Improving physical literacy (PL) is recognized as a potentially effective approach for enhancing overall physical activity (PA) and fitness status, including body composition, but few studies have examined the impact of PL-oriented education on directly measured PA and body composition in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a three-month quasi-experimental PL-based educational intervention, delivered as part of the regular physical education (PE) curriculum, in preadolescent children. A total of 119 children aged 9–11 years (51 girls) from southern Croatia participated in the study and were assigned to either a control group (n = 68) or an intervention group (n = 51). The intervention group received a PL-focused educational program integrated into regular PE classes, whereas the control group followed the standard PE curriculum. PA was assessed using accelerometers, and body composition was measured using bioimpedance analysis. A pre–post–retention design was applied (baseline at the start of the school year, post-intervention in December, and retention testing at the end of the school year), and a three-way repeated-measures ANOVA (group × gender × time) was conducted. The intervention prevented declines in vigorous physical activity (VPA) and step count (STEPS) and maintained overall sedentary time (ST) in the experimental group throughout the school year. Significant group × time interaction effects were detected for VPA, STEPS, and ST (F = 4.01, 4.09, and 5.34, respectively; all p < 0.05). No significant effects were found for body composition. In conclusion, the PL-based intervention allowed effective mitigation of the typical seasonal decline in activity levels observed during the school year. Further studies evaluating the effects of similar interventions on other indices of fitness status are warranted.

The primary objective of this research was to determine coaches’ assessments of the key variables that define the success model in athletic throwing disciplines, as well as to evaluate differences between sexes in the disciplines of javelin, discus, shot put, and hammer throw. Thus, 35 elite coaches were asked about the influence of maximum strength and explosive power factors, manifested through various physical exercises, on final success in throwing disciplines. The questionnaire gathered general information about the coach’s achievements as an athlete and coach and key strength and power metrics, including knee lunge, knee jerk, back squat, bench press, deadlift, standing long jump, standing triple jump, and the 20 m sprint. A two-way within–within 2 × 4 ANOVA revealed a significant effect of sex (male, female) (p < 0.001, η² ranged 0.820–0.996) and discipline (javelin, discus, shot put, hammer) (p < 0.001, η² ranged 0.359–0.996) in all variables except triple standing jump. These findings offer valuable insights into how explosive power and maximum strength are perceived by elite coaches to affect success in different throwing disciplines. The results have practical applications, as they can inform the design and refinement of success models tailored to throwing disciplines, providing essential guidelines for optimizing contemporary training approaches in elite athletics and enhancing performance outcomes across genders and specific events.

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and predictive validity of specific athletic running drills: A-skip, B-skip, bounding step, and jumps, in relation to sprint performance over 5 m and 20 m distances. Sixty-three young males (mean age: 21.3 ± 2.1 years; body height: 183 ± 6.5 cm; body weight: 77 ± 9.3 kg) were enrolled in the study. Running drill performance was recorded on an athletics track using high-speed cameras and evaluated based on predefined criteria and a scoring system. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CV). Predictive validity was determined via Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analyses. The results indicated good to excellent inter-rater reliability for A-skip (ICC = 0.897) and jumps (ICC = 0.9), while B-skip and bounding step showed good reliability (ICC = 0.808 and 0.874, respectively). The 20 m sprint demonstrated excellent reliability (ICC = 0.969, CV = 2.07%), while the 5 m sprint had good reliability (ICC = 0.863, CV = 3.58%). B-skip emerged as the strongest predictor for both sprint distances, with significant negative associations (5 m: β = -0.531, p < 0.01; 20 m: β = -0.322, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that specific drills, particularly B-skip, demonstrate high inter-rater reliability and moderate predictive validity as indicators of short-sprint performance, with B-skip showing the strongest association. Coaches and practitioners can use these drills to enhance training programs to improve acceleration and speed over short distances.

Introduction: In recent years, running has become a popular form of recreational sports activity for adults. This study explores the relationships between motivation and injury among recreational runners, a growing population influenced by societal trends in health and wellness. Methods: The study involved 104 participants, consisting of 74 women and 75 men. Among them, 67 were part of a ‘running school’ program, while the remaining 73 were individual runners who trained independently without the guidance of a coach. The Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2) and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Questionnaire on Health Problems, which is based on the OSTRC Overuse Injury Questionnaire, were used for the research. Results: The study found that pelvic injury was more severe in male participants, while women tended to experience serious back injuries that required them to take a break from training. All participants demonstrated high levels of intrinsic motivation. Multiple regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between injuries and intrinsic motivation in women, whereas in men, there was a negative correlation with introjected regulation. Conclusion: The ‘running school’ participants showed a negative association between injury and external regulation compared to individual runners, where amotivation and injury were positively associated.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of some strength and power dimensions on success in athletic throwing disciplines.Methods: The research was performed on a sample of kinesiology students (n = 38). The sample of variables was derived from 12 tests for evaluating power and strength, and three tests for evaluating athletic achievements in throwing (discus, javelin and shot put). Testing included bench press, deadlift, pull-ups, standing long jump, Sargent jump test, triple jump, and 5-, 10-, and 20-metre sprints.Results: The indicator values of metric characteristics show that the applied motor tests, such as the standing long jump (ICC = 0.91) and the 5-metre sprint (ICC = 0.86), exhibited high reliability, good homogeneity, and a normal data distribution. The impact of the predictor variables on success in throwing disciplines was determined using classical regression analysis. For the shot put, strength significantly influenced performance in the early learning stages, with a β coefficient of 0.44 (p = 0.03) during initial measurements, increasing to 0.55 (p < 0.01) in the final phase. In contrast, power became more relevant in the later stages for javelin (β = –0.31, p < 0.05) and discus throwing (β = 0.49, p < 0.01), underscoring the evolving importance of explosive power in these disciplines as athletes refine their techniques.Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of tailored training protocols that address the unique demands of each discipline, providing valuable guidance for coaches and athletes in optimising throwing performance.

Background: Warm-up strategy is a key determinant of sprint performance, yet how different protocols influence performance across repeated sprint trials remains unclear, particularly regarding sex-specific responses. This study compared the acute effects of three warm-up protocols on repeated sprint performance in male and female athletes. Methods: Thirty-four male and 23 female athletes completed three warm-up protocols on separate occasions: a general long warm-up (GLW; 20 min), a long specific warm-up (LSW; 20 min), and a short specific warm-up (SSW; 10 min). After each protocol, participants performed three maximal 60 m sprints (T1, T2, T3), with split times recorded at 10 and 40 m. Sprint times were analysed using a three-way mixed-design ANOVA, with protocol and trial as within-subject factors and sex as the between-subject factor. Results: A significant protocol × sex interaction was observed at 40 m (F = 4.32, p = 0.016, ηp² = 0.07) and 60 m (F = 4.08, p = 0.020, ηp² = 0.07), but not at 10 m. Follow-up analyses showed no significant protocol differences in males. In females, LSW and SSW allowed faster sprint times than GLW at both 40 m and 60 m, while LSW and SSW did not differ from each other. The protocol × trial and protocol × trial × sex interactions were not significant. Conclusions: In this sample of student athletes, sprint-specific warm-ups allowed faster sprint performance than the general warm-up in females over 40 and 60 m, whereas no protocol differences were observed in males. These findings suggest that sex-specific responses to warm-up may be distance-dependent and should be interpreted in light of the heterogeneous sample and lack of menstrual-cycle control.