There is little research on the study of specific characteristics that contribute to the faster adaptation of athletes during the transition from one sport to another. We used virtual reality (VR) to study the differences between professional ice hockey players and other sport professionals (freestyle wrestlers), who were novices in hockey in terms of motor responses and efficiency performance, on different levels of difficulty. In the VR environment, four levels of difficulty (four blocks) were simulated, depended on the speed of the puck and the distance to it (Bl1—60–80 km/h and 18 m; Bl2—60–100 km/h, distances 12 and 18 m; Bl3—speeds up to 170 km/h and 6, 12, and 18 m; Bl4—the pucks are presented in a series of two (in sequence with a 1 s interval)). The results of the study showed that the hockey professionals proved to have more stable movement patterns of the knee and hip joints. They also made fewer head movements as a response to stimuli during all runs (0.66 vs. 1.25, p = 0.043). Thus, working out on these parameters can contribute to the faster adaptation of wrestlers in developing professional ice hockey skills.

Саморегуляция является одним из основных ресурсов, способствующих продуктивной реализации деятельности и получению удовлетворения от жизни. Целью исследования было изучение роли различных аспектов саморегуляции в развитии внутренней мотивации и психологического благополучия при занятиях спортом. Для исследования различных аспектов саморегуляции была использована «Методика исследования самоуправления» Ю. Куля и А. Фурмана, для изучения выраженности внутренней мотивации – «Методика исследования мотивации в спорте», для диагностики степени удовлетворенности жизнью применялись «Шкала удовлетворенности жизнью» и «Шкала негативных и позитивных эмоций» Э. Динера. В исследовании приняли участие 178 спортсменов в возрасте от 17 до 33 лет (М = 19.38; SD = 1.88), имеющие звания (разряды) от юношеского до мастера спорта международного класса. Проведенный регрессионный анализ показал, что такие аспекты саморегуляции, как планирование своей деятельности, чувствительность к собственным ценностям и регуляция эмоционального состояния, способствуют более высокому уровню удовлетворенности спортсменов жизнью, а такие параметры, как развитие воли и способность к регуляции своей деятельности, значимо влияют на поддержание их внутренней мотивации к занятиям спортом. Сравнение групп с различными уровнями выраженности саморегуляции показало, что спортсмены, обладающие более высокими показателями навыка саморегуляции, характеризуются более устойчивой внутренней мотивацией к занятиям спортом и меньшей выраженностью негативных переживаний, а также чаще испытывают положительные эмоции. Кроме того, было впервые продемонстрировано, что наиболее развитые показатели волевой регуляции характерны для спортсменов на начальном и профессиональном уровнях мастерства, по сравнению с теми, кто находится на промежуточном этапе. Установлено, что саморегуляция является одним из важнейших ресурсов спортсмена, имеющих значение не только для повышения эффективности его деятельности и улучшения профессиональных результатов, но и для ощущения благополучия жизни в целом.

The aim of this study was to compare executive function skills in preschool children who were engaged in chess classes with those who were not. The participants were 88 typically developing 5–6-year-old children. There were two groups with 30 boys and 14 girls in each group: a group of chess players and a group of non-chess players. The results indicated that children who participated in chess classes exhibited significantly higher visuospatial working memory scores compared to their non-chess playing counterparts (U = 731, p = 0.05). Moreover, the analysis revealed no significant differences in the characteristics of extracurricular activities undertaken by the two groups. Consequently, the enhanced visuospatial working memory levels observed in the chess-playing group may be due to their participation in chess classes. Taken together, these findings suggest that chess classes may represent a viable method for enhancing visuospatial working memory in preschool-aged children.

The aim of this study was to determine the role of duration of preschool attendance and the quality of teacher-child interactions in the executive functions development of preschoolers. The study involved 947 children (51% girls) age 4–7 years (M = 70.3 months; SD = 4.3). The number of children attending kindergarten for less than 1 year was 144; 268 children (28.3%) had attended for 1 to 2 years; and 535 children (56.5%) had attended for more than 2 years. The results showed that the children who attended a group with a high quality of teacher-child interaction for one or more years had better results on verbal work memory, and cognitive and physical inhibitory control than those who attended the same group over a shorter period.

Sports training is one of the most popular extracurricular activities among preschool and elementary school children. The aim of this pilot study was to compare executive function skills in preschool boys who participated in football training and those who undertook martial arts training. The participants were sixty (60) typically developing 5–6-year-old boys from large Russian cities. There were two groups with 30 boys in each group: a football group and a martial arts group. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) male gender; (b) boys did not attend any extracurricular activities other than their football training or martial arts training; (c) the duration of football or martial arts training session was more than 30 min; (d) boys attended these trainings for at least 6 months and no more than 2 years. Caregivers reported on the specifics of child’s attendance at sports training and child’s age, maternal education, and family income, which were used as control variables. The results indicated that boys involved in football training had significantly higher spatial component of visuospatial working memory compared to boys involved in martial arts training. Taken together, these findings suggest that football training compared to martial arts training in 5–6-year-old boys may have more potential in terms of developing spatial component of visuospatial working memory. The results of this pilot study could serve as a basis for further investigation on this topic.