Character strengths are positive trait-like capacities linked to flourishing across various life domains, yet little is known about their role in competitive youth sport. Organized youth sport represents a developmental context in which strengths, well-being, enjoyment, and performance-related experiences intersect. This study examined associations between the 24 character strengths, well-being, and sport enjoyment in 445 German male youth soccer players aged 10–18 years. In addition, character-strength profiles between players from elite youth academies (n = 195) and non-academy soccer clubs (n = 250) were compared. Participants completed the VIA Youth-96, the KIDSCREEN-27, and an adapted version of the QUAEPE. Character strengths were broadly positively associated with well-being and showed a more selective pattern of associations with sport enjoyment. Zest and perseverance emerged as especially consistent correlates. Moreover, elite academy players reported higher levels of 22 of the 24 character strengths. The breadth of the correlational and group-difference patterns was attenuated in cluster-related sensitivity analyses. Overall, character strengths appear to be relevant correlates of positive functioning in youth soccer, and self-reported character-strength profiles may differ across academy and non-academy contexts. Longitudinal and multilevel research is needed to clarify the directionality, the underlying mechanisms, and the role of shared club environments.
Opponent-related probability information may facilitate anticipation, yet understanding is limited regarding how such information is integrated with kinematic cues as an opponent's action unfolds. Here, in a video-based experiment we examined how probability information about an opponent's serve tendencies influences tennis players' anticipation of serve outcome. Thirty-two skilled male players anticipated the direction of temporally occluded serves under conditions in which opponents either displayed no directional tendency (i.e., 50% left and right) or a pronounced tendency (i.e., 80% right). Between sets, participants received information about the opponent's purported serve distribution (50:50 or 20:80), which could thus be either congruent or incongruent with the opponent's actual behaviour. Results revealed that probability information influenced response behaviour primarily when it actually reflected an existing serve tendency. In these cases, players increasingly anticipated the preferred serve direction from the first to second set. This effect was most pronounced when kinematic information was limited, suggesting stronger reliance on probability information early in the unfolding action. Correspondingly, response accuracy increased only when probability information indicated a pronounced tendency and when this matched the opponent's true serve distribution. When probability information was balanced or incongruent with the opponent's serve distribution, response behaviour and accuracy remained largely unchanged. Collectively, these findings indicate that probability information benefits anticipation only when it reliably signals an opponent's action preferences, and that reliance on such information is particularly strong under conditions of uncertainty in kinematic information. This supports recent accounts of dynamic information integration for anticipation.
In the debate on the legitimacy of public spending on elite sport, governments and sports representatives emphasise the potential positive impacts of elite sport on society. One of the most prominent arguments refers to values and value learning in and through elite sport. In this systematic review, we synthesise empirical research on (1) which values different stakeholders attribute to elite sport, (2) the extent to which elite sport shapes values and value orientations, and (3) what conditions must be in place for perceived and actual impacts of elite sports on values and value learning (not) to occur. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Guidelines, we searched five electronic databases (Web of Science/Social Science Citation Index, Scopus, ERIC/ProQuest, SPORTDiscus, APA PsychInfo), complemented by a reference and citation screening. Two independent reviewers screened all identified studies for eligibility. Of the 10,220 search results, 26 articles were included in the final analysis. Their methodological quality was assessed by using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The studies indicate that elite sport is perceived as having an influence on performance and social values, while the evidence of actual effects is far more ambivalent. Instead of inherently conveying values, the influence of elite sport and elite athletes seems to be situational, depending on various success and failure conditions. Despite the importance of elite sport for value learning in public debate, the existing literature offers currently a very fragmented picture, with relatively few studies from different academic disciplines offering mixed findings. Much more research and clearer conceptual work is need to better evaluate the role of sport for values and value learning.
Background Technological advances have recently made possible the estimation of maximal oxygen consumption ( V O 2max ) by consumer wearables. However, the validity of such estimations has not been systematically summarized using meta-analytic methods and there are no standards guiding the validation protocols. Objective The aim was to (1) quantitatively summarize previous studies investigating the validity of the V O 2max estimated by consumer wearables and (2) provide best-practice recommendations for future validation studies. Methods First, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies validating the estimation of V O 2max by wearables. Second, based on the state of knowledge (derived from the systematic review) combined with the expert discussion between the members of the Towards Intelligent Health and Well-Being Network of Physical Activity Assessment (INTERLIVE) consortium, we provided a set of best-practice recommendations for validation protocols. Results Fourteen validation studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results revealed that wearables using resting condition information in their algorithms significantly overestimated V O 2max (bias 2.17 ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ; limits of agreement − 13.07 to 17.41 ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ), while devices using exercise-based information in their algorithms showed a lower systematic and random error (bias − 0.09 ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ; limits of agreement − 9.92 to 9.74 ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ). The INTERLIVE consortium proposed six key domains to be considered for validating wearable devices estimating V O 2max , concerning the following: the target population, reference standard, index measure, testing conditions, data processing, and statistical analysis. Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggests that the estimations of V O 2max by wearables that use exercise-based algorithms provide higher accuracy than those based on resting conditions. The exercise-based estimation seems to be optimal for measuring V O 2max at the population level, yet the estimation error at the individual level is large, and, therefore, for sport/clinical purposes these methods still need improvement. The INTERLIVE network hereby provides best-practice recommendations to be used in future protocols to move towards a more accurate, transparent and comparable validation of V O 2max derived from wearables. PROSPERO ID CRD42021246192.
Coaches have to make far-reaching decisions, including identifying young athletes as talented and selecting them for developmental pathways. To date, processes underlying these decisions are poorly understood. Here, the iCodes model (Jekel, Glöckner, Bröder, 2018) and its two core hypotheses—the validity hypothesis and the attraction search effect—were applied to investigate how coaches select young players in table tennis in a simulated talent selection situation. According to the validity hypothesis, coaches are expected to use information in their talent selection process that they consider to be most important. Additionally, it is expected that coaches will be influenced by the information they have already received when searching for more information (i.e., the attraction search effect). The present study found no evidence to support the validity hypothesis. However, support for the attraction search effect was found, as positive attributes influenced coaches’ information-search behavior. Despite experimental constraints, this study offers preliminary insights into processes underlying the “coach’s eye,” paving the way for future research in talent selection contexts.
