Objectives\ud \ud The aim of this position paper is to discuss the role of affect in designing learning experiences to enhance expertise acquisition in sport. The design of learning environments and athlete development programmes are predicated on the successful sampling and simulation of competitive performance conditions during practice. This premise is captured by the concept of representative learning design, founded on an ecological dynamics approach to developing skill in sport, and based on the individual-environment relationship. In this paper we discuss how the effective development of expertise in sport could be enhanced by the consideration of affective constraints in the representative design of learning experiences. \ud \ud Conclusions\ud \ud Based on previous theoretical modelling and practical examples we delineate two key principles of Affective Learning Design: \ud \ud (i) the design of emotion-laden learning experiences that effectively simulate the constraints of performance environments in sport; \ud \ud (ii) recognising individualised emotional and coordination tendencies that are associated with different periods of learning. \ud \ud Considering the role of affect in learning environments has clear implications for how sport psychologists, athletes and coaches might collaborate to enhance the acquisition of expertise in sport

The aim of this study was to determine whether spatiotemporal interactions between footballers and the ball in 1 vs. 1 sub-phases are influenced by their proximity to the goal area. Twelve participants (age 15.3 ± 0.5 years) performed as attackers and defenders in 1 vs. 1 dyads across three field positions: (a) attacking the goal, (b) in midfield, and (c) advancing away from the goal area. In each position, the dribbler was required to move beyond an immediate defender with the ball towards the opposition goal. Interactions of attacker–defender dyads were filmed with player and ball displacement trajectories digitized using manual tracking software. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences in mean defender-to-ball distance after this value had stabilized. Maximum attacker-to-ball distance was also compared as a function of proximity-to-goal. Significant differences were observed for defender-to-ball distance between locations (a) and (c) at the moment when the defender-to-ball distance had stabilized (a: 1.69 ± 0.64 m; c: 1.15 ± 0.59 m; P < 0.05). Findings indicate that proximity-to-goal influenced the performance of players, particularly when attacking or advancing away from goal areas, providing implications for training design in football. In this study, the task constraints of football revealed subtly different player interactions than observed in previous studies of dyadic systems in basketball and rugby union.

Enhancing practice design is critical to facilitate transfer of learning. Considerable research has focused on the role of perceptual information in practice simulation, yet has neglected how affect and cognition are shaped by practice environments and whether this influences the fidelity of behavior (Headrick et al., 2015). This study filled this gap by examining the fidelity of individual (cognition, affect, and actions) and interpersonal behavior of 10 highly skilled Australian Taekwondo athletes fighting in training compared to competition. Interpersonal behavior was assessed by tracking location coordinates to analyze distance-time coordination tendencies of the fighter–fighter system. Individual actions were assessed through notational analysis and approximate entropy calculations of coordinate data to quantify the (un)predictability of movement displacement. Affect and cognition were assessed with mixed-methods that included perceptual scales measuring anxiety, arousal, and mental effort, and post-fight video-facilitated confrontational interviews to explore how affect and cognitions might differ. Quantitative differences were assessed with mixed models and dependent t-tests. Results reveal that individual and interpersonal behavior differed between training and competition. In training, individuals attacked less (d = 0.81, p < 0.05), initiated attacks from further away (d = -0.20, p < 0.05) and displayed more predictable movement trajectories (d = 0.84, p < 0.05). In training, fighters had lower anxiety (d = -1.26, p < 0.05), arousal (d = -1.07, p < 0.05), and mental effort (d = -0.77, p < 0.05). These results were accompanied by changes in interpersonal behavior, with larger interpersonal distances generated by the fighter–fighter system in training (d = 0.80, p < 0.05). Qualitative data revealed the emergence of cognitions and affect specific to the training environment, such as reductions in pressure, arousal, and mental challenge. Findings highlight the specificity of performer–environment interactions. Fighting in training affords reduced affective and cognitive demands and a decrease in action fidelity compared to competition. In addition to sampling information, representative practice needs to consider modeling the cognitions and affect of competition to enhance transfer.

Aim: To synthesize and assess the literature for shoulder pain and injury risk factors in competitive swimmers.Design: Systematic review with best‐evidence synthesis.Data Sources: CINHAL, SportDiscus, Scorpus, PubMed, and Embase databases from 1966 to April 30 2022.Search and Inclusion: Cohort, cross‐sectional, and case–control studies investigating shoulder pain or injury risk factors in competitive swimmers were included. Quality of eligible studies were assessed using a modified Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Risk factors were divided into four categories: modifiable‐intrinsic, modifiable‐extrinsic, non‐modifiable, and other/secondary.Results: Of 1356 studies identified, 24 full texts were evaluated for methodological quality, 22 met the criteria and were included in best evidence synthesis. There was no strong evidence supporting or refuting the association between 80 assessed variables and shoulder injury or pain. The swimmers' competitive level (nondirectional), and shoulder muscle recruitment profiles (e.g., increased activity of serratus anterior) exhibited moderate evidence supporting an association. Conversely, internal and external range of motion, middle finger back scratch test, training frequency, specialty stroke, height/weight, sex, and age all had moderate evidence opposing an association. Limited evidence was found for 58 variables, and conflicting for 8. The highest quality study (n = 201) suggested high acute‐to‐chronic workload ratio and reduced posterior shoulder strength endurance are associated with injury.Conclusions: Due to the paucity of high‐quality studies, future prospective studies are needed to reevaluate known risk factor associations over exploring additional potential risk factors. Swimming practitioners should be aware of the nondirectional association of a swimmer's competitive level and pain, as squad changes could impact injury incidence. Moreover, swimmers experiencing shoulder pain may show increased activity in shoulder stabilizers during specific movements. Importantly, shoulder strength‐endurance may be the most clinically relevant modifiable intrinsic risk factor.

The role of skill acquisition specialists within sport systems has become more prominent and imbedded in daily training environments with coaches; however, literature pertaining to their role and contributions to effective coach development is very scant. The objective was to extend our understanding of the coaches’ perception of the role of, and relationship with, a skill acquisition specialist to identify key factors of effective support that shape coach behavior and ultimately enhance athlete performance. Semi-structured interviews with two National coaches with experience and podium success in multiple Olympic/Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships was conducted. Three distinct narratives were identified: representing various experiences of the coaches in their sport (‘the unplanned journey’), their relationship with the skill acquisition specialist (‘more than just a skill expert’), and how this impacted athletes’ development (‘keys to success’). As part of the relationship development process, aspects of coaches’ philosophy were challenged. In addition, the skill acquisition specialists had to display a wide range of skills in the pursuit of shaping coaching behaviors that could further enhance athletes’ performance. Required skills included, but were not limited to, bridging the gap between scientific literature and practical application, ensuring knowledge was logical and aligned with the specific needs of the coach and cultural context, demonstrating trust and accountability, displaying personal and social skills and an ability to engage athletes and obtain their approval. Crucially, while overlapping themes occurred, the skill specialists needed to be adaptable to each unique working relationship and this emerged over time.

This chapter discusses the range of issues and considerations in developing representative tasks in sport research and practice, and provide tangible examples, applied insights, and advice for researchers and practitioners. Experimental work has begun to critically evaluate the role of ball projection machines, which had previously been used to assess aspects of interceptive expertise, including visual and kinematic measures in cricket batting. In the design of research and practice tasks researchers and practitioners should consider the action fidelity and functionality provided in specific experimental and practice tasks. The peer-reviewed process itself creates a number of challenges for researchers, where the currently accepted scientific paradigm emphasizes statistical power and large numbers of participants, statistically rather than practically meaningful results, and generalizable data to a wide range of domains. The majority of boccia athletes have the physical disability of cerebral palsy, ranging in levels from moderate to severe.