Search

Background: Irish school children have demonstrated poor proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) and consistent with international literature, females and overweight children tend to be less skilled than males and non-overweight children. Interventions that are suitable for children of all abilities and which provide long-term improvements in FMS proficiency are warranted. Purpose: This study examined the immediate and long-term effects of an 8-week FMS intervention programme on 255 Year 3 and 4 Irish school children's (50% male, 7.4 ± 0.6 yr) FMS proficiency levels. It was hypothesised that using a mastery motivational climate to deliver the intervention sessions would provide immediate and long-term improvements for all children, including females and overweight children. Methods: Participants were conveniently recruited from 4 schools and randomly assigned to the intervention-control (Group I-C: 2 schools, n = 134, 48% male) or control-intervention (Group C-I: 2 schools, n = 121, 52% male) sequence. Group I-C completed the intervention (i.e. two 45-minute FMS classes per week in place of usual PE for 8 weeks) in phase 1, and after a 4-week washout, completed the control condition (i.e. routine PE lessons for 8 weeks) in phase 2, and vice-versa for Group C-I. FMS proficiency, assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third edition, and weight status based on body mass index (BMI) were recorded at 5 time points: pre and post phase 1, pre and post phase 2 and at 13-months post-intervention (i.e. follow-up). Results: Linear mixed models revealed significant group × time interaction effects for locomotor, ball skills and total FMS scores (all p < 0.001) following engagement in the FMS intervention. No significant changes were observed following engagement in the control condition (i.e. Group C-I: pre to post phase 1 and Group I-C: pre to post phase 2; all p > 0.05). Significant improvements for locomotor, ball skills and total FMS scores were reported for both groups at follow-up compared to baseline (all p < 0.001). No significant group × time × gender or group × time × weight status interaction effects were reported (all p > 0.05). The proportion of participants who improved from poor-mastery to mastery/near-mastery was significant for eight skills, immediately following the intervention and from baseline to follow-up. Conclusion: Significant improvements in FMS proficiency were observed following a short-duration intervention that was delivered by an instructor with specialist FMS knowledge and an ability to create a mastery-oriented climate during lessons. Although the long-term effectiveness remains unclear, it is likely that mastery-oriented PE lessons could facilitate greater improvements in FMS development for children of all abilities compared to traditional PE lessons. Future studies should explore if primary teachers feel they have sufficient confidence and pedagogical skills to support children's FMS development during PE.

Background: Concern has been raised over the injury risk to school Rugby union (Rugby) players and the potential long-term health consequences. Despite the increase in studies for this cohort, the influence of playing position on injury incidence and presentation is unclear. Purpose: To describe the incidence, nature and severity of match injuries for school Rugby in Ireland overall, and as a function of playing position. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Data were collected from 15 male (aged 16-19 years) school Senior Cup teams across 2 seasons. In total, 339 players participated in season 1, whereas 326 players participated in season 2. Injury data were recorded onto a bespoke online platform. Match exposure was also recorded. Results: The incidence rate of match injuries (24-hour time loss) was 53.6 per 1000 hours. Across both seasons, 6810 days were lost from play due to injury. Forwards (65.4 per 1000 hours) sustained significantly more (P < 0.05) injuries than backs (40.5 per 1000 hours). The head, shoulder, knee, and ankle were the most common injured body regions; however, forwards sustained significantly more (P < 0.05) head and shoulder injuries than backs. The tackle was responsible for the majority of injuries in both groups. The highest proportion of injuries occurred during the third quarter. Conclusion: Clear differences in injury presentation and incidence were evident when comparing forwards versus backs. The high rate of head and shoulder injuries in the forwards suggest the need for more targeted injury-prevention strategies and further research on education and laws around the tackle event. The spike of injuries in the third quarter suggests that fatigue or inadequate half-time warm-up may be a contributing factor warranting further exploration. Clinical Relevance: This study demonstrates clear differences in injury presentation according to playing position in school Rugby and highlights the need for a more tailored approach to the design and implementation of injury-prevention strategies. Level of Evidence: Level 3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The shoulder has been reported as a frequent location of injury in adult professional and amateur rugby, with match injury incidence rates ranging from 1.8 to 3 per 1000 player-hours (h). An increased understanding of the incidence and mechanism of shoulder injuries in school rugby players is vital to establish effective injury preventive strategies and advise on appropriate rehabilitation. Purpose: To describe the incidence, nature, and severity of shoulder injuries in schoolboy rugby in Ireland. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Injury surveillance was carried out for Senior Cup teams across two seasons (N = 665 players aged 17-19 years) in Ireland from 2018 to 2020. Match and training injury data were recorded using an online system by trained nominated injury recorders. Match exposure was also recorded. Results: Shoulder match injury incidence was 12.2 per 1000 h (95% CI, 9.1-16.2), with a mean severity of 47 days' time loss and an overall burden of 573 days per 1000 h. In total, 47 match and 5 training shoulder injuries were recorded. The most common injuries were shoulder dislocations/subluxations (34%), followed by acromioclavicular joint sprains (30%). Shoulder dislocations/subluxations represented the most burdensome injury (280 days per 1000 h). The tackle accounted for the majority (81%) of shoulder injuries. Forwards sustained a significantly higher incidence of shoulder injuries (8.3/1000 h) in comparison with backs (3.9/1000 h), with a rate ratio of 2.13 (95% CI, 1.15-3.94; P =.015). Conclusion: We found a notably higher injury incidence rate in schoolboy rugby as compared with the adult amateur and professional game. Shoulder injuries were responsible for more days lost than any other injury, and shoulder dislocations were the most severe. This is of particular concern so early in a player's career and warrants further investigation into potential risk factors and mechanisms associated with shoulder injuries in school-age players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowley, E, Harrison, AJ, and Lyons, M. Dry-land resistance training practices of elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches. J Strength Cond Res 32(9): 2592–2600, 2018—No research to date has investigated dry-land resistance (RT) training practices of elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches. This is the first comprehensive study exploring dry-land RT training practices in swimming. The aims of this study were to examine (a) the dry-land RT training practices and exercises used by elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches and (b) the rationale provided by coaches about their practices and prescription of specific dry-land RT training exercises. Twenty-three (n = 21 males, n = 2 females) elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches, from Ireland (n = 7), Great Britain (n = 5), Australia (n = 6), and the United States of America (n = 5) were recruited through their specific national governing bodies. Coaches completed an online questionnaire consisting of 7 sections; subject information, informed consent, coach's biography, coach education, current training commitments, dry-land RT training practices and exercises, and additional information. The results showed that coaches had varying levels of experience, education and worked with different level swimmers. A total of 95 dry-land RT training exercises were used by the coaches across 4 different dry-land RT training practices (warm-up, circuit training, traditional RT training and plyometrics). Traditional RT training (87%) was the most commonly practiced. The pull-up and squat were the most popular dry-land RT training exercises used by elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches. Future research needs to focus on exploring the specificity and the transfer of RT training exercises to swimming performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the shot put, the athlete’s muscles are responsible for generating the impulses to move the athlete and project the shot into the air. Information on phasic muscle activity is lacking for the glide shot put event and therefore important technical information for coaches is not currently available. This study provides an electromyography (EMG) analysis of the muscle activity of the legs during shot put. Fifteen right-handed Irish national level shot putters performed six maximum effort throws using the glide shot put technique. EMG records of eight bilateral lower limb muscles (rectus femoris, biceps femoris, medial- and lateral-gastrocnemius) were obtained during trials. Analysis using smooth EMG linear envelopes revealed patterns of muscle activity across the phases of the throw and compare men and women performers. The results showed that the preferred leg rectus femoris, the preferred leg biceps femoris and the non-preferred leg biceps femoris play important roles in the glide technique, with the total duration of high volumes of activity between 34 and 53% of the throw cycle. A comprehensive understanding of movement and muscle activation patterns for coaches could be helpful to facilitate optimal technique throughout each of the key phases of the event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 100 ms ruling for false start disqualification at athletic competitions governed by the International Association of Athletics Federations has been in force since the early 1990s. Throughout this period, there have been marked changes to the rules that govern the disqualification of athletes from sprint events incorporating starts from blocks. This study analysed all available World and European Championship response-time (RT) data from 1999 to 2014 to examine effects of rule changes on competition RT at major championships. The exponentially modified Gaussian distribution was used to model RT and make comparisons relative to athletes' sex, ruling periods and competition rounds. Revised RT thresholds of 115 ms and 119 ms were identified for men and women, respectively, indicating that the current 100 ms rule could result in some false starts not being detected in competitive athletics. The study proposes that when using existing International Association of Athletics Federations approved systems, the false start detection threshold should be increased and that men and women athletes should have different thresholds because of substantial evidence of a sex-based difference in RT in elite-standard athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the effects of resisted sprinting on sprinting performance. Topics include the acute post-activation potentiation (PAP) effects of long-term resisted sprint training, sprinting speed, reactive strength index, ground contact time, stride length, velocity, and sprinter fatigue.

Warm-up protocols are commonly used to acutely enhance the performance of dynamic activities. This study examined the acute effect of low-load gluteal exercises on the biomechanics of single-leg drop jumps. Eight men and seven women (18–22 years old) performed 10 single-leg drop jumps on three separate days. The gluteal exercises were performed within the warm-up on day 2. Contact time, flight time, peak vertical ground reaction force (GRF), rate of force development, vertical leg-spring stiffness, and reactive strength index were determined. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences on all variables across days. Significant differences were found for contact time, peak GRF, and flight time between days 1 and 2 and for flight time between days 1 and 3 (p ≤ 0.05)with no significant difference in any variables between days 2 and 3. This suggested that the improvements in day 2 were due to practice effects rather than the gluteal activation exercises. In addition, a typical error analysis was used to determine individual responses to the gluteal exercises. The results using this analysis showed no discernible response pattern of enhancement or fatigue for any participant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: A classification tool suitable for establishing the ecological status of lakes based on fish population parameters has been developed for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (EU Water Framework Directive Ecoregion 17). A lake typology relevant to fish populations in lakes from Ecoregion 17 was produced as part of the ecological classification tool development. Four lake types were determined based on fish metrics and abiotic variables from 43 “reference” lakes. The specific lake fish typology categorised lakes into low (≤67CaCO3 mgL−1) or high (>67CaCO3 mgL−1) alkalinity, and shallow (≤17m) or deep (>17m) maximum depth. The fish in lakes classification tool (FIL2) follows a novel multimetric predictive approach, assigning ecological status to a lake using two independent methods. FIL2 qualitatively defines a lake''s ecological status based on fish metrics using discriminant classification rules and, using a generalised linear model, quantitatively derives an Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR, 0

The article presents a study that looks into the condition of the freshwater fish species Coregonus autumnalis pollan in the Lough Ree Lake in the island of Ireland using systematic hydroacoustic survey. It discusses the distribution, the conservation initiatives, and the unestablished population of pollan. The results indicate a larger population of pollan with one large shoal containing up to 6000 fish>10 cm in length more than previously assumed by the European Union Habitats Directive

School Rugby in many countries is representative of a highly competitive, elite game yet, there is limited rigorous research into the potential risk of injury to the upper limb. The nature of the Rugby tackle coupled with the physical and skeletal immaturity of school age players may predispose this cohort to an increased risk of severe injury to the upper limb. PURPOSE: To characterize the incidence, mechanism and severity of upper limb injuries in Irish Schoolboy Rugby Union players. METHODS: Twenty three school Rugby teams were recruited across two seasons 2018-2020, representing a total of 665 players aged 17-19yrs. Nature, location, mechanism, occurrence, severity of injury and playing position were recorded by a nominated 'injury recorder' onto a web-based injury recording system (IRISWeb). Final injury diagnoses were verified at return to play. A 24hr time loss injury definition was utilised (per World Rugby consensus) for injury incidence calculations. RESULTS: Seventy-five match injuries and seven training injuries involved the upper limb, representing 36% of total injuries. The match injury incidence of upper limb injuries was 19.4 per 1,000 player hours (h). The most commonly reported upper limb injury was shoulder dislocations (4.4/1,000h), also accounting for the most burdensome (296 days absence/1,000h). The tackle event was responsible for 76% of all match upper limb injuries, while 51% of match upper limb injuries were severe quantified by days absent from play (>28days). Forwards (13/1000h) suffered twice as many upper limb injuries as backs (6.5/1000h), while the largest percentage (41%) of upper limb injuries were sustained in the 3rd quarter. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports a notably higher upper limb injury incidence in school Rugby compared to the adult amateur and professional game. Forwards were at a higher risk of sustaining an upper limb injury which may be attributed to the greater physical forces typically experienced by forwards compared to backs. The incidence of severe injuries so early in a playing career is of particular concern. Thus, future research into potential risk factors and mechanisms of upper limb injuries in School Rugby is warranted, particularly to inform the development of appropriate education and injury risk reduction programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To ascertain the extent of injury surveillance and prevention practices currently in operation and the availability of qualified personnel across Rugby playing schools in the Republic of Ireland., Design: Cross-sectional survey design., Setting: Rugby playing schools across Ireland., Participants: The Rugby games master, head Rugby coach or teacher/coach with knowledge of all Rugby activities in the school., Results: Ninety-three Rugby playing schools responded and reported 356 (97% male, 3% female) school Rugby teams. Rugby injuries were formally monitored in 86% of schools. Injury recorders were primarily coaches (61%). Physiotherapy provision was available in 28% of schools, 14% of schools provided access to a medical doctor and 44% of schools provided access to an S&C coach. Structured warm-ups were undertaken in 66% of schools, weekly gym sessions in 49% of schools and 31% of schools did not implement any formal injury prevention measures., Conclusions: Injury monitoring practices, medical personnel accessibility and the frequency of injury prevention practices varies considerably across Rugby playing schools in Ireland. Future injury surveillance and prevention systems should be suitable for use by non-medical personnel and reflect the structural organisation of the school Rugby game so that data are not solely representative of the elite, well-resourced schools., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate factors associated with injury in amateur male and female rugby union players., Design: A prospective cohort study., Setting: Amateur rugby clubs in Ireland., Participants: Male (n = 113) and female (n = 24) amateur rugby union players from 5 of the top 58 amateur clubs in Ireland., Main Outcome Measures: Pre-season testing included physical tests assessing hamstring flexibility, dorsiflexion range of movement, adductor muscle strength and foot position. Wellness questionnaires assessed sleep quality (PSQI), coping skills (ACSI-28) and support levels (PASS-Q). Players were monitored throughout the season for injury., Results: The time-loss match injury incidence rate was 48.2/1000 player hours for males and 45.2/1000 player hours for females. Two risk profiles emerged involving; 'age + navicular drop + training pitch surface' (53%) and 'age + navicular drop + groin strength' (16%). An inverse relationship between groin strength and groin injury was found for the 'backs' players (-0.307, p < 0.05). Using the PSQI, 61% of players had poor sleep quality, however no relationship between the wellness questionnaires and injury was found., Conclusion: Two injury risk profiles emerged, associated with subsequent injury occurrence. Using these risk profiles, individualized prevention strategies may be designed regarding deficits in groin muscle strength and identifying foot alignment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study examined fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency among male (N = 216) and female (N = 198) Irish primary school pupils from Year 2 to Year 7 (9.0 ± 1.7 years). Following anthropometric measurements, participants were video-recorded performing 15 FMS and scored using the TGMD-3, Victorian Fundamental Movement skills Manual and the Get skilled: Get active guidelines. Percentage mastery ranged between 1.4% (gallop) and 35.7% (slide). A two-way ANOVA evaluated the effect of sex (male/female) and class group (Year 2/3/4/5/6/7) on individual skills, locomotor subtest, object-control subtest and total TGMD-3 (GMQ) scores. No significant sex ×class interaction effects were found. Large effect sizes were reported for male superiority in object-control subtest (η p 2  = 0.26) and GMQ (η p 2  = 0.16) scores (both p < 0.001). Older classes had higher object-control subtest scores than younger classes, but scores plateaued after Year 5. Furthermore, overweight participants had significantly lower locomotor subtest (p < 0.001, d = 0.7), object-control subtest (p = 0.03, d = 0.3) and GMQ scores (p < 0.001, d = 0.5) than non-overweight participants. This study highlights very poor levels of FMS mastery among Irish schoolchildren and stresses the need for developmentally appropriate, FMS intervention programmes that are inclusive regardless of age, sex or weight status.

Objectives: To describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive injury surveillance system., Design: The four phases; i) A survey of 58 medical professionals working in amateur rugby. ii) The design of a web-based injury surveillance system (IRISweb). iii) Recruitment of 21 of the top 58 amateur clubs to use IRISweb. iv) An evaluation survey of the 21 participating clubs., Setting: Irish amateur rugby clubs., Participants: Medical professionals working in amateur rugby., Main Outcome Measures: Phase one investigated the injury monitoring practices in operation prior to the IRIS project. Phase four investigated the effectiveness and usefulness of IRISweb., Results: Twenty-one clubs were recruited, however 2 clubs failed to provide a full season of data (10% dropout rate). Eighty-two percent of the remaining 19 clubs rated IRISweb as 'good' or 'very good'. Facilitators of injury surveillance were; increased player adherence (65%) and notifications to update the system (59%), however, poor player adherence (71%) and medical staff availability (24%) were the main barriers., Conclusions: The IRIS project is the first prospective long-term injury surveillance system in Irish amateur rugby, effectively tracking injuries to guide future evidence-based injury prevention strategies. This study highlights facilitators and barriers to injury surveillance within amateur sport., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)