The aim of our research is to introduce Kin Ball for the first time in Romania and assess its impact on the motor capacities of practitioners, particularly focusing on its potential contribution to developing motor skills in young students within the academic sphere, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A retrospective, case–control study with a focus on four distinct research groups. Setting: The research was conducted in a camp setting, situated in the mountainous region of Bughea de Sus, Romania. Participants: The study included 94 students, comprising 54 boys and 40 girls, with an overall average age of 20.85 ± 2 years. All participants were classified as non-athletes based on their level of sports practice. Interventions: The Kin Ball initiation program, a key component of the study, comprised 20 training sessions conducted in 10-day stages, systematically evaluating participants’ motor skills. Main outcome measures: The study assessed palmar muscle strength, endurance, and co-ordination function. Results: Statistical analyses, including the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, revealed notable differences in the initiation process and significant variations (p < 0.05) in all measurements performed in 2022. In 2019, the tests recorded both significant and statistically insignificant differences, as indicated by the calculation of Cohen’s d indicator. Conclusions: The study underscored the influence of reduced movement during the pandemic on motor skills and highlighted Kin Ball’s potential as an alternative sport within physical education curricula. Despite lower baseline motor capacities observed in 2022, participants exhibited significant progress, emphasizing Kin Ball’s capacity to improve physical skills. These findings underscore the importance of alternative sports such as Kin Ball in fostering holistic personal development and mitigating the impact of pandemic-induced disruptions on motor skills.

The research deals with the particularities of the initiation in the sport of kin ball, of 94 students (54 boys and 40 girls), without a history of practicing the sport intensively, and the measure of the influence of some components of the motor capacity. Kin ball is a sport that appeared in Canada, in an academic setting and can become an alternative sport in the common university curricula in Romania. The research was carried out in 4 research groups in 2019 and 2022, two of boys and two of girls, similarly, before and after the declaration of the acute phase of the Covid-19 Pandemic, generating physical activity constraints. The originality of the research refers to the initiation, unprecedented in Romania, in the Kin ball sport, through 20 training sessions, carried out in 10-day stages and the evaluation of some motor skills on the subjects. During the experiment, the following components were tested pre- and post-intervention Kin-Ball: palmar muscle strength using the dynamometer, general resistance by running as long as possible for 2 min and general coordination function - body balance, by the Matorin test. The statistical calculation included the application of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, depending on which parametric or non-parametric statistical significance tests were applied and the estimation of the size of the intervention effect. The results highlighted particularities of initiation in Kin ball, but also significant differences (p<0.05) in all measurements performed in 2022. The tests in 2019 recorded both significant and statistically insignificant differences, also highlighted by the calculation of the d indicator of to Cohen. The lower initial level of all motor components measured in 2022 and their significant improvement represent aspects that can be understood as collateral effects of the lack of movement during the pandemic.

Background: In the present study we analyze the methods of postoperative recovery of knee mobility, as it is known that the most common type of trauma that can occur in skiers after practicing winter sports is the LIA. Method: We conducted a case study on an athlete, more specifically the concrete way of recovery of knee mobility as well as the psychological implications of surgery until full recovery. Results: From the data collected it appears that the knee mobility recovery program we proposed was successful, moreover there were no psychological aspects that could influence the speed of full recovery and the resumption of training at full capacity in a relatively short time. Conclusions: At the end of the recovery program, a constantly positive evolution during the treatment was observed, which meant that at the end of the treatment the subject was able to resume his sports activity, gradually integrating into the specific activity.