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Purpose: To characterize player core temperature (Tc) across two separate World Rugby Sevens Series (WRSS) tournaments in temperate and warm environments. Methods: Tc was collected in seventeen playing members of one men's team competing at the Singapore (n = 12) and London (n = 11) WRSS tournaments. Exertional heat illness (EHI) symptoms, cooling strategy use, playing minutes and wet blub globe temperature (WBGT) were also collected. Linear mixed models and magnitude-based inferences assessed differences in Tc between all periods within-and between tournaments and were also used to assess the effect of WBGT and playing minutes on Tc. Results: Several players experienced Tc in excess of 38°C during warm-ups and 39°C during games. The highest mean Tc values were observed in the final game on all days and in Singapore Day Two, there were substantial game-on-game increases in mean Tc. These Tc responses were associated with playing minutes (effect size; ±90% CL = 0.38; ±0.20), although the effect of WBGT was trivial and unclear. Further, there were no differences in Tc between the two tournaments in the different environments. Despite high individual peak Tc values (Singapore 39.9°C; London 39.6°C); no signs/symptoms of EHI were reported, voluntary post-game cooling usage was minimal, and pre- and mid-cooling strategies were not implemented. Conclusions: During WRSS matches, peak Tc values approached thresholds associated with EHI (>40°C) and exceeded those demonstrated to reduce repeated sprint performance (>39°C). Practitioners may consider the use of compatible cooling and heat acclimation strategies to minimize Tc increase and maximize player preparedness and recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study adopted an exploratory approach to investigate the use of small-sided games as a talent identification tool to determine youth soccer players' skill proficiency. Methods: A total of 73 male youth soccer players (age = 13.3 ± 1.2 years) were subdivided into two groups in accordance with their playing level (high-level: n = 36, low-level: n = 37). Within their levels, players completed 4 vs. 4 small-sided games on a 30 × 20 m playing surface under two conditions (condition 1: 5 × 3 min, condition 2: 3 × 5 min). Attempted and completed skill involvements were analysed using retrospective video analysis. Skill proficiency was determined as the total completed involvements relative to amount attempted. Results: Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance identified that high-level players displayed a significantly greater number of attempted and completed passes, touches, and total skill involvements compared with low-level players. Only the number of attempted passes and total involvements differed between conditions for high-level players. High-level players' total skill proficiency was significantly greater than their lower level counterparts. Conclusion: This study supports the use of small-sided games as a tool to assess soccer-specific skill proficiency, which coaches and sporting practitioners can apply in a talent identification setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exercise has many health benefits. Despite this, motivating people to start exercising is difficult. Maintaining a regular exercise regimen seems even more difficult as dropout-rates within the first 3-6 months commonly reaches 50%. Music during exercise has, however, been found to make it more enjoyable, significantly reducing perceived exertion and positively affecting mood and state motivation. Most research has focused on fast to medium tempo music. Slow tempo music has largely remained unexplored, which is why it is the focus in this study. Material and Method. Participants (n=24) were exposed on two occasions in randomized order to slow tempo music versus a silent control condition while performing exercise on a treadmill for 20 minutes at 70% of age predicted maximal heart rate. Results. A significant interaction was revealed between ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and music preference (p<.05). Although there was a small difference between RPE for people who liked the music, people who disliked the music reported significantly higher RPE when listening to the music (M = 13.5, SD = 1.8) compared to when not (M = 11.7, SD = 1.6). No significant difference between estimated exercise-time was observed between the two conditions; competitiveness was also unrelated to the dependent variables. Discussion. Our results suggest that avoiding nonenjoyable music is important while exercising as both perceived exertion and exercise adherence otherwise can be negatively affected. It is noteworthy that choosing the "wrong music" may be more detrimental than selecting the "right music" is beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation compared the effects of external pre-cooling and mid-exercise cooling methods on running time trial performance and associated physiological responses. Nine trained male runners completed familiarisation and three randomised 5 km running time trials on a non-motorised treadmill in the heat (33°C). The trials included pre-cooling by cold-water immersion (CWI), mid-exercise cooling by intermittent facial water spray (SPRAY), and a control of no cooling (CON). Temperature, cardiorespiratory, muscular activation, and perceptual responses were measured as well as blood concentrations of lactate and prolactin. Performance time was significantly faster with CWI (24.5 ± 2.8 min;P = 0.01) and SPRAY (24.6 ± 3.3 min;P = 0.01) compared to CON (25.2 ± 3.2 min). Both cooling strategies significantly (P < 0.05) reduced forehead temperatures and thermal sensation, and increased muscle activation. Only pre-cooling significantly lowered rectal temperature both pre-exercise (by 0.5 ± 0.3°C;P < 0.01) and throughout exercise, and reduced sweat rate (P < 0.05). Both cooling strategies improved performance by a similar magnitude, and are ergogenic for athletes. The observed physiological changes suggest some involvement of central and psychophysiological mechanisms of performance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a study which identifies the relationship between measures of aerobic and anaerobic performance on changes in physical performance across a laboratory-based team sport match simulation. It explains the limitation of match simulation protocols in determining work intensities for set locomotor categories from an individual's peak sprint speed (PSS). It implies that match simulations established that team-sport match play is largely reliant on aerobic metabolism.