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Dietary intake is influenced by multiple systems, as highlighted in the Social- Ecological Model, including community influences like community programs. In this context, parks and recreation administrators may have a role in the types of snacks and beverages provided during youth sports. The current study focused on understanding park administrators’ experiences relative to the youth sports environment, including their responsibility and influence on the food environment. This was an exploratory qualitative case study conducted in Utah. Semi-structured interviews with parks and recreation administrators were completed via phone by a research assistant. A qualitative case study analysis was conducted by two researchers. In addition to the interviews, the websites of all the park and recreation sites were searched and phone calls were made to check physical locations for nutrition fliers/information. Three themes emerged through qualitative case study analysis. The first theme was the administrators’ role in the youth parks and recreation activities. The second theme was the administrators’ awareness of the food environment within youth sports. The final theme was the administrators’ role in influencing more nutritious snacks at these youth sporting activities. The results from this case study suggest that the parks and recreation administrators within Utah valued the importance of nutritional snacks and beverages within youth sporting activities and were supportive of the food environment improving. Several of the parks and recreation administrators in this study agreed that their further involvement (i.e., guidelines on snacks and beverages) in the youth sports food environment could improve the environment and better effect youth who are participating, thus enhancing opportunities to improve overall health and well-being. The results from this study show that administrators could bring awareness to youth sports nutrition and support guidelines for the types of snacks and beverages brought to youth sporting activities. Administrators could work with dietitians to develop information that would be appropriate to distribute to youth sports participants and parents. Providing information about what kinds of snacks to bring has the possibility to improve the conditions of the youth sports food environment. Additionally, consideration for policy changes in youth sports and recreation center facilities could be explored. Subscribe to LDMJ

Bush, CM, Wilhelm, AJ, Lavallee, ME, and Deitch, JR. Early sport specialization in elite weightlifters: weightlifting injury occurrence and relevant opinions. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-Sports specialization has been associated with increased injury and burnout. This study sought to determine the age, rate of injury, influence to specialize, and opinions surrounding the impact of sports specialization in attainment of elite-level weightlifting status. A link to an anonymous survey was distributed to the top 20 weightlifters in each weight class (8 male and 7 female weight classes). The survey questioned athletes about both age and motivation to specialize, previous injuries and/or surgeries, and level of competition. Injuries and surgeries were compared between those who specialized at the Youth level (≤age 16), Junior level (ages 17-20), and nonspecialized weightlifters. One hundred forty-one athletes (47.0%) completed the survey. Sixteen participants (11.3%) specialized at the Youth level, 18 (12.8%) specialized at the Junior level, and the remaining 107 (75.9%) did not specialize before age 21. There was a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of injury before age 21 between weightlifters specializing at the Youth level and those who did not specialize (Χ(1) = 22.4, p < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in serious injury after age 21 between groups. Weightlifters cited primarily themselves (45.4%) or coach (43.1%) as a driving influence to specialize. The majority of athletes (68.8%) felt that specializing during the Youth age group was not necessary to achieve elite status. Despite a relatively small sample size, injuries occurred more frequently in weightlifters specializing at younger ages, suggesting that risks associated with early sport specialization also apply to weightlifters. These risks should be considered before implementing an early specialization training regimen.

Context Nearly 44 million youth participate in organized youth sports programs in the United States each year. However, approximately 25% of parents have considered removing their children from sports due to the fear of concussion. Objective To determine which adult decision-making modifiers (eg, gender, educational attainment, career type) influenced support for youth contact-sports participation. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Midwestern university and medical center. Patients or Other Participants Convenience sample of staff and faculty (N = 5761; 73.9% female) from 2017 to 2018. Main Outcome Measure(s) Support for youth contact-sports participation using multivariate binary logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and 95% CIs. Results The sample was split between adults with children (AWCs; n = 3465, age = 45.39 ± 13.27 years, 76.72% female) and adults without children (AWOCs; n = 2296, age = 30.84 ± 9.01 years, 70.26% female). Among AWCs, those who obtained a bachelor's degree or higher were more likely to support contact-sports participation. Females were more inclined to allow all contact sports, specifically football (odds ratio [OR] = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.64, 3.01) and ice hockey (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.42, 2.78). Overall, previous adult sport participation, increasing number of children, and child gender were significant modifying variables in greater support of youth contact-sports participation among AWCs (P < .001). Among AWOCs, previous sport participation in football (OR = 3.27; 95% CI = 2.14, 4.87), ice hockey (OR = 4.26; 95% CI = 2.23, 8.17), or soccer (OR = 2.29; 95% CI = 1.48, 3.54) increased the likelihood of an adult supporting contact-sports participation. Lastly, all adults were less inclined to support a daughter participating in any contact sport than a son. Conclusions These results reveal adult- and child-specific variables that may influence youth contact-sports participation. These decisions may be developed through the lens of certain gender role beliefs and may lead adults to perceive certain sports as more appropriate for sons than daughters.

Introduction Physical activity can improve academic performance; however, much less is known about the specific association between sport participation and academic performance, and this evidence has not been synthesized. Our aim was to systematically review and combine via meta-analyses evidence of the association between sport participation and academic performance in children and adolescents. Methods We conducted searches of five electronic databases using sport and academic performance related terms. We combined evidence from eligible studies using a structural equation modeling approach to multilevel meta-analysis. Results From 115 eligible studies, most of which had a high risk of bias (k = 87), we meta-analyzed 298 effect sizes. Overall, sport participation had a small positive effect on academic performance (d = 0.26, 95% confidence interval = 0.09, 0.42). Moderator analyses indicated that sports participation was most beneficial for academic performance when it was at a moderate dose (i.e., 1–2 h·wk−1), compared with no sport or a high dose of sport (3+ h·wk−1). Conclusions Sports participation during school hours was more beneficial for academic performance compared with sport participation outside school hours. Based on mostly low-quality studies, we found some evidence that sport could positively affect academic performance in children and adolescents. It appears that sport participation of a moderate dose and at school could be used to promote academic performance. However, if this field were to inform policy, high-quality studies are needed that provide insight into the effect of dose and sport characteristics on academic performance.

To investigate whether participation in sport during the developmental stages of life is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adulthood.Observational longitudinal study.Participants were Generation 2 of the Raine Study. Questionnaires related to participation in sport were administered at ages 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17 years. These data were used to develop sex-specific trajectories of sports participation: (for males) Consistent Participators, Drop-Outs and Joiners; and (females) Consistent Participators, Non-Participators and Drop-Outs. At age 28.3 ± 0.6 years, participants completed a graded maximal exercise test (i.e. V̇O402 participants n = 231 (57.5%) male, n = 171 (42.5%) female were included in the study. In males, Consistent Participators (all p 0.001) and Joiners (p 0.050) had greater fitness than Drop-Outs. In females, Consistent Participators had greater fitness than Non-Participators (p 0.050), but there were no significant differences in fitness between Consistent Participators and Drop-Outs (p 0.050) or Non-Participators and Drop-Outs (p 0.050).Participation in sport during childhood and adolescence is associated with greater fitness in adulthood, compared to individuals who never participate or those that cease participation in adolescence. A simple dichotomous question regarding sports participation over the childhood and adolescent period can be implemented to predict better fitness outcomes in young adulthood. Childhood and adolescence could be an opportune stage in life for parents, schools and governments to facilitate participation in sport and prevent drop out, as it may have an impact on long term risk reduction, with associated health and economic benefits.

The present study was supported by the Secretary of Public Education-Subsecretary of Higher Education-Directorate of Academic Improvement-Program for Teacher Professional Development [Secretaria de Educacion Publica-Subsecretaria de Educacion Superior-Direccion de Superacion Academica-Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente] (DE-13-6894). The publication fee was supported by the National Council for Science and Technology [Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, CONACYT, Redes Tematicas] (No. 269614). The experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, but are available from the corresponding author who was an organizer of the study., The purpose of the present study was to adapt and validate the Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale (PASTAS) for Mexican adolescents, verifying the factor invariance by sports and non-sports practitioners. A sample of 930 Mexican adolescents (46.0% females), aged 11 - 15 years old, voluntarily participated in the study. A total of 415 participants regularly played sports in a club and/or regularly participated in sports competitions and 515 were non-sports practitioners. The adolescents filled out the trait version of the PASTAS questionnaire, which was previously translated and adapted for Mexican-speaking adolescents following the International Test Commission guidelines. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses showed an adequate measurement model for the original two-factor structure (e.g., GFI = 0.913; RMSEA = 0.078; CFI = 0.943). The internal consistency of the two dimensions was excellent (α and Ω = 0.92 - 0.93). Additionally, the results of the factorial invariance analyses showed an appropriate fit of the two-structure model (e.g., GFI = 0.96; CFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.04) among both sports and non-sports practitioners. The proposed trait version of the PASTAS questionnaire adapted to a Mexican-speaking population shows adequate psychometric properties among Mexican adolescents. The Mexican version of the PASTAS questionnaire supports the original two-factor structure (i.e., factor related to the body weight and factor not related to body weight) among adolescents. Additionally, the factorial invariance analyses support the equivalence of the two-factor structure among both sports and non-sports practitioners., Secretary of Public Education-Subsecretary of Higher Education-Directorate of Academic Improvement-Program for Teacher Professional Development DE-13-6894, National Council for Science and Technology [Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, CONACYT, Redes Tematicas] 269614

ObjectivesThis observational study evaluated the impact of return-to-play protocols to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a youth ice hockey programme in Virginia Beach, Virginia.MethodsFollowing an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in November 2020, a COVID-19 Response Team evaluated the epidemiological data to identify transmission dynamics and develop enhanced protocols to prevent transmission. During the subsequent 18-week study period, incident cases were investigated to identify the likely transmission source; testing, quarantine and isolation recommendations were provided to families in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.ResultsSimple but stringent protocols were implemented among 148 youth ice hockey players ages 6–18. Players were required to arrive at the rink in full gear; locker rooms were closed, building entry was limited to one parent per player, and masks were required at all times except for players on the ice. Following implementation of the enhanced protocols, more than 500 practices and games were completed with at least 15 858 athlete-hours of exposure and no within-programme COVID-19 transmission was detected despite high community incidence and sporadic household exposures.ConclusionThis study suggests indoor youth sports can operate safely with appropriate protocols in place, even within communities of high COVID-19 transmission, even when athletes are not yet vaccinated or wearing masks during play. Transmission appears to be more likely in congested indoor areas involving adults than on the ice during play. Protocols should be developed in collaboration with programme participants. Strong collaboration in the interest of youth sports can motivate adoption of protocols which prevent within-team transmission.

Our study aims were to identify the frequency of continued play following sport-related concussion (SRC), defined as continuing athletic activity on the same day following a suspected SRC, characteristics associated with continued play, and whether continued play was associated with worse outcomes. A prospective study of participants ages 13-18 years diagnosed with SRC at a pediatric sports medicine clinic over a 4-year period was conducted. A comparison was performed between athletes who reported continued play following SRC (PLAY) and those who did not (NO PLAY). Of 441 participants, 231 (52.4%) were in the PLAY group. The PLAY group recalled less severe balance problems from the day of injury (p = 0.02), but reported greater symptoms of trouble falling asleep, concentrating, and remembering at their initial clinic visit (p

The purpose of this project is to learn about the relevance of the 24 character strengths, a set of positively valued personality traits, to the well-being and performance of youth athletes in Germany. Young amateur and elite (involved in talent development in youth academies) soccer players will be recruited to participate in an online survey. We will examine the relationships between the 24 character strengths and the general well-being and sports enjoyment of youth athletes. Furthermore, we compare the character strengths profiles of elite and amateur youth athletes to determine the relevance of the character strengths to performance in youth sports.

Previous studies of parents of adolescent athletes identified a belief among parents of the importance of early specialization for skill development. However, it is unclear if these attitudes and beliefs are also held among parents of baseball athletes, which is the second-most popular boy's sport in the United States. The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of parents of Little League baseball players regarding sport specialization and college scholarships.Two-hundred and forty-four parents of Little League baseball players (female parents: 60.7%, parent age: 41.1 ± 6.2 years old, male children: 98.0%, child age: 9.5 ± 1.6 years old) completed an anonymous online questionnaire regarding parent attitudes and beliefs on sport specialization and college scholarships.Most parents (72.4%) felt that specialization would increase their child's baseball ability either 'quite a bit' or 'a great deal.' Fewer than half of all parents (42.0%) reported that specialization was either 'quite a bit' or 'a great deal' of a problem. Parents underestimated the availability of Division I college baseball scholarship availability (median [IQR]: 5 [4-10]), compared to the actual value of 11.7 scholarships per Division I roster. Only 10.2% of parents (N = 25) reported that they believed it was 'somewhat' or 'very' likely that their child would receive a college baseball scholarship.Further efforts are needed to understand parent attitudes and beliefs regarding sport specialization and college scholarships in various sports to better understand current trends in youth sport participation.

This article examines the impact travel sports have on adult participants. Parents of travel team players are expected to attend team meetings, be present at practices and training sessions year-ro...

Youth sports provides the foundation for successful dynamics and organization within a sports ecosystem. Thus, it is necessary to explore the experiences of youth who either drop out of or persist ...

The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between coach-created motivational climate and athletes’ perception of challenge and threat states. For this purpose, 257 athletes from individual and team sports between the ages of 13-18 voluntarily participated in the research. Challenge and Threat in Sport (CAT-Sport) Scale, and Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire were used as the data collection tools. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were conducted in SPSS 17. Pearson correlation analysis showed that challenge was positively and significantly correlated with empowering motivational climate along with its sub-dimensions. Also, threat positively and significantly correlated with disempowering motivational climate and its sub-dimensions. Regression analysis, after controlling for age, gender, sport type, sport experience, number of weekly training and weekly training hours, revealed that empowering motivational climate positively and significantly predicted challenge and disempowering motivational climate positively and significantly predicted threat. In the subscale level, task-involving and autonomy-supportive motivational climates positively and significantly predicted challenge and controlling motivational climate positively and significantly predicted threat. The findings emphasized the importance of the coach-created motivational climate for athletes challenge and threat in youth sports. The findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature and some suggestions for coaches were provided.

Introduction: The rate of concussions in youth soccer is among the highest of all youth sports. Parents play an important role in caring for their children and making decisions regarding whether they should participate in a sport, such as soccer, where concussions are well known. This study examined parental perceptions regarding: (a) coaches’ role in concussion management, (b) heading restriction policies, and (c) overall concussion risk and participation issues. Method: Online surveys were completed by 419 parents of youth soccer players who participated in the largest U.S. youth soccer programs nationwide. Results: Findings indicated 44.5% of the respondents had considered keeping their children from playing organized soccer and 47.2% were concerned about a potential decline in youth soccer participation due to concussions. Nearly 69% of responding parents agreed that heading should be banned for participants 10 years old or younger, while 56.5% thought heading should not be limited for participants 13 or older. Only 35% of parents were very confident about their child’s coach’s ability to properly identify concussions and remove those suspected of a concussion from play. Parents’ socioeconomic status (SES), soccer coaching and playing experience, and previous history of concussion(s) were key predictors of greater perceived risk about concussions. Conclusions: Findings from this study shed light on parents’ perceptions about concussions and related safety issues in youth soccer. Understanding what parents believe about concussions is vital to preserve youth soccer participation and can be used to strengthen education and policies that promote a safer environment for youth sport participants. Practical Applications: Youth soccer coaches can benefit from stronger, comprehensive educational efforts at the league/club level. Additionally, parents of youth athletes who are in the lower SES communities should be targeted to receive concussion safety information and/or interventions that would improve their knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding concussion safety.

Dominant cultural narratives position college sports as engines of racial integration and upward mobility. Previous studies examined the chances for low-income men of color becoming athletes in two sports: men’s football and basketball. While highly visible, these athletes represent the minority of participants. The majority of college athletes are White and middle class. In this conceptual article, I apply Cheryl Harris’ whiteness as property framework to identify the institutional conditions that prevent college sports from functioning as integrative and mobility engines and instead protect Whites’ privileged access to higher education via sport.

Parent spectator behaviors present significant challenges within the youth sports environment. The role of parents in the youth sport experience is often overlooked, despite its documented importance to the family’s youth sports experience. In order to better understand parental spectator behavior, a family systems approach guided an intervention study conducted within the state of Louisiana after a new law passed in 2019 to address these concerns. Using an adapted measurement version of the background anger instrument, results documented the role of education in addressing these concerns. The study prompts further examination of behaviors, in light of disparities between parent observations and their own personal behaviors. Implications for future intervention research on spectator behaviors and social work practice in the youth sport setting are highlighted.

To investigate the efficacy of two 'NetballSmart', netball specific warm-ups in improving landing technique measures in New Zealand secondary school netball players.Multi-site cluster experimental trial.77 youth participants, mean ± SD age = 15.8 ± 0.9 were recruited from secondary school netball teams.12 teams from 6 schools performed either the NetballSmart Dynamic Warm-up (NSDW) (n = 37); or Power warm-up (PWU) (n = 40), three times a week for 12 weeks. All players within a school (2 teams) were assigned the same warm-up, avoiding treatment contamination.A series of unilateral and bilateral drop vertical jumps on to a portable force plate were completed by all participants. Measures included peak vertical ground reaction force (GRF) for single-leg and bilateral landings; frontal plane projection angle (FPPA) for right and left single-leg landings and Landing error scoring system (LESS) for bilateral landings. Paired t-tests were used to assess mean differences pre and post the warm-up. Generalised linear mixed effects models were developed to evaluate the effects between the NSDW and PWU groups.Significant improvements were found in all the landing technique outcome measures for both warm-up groups (ES Range- GRF = -0.6 to -1.1; FPPA = 0.8 to 1.2; LESS = -1.6 to-3.2; p 0.05). Results of mixed effects models revealed that there was only a significantly greater improvement in LESS for the PWU group (β = -0.30, p = 0.001).Results show both warm-ups can improve landing technique measures in youth secondary school netball players. It is recommended that coaches should consider implementing one of the two warm-ups in their netball programmes. Their choice of warm-up will likely be dependent on their environment and time demands.

Research demonstrates support for life skill development and in some instances the life skill transfer. However, coaching practices used to teach life skills are still being understood. This scopin...

Youth league administrators (N = 172) documented knowledge of/compliance with state concussion legislation, and were assigned to groups based on whether their state concussion legislation extended to non-school-affiliated (NSA) youth sport leagues: EXTEND (50.6%) or NOT EXTEND (49.4%). Administrators within the EXTEND group were 2.7x more likely to report having a formal concussion policy. Only 90.7% confirmed a policy for removing concussed athletes from play, and 75% required independent medical clearance, and 82% mandated education for coaches, 49.1% for parents, and 35.9% for athletes. These results raise questions regarding compliance with state concussion legislation, especially for NSA youth sports leagues.

The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of the modification of the pitch size, goal size, and the number of players per team on the level of cooperation in youth soccer players (U-12). A quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure the effects of the changes in the number of players per team (8-a-side vs. 5-a-side), goal size (6 x 2 m vs. 3 x 2 m), and field size (58 x 38 m vs. 38 x 20 m) on the cooperation. Four soccer teams under-12 (n = 48 players) participated in three tournaments (standard rules; proposed rules; standard rules). The five variables of cooperation were measured using the “Sports Cooperation Questionnaire”: conditional cooperation, cooperation with the coach, disposition of unconditional cooperation, situational cooperation with teammates, and situational cooperation outside the field of play. Players presented the same level of cooperation in conditional cooperation, situational cooperation with teammates, and situational cooperation outside the field of play with both types of rules. The modification of rules involved a reduction of the cooperation with the coach and a disposition of unconditional cooperation. The causes of the reduction may be related to players’ adaptation to new tactical dispositions and game situations. Future studies are needed of player’s cooperation and different competition rules in youth sports.

Мета: розробка підходів щодо покращення координаційних здібностей юних спортсменів у тенісі настільному під впливом спеціально підібраних вправ із тенісним м’ячем. Матеріал і методи: у дослідженні приймали участь дві групи юних вихованців дитячо-юнацької спортивної школи №11 м. Харкова у віці 8-9 років у загальній кількості 24 осіб (контрольна група, n=12, експериментальна група, n=12). Для визначення показників прояву координаційних здібностей використовувались тести, рекомендовані навчальною програмою для дитячо-юнацьких спортивних шкіл з настільного тенісу. Педагогічний експеримент тривав 3 місяці та полягав у впровадженні в практику експериментальної групи спеціально підібраних вправ. Результати: введення у навчально-тренувальний процес експериментальної групи вихованців 8-9 років з настільного тенісу вправ з тенісним м’ячем, спрямованих на розвиток координаційних здібностей, було виявлено достовірне покращення показників тестових вправ: у набиванні тенісного м’яча на ракетці за 1 хв., на внутрішній і на зовнішній стороні ракетки та чергуючи сторону ракетки, біг боком навколо столу, біг по вісімці (р0,05). Висновки: покращення прояву показників координаційних здібностей у дітей 8-9 років експериментальної групи, які займаються настільним тенісом після впровадження спеціально підібраної системи вправ із тенісним м’ячем становили: у тесті «Набивання тенісного м’яча на ракетці за 1 хв. на внутрішній стороні ракетки» – 25,3 %, «Набивання тенісного м’яча на ракетці за 1 хв. на зовнішній стороні ракетки» – 27,3 %, «Набивання тенісного м’яча на ракетці за 1 хв. на внутрішній і зовнішній стороні ракетки по черзі» – 39,0 %, «Підкидання і ловля тенісного м’яча двома руками не вище голови за 30 с» – 5,5 %, «Біг боком навколо столу» – 5,8 %, «Біг по вісімці» – 2,5 %, «Перенесення м’ячів, під час пересування у 3-х метровій зоні» – 2,7 %. Ключові слова: теніс настільний; координаційні здібності; вправи із м’ячами; вправи із ракеткою.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of plyometric training with an agility ladder on components of physical fitness in youth soccer players. A total of twenty male under-13 soccer players were randomly assigned to a plyometric training group with an agility ladder (n=10) or a control group (n=10). Before and after training intervention linear sprint test (5 m, 10 m, 20 m), vertical jump ability (squat jump, countermovement jump and countermovement jump with arms), agility test, and slalom dribble test were assessed. The plyometric training with agility ladder was applied two times per week over six weeks. Data were analyzed using linear mixed model. The plyometric training group showed significant improvements (p0.05). The between-group analysis showed significant differences in countermovement jump with arms (p=0.03), but no significant differences (p>0.05) were found in squat jump, countermovement jump, sprint, agility test, and slalom dribble test. In conclusion, the short-term plyometric training with agility ladder seems to be ineffective and not time-efficient to improve physical fitness in youth soccer players. However, the interpretation of these results must be understood within the sample size limitations.

Many sport-based youth development (SBYD) programs assume that short-term changes in participant attitudes, knowledge, and intentions will lead to long-term behavior change. However, this does not ...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate similarities and differences for 18 sports toward canoe/kayak in order to identify donorsport and/or multisports, based upon a systematic analysis of the task constraints per sport that are assumed to be either crucial or less important from the coaches' viewpoint. Design: Descriptive survey analysis. Methods: 891 certified coaches from 19 sports valued (0-10; not important at all-very important) 15 characteristics by a questionnaire (Flemish Sports Compass) within their sport. Unique sport-profiles (discriminant analysis - DA) were constructed for 19 sports based on these characteristics. Similarities and differences between canoe/kayak and the other 18 sports were analyzed by means of MANOVAs on anthropometric, physical and motor coordination characteristics. Results: Cross validated DA (rcan = 0.660, Wilks' Lambda = 0.564, p < 0.001) showed that 72.1% of the canoe/kayak coaches were correctly assigned to their sport. For canoe/kayak seven characteristics were valued crucial; dynamic balance (8.51 1.69), core stability (8.45 2.27), pulling power (8.12 +/- 1.68), speed (7.54 +/- 2.07), endurance (7.27 +/- 2.03), stature (6.43 +/- 1.41) and rhythm (6.01 +/- 3.01). Least important characteristics were: flexibility (6.16 +/- 1.75), agility (4.27 +/- 3.10), catching (3.90 +/- 3.22), climbing (2.45 +/- 3.05), jumping (1.81 +/- 2.11), throwing (1.60 +/- 2.24), hitting (.94 +/- 1.77) and kicking (.61 +/- 1.04). Conclusions: This novel approach to determine important characteristics per sport makes identifying similarities and differences between sports possible. Similarities might enlarge talent-pools for possible talent transfers. Differences can help identify sports based on complementary characteristics for the construction of broad motor development programs. From this viewpoint gymnastics can serve as potential donorsport (similarities) for canoe/kayak, while handball and tennis can subserve broad development for young canoe/kayak athletes. (C) 2020 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

The relative age effect (RAE) is a phenomenon that represents how young athletes who are born early in the selection year are often overrepresented within youth sport settings. The contact nature of rugby union may further magnify the physiological advantages of those athletes who are chronologically older. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the RAE within English age-grade rugby union. Male (

Aim. To develop a model of health-preserving oriented programs at preliminary basic training stage inyoung football players with functional musculoskeletal system disorders. Methods. Data analysis of scientificand methodical literature and Internet information resources, content analysis of theoretical and methodicalworks, reconstruction and synthesis. According to the scientific community, the educational and training processintensification, characteristic for modern children’s and youth sports, aimed at achieving high sports results,increases the load on the child’s body and can cause metabolic, morpho-functional disorders, prenosologicalconditions and diseases in young athletes. Today, the problem of prevention, early detection and correction ofmusculoskeletal system disorders in young athletes is becoming increasingly important. Taking into account thefundamental developments of the youth sports theory and methods, biomechanics of spatial human bodyorganization, the specifics of physical trainings planning emphasizing on young athletes body peculiarities,there was developed a model of health-preserving oriented programs at preliminary basic training stage inyoung football players with functional musculoskeletal system disorders at preliminary basic training stage andtechnological operations, which includes two interrelated blocks: organizational-methodical and content-target.The organizational and methodological block of the model of health-preserving oriented programs at preliminarybasic training stage in young football players with functional musculoskeletal system disorders at preliminarybasic training stage requires the organization of preliminary preparatory-methodical work on healthpreservingenvironment creating. The content-target programs block included the purpose, tasks, means, formsand methods of corrective and preventive measures, principles and methods of health-preserving technologyplanning and implementation.Keywords: young football players, model, health-preserving programs, posture disorders.

Highlights • Uniforms were integrated over time, but once integrated were not removed when hotter environmental conditions occurred. • Players in the age-restricted league were taller, heavier, and had a higher BMI than players in the weight-restricted league, resulting in significant anthropometric differences. • Work time was significantly greater for games, as were rest times. However, work-to-rest ratios were significantly higher for practices. • Of the practices and games observed 9% were held in black flag risk conditions and 68% were held in red flag conditions. • One league's average WBGT during games was significantly higher than the other because of the time of day they were held (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.). • More than 50% of players reached a gastrointestinal temperature of 39°C or higher at least once during the observation, but no players reached a TG1 indicative of exertional heat stroke., Objective To determine which intrinsic and extrinsic exertional heat illness (EHI) risk factors exist in youth American football players and observe perceptual and physiological responses of players during events (games and practices). Methods Cross-sectional cohort study observing 63 youth football players, varying in position. Independent variables were league (weight-restricted (WR, n = 27) and age-restricted (AR, n = 36)) and event type. Dependent variables were anthropometrics, work-to-rest ratio, and wet bulb globe temperature. Descriptive variables included preparticipation examination and uniform configuration. A subset of 16 players participated in physiological variables (heart rate and gastrointestinal temperature). Data collection occurred on 7 AR and 8 WR nonconsecutive practices and the first 3 games of the season. Results Mean values for anthropometric variables were higher (p < 0.05) in the AR league than the WR league. Work time (χ2 (1,111) = 4.232; p = 0.039) and rest time (χ2 (1,111) = 43.41; p < 0.001) were significantly greater for games, but ratios were significantly higher for practices (χ2 (1,111) = 40.62; p < 0.001). The majority of events (77%) observed were in black and red flag wet bulb globe temperature risk categories. A total of 57% of the players had a preparticipation examination, and up to 82% of events observed were in full uniforms. Individual gastrointestinal temperature and heart rate responses ranged widely and no players reached critical thresholds. Conclusion Extrinsic (disproportionate work ratios, environmental conditions) and intrinsic (higher body mass index) EHI risk factors exist in youth football. Certain risk factors may be influenced by event and league type. National youth football organizations need to create thorough guidelines that address EHI risk factors for local leagues to adopt., Graphical Abstract Image, graphical abstract

Communication between parents and their children's coaches is important for children's sports activities, but the relationship between parents and coaches is not well understood. It is possible that parents feel a lack of communication with coaches, which could be due to parents' experience with sports activities or the social environment of the team. This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of parents who feel a lack of communication with their children's coaches of youth sports. A cross-sectional study was conducted on parents of young athletes (n = 6,641) and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors related to parents' feeling of a lack of communication with their children's coaches. Among the respondents, 29.4% of parents felt a lack of communication with their children's coaches. The factors related to the parents' feeling were a shorter duration of their children playing the present sport, an absence of experience playing the same sport as their children or playing in a team with high competition level, dissatisfaction with their children's attitude towards sports activities, and an awareness of verbal and/or physical abuse by the coaches and bullying by the teammates in their children's team. Parents' previous sports experience and awareness of interpersonal violence in their children's team were associated with their feeling of a lack of communication with coaches. Educating parents on the sport and their roles in youth sport is necessary to make appropriate mutual communication between parents and coaches, which could lead to better circumstances for young athletes.

Purpose Exercise can enhance health and well-being. Exercise can also, when it is highly driven and compulsive, reflect eating disorder psychopathology. The present study examined associations of compulsive exercise and youth athletics with child disordered eating behaviors (overeating, binge eating, and secretive eating) and with parenting practices related to eating and weight, including how parents talk to their children about weight. Methods Participants were parents (N = 875) who completed an online cross-sectional survey. Parents reported whether their child was an athlete and how often their child exercised in a “driven” or “compulsive” way to control their weight. Four groups were compared: child athletes with compulsive exercise (Group AE: n = 34, 3.9%), athletes without compulsive exercise (Group A: n = 314, 35.9%), nonathletes with compulsive exercise (Group E: n = 40, 4.6%), and nonathletes without compulsive exercise (Group X: n = 487, 55.7%). Results There was a significant, graded association of eating/weight-related parenting: parents of Group E children had the most negative eating/weight-related parenting, followed by parents of Group AE children, followed by both noncompulsive exercise groups (Group A and Group X). Parents reported significantly more “fat talk” in both compulsive exercise groups (Group AE and Group E) than noncompulsive exercise groups (Group A and Group X). Significantly more youth had regular disordered eating behaviors (overeating, binge eating, and secretive eating) in compulsive exercise groups (Group AE and Group E) compared with noncompulsive exercise groups (Group A and Group X). Conclusions Overall, relatively few youth were categorized as engaging in compulsive exercise. However, compulsive exercise, particularly among nonathletes, was consistently associated with both disordered eating behaviors and eating/weight-related parenting practices. Stronger associations emerged for compulsive exercise than child athletics.

Competitive pressures at the workplace have already become standard issue. Participation in rivalrous situations and related attitudes are influenced by several factors, out of which a few can be traced back into childhood. Aspiration and over-ambitiousness surround our everyday lives from childhood: there is an intensive rivalry for good grades in secondary school or better performance in youth sports. These experiences all integrate into adulthood behavioural patterns. The authors investigated to what extent childhood competitive motivations influenced subsequent participation in competitive situations at the workplace, if these motivations remain in adulthood, and furthermore, how these incentives fluctuated with time. Based on the results of their questionnaire survey constellating actual and retrospective information, they concluded that competitive incitation of juveniles were still identifiable during later stages of life, albeit they vaguely mutated over time. The results are applicable in miscellaneous practical fields. At the workplace, the attitude of workers is, in turn, definable even before their admission. As regards education and career, answers received for questionnaires being constructed based on these results may assist in the methodology of formulation of the necessary everyday skill.

In this paper, we outline a systematic testing programme developed to help identify excellence in youth basketball players. We examine the links between biological maturation and training experience with anthropometry, body composition, physical performance, technical and tactical skills from five age-cohorts, and characterize, in detail, facets of their environment. In total, 238 young basketball players aged 11-15 years, clustered into five age-cohorts (11, 12, 13, 14, 15 years) were recruited. We assessed measures across three domains: (1) biological [anthropometry, body composition, biological maturation and physical performance]; (2) skill/game proficiency [technical skills and tactical skills]; and (3) contextual [family support, coach knowledge and competence and club context]. The data were analysed using one-way ANOVAs and multivariate analysis of covariance adjusting for biological maturation and training experience. We report significant differences favouring older basketball players on most biological and skill/game proficiency variables. However, differences between age-cohorts in physical performance and technical skills were mitigated after controlling for the effects of both covariates. In conclusion, our findings highlight the important role of both biological maturation and training experience on youth basketball players' performance and development. We discuss the implications of these findings for research as well as for athletes, parents, coaches and clubs.

In 2019, the National Youth Sports Strategy was released and called for regular analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of U.S. youth sports surveillance data. The purpose of this study is to provide the recent national estimates of U.S. youth aged 6-17 years who participate in sports and examine the differences in participation by demographic characteristics, overall and across age groups.Nationally representative data on parent-reported youth sports participation from the 2017-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (n=36,779) were analyzed in 2019. The prevalence and 95% CIs of youth sports participation were estimated by demographic characteristics, overall and by age group. Investigators assessed the significant (p0.05) differences and trends in participation using pairwise t-tests and orthogonal polynomial contrasts and effect modification by age group using logistic regression models.Overall, 57.7% (95% CI=56.6, 58.9) of U.S. youth participated in sports. Participation was highest among youth who were aged 10-13 years, male, and white, non-Hispanic and increased with increasing parent/caregiver education and household income (all p0.05). Differences in participation by demographic characteristics were more pronounced among younger youth. For example, prevalence by household income level ranged from 32.7% to 79.9% among children aged 6-9 years and from 41.6% to 67.2% among youth aged 14-17 years.Although nearly 6 in 10 U.S. youth participate in sports, substantial disparities exist, especially among younger children. Identifying and overcoming the barriers may help increase youth sports participation in the U.S.