The purpose of this study was to describe anthropometric characteristics and body composition of elite soccer and basketball players as well as to make comparisons between them. Seventy-one males were enrolled in the study, divided into three groups: twenty-six soccer players, fourteen basketball players and thirty-one healthy sedentary subjects. All subjects were assessed for the anthropometric measures required for the calculation of body composition variables, using the standardized procedures recommended by established literature. Data was analyzed using SPSS and the descriptive statistics were expressed as a mean (SD) for each variable, while the ANOVA and LSD Post Hoc tests were carried out to detect the effects of each type of sport. The results showed there was no significant difference in body mass index among the groups, while a significant difference was found for body height and body weight as well as for all three of the body contents measured (muscle, bone and fat) among the groups. Basketball players were significantly taller and heavier than soccer players and the subjects of the control group, while there was also a significant difference between the weight of soccer players and the subjects of the control group, who were significantly heavier. The muscle and bone contents in the bodies of the subjects in the control group were significantly lower than that of all other subjects while there was no difference between soccer and basketball players. Lastly, the fat content in the body of the subjects in the control group was significantly higher than that of all of the other subjects, while there was no difference between soccer and basketball players. Therefore, these findings may give coaches from the region better working knowledge and suggest them to follow recent selection process methods and to be more careful during the recruitment.

The purpose of this study was to describe anthropometric characteristics and body composition of elite soccer and volleyball players as well as to make comparisons between them. Seventy-one males were enrolled in the study, divided into three groups: twenty-six soccer players, fourteen volleyball players and thirty-one healthy sedentary subjects. All subjects were assessed for the anthropometric measures required for the calculation of body composition variables, using the standardized procedures recommended by established literature. Data was analyzed using SPSS and the descriptive statistics were expressed as a mean (SD) for each variable, while the ANOVA and LSD Post Hoc tests were carried out to detect the effects of each type of sport. The results showed that a significant difference was found for body height, body weight and body mass index as well as for all three of the body contents measured (muscle, bone and fat) among the groups. Volleyball players were significantly taller than soccer players and the subjects of the control group, while soccer players were significantly heavier than volleyball players and the subjects of the control group. Hence, the subjects of the control group had significantly higher body mass index when compared with other counterpart. The muscle contents in soccer players were significantly higher than that of all other subjects. On the other hand, the bone contents in soccer players were only significantly higher than the bone contents in the subjects of the control group. Lastly, the fat content in the body of all groups in this study was significantly different and soccer players had the lowest percent of the fat content, while the subjects of the control group had the highest. Therefore, these findings may give coaches from the region better working knowledge and suggest to them to follow recent selection process methods and to be more careful during the recruitment.

Handball is one of the most popular team sports around the world that has become physically very demanding, related to both competitions and daily training sessions. Optimal training programs are necessary to improve performance, especially when taking into account the frequency of jump shots (vertical jumps) and handball feints (changes of directions) during daily training. The main objective of the present study is to review the available literature systematically, and to determine what are the effects of additional plyometric training on handball players’ vertical jump abilities. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis, six studies were selected after a systematic search through four digital databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. The available scientific articles show that plyometric training alone or in combination with standard handball training, lasting at least six weeks, and including two training sessions per week, contributes to improving the performance of elite- or national-level handball players. Plyometric training is recommended to improve performance, as well as to maintain explosive strength parameters during the season.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Technology-assisted physical activity interventions for older adults in their home-based environment have been used to promote physical activity. While previous reviews focused on health-related outcomes of such interventions, this scoping review explores the characteristics of the technology in relation to the characteristics of populations, exercise types and usability in terms of adverse events, drop-outs, adherence and user experience. We identified 8496 sources. After title and abstract screening, 455 full texts were assessed, and 148 were included, representing 12,717 participants aged 74 (SD 6) years. In total, 93 (63%) sources reported on the population’s health status. The main purpose of the interventions was balance (51%), and strength and power (43%) and intervention purposes were not related to embedded technology. In studies where the participant’s health status was reported as healthy, 53% implemented exergames compared to only 27% in studies with participants with a clinical condition. Mobile apps (20%) and trackers (11%) were implemented likewise in both groups. The technology was embedded to provide continuous exercise information (27%) and exercise feedback (27%) or to record real-time movement data (26%). Adverse events were reported in 68 (46%) of the sources with three quarters (49 sources) reporting no adverse events. Only 2 mild events were related to technology. Dropout rates were reported in 100 (68%) studies, with no differences between intervention (16±16%) and control (14±12%) groups. Dropout reasons related to technology in 3%. Adherence was reported in 78 studies (53%) and was slightly higher in the intervention group (80±18%) compared to the control group (71±25%). A significantly higher adherence was found between interventions that were tailored (83 ± 15%) versus those that were not (75±21%). General enjoyment of the technology was captured in 55 studies (37%) and was rated positive (91%), neutral (7%) or negative (2%). Occasionally reported wishes were related to goal setting, feedback, technical support, exercise variation, and social setting. In conclusion, various technologies were successfully used in healthy and clinical older populations. The embedded technology was not a reason for additional dropouts, lead to slightly better adherence, and adverse events were rarely related to technology. When assessed, the technology was well accepted and positively enjoyed.

(1) Background: Regular physical activity (PA) plays an important role during early childhood physical and psychological development. This study investigates the effects of a 9-month PA intervention on physiological characteristics and motor and cognitive skills in preschool children. (2) Methods: Preschool children (n = 132; age 4 to 7 years) attending regular preschool programs were nonrandomly assigned to PA intervention (n = 66; 60 min sessions twice per week) or a control group (n = 66; no additional organized PA program) for 9 months. Exercise training for the intervention group included various sports games, outdoor activities, martial arts, yoga, and dance. Anthropometry, motor skills (7 tests), and cognitive skills (Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices and Cognitive Assessment System) were assessed before and after an intervention period in both groups. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. (3) Results: Body weight significantly increased in both groups over time. Compared to the changes observed in the control group, the intervention group significantly increased in chest circumference (p = 0.022). In contrast, the control group demonstrated an increase in waist circumference (p = 0.001), while these measures in the intervention group remained stable. Participants in the intervention group improved running speed (p = 0.016) and standing broad jump (p = 0.000). The flexibility level was maintained in the intervention group, while a significant decrease was observed in the control group (p = 0.010). Children from the intervention group demonstrated progress in the bent-arm hang test (p = 0.001), unlike the control group subjects. Varied improvements in cognitive skills were observed for different variables in both intervention and control groups, with no robust evidence for PA-intervention-related improvements. (4) Conclusions: Preschool children’s participation in a preschool PA intervention improves their motor skills.