Background: Hatha yoga has gained increasing popularity worldwide and has been associated with benefits for mental health and short-term emotional functioning. Objective: The present study examined pre–post changes in mood states following a single Hatha yoga session in adult women participating in community-based exercise programs. Methods: A total of 253 adult women participated in the study. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire immediately before and after a single 60 min Hatha yoga session. The questionnaire assesses anxiety–tension, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, and vigor. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the changes in mood states and the potential differences between the age groups. Results: Significant improvements in mood states were observed following the session. Anxiety–tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion decreased, while vigor increased. No significant time × age group interaction was observed for most mood variables. However, a significant interaction was found for vigor, indicating that women aged 41 and older showed a greater increase following the session. Conclusions: Participation in a single Hatha yoga session was associated with short-term changes in mood states among adult women, suggesting that yoga may represent a potentially beneficial community-based activity for supporting short-term mood regulation.

Within dance and physical education contexts, Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) refers to anxiety related to the perception that one’s body is being evaluated by others and is frequently reported in aesthetic movement contexts such as dance. While SPA has been widely examined in professional dancers, less is known about its associations with psychological and contextual characteristics in amateur dance education settings. The present study investigated associations between SPA and demographic, somatometric, contextual (BMI), and psychological variables in a sample of 422 amateur dancers participating in Greek traditional dance, classical ballet, contemporary, and Latin dance. Data were collected using validated Greek versions of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale–7 and the Short Almost Perfect Scale. Analyses included descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical linear regression. Dance type and BMI were significantly associated with SPA, while the inclusion of perfectionism dimensions increased the explained variance. Classical ballet participants reported higher SPA, whereas Greek traditional dancers reported lower levels. Both perfectionism dimensions were strongly associated with SPA. Focusing on amateur dancers across different dance types, this study contributes to the limited literature on social physique anxiety beyond professional dance while highlighting contextual and psychological factors shaping body-related anxiety in amateur dance participation.

Background/Objectives: In interceptive sports like volleyball, the ability to accurately time an action relative to a moving object (Coincidence Anticipation Timing—CAT) is critical. This study investigated the effects of a structured 8-week deliberate practice intervention on CAT accuracy and its long-term retention in young female athletes. Methods: Thirty-two female volleyball players (aged 8–10 years) were randomly assigned to an Experimental Group (EG, n = 16) and a Control Group (CG, n = 16). The EG underwent a specialized 8-week training program focusing on progressive cognitive load and immediate knowledge of results, while the CG followed standard volleyball training. A single-blind assessor measured CAT at two velocities (5 mph and 10 mph) using the Bassin Anticipation Timer at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and a 2-month retention test. Results: ANCOVA revealed a significant group-by-time interaction (p < 0.001), with the EG demonstrating a substantial reduction in absolute timing error. The effect size was markedly higher at 10 mph (partial η² = 0.400) compared to 5 mph (partial η² = 0.197). Crucially, the EG maintained their performance gains during the retention test (p < 0.05), whereas the CG showed no significant improvement over time. Conclusions: Targeted deliberate practice effectively enhances temporal prediction accuracy in children, likely by facilitating a shift from reactive to predictive motor control. The robust retention of these skills underscores the significant neuroplasticity of the 8–10 age window, suggesting that early foundational timing interventions provide long-lasting benefits for athletic development.

The present study aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Expressive Vocabulary Test - Movement Concepts Skills - Down syndrome (EVT-MCS-DS) and to examine possible differences in expressive vocabulary performance according to demographic characteristics, including sex, living arrangement, and age group. The sample comprised 48 men and 18 women with Down syndrome (M age = 26.56 ± 2.80 years).The instrument was developed through a multi-phase procedure including the selection of 50 movement concepts and skills, their transformation into pictorial stimuli by an expert committee, item analysis (difficulty, discrimination, and point-biserial correlation indices), content validity evaluation, and reliability assessment (Cronbach’s α, Kuder–Richardson 20, split-half reliability, and test–retest stability). Item analysis resulted in the exclusion of 18 items due to unacceptable psychometric indices, yielding a final 32-item test. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s α = .952, KR-20 = .80, Spearman–Brown = .94), while test–retest reliability demonstrated excellent stability (ICC Single Measures = .967; ICC Average Measures = .983). Content validity was also supported (I-CVI = .80–1.00; S-CVI/Ave = .92). The EVT–MCS-DS demonstrates satisfactory initial evidence of validity and reliability and may serve as a useful tool for assessing expressive naming of movement concepts and motor skills in adults with Down syndrome.