The roundhouse kick is the most commonly executed kick in Taekwondo competitions. Because it is the fastest kick among kicking techniques and can easily change its motion on the basis of the opponent’s motion, the roundhouse kick is suitable for scoring points. To explore the functional role of segmental movements during the roundhouse kick, this study aimed to investigate the effects of various footwork techniques on biomechanical contributions of body segments to toe velocity during roundhouse kicks. Ten elite Taekwondo athletes performed roundhouse kicks with different footwork positions. The contributions of body segments to the toe velocity were obtained through 3D motion analysis. Results were compared by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and there were significant differences in the contributions of whole-body movement, trunk movement, trunk rotation, and toe velocity. It was concluded that in the minimum knee flexion (MKF) event, for all types of footwork, thigh rotation showed the most significant contribution (51–64.4%), followed by trunk rotation (16.7–29.9%) and whole-body movement (5.1–13.4%). However, in the impact event, the contribution of thigh rotation decreased, while the contribution of calf rotation increased significantly.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Avian Influenza (AI) frequently occur in South Korea, resulting in high levels of occupational stress among quarantine workers forced to partake in massive livestock killings. This study explored the usefulness of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) in improving these workers’ psychological and emotional functioning. A total of 51 FMD/AI control workers participated in 16 sessions of an EAL program facilitated by therapeutic riding professionals and trained horses. Results showed significant changes in their stress level, coping style, and overall quality of life-related to health, most notably increased vitality, enhanced emotional and social functioning, greater problem-solving, and less social avoidance after EAL participation. The usefulness of equine-assisted activities and the association between more significant stress coping ability and improved functioning in various areas of life are consistent with previous research findings. Implications for EAL application are discussed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, internet gaming became more popular as a way to cope with stress, but excessive gaming can lead to mental health issues like internet gaming disorder (IGD). IGD has serious consequences, especially among children and young adults, and the gaming industry’s profits continue to grow. This study aims to understand the mental and behavioral health of adolescents with IGD participating in an equine-assisted learning (EAL) program and assess the changes in their addiction tendencies and emotional and behavioral problems. The results showed that the participants’ tendency towards internet gaming addiction and emotional and behavioral problems decreased immediately after the EAL program, but they rose again a month later. This suggests the importance of ongoing program involvement. As COVID-19 restrictions ease worldwide, this study highlights the increasing risk of IGD. It suggests that EAL could be a valuable approach to treating behavioral addictions, including gaming addiction. While prior research has shown the effectiveness of EAL in treating substance addiction, more research is needed to explore its potential in treating various types of addictions, such as gambling or gaming addictions.

The effectiveness of adding plantar-surface texture to improve balance has been demonstrated in a variety of demographics. It is critical to investigate whether textured insoles can improve balance in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), who have compromised the somatosensory function of the affected joint and, as a result, are at a higher risk of falling. Thus, this study investigated the degree of benefit from the use of textured insoles for improving balance and compared the balance of people with knee OA to healthy matched peers. This study included eighteen people with knee OA and eighteen healthy, aged, gender, height, weight, and BMI matched controls who were assessed on balance using the sensory organization test and the motor control test. Balance was improved in both groups when the textured insoles were worn, and the healthy knee group demonstrated significantly better balance performance than the knee OA group. The benefits of this study for individuals with knee OA are that it may lead to the development of an evidence-based footwear intervention that is noninvasive, simple to use, and inexpensive, in addition to allowing the user to self-manage and the ability to reduce the risk of falls, thereby improving their quality of life.

The unwanted horse problem is the most serious issue confronting the equestrian industry. Thus, it is recommended that retired racehorses switch to become saddle horses for ‘the second life of a racing veteran’ because training and using retired Thoroughbred racehorses as saddle horses is the most cost-effective option. The current study aimed to analyze the effects of saddle horse conversion training on gaits of retired Thoroughbred racehorses. Our study included 12 retired Thoroughbred racehorses. These Thoroughbred racehorses performed the retraining 20–50 min a day, five times per week for three months. There are some critical findings in this study. The results show that the decreased stride length of each foot decreased the displacements of the center of mass and the center of the head. In addition, after retraining, there was a significant decrease in the head–neck angle and displacement between the center of the head and the center of the neck. These changes in the horse’s movements mean that the habitual movements for racing are gradually changed to optimal movements for a saddle horse.