The question of how games should be taught is still a controversial subject. There has been a growing number of studies on teaching games and coaching sports since the first publication of Bunker and Thorpe on Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). In this sense, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to systematically review the scientific literature about the effects of technical and tactical approach interventions on skill execution and decision making, and to examine the influence of the teacher/coach management style. A systematic literature search was carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines in Web of Science (WOS), PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and SportDiscus electronic databases. A total of seven and six studies were deemed to meet the inclusion criteria for decision making and skill execution, respectively. Meta-analysis results showed that tactical interventions achieved significant improvements in decision making (effect size = 0.89 with 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.12 to 1.65), but they did not show significant improvements in skill execution (effect size = 0.89 with 95% CI from −0.45 to 2.23) compared to technical approaches. However, the heterogeneity of interventions was large and the quality of evidence was low according to GRADE. In conclusion, tactical approaches are recommended to teach games and sports in order to develop technique, understanding, tactical knowledge, and decision making, which are demanded in game play. These findings could be useful for teachers and coaches to improve these aspects of their players and students.

New models for teaching sports have arisen in the last years, characterised by the use of more contextualised situations, modified games, tactical awareness, transference of technical–tactical learning and different teaching progression, among other aspects. In this regard, small-sided games must be highlighted, due to their ability to integrate physical fitness, technique and tactical behaviour stimuli in similar conditions to the real game. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to analyse and describe the methodological possibilities that SSGs can provide regarding the teaching of technical–tactical aspects in team sports at young ages. The guidelines of the PRISMA declaration were followed with the purpose of conducting a systematic search. The search was performed in the databases Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus and SportDiscus. From the 451 identified in an early phase, plus the 20 found in the references of other studies, only 47 met the inclusion criteria and were selected. The results yielded scientific evidence that justifies the use of small-sided games as a methodological resource for sports teaching at young ages. Among the main reasons, it can be highlighted that a reduction in the number of players and in the size of the pitch area increases the total ball contact per player and, therefore, the number of technical actions. Moreover, the intentional modification of certain rules helps to develop some sport training fundamentals.

The aim was to review the effects of cooperative learning interventions on intrinsic motivation in physical education students, as well as to conduct a meta-analysis to determinate the overall effect size of these interventions. The PRISMA guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis. The PEDro Scale was used to assess the risk of bias and the GRADE approach was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. A total of five studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and they were included in the meta-analysis. Effect size for intrinsic motivation of each study was calculated using the means and standard deviations of the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (PLOC) before and after the intervention. The overall effect size for intrinsic motivation was 0.38 (95% CI from 0.17 to 0.60) while the heterogeneity was large. Although four of the five studies reported significant within-group improvements in intrinsic motivation, only three studies showed significant between-group differences in favor of the experimental group. The findings showed that program duration and participant age may be relevant factors that must be considered by educators and researchers to conduct future effective interventions. Cooperative learning interventions could be a useful teaching strategy to improve physical education students’ intrinsic motivation. However, given the large heterogeneity and the low quality of the evidence, these findings must be taken with caution.

The aim of this systematic review was to identify the main factors affecting the training process of para-athletes, as well as the barriers they encounter. For this purpose, a systematic review was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA declaration guidelines, in which six databases were analysed (Web of Science, Scopus, SportDiscus, Pubmed, Eric, and PsycInfo). A total of 19 articles were selected for analysis after applying the inclusion criteria. The results show that the figures of the coach and families in the sporting and social contexts, respectively, had a relevant influence on the training process of para-athletes. Furthermore, in terms of psychological aspects, stress reduction, the importance of self-esteem, and motivation were highlighted. On the other hand, there are some barriers hindering the training and performance of athletes, which are related to the lack of financial support, lack of visibility in the media, and dependence on other people. These considerations can be of great help to coaches and competent institutions in the field (Paralympic committees, federations, etc.) in order to improve the training process and performance of para-athletes and to eliminate the barriers encountered by this group, promoting policies which facilitate access to sports for people with disabilities.

(1) Background: Paralympic women athletes in their training process go through a series of interrelated stages which are parallel to their evolutionary development, during which a wide variety of psychological, social, and biological factors will have an impact. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors influencing the sports training process of Spanish Paralympic women athletes (social, sporting, psychological, technical–tactical factors, physical condition, as well as barriers and facilitators) who had won at least one medal (gold, silver, or bronze) in the 21st century Paralympic Games (from Sydney 2000 to Tokyo 2020). (2) Methods: The research involved 28 Spanish Paralympic women athletes who had won at least one medal at a Paralympic Games in the 21st century. An interview of 54 questions grouped into 6 dimensions (sport context, social context, psychological, technical–tactical, physical fitness, and barriers and facilitators) was used. (3) Results: Coaches, as well as families, were essential in the sport development of Paralympic athletes. In addition, most women athletes recognized that psychological aspects were of vital importance, as well as working on technical–tactical aspects and physical fitness in an integrated way. Finally, the Paralympic women athletes highlighted that they had to face numerous barriers, mainly financial challenges and issues with visibility in the media. (4) Conclusions: Athletes consider it necessary to work with specialists to control emotions, increase motivation and self-confidence, as well as to reduce stress and anxiety and manage pressure. Finally, the training process and sporting performance of Paralympic women athletes are conditioned by several barriers, including economic, social, architectural, and disability barriers. These considerations can be taken into account by the technical teams working with Paralympic women athletes, as well as by the competent bodies, to improve the sports training process of these athletes.

Con el objetivo de analizar el proceso de formación deportiva de los judokas españoles de élite, se diseñó una entrevista semiestructurada de 52 preguntas agrupadas en 6 dimensiones (entorno social, entorno deportivo, psicológica, técnico-táctica, condición física y otros aspectos). Se llevó a cabo un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo mediante la valoración de 10 expertos. Se analizó la validez de contenido a través del coeficiente V de Aiken, estableciendo un intervalo de confianza del 99 %, y el coeficiente de variación. Para conocer la fiabilidad se pasó la entrevista a judokas de alto nivel en dos momentos distintos y se analizó la consistencia interna por el método del Alfa de Cronbach (0,915) y la fiabilidad test-retest utilizando el coeficiente de correlación intraclase resultando 0,843 (p<0,01). La entrevista reúne suficientes propiedades como para ser considerado una herramienta válida y fiable para estudiar y analizar el proceso de formación de los judokas de élite. PALABRAS CLAVES: Deportista de élite, formación deportiva, judo. ABSTRACT In order to analyze the process of sports training of the Spanish elite judokas , a semistructured interview of 52 questions grouped into 6 domains ( social, sporting environment , psychological , technical and tactical, physical condition and other aspects ) was designed. It was conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis with 10 experts´ valuation. The validity of content was analysed through the coefficient V Aiken , establishing a 99 % confidence interval, and so the coefficient of variation was analyzed. To know reliability the interview was given to senior judokas in two different moments , and internal consistency was analysed by the Cronbach's alpha method ( 0.915 ) and so test-retest reliability by using the intraclass correlation coefficient resulting 0.843 (p < 0.01 ) . The interview brings enough properties to be considered a valid and reliable tool to study and analyze the formation of elite judokas KEY WORDS: Elite athlete, sports training, judo.