The aim of the research was to identify the effect of 4vs.4 small-sided games (SSGs) with goalkeepers (4vs.4+GK), applied twice a week, for 8 weeks, on U18 football players’ physical ability, compared to that of the athletes who performed specific aerobic endurance training. The research included 40 football players U18, divided into two groups: 20 in the experiment group (EG) aged 17.49 ± 0.61 years and 20 in the control group (CG) aged 17.66 ± 0.54 years. From the initial test (IT) to final tests (FT) performed on the parameters, maximum oxygen consumption (VO_2max) and 10 m and 20 m sprint and agility with and without a ball showed a significant increase for both groups. The first and last SSG training was monitored, using total distance (TD), high-intensity distance (HSR—high-speed running) and maximum intensity distance (VHSR—very-high-speed running). Comparative analyses of EG and CG parameters at the FT shows that the differences between the means of two groups are statistically significant in favor of the experimental group in terms of all parameters, except 10 m sprint (p < 0.05). Referring to SSGs, the experimental group had a 7.78% increase rate in TD (p < 0.0005), a 30.90% (p < 0.0005) increase rate with HSR and no significant differences (p > 0.05) with VHSR. The experimental training program of 4vs.4+GK SSGs, applied to U18 football players, produced significant progress in the physical, and functional parameters.

This study aimed to explore the impact of the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and physical states of sports students from Romania and also to compare the differences according to gender and the type of sport. Initially, in order to collect demographic data and health reports, a cross-sectional survey was developed to evaluate the emotional needs of sports students during the pandemic. After the second wave, the coping strategies used by the participants to fight negative emotions were assessed using the CERQ questionnaire. The results indicate that depression symptoms are the most reported psychological issues among the participants and that there are differences according to gender concerning the cognitive schemas they use in order to reduce the symptoms. Also, it was found that there are differences, corresponding to the type of sport, in choosing adaptive coping mechanisms. Ultimately, it was confirmed that higher levels of hopelessness among sports students are associated with increased vulnerability to substance use, with the correlation between those two indicators being strong. Delving deeper into this relationship can help identify critical points for intervention to prevent substance abuse. At the same time, the dichotomic analysis of the results found as moderators—the gender and the type of sport in decreasing the severity of depression could be an important aspect of the next counseling interventions.

Knowing the personality and autonomy factors of bodybuilders is a necessity in order to improve sports training, which would lead to the development of mental skills specific to competitive bodybuilding. The purpose of the study was to identify perception differences in personality and autonomy factors for three age categories of competitive bodybuilders in order to optimize the sports training process. The secondary purpose of the study was to identify perception differences in the characteristics of personality and autonomy in relation to the increase in the sporting age category of the competitive bodybuilders. The research sample included 30 competitive bodybuilders aged between 18 and 53 years, of which 21 were male and 9 were female, who were divided into three groups according to the sporting age category: G1—junior (18–23 years old), 10 athletes (33.3%); G2—senior (24–35 years old for female and 24–40 years old for male), 12 athletes (40%); G3—masters (over 35 years old for female and 40 years old for male), 8 athletes (26.7%). In the precompetitive stage, three standardized questionnaires were applied to the study participants, namely, two personality questionnaires (CP5F and ZKPQ) and a personal autonomy questionnaire (PAQ), which provided us with useful information for understanding the psychological profile of bodybuilding athletes. The results of the study were statistically significant, with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient indicating high internal consistency of the three questionnaires for all three sporting age groups, with higher values than the selected reference threshold of 0.700. According to the results of our study, the following personality and autonomy factors recorded higher and higher scores in direct relation with the increase in sporting age: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, autonomy, impulsive sensation seeking, value autonomy, behavioral autonomy, and cognitive autonomy. The personality and autonomy factors of which the scores did not increase directly proportionally to the sporting age category were sociability, activity, aggression–hostility, neuroticism–anxiety, and emotional autonomy. Competitive bodybuilders perceive the factors of personality and autonomy differently in relation to particularities of age and sports experience, and knowledge of these changes can contribute to the improvement of the sports training process

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between sport injury anxiety and career anxiety of amateur football players in Turkey. The study group of the research consists of 392 Amateur football players, 59 women and 333 men, who are actively participating in the competitions of the Turkish Football Federation in the 2021-2022 season. In this study, the “Sport Injury Anxiety Scale (SIAS)” and the “Career Anxiety Scale (CAS)” were used as data collection tools. In the study, descriptive statistical methods (percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation), independent sample T-test, One-Way ANOVA analysis and Pearson Correlation were used to analyze the data. Depending on the findings there was a significant difference according to the being injured before and league variables in the SIAS mean scores of the participants, but there was no significant difference in the variable of family income in the SIAS mean scores of the participants. On the other hand, a statistically significant difference was found in the variables of family income and league in the CAS mean scores of the participants. And no statistically significant difference was found in the CAS mean scores of the participants according to the being injured before variable. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the mean scores of SIAS were in a significant, positive and moderate relationship with the mean scores of CAS. In conclusion, it has been revealed that as the sports injury anxiety level of amateur football players increase, their career anxiety levels also increase.

The following protocol has been used in the research title: Does the inspiratory muscle warm-up have an acute effect on wrestling recovery performance? The aim of this research is to examine the acute effects of warm-up for inspiratory muscles on recovery, inspiratory muscle strength, along with some inspiratory function parameters in young wrestlers.