The relationship between esports and cognitive performance has recently gained increasing interest in the scientific community. However, our knowledge of the effects of acute sprint exercise (SE) on game performance and cognitive performance of esports players (as compared to age-matched controls) is scant. To address this gap, this study using a between-subjects design with pretest-posttest comparisons recruited amateur esports players aged between 18 and 35 years, and healthy age-matched controls who did not play esports games. The participants performed the Go/No-go test, Tracking Test, and the First Person Shooter (FPS) game Valorant immediately before and 5 and 30 min after SE. In addition to the behavioral performance, changes in the cortical hemodynamics of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were recorded before and after the acute physical exercise while playing Valorant using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results show that amateur esports players have superior performance in both game performance (p < .001) and specific measures of cognitive performance (i.e., Tracking Test, p < .05), regardless of the sessions. After the acute physical exercise, the gaming performance in both groups improved, and amateur esports players showed a higher accuracy in the Go/No-go task 30 min after SE. Regarding PFC cortical hemodynamics, no significant difference was noticed in the oxygenation values of both groups between pre and post tests, and between-group differences (p > .05). In conclusion, our study provides evidence that (i) amateur esports players have superior cognitive performance in specific domains and (ii) an acute bout of physical exercise can increase the gaming performance of both amateur esports players and healthy age-matched controls.

Highly developed cognitive abilities are an important prerequisite for reaching elite athletic levels. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an acute sprint interval training (SIT) session on the cognitive performance of amateur and elite players. Eighteen amateur and ten elite male basketball players were included in this study. They were asked to perform an acute SIT consisting of the Wingate Test (i.e., four bouts of 30 s all-out sprints) on a cycle ergometer, interspersed with 4 min of active recovery. Before and after the acute SIT, three cognitive tests (i.e., Change Detection Test, Timewall Test, Mackworth Clock Test) were performed. Exercise-induced changes in cognitive performance and between-group differences were analyzed. We did not observe significant between-group differences in the performance of any cognitive test at the pretest, but elite basketball players outperformed the amateur players in specific measures of the Change Detection Test and Timewall Test after the acute SIT (p < 0.05). In addition, for the Clock Test, only the elite basketball players’ performance improved from pre- to posttest. The current study’s findings suggest that male elite basketball players, compared to amateur basketball players, can preserve their cognitive performance after an acute bout of SIT.

Although in recent years, there have been many studies to determine the cognitive performance of athletes, there are significant differences in the methodological approaches of these studies. Therefore, this methodology‐focused systematic review aims to analyze the application methods of cognitive test studies with athletes and to provide standard recommendations for further studies. For this purpose, three electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched using predetermined keywords. As a result of the screening, 25 studies were included in the review. The result of this systematic review focused on the methodology of applying cognitive tests and observed considerable heterogeneity in methodological procedures applied in studies investigating the cognitive performance of athletes. The findings of this review highlight the need for the development of standardized procedures for the assessment of cognitive performance in future research while offering practical recommendations for researchers and coaches working in this area.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) intervention with 80% one repetition maximum (1RM) resistance on change of direction (COD) and reaction time (RT) in basketball players. This study sixteen male basketball players (mean age: 20.25 years, height: 1.88 m, weight: 80.75 kg, training age: 10.12 years) were included. For this study, participants attended 3 experimental sessions in the laboratory. Firstly, anthropometric measurements of the participants were taken, then RT and COD were familiarized respectively, and then 1RMs were determined. Then, the participants randomly completed the first and second sessions. In the first session, a 20-minute standard warm-up (Wup) was performed. After the participants rested passively for 3 minutes after the Wup, RT and COD tests were measured at 1-minute intervals, respectively. The results obtained were considered as the control condition. In the second session, participants rested passively for 3 minutes after performing the PAPE (80% of 1RM – 5 rep) protocol. After the rest period, participants performed RT and COD with a 1-minute interval, respectively. The data were analyzed separately for RT (visual, auditory, and mixed) and COD test results in terms of Wup and Wup+PAPE. At least 48 hours of rest was allowed between the first and second sessions to ensure that fatigue from the previous test session did not affect the results. Wilcoxon test results showed that PAPE significantly reduced visual RT (p < .005), mixed RT (p < 0.013), and COD (p < 0.001), but not auditory RT (p < 0.068). The findings showed that PAPE is an effective method to improve COD and RT performance in sports such as basketball, where success is achieved through fast-paced play.

(1) Background: The ability to sustain attention in primary school children aged 8–9 years plays a critical role in maintaining focus for extended periods, enabling them to comprehend and integrate large amounts of information. Enhancing sustained attention during this formative stage significantly improves a child’s capacity to acquire and consolidate new skills and knowledge, laying a strong foundation for academic and cognitive development. (2) Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of an 8-week kata training program on attention and its components in 8–9-year-old school-age children, a critical developmental period for attention. (3) Methods: After excluding the participants who gave a low number of correct answers in the pre-test or created a ceiling effect, 43 participants, aged 9.12 ± 0.40 years, were included in this study. This study, conducted during the academic term, included three measurement phases and a familiarization session. Attention parameters were evaluated using the Bourdon–Vos Test, and participants were categorized into Low Performers (LP) and High Performers (HP) based on pre-test scores. The intervention group (INT) underwent kata training thrice weekly for 8 weeks, while the control group (CON) followed their regular activities. Post-training, attention parameters were reassessed using the Bourdon–Vos Test. (4) Results: In the post-intervention analysis, significant improvements in the number of correct responses were observed in both the LP (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = −1.333) and HP (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = −1.644) groups within the INT group. In the CON group, significant improvement was observed only in the HP group (p = 0.031, Cohen’s d = −0.948). Regarding attention processing speed, significant pre-post improvements were found exclusively in the INT group (p < 0.001). Block-wise analysis revealed significant differences only in Block 1 of the CON group (p = 0.011, Cohen’s d = −0.522). However, in the INT group, significant improvements were observed in both Block 1 (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = −1.200) and Block 2 (p = 0.004, Cohen’s d = −0.678). (5) Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the effectiveness of an 8-week kata training program in enhancing sustained attention and cognitive processing speed among 8–9-year-old children, particularly in low-performing groups. This suggests that integrating structured kata-based motor and cognitive activities into school curricula can serve as a promising strategy for addressing attention deficits and promoting cognitive development during this critical developmental period. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of kata training on attention and related cognitive functions, such as working memory and executive control. Investigating neurophysiological mechanisms through neuroimaging and including diverse age groups with larger samples could further validate these findings.

The aim of this study was to compare the acute effects of velocity-based training (VBT), traditional strength training (TSG) and a non- strength control condition (CG) on sprint performance in trained individuals. In Session 1, anthropometric measurements of the participants were taken, and then 1 repetition maximum (1RM) squat values were determined after explanation, visual demonstration and familiarization of the sprint test and VBT method. In the second session, all participants performed a sprint test for the control condition. In the third session, participants completed the post activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol specific to their group after a standard warm-up and then performed sprint tests. In the 0–10 m distance, only the group × time interaction was significant (p = .014); a performance decrease (p = .016) was observed in the TSG group. In the 0–20 m sprint, time (p < .001), group (p = .043), and interaction (p = .003) effects were significant, and a significant performance increase was found in the VBT and TSG groups (p < .001). In the 0–30 m sprint, group (p = .015) and interaction (p < .001) effects were significant; an improvement was observed in the VBT group (p < .001) and a decrease in the TSG group (p = .039). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the VBT protocol produced a more noticeable acute improvement in sprint performance compared to TSG, even when applied with the same load absolute.