Diabetes mellitus type 2 is often described as the global pandemic of the 21st century with India emerging as its capital. Microvascular complications such as retinopathy associated with diabetes a...

Background and Study Aim. Physical fitness serves as a significant indicator of an individual's health and overall well-being. This research aims to analyze students' physical fitness by conducting a comparative study based on social status. Physical fitness was measured as an indicator of students' health and well-being.Material and Methods. Quantitative descriptive research using survey method. This study involved low-grade students from two elementary schools, namely Mujahidin Elementary School and State Elementary School 16 Rasau Jaya, which have different social status. The sampling method used purposive sampling technique, with a total sample of 40 students from each school. Physical fitness data collection was conducted using the Indonesian Physical Fitness Test. Analysis was assisted using the SPSS 26 application.Results. The results showed a significance value of 0.538 > 0.05 that there was no significant difference in physical fitness between students from both schools based on social status. Although there were variations in the mean physical fitness scores, the differences did not reach the level of statistical significance.Conclusions. This study contributes to the understanding of physical fitness differences based on social status among low-grade students. The implications of the results of this study can be used for the development of more focused intervention programs to improve physical fitness, especially among students with economic and educational challenges.

Research purpose. This study aimed to determine the EMG analysis of forehand topspin using different ball materials. Materials and methods. For the purposes of this study, seven male university-level table tennis players who were right-hand dominant players (age 21.1 ± 2.4 years, height 162.6 ± 6.8 cm, mass 61.8 ± 3.2 kg) with at least 6 years of playing experience were selected. The selected participants were physically active and had no physical injuries. The study was approved by the research committee. Pectoralis Major (PM), Deltoid Anterior (DA), Latissimus Dorsi (LD), Biceps Brachii (BB), Extensor Carpi Radialis (ECR), Flexor Carpi Radialis (FCR) muscles were selected for the electromyographical study. One of the EMG signals variable Root Mean Square was measured in all muscles, through which the maximum muscle involvement was evaluated. For each assessed muscle and both ball materials, the mean value of Root Mean Square EMG signals was computed. For descriptive statistics, minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation were used, and a t-test was used as a statistical technique. Results. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results of the study showed no significant difference in EMG variable Root Mean Square between celluloid and poly plastic ball material on selected muscles. Conclusions. We conclude that the biceps brachii and extensor carpi radialis are important muscles for the forehand topspin because they are responsible for flexion of the arm and work strongly in the action of gripping in the performance of quick forehand spin strokes.

How ladder drill V-pattern and snake jump exercises impact the agility of basketball players

Aim of study. Cricket is considered a mental game among elite level performers. Specific personality traits characterize elite-level endeavors and high-potential athletes. Previous studies on psychological characteristics of cricket players reported that more skilful cricketers deal more consistently and effectively with their emotions and pressure. Therefore the objective of the present study was analysis of personality traits of cricket players at national, state, and district levels with the help of Five-Factor Model. Materials and Methods. Sample size included 120 male subjects (60 batsmen and 60 pace bowlers) recruited from cricket academies/training facilities/competition venues in India. Big-Five Personality Inventory (BFI-44) was utilized to measure personality dimensions. Differences among personality variables at different competition levels of batsmen and pace bowlers were analyzed using One-way MANOVAs. Results. National level pace bowlers scored high on openness (national vs. district, Mean Difference (MD) = 4.25, p < 0.05; national vs. state, MD = 2.75, p < 0.05) and agreeableness (national vs. district, MD = 4.70, p < 0.05; national vs. state, MD = 3.40, p < 0.05). Similarly, national level batsmen scored high on extraversion (national vs. district; MD = 4.350; p < 0.05), agreeableness (national vs. state; MD = 3.70; p < 0.05), and conscientiousness (national ns. district, MD = 3.25, p < 0.05; national vs. state, MD = 3.450, p < 0.05). Conclusions. National level pace bowlers exhibited greater agreeableness and openness whereas similar level batsmen showed greater agreeableness, openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness as compared to lower levels of participation. Since the concept of “Form” demands multi-factorial approach in the game of cricket, other facets of personality such as focus, mental toughness, self-belief, optimism etc. should also be explored for effective talent identification and coaching in cricket.

Background. Pace bowling is the most injury susceptible position in cricket due to repeated high intensity maneuvers. Previous studies on pace bowlers have considered anthropometric, biomechanical, and kinesiological factors for deciphering the injury etiology. Study purpose. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the association of body composition parameters with the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries among pace bowlers in cricket. Materials and methods. A total of 44 healthy professional male pace bowlers (N=44; Age: 22.89±4.5 years; Height: 176±9 cm; Body weight: 76.34±8.09 kg; BMI: 21.4±3.1) were recruited from various cricket academies. They were assessed on anthropometrics, body composition, and aerobic fitness before the start of Indian cricket season (typically mid-September). Any non-contact sports injury accounting for significant time loss during the season was recorded followed by assessment of change in body composition status among injured and non-injured pace bowlers. Results. We found hamstring injury as the most prevalent injury (05/12). Lower back injury accounted for highest severity with time loss of 48 matches. Injured pace bowlers underwent higher training volume (hours/day; p=.009) prior to injury incidence, were significantly heavier, and had greater volume of total body water. All the pace bowlers gained significant amount of fat-free mass (FFM) from pre- to post-season. Conclusions. Higher training workload and higher body weight were associated with more injury risk among pace bowlers. Further research accommodating other predictive factors of body composition and psychomotor learning must be carried out to precisely predict injury risk among pace bowlers in cricket.