Introduction: The aim of the study was to analyse the deviations of the body posture and to assess the occurrence of spine deformities. Additionally, Body Mass Index in school children was related to the trend in postural deformities for different age groups (5-8 years old, n=112; 9-11 years old, n=205; 12-14 years old, n=212) as part of the project “Spine Lab”, granted from the European Commission IPA founds, investigating the importance of public health issues. Methods: Body posture was measured using Contemplas 3D software analyser, based on video image trajectory and BIA weight scale (Tanita BC 420). Overall, 17 variables were assessed, and differences were confirmed using MANOVA analysis. Results: The results showed that there is a significant difference between age groups for the measured variables (F=9.27; p<0.01; η ² =0.26), suggesting a moderate difference across the age span. Conclusion: The study results showed that there is a negative trend of increasing Body Mass Index within the first and youngest age group. The fact is that the trend of increasing deformity of the shoulder belt has been noted, often inclining towards the formation of milder forms of kyphotic posture. Other forms of deformity that are accentuated in the survey results are the negative trend of increasing pelvic rotation and pelvis rotation which inclines towards the formation of lordotic posture for all three age groups.

Background: This research aimed to compare individual penalties by gender and weight categories in judo from the Judo World Championships (WC): Budapest—2017, Baku—2018, Tokyo—2019 and Budapest—2021 in all individual weight categories for females and males. Methods: Data were collected by notational analysis of 2041 penalty videos for females and 3473 penalty videos for males (total n = 5514). All individual penalties—Shido 1, 2, 3 and Hansoku Make (direct disqualification) were analysed by the Pearson chi-square test at the level of statistical significance of 5%. Results: Significant differences were noted in the assigned individual penalties between individual categories (p < 0.001) in both genders. The significant difference was contributed mainly by the weight category +78 kg with penalties Non-combativity (5.3) and Avoid Grip (−3.4) in females, while in males it impacted by the +100 kg weight category and the Non-combativity (4.2) and Avoid Grip (−4.0) penalties. For females, the most dominant individual penalties were Non-combativity (41.6%), Avoid Grip (16.2%) and False Attack (15.0%), and were Non-combativity (40.3%), Avoid Grip (19.5%) and False Attack (16.4%) for males. The largest number of penalties in females were in −52 kg (16.7%), −57 kg (15.9%) and +78 kg (15.2%) categories, while in males, they were −66 kg (17.2%), −73 kg (16.1%) and −90 kg (15.6%). Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the leading penalties in all weight categories for both genders on WC to be Non-combativity, Avoid Grip and False Attack. Additionally, a new trend in heavyweight athletes with a lower number of penalties is noted. The obtained results indicate the need to pay more attention to working with competitors of all ages and genders on education to implement tactical variants, forms and means to use penalties to athletes’ advantage, especially after a possible rule change and to lower the occurrence of injuries.

Penalties in judo result from negative actions that are not in line with judo combat regulations. The aim of the research was to determine the differences in penalties between winner and non-winner competitors in judo. A total of 1799 (men=1133 and women=666) matches with penalties were evaluated during 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Judo Championships. The variables were expressed as proportions and compared with the Chi-Square test with pairwise Z-tests. The ratio of receiving the first and second shido was the same in men and women athletes (p>.05), but it was different for weight categories (p<.05). The ratio of shido penalty was different between winner and non-winner athletes, the ratio of the second shido was lower in winner athletes (p<.05). While the ratio of forbidden action was the same in winner and non-winner athletes (p>.05), the ratio of forbidden actions in the first and second shido differed (p<.05). The difference in the penalty ratios in winner and non-winner athletes, especially the difference in forbidden actions leading to first and second shido may reflect some tactical differences. The results of this research can significantly contribute to the understanding of the significance of judo penalties both in training and in competition, as well as to the further study of judo penalties.

Purpose of the research was to compare the effects of dynamic and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching on knee isokinetic strength and power parameters. Sample size of 50 male athletes is represented as male...

Background/Objectives: The preschool period plays an essential role in shaping a child’s overall development, which influences physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth. At this stage, establishing proper postural habits is essential, as it can have lasting effects on health, well-being, helps to prevent future issues, and supports overall development. Therefore, the present work aims to determine the differences in postural status between boys and girls of preschool age. Methods: The sample of participants consisted of 92 children (n = 46 boys and n = 46 girls); the average age for girls was 5.41 ± 0.30 years and for boys it was 5.53 ± 0.31 years. Data were collected using licensed state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, Contemplas 3D Posture Compact, using 16 variables to assess postural status with a Mann–Whitney U test. Results: The results of this study indicate that boys have more pronounced deformities in the following variables: shoulder displacement (p = 0.047), pelvic obliquity (p = 0.000), sag. distance cervical spine–sacrum (p = 0.029), sag. distance thoracic spine–sacrum (SDTS) (p = 0.016), and sag. distance lumbar spine–sacrum (SDLS) (p = 0.005). Conclusions: This study confirmed gender differences in postural characteristics in preschool children. Boys showed a greater tendency towards postural deviations, indicating the necessity for specific interventions and programs to improve their posture. On the basis of the results of this research, it is recommended to carry out cross-cultural research that would enable the comparison of results among children from different environments and cultural contexts in order to determine possible differences and particularities in the development of postural characteristics. Future research should include larger and more diverse samples of participants, including children from rural and urban areas, in order to ensure the representativeness and generalizability of the results. In addition, conducting a longitudinal study that would monitor the postural characteristics of children through different developmental stages is suggested, aiming to identify critical periods for intervention and to determine, more precisely, development trends within the context of gender differences.