This study aimed to determine the effects of open kinetic chain (OKC) and closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises on visual reaction times and certain motor skills in young male boxers. Twelve young male athletes (mean age: 16.92±1.08 years) voluntarily participated in this study, which employed a pretest-posttest experimental research model, a quantitative research method, without a control group. The Ethics Committee Approval required for the research was received from Muş Alparslan University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee with decision number 9/73 dated 08.11.2023. Prior to and following training in OKC and CKC exercises, the athletes were tested on visual reaction times, vertical jumping, and flexibility. The paired samples t-test was applied to normally distributed data. According to our findings, there were no significant differences in the visual reaction time and flexibility tests with respect to the pre- and post-test results for the OKC exercises (p ˃ .05), although a significant difference was detected for the vertical jump test (p ˂ .05), with the post-test values determined to be lower than the pre-test values. While there were no significant differences in the CKC exercise pre-and post-test results for the vertical jump and flexibility tests (p ˃.05), a significant difference was observed in the visual reaction test (p ˂ .05), for which the post-test values were lower than the pre-test values. Based on these results, OKC exercises were determined to have a negative impact on jumping ability, whereas CKC exercises exhibited positive effects on visual reaction times. The use of CKC exercises can thus be recommended for studies aimed at improving visual reaction performance in young male boxers.

Background and Study Aim. Body composition, anaerobic power, and jumping performance are important factors for athletic performance. This study aimed to determine the relationship between body composition parameters and anaerobic power and jumping performance in basketball players. Material and Methods. Twelve male university students specializing in basketball (age: 20.83±2.21 years) participated voluntarily in the study. Body composition measurements and Wingate anaerobic power and countermovement jump (CMJ) tests were applied to the participants. This study was designed as a cross-sectional correlational study. The SPSS package program was used for statistical analysis of the data. The Shapiro-Wilk test was applied to assess the normality of the data. The data were found to follow a normal distribution. The Pearson correlation test was used to analyze relationships within the data. Results. According to the correlation test results, significant positive relationships were found between fat-free proportion and CMJ, peak power, mean power, and minimum power, while a significant negative relationship was found with the fatigue index. Significant positive relationships were also found between muscle proportion and CMJ, peak power, mean power, and minimum power, whereas a significant negative relationship was observed with the fatigue index. Similarly, significant negative relationships were found between fat proportion and CMJ, peak power, mean power, and minimum power, while a significant positive relationship was observed with the fatigue index. Significant positive relationships were identified between fluid proportion and CMJ, peak power, mean power, and minimum power. Significant negative relationships were found between basal metabolic rate (BMR) and peak power and minimum power, whereas a significant positive relationship was observed with the fatigue index. Lastly, significant negative relationships were found between visceral fat proportion and peak power, mean power, and minimum power, while a significant positive relationship was observed with the fatigue index. Conclusions. High fat mass negatively affects anaerobic power and jump performance, whereas higher muscle and fluid proportions improve performance. Strength training to increase lean body mass, maintaining fluid-electrolyte balance, and following a balanced nutrition program can positively impact athletic performance.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of various durations of dynamic warm-up exercise on different jump types in young male boxers. Fourteen young male athletes (mean age: 16.86±1.03 years, height: 172.57±11.34 cm, body weight: 65.21±16.42 kg) voluntarily participated in the study, which employed a pretest-posttest experimental research model, a quantitative method, without a control group. The athletes were instructed to run for 5 minutes at an average heart rate of 120 beats/min, followed by dynamic stretching consisting of 10 different exercises for durations of 5, 10, and 15 minutes on different days. After each period of different dynamic exercises, the participants performed drop jump, countermovement jump, and squat jump tests. The SPSS package program was used to analyze the data obtained from the research. Repeated Measures ANOVA and the Bonferroni test, a post-hoc test, were applied to normally distributed data. Examining the drop jump test results, a significant difference was detected between the various dynamic warm-up times (p < .05), with the distance measured after the 10-minute exercise period higher than those following the 5- and 15-minute warm-up periods. There were no significant differences between the dynamic warm-up times (p ˃ .05) for the countermovement jump and squat jump tests. As a result, dynamic warm-up exercises were determined to improve the drop jump performance of young male boxers, with the 10-minute exercise duration more positively affecting drop jump performance than either the 5- or 15-minute warm-up periods.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a six-week strength and speed training program on physical and physiological parameters in adolescent boxers. Twenty-nine healthy male boxers aged 15-17 years, with a minimum of four years of athletic experience, voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were divided into two experimental groups, maximal strength (n: 10, age: 15.20±0.42 years, height: 172.60±5.46 cm, body weight: 62.71±14.65 kg), maximal speed (n: 10, age: 15.70±0.95 years, height: 169.70±7.89 cm, body weight: 58.05±8.45 kg) and a control group (n: 9, age: 16.11±0.93 years, height: 174.11±6.64 cm, body weight: 67.09±9.73 kg). Boxers in the maximal strength and maximal speed groups underwent strength and speed training, respectively, in addition to boxing training three days per week during the six-week training period, while the control group only received boxing training during this period. Height, body weight, body fat percentage, heart rate, visual reaction speed, anaerobic power (vertical jump), hand grip strength, back strength, and aerobic power (20 m shuttle run) measurements were taken for all participating boxers both before and after the training period. The SPSS package program was used in the statistical analysis of the data. Comparing intra-group values for the maximal strength group before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the training period, significant differences were found in favor of the post-test results for right-hand grip, left-hand grip, and back strength (p < .05), while no significant differences were observed for the other parameters (p > .05). In the maximal speed group, there were significant differences in visual reaction times for both right and left hands, left-hand grip strength, and the 20 m shuttle run in favor of the post-test results (p < .05), while no significant differences occurred in the other parameters (p > .05). In the control group, a significant difference in visual reaction time for the right hand was detected (p < .05), while there were no significant differences in the other parameters (p > .05). In conclusion, the six weeks of maximal strength and maximal speed training undergone by adolescent male boxers had a positive effect on certain physical and physiological parameters.

This study aimed to evaluate the awareness levels of secondary school students studying in different climatic conditions toward winter sports by employing a descriptive scanning model, a quantitative research method. The SPSS 22.0 package program was used to analyze the data, while normality was assessed using the Kolmogorov and Smirnov tests. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-tests were performed for normally distributed data. In addition, the homogeneity of the variances was examined to determine between which groups the statistically significant differences occurred; since the variances did not exhibit homogeneous features, Tamhane’s T2 test, a post-hoc multiple comparison technique, was used. A significance level of p < .05 was accepted for the findings obtained from the analyses. In order to test the reliability of the scales, internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) were calculated, with the results presented in table format. Based on our findings, certain demographic and socioeconomic variables were observed to affect the awareness levels of secondary school students with regard to winter sports. Comparing students living in different climatic conditions, a greater awareness of winter sports was found among those residing in regions with low snowfall, where winter conditions are unsuited to winter sports. The level of awareness concerning winter sports was thus determined to vary according to education, socioeconomic situation, and demographic characteristics rather than climatic conditions

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the effects of six weeks of core training on service speed, vertical jump, 5m,10m, and 20m sprint speeds in young tennis players. Method: A total of 20 tennis players aged 13-15 years, 10 male and 10 female, voluntarily participated in the study, which employed a pre-test/post-test experimental model with no control group. In addition to the routine tennis training, the participating athletes engaged in core training three days per week for six weeks. Measurements and tests were made to determine the service speed and certain biomotor characteristics of the athletes before and after the training. Statistical analyses of the data were performed using the SPSS program. Results: The paired samples t-test was used for normally distributed data. According to the study findings, the post-test values were higher for the service speed and vertical jump tests of the young tennis players than the pre-test values (p˂.05). For the 5m, 10m, and 20m speed tests, the post-test values were significantly lower compared to the pre-test values (p˂.05). Conclusion: As a result, the six-week core training program carried out by the young tennis players was found to improve service speed along with motor characteristics pertaining to jumping and speed. Therefore, core training programs may be recommended for improving overall sports performance as they yielded increased service speed in young tennis players within a very brief period of just six weeks.