The main purpose of the study was to explore the associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with physical activity (PA). In this cross-sectional study, participants were 894 elderly individuals (mean age 80 ± 3 years; 56.0% women) living in nursing homes. PA, sleep duration, and sleep quality (based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were self-reported. The associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with PA at the nursing home level were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with clustering. Participants reporting short sleep duration (9 h; OR = 2.61; 95% CI 1.35–5.02) and good sleep quality (<5 points; OR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.19–2.12) were more likely to report sufficient PA. When sleep duration and sleep quality were entered into the same model, the same associations remained. This study shows that elderly individuals who report short sleep duration are less likely to meet PA guidelines, while those who report long sleep duration and good sleep quality are more likely to meet PA guidelines. Strategies aiming to improve sleep duration and sleep quality are warranted.

This work aimed to identify the influence of selected endogenous (internal load) and exogenous (possession duration, game quarter, and defensive pressure) factors in natural game conditions on the efficiency of dribbling and passing skills. Dribbling and passing skills were assessed during four games of U19 female basketball players and five games of senior (2nd division) female basketball players. In total, 551 dribbling and 914 passing executions were evaluated. Binary logistic regression identified defensive pressure of the opponent as a predictor of dribbling and passing skills effectivity. When the defensive pressure of the opponent was medium, the chances for the ineffective pass were 1.997 times more likely (95% CI; 1.179–3.383), as it is at the minimum defensive pressure. When the defensive pressure of the opponent was high, the chances for ineffective dribbling were 7.45 times more likely (95% CI; 3.672–15.113) and for ineffective pass were 8.419 times more likely (95% CI; 4.6–15.409), as it is at minimum defensive pressure. The game quarter and the internal load were not identified as the predictors influencing the dribbling and passing effectivity. Possession duration was also an insignificant predictor of dribbling and passing skills effectivity. However, the passing skill effectivity decreases when the shot clock is winding down. These findings confirm the importance of transferring game situations into the training process. Coaches should take into account these factors when they want to stimulate determinants of player performance in a balanced and systematic way.

Basketball shooting is one of the most important offensive skills in basketball. Winning or losing a game mostly depends on the shooting effectiveness. The study aims to compare the selected kinematic variables of 2-point (2-pt) and 3-point (3-pt) jump shots (after making a cut and receiving the ball) and ascertain the differences between elite male under 16 and 18 (U16M, U18M) and female under 16 and 18 (U16F, U18F) basketball players. Overall, forty-eight young male and female basketball players participated in the study. 3D motion analysis using an inertial suit with the addition of utilizing a smart ball was performed for assessing the 2-pt and 3-pt shooting techniques. Players in male categories shot for 2-pt with a higher center of mass difference in the vertical direction (U16M 5.7 cm, U18M 3.9 cm vs. U16F 1.4 cm, U18F 0.6 cm), with higher release shoulder angle (U16M 110.9, U18M 113.8 vs. U16F 103, U18F 105), and with a higher entry angle of the ball (U16M 34, U18M 32 vs. U16F 30, U18F 30) when compared to female categories (p < 0.001). In the 3-pt shooting, there were differences between male and female categories in the shoulder angle when releasing the ball (p < 0.001). In the players shooting speed, there were differences between U16M vs. U18F (0.95 ± 0.1 vs. 0.88 ± 0.1; p = 0.03) and U16F vs. U18F (0.96 ± 0.06 vs. 0.88 ± 0.1; p = 0.02) players. Male categories shot 3-pt shots with a smaller center of mass difference in the horizontal direction when compared to 2-pt shots (p < 0.001). The entry angle was higher in successful shooting attempts compared to unsuccessful shooting attempts when shooting for 3-pt (p = 0.02). Player shooting speed was higher in all categories (except U18F) when shooting for 3-pt (p < 0.001). It appears that performers show difference in kinematic variables based on distance from the basket. Basketball coaches and players should work to minimize the kinematic differences between 2-pt and 3-pt shooting and to optimize the shooting technique.

Basketball dribbling is one of the key elements in basketball game. There is a lack of studies investigating the effect of fatigue on kinematics and kinetics in basketball dribbling. There are two primary aims of this study: (1) to explore the effect of fatigue on kinematics and kinetics in dribbling with the change of directions; (2) to determine the effect of fatigue on dribbling speed. Fourteen Croatian senior male basketball players, not power forwards or centers (age: 21.16±3.43 years; body height: 188.81±6.88 cm; body mass: 87.81±6.06 kg; body fat: 13.34±3.52%) participated in the study. Each player performed two types of change of direction (COD) while dribbling: front COD and spin move in the non-fatigued and then in the fatigued state. Xsens suit and Novel insoles were used to measure the kinematic and kinetic parameters. In terms of the front COD, the results of this study demonstrated that the maximum angular velocity in the knee (p=.028) and wrist joint (p=.007) as well as maximum force (p=.004) significantly decreased in the fatigued state. In terms of the spin move, the results showed that there were significant differences in pelvis velocity (p=.000), the maximum angular velocity in the knee joint (p=.020), and the first step velocity (p=0.010) between the fatigued and non-fatigued states. No significant difference was found in the pelvis position, minimum angle in the knee joint and maximum force. Importantly, dribbling speed significantly decreased in the fatigued state (p=.002). The findings of this study suggest that coaching staff should design appropriate training programs to optimize players’ ability to resist fatigue when dribbling under real game speed conditions.

Three-point shooting plays an important role in determining the outcomes of basketball games and could be relevant for player selection. However, there has been little research into the relationship between basketball players’ physical capacities, metabolic capacities, and three-point shooting accuracy, particularly among female players. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical capacities, metabolic capacities, and dynamic three-point shooting accuracy in female professional basketball players. Twelve female professional basketball players from the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league (age: 19.04 ± 1.31 years, height: 181.33 ± 4.90 cm, playing experience: 7.83 ± 1.7 years) were recruited for this study. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analysis were run to assess the relationship between physical capacities, metabolic capacities, and dynamic three-point shooting. Results showed that coordination, balance, core strength, and relative average power were positively correlated with three-point shooting accuracy (r > 0.58, p < 0.05), while no other variables showed significant correlations. The current study suggests that coaching staff should consider coordination, balance, core strength, and anaerobic capacities when selecting players as well as in their training periodization if three-point shooting accuracy is considered relevant.

There are numerous programs worldwide adapted for alpine ski beginners and they all share the same primary goal—inclusion of skiing beginners in alpine ski schools. The final elements of ski school taught in the parallel skiing technique are parallel turn and short turn. Synchronized analysis of kinetic and kinematic parameters of the parallel turn (PT) and short turn (ST) was conducted to determine the main biomechanical differences from a standpoint of foot pressure and lower limb angles. Both elements were performed by nine male ski instructors (age 33.4 ± 8.62, height 179.52 ± 5.98 cm, weight 78.6 ± 8.88 kg). Kinetic and kinematic analysis was conducted on 180 turns, 90 for each element. Differences in kinetic and kinematic parameters between parallel and short turns were tested by a paired t-test. The main findings of our study are determined differences in the ratio of pressure distribution on the inside and the outside foot and differences in kinematic parameters of the outside leg between elements. The mentioned analysis can provide an objective insight into the complexity of each element and provide guidelines for teaching process of those elements. This study determined the reasons for higher complexity of ST compared to PT based on the objective evaluation of biomechanical factors.