=0.11), SB (p=0.22), and LPA (p=0.31) were unaffected. Self-efficacy did not significantly mediate the effect of the intervention on METs-Steps and MVPA.

The intervention can increase self-efficacy, steps, METs, and MVPA, but the increase in steps, METs, and MVPA is not a result of the increase in self-efficacy.

This research examined the impact of visual training on tennis skill levels. Tennis demands high visual capabilities from athletes, requiring them to maintain focus throughout the entire game to secure winning points and ensure victory. The significant impact of visual training on enhancing tennis performance has not been thoroughly investigated.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of an 8-week visual training on tennis performance and to identify the correlation between the effects of visual training and Tennis Performance.

Participants (n=50) engaged in dynamic vision exercises using The Sensory Station Training Application and practiced tennis hitting while wearing dynamic vision training devices. The training program aimed to enhance participants' visual skills in real tennis scenarios. The increase of visual training is an effective method to improve tennis skill levels.

After eight weeks of visual training, the experimental group's ITN average score increased by 40.80 points, indicating a significant improvement. The findings showed that there was no significant improvement in static visual acuity, including visual clarity (Cohen's d=0.05) and perception span (Cohen's d=0.08). However, notable improvements were observed in dynamic visual acuity, specifically in hand-eye coordination (Cohen's d=1.26), reaction time (Cohen's d=1.71), and GO/NO GO (Cohen's d=3.11).

These studies provide compelling evidence supporting the idea that visual training can enhance tennis performance.