Higher education requires a pedagogical transformation to guide teaching practice toward true educational competences. Service-Learning (SL) has become a teaching methodology that promotes social and personal skills. This systematic review of the literature reports SL experiences and research of university subjects related to physical education and sport sciences. All of them are based on different descriptive axes such as the type of publication: description of educational experiences, research articles or theoretical works. Similarly, this review has considered the geographical location, the methodological approaches used, the type of service provided and the different profiles of service recipient groups. Following an exhaustive search, 18 peer-reviewed publications were organized according to the methodology used, characteristics of the sample, duration and intensity of intervention programmes, instruments used, geographic distribution, profile of the group receiving the service and effects on students’ academic learning. The results indicate that the methodologies used tended to be qualitative, while the variety of samples and duration of interventions was very broad. The instruments used were mainly interviews and questionnaires. Most of the groups receiving SL included people with functional diversity or disabilities, children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, children with special educational needs, people at a disadvantage or social exclusion and curricular lag. The publications in the present review highlight the impact of SL in university subjects related to physical education and sport sciences.

Service-Learning (SL) has become a teaching methodology that promotes social and personal skills while helping groups in need and at risk of social exclusion. This paper is a systematic review of the literature on SL experiences and research on college subjects in the area of health-care promotion in settings for older adults. After an exhaustive search, 43 peer-reviewed publications were classified according to frequency and geographical distribution, sample and duration of the programs, research methodologies, data collection instruments used, and main outcomes investigated. The results indicate that the research methodologies used tended to be qualitative and mixed, while the variety of samples and duration of interventions was very broad. The instruments used were mainly interviews and questionnaires, and the programs were developed specially in the United States of America. The groups receiving most SL were healthy older adults and older adult populations with aging disabilities and illnesses. The articles in the present review highlight that SL can have a positive effect on older adults’ health promotion and can enhance their community participation.

Background: The evolution of women’s football over the past three decades has been remarkable in terms of development, visibility, and acceptance, transforming into a discipline with growing popularity and professionalization. Significant advancements in gender equality and global visibility have occurred, and the combination of emerging talent, increasing commercial interest, and institutional support will continue to drive the growth and consolidation of women’s football worldwide. Methods: The purpose of this study was to present a bibliometric analysis of articles on the evolution of women’s football in terms of scientific production as well as its causes and motivations over the past 30 years (1992–2024). A total of 128 documents indexed in the Web of Science database were reviewed. Outcome measures were analyzed using RStudio version 4.3.1 (Viena, Austria) software and the Bibliometrix data package to evaluate productivity indicators including the number of articles published per year, most productive authors, institutions, countries, and journals as well as identify the most cited articles and common topics. Results: Scientific production on women’s football has shown sustained growth, particularly since 2010. Key research areas have focused on injury prevention, physical performance, psychosocial factors, motivation, and leadership. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain have emerged as the most productive countries in this field, with strong international collaboration reflected in co-authorship networks. Conclusions: The study revealed a clear correlation between the evolution of women’s football and the increase in scientific production, providing a strong foundation for future research on emerging topics such as the importance of psychological factors, sport motivation and emotional well-being on performance, gender differences at the physiological and biomechanical levels, or misogyny in social networks, thus promoting comprehensive development in this sport modality.

Players must be capable to have a good change-of-direction (COD) skill aiming to be the fastest as possible to react immediately to the opponent or even to help players to be more agile since COD is a physical determinant of agility. Thus, the aim of this study was to test the effects of a six-week combined training intervention in the COD and countermovement jump (CMJ) of young soccer players, while comparing with a control group only performing the regular field-based training sessions. A sample of 80 non-professional players (40 experimental group and 40 control group) between the ages of ten and twelve was taken [(Age: 10.70 ± 1.02)]. The tests that were carried out from the beginning to the end of the intervention were: CMJ test, 505COD Test and Illinois Test. Paired sample t-test was used for determining differences as a repeated measures analysis (pre- post). An ANCOVA test was performed using the pretest as a covariate and the times pre and post as factors. Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed significant influence of baseline level on the 5-0-5 COD (p = 0.001; η_p²=0.170), the Illinois (p = 0.018; η_p²=0.070) and the CMJ (p = 0.047; η_p²=0.050). Significant interactions group*time (p < 0.001; η_p²=0.137), 5-0-5 COD (p < 0.001; η_p²=0.274), and CMJ (p < 0.001; η_p²=0.392) were found, while no significant interactions were found in Illinois (p = 0.293; η_p²=0.014). The current research revealed that a combined training intervention consisting of strength training, plyometrics, and running techniques can be significantly beneficial for improving COD performance and CMJ.

(1) Background: The main aim of this study was to examine the effect of an intervention of 12 weeks in three groups on anthropometric measurement and heart rate (HR) variables, fitness index, and maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) in older women. (2) Methods: In total, 166 Serbian adult women, aged 50 to 69 years old, participated in this study, comprising a control group (60 participants, μ_age = 57.8 + 6.6), Nordic-walking (NW) group (53 participants, μ_age = 57.5 + 6.8), and recreational-walking (RW) group (53 participants, μ_age = 57.8 + 6.6) in a physical fitness programme for 12 weeks. (3) Results: Anthropometric measurement variables were measured using a stadiometer and an electronic scale. The data showed differences in walking heart rate (bt/min) (p < 0.001; η² = 0.088) between control, NW, and RW groups in the pretest analysis. Moreover, there were significant differences in walking heart rate (bt/min) (η² = 0.155), heart rate at the end of the test (bt/min) (η² = 0.093), total time of fitness index test (min) (η² = 0.097), fitness index (η² = 0.130), and VO₂max (η² = 0.111) (all, p < 0.001) between control, NW, and RW groups in the posttest analysis. (4) Conclusions: NW group training resulted in slightly greater benefits than RW group training. The present study demonstrated that both groups could act as modalities to improve the functionality and quality of life of people during the ageing process, reflected mainly in HR variables; UKK test measurements, and VO₂max. It also contributes to the extant research on older women during exercise and opens interesting avenues for future research.

This study (1) analyzes the differences between non-participating and participating older women in terms of clinical characteristics, pain coping strategies, health-related quality of life and physical activity (PA); (2) studies the associations between non-participants and participants, clinical characteristics, pain coping strategies, HRQoL and bodily pain and PA; and (3) determines whether catastrophizing, physical role, behavioural coping, social functioning and emotional role are significant mediators in the link between participating in a Pilates-aerobic program (or not) and bodily pain. The sample comprised 340 older women over 60 years old. Participants of the present cross-sectional study completed measures of clinical characteristics: HRQoL using the SF-36 Health Survey, pain-coping strategies using the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory (VPMI) and PA using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Significant differences between non-participants and participants, were found in clinical characteristics, pain-coping strategies (both, p < 0.05), HRQoL (p < 0.01), and PA (p < 0.001). Moreover, catastrophizing support mediated the link between non-participants and participants and bodily pain by 95.9% of the total effect; 42.9% was mediated by PA and 39.6% was mediated by behavioural coping. These results contribute to a better understanding of the link between PA and bodily pain.