Purpose: This study aimed to examine direct and indirect associations of mood states and religious motivation with academicmotivation and perceived physical performance among Omani female physical education (PE) students during Ramadanfasting (RF). It tested fasting-related adaptation as an affective and religious-motivational process in a Muslim Gulf context.Methods: In total, 374 PE students aged 18–24 years participated during weeks 2-3 of RF. They completed an onlinequestionnaire assessing negative mood states (NMood), positive mood (PMood), intrinsic religious motivation (IRM),extrinsic religious motivation (ERM), perceived physical performance (PPP) and academic motivation (AM). The hypothesizedstructural model tested 12 direct and 8 indirect paths. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).Results: Both the measurement model and the structural model showed generally acceptable fit (χ²/df = 2.90, CFI = .903, TLI= .895, RMSEA = .071, SRMR = .063). Eight of 20 hypotheses were significant. Among the direct relationships, PMood showedthe strongest link with PPP (β = .39, P < .001), followed by NMood (β = −.29, P = .004) and IRM (β = .19, P = .034). For AM,NMood (β = −.23, P = .014) and IRM (β = .33, P = .001) showed significant but opposite relationships, whereas PMood andERM were unrelated to AM. NMood also showed a strong negative association with IRM (β = −.41, P < .001). For mediation,significant indirect associations through IRM were observed for NMood–AM (b = −.176, 95% BC CI [−.392, −.052], P = .001, β= −.135) and NMood–PPP (b = −.048, 95% BC CI [−.121, −.005], P = .027, β = −.076). No other indirect effects were significant.Conclusions: Female PE students’ adaptation during RF was associated with mood states and internal religious motivation.RF should therefore be understood not only as a scheduling, but also as an affective and c
Purpose: This study examined whether adding an all-out start (AO) to a self-paced strategy increased average power outputas a measure of performance in a fixed-duration 4-min kayak ergometer trial simulating a 1000-m kayak race under the newOlympic canoe sprint schedule, and whether this pacing modification altered physiological responses.Methods: Nine national-level male kayakers completed three 4-min kayak-ergometer trials over two consecutive days: a selfpaced (SP) trial on day 1, and even-paced (EP) and AO trials on day 2 separated by 2 hours to simulate semifinal and final,respectively. In EP, athletes matched the average power output (PO) from SP; in AO, they performed a 15-s maximal effortfollowed by self-paced paddling. Mechanical and physiological variables, including PO, stroke rate, oxygen uptake, heart rate(HR), blood lactate, and acid-base parameters, were measured. Data were analyzed with frequentist and Bayesian repeatedmeasures ANOVA.Results: Compared with SP, AO produced higher average PO (194 ± 14 vs 185 ± 22 W; P = .027; BF₁₀ = 1.82) and peak HR(195 ± 4 vs 192 ± 3 beats/min; P = .045; BF₁₀ = 4.22), although the HR difference lay within typical day-to-day variability.The remaining physiological variables did not differ between strategies (all P > .35), with Bayes factors (BF₁₀ = 0.25–0.43)providing anecdotal to moderate evidence for the null model.Conclusions: A 15-s all-out start superimposed on a self-paced strategy may increase average power output during a fixedduration 4-min kayak ergometer trial under the Olympic regatta schedule without increasing physiological strain. Thisfinding supports its use a
Purpose: The main aim of this study was to develop a reliable and ecologically valid badminton-specific reactive agility test that would provide researchers and practitioners with an easy-to-use instrument to assess both the motor and cognitive aspects of agility performance. Methods: Sample of N=41 young badminton players (age 15.72 +/- 1.11 yrs) from different performance levels (High (N-1=12), Average (N-2=14), Low (N-3=15) was subjected to the newly developed badminton-specific reactive agility test (BSARAT) and four tests that had previously proven to be reliable and valid in badminton practice. Results: The newly constructed badminton-specific "Reactive Agility Test" (BSARAT) showed a very high internal consistency between trials (Cronbach's alpha alpha= .97) and a high repeatability of the results (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ICC= .877). The factor analysis showed high correlation with the same latent dimension extracted from established generic and badminton-specific agility tests (factor structure coefficient = -.94), clearly indicating adequate construct validity. Furthermore, the between-subjects ANOVA revealed successful main effect for performance level (significance P< .001; (partial) eta squared (eta(2)(p)= .29). The post-hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction showed significant pairwise differences between the groups of High and Low performance levels, as was the case for all tests in the test battery. Conclusions: To summarise, the BSARAT is a reliable, ecologically valid and easy-to-use badminton-specific test that has the potential to become a more feasible and practical alternative to existing reactive agility tests.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate pre- to post-match changes in hydration status and examine associationsbetween dehydration markers and GPS-derived external load variables in elite academy football players during officialcompetition.Methods: Thirty-eight elite male academy football players (15–19 years) participated in the study, resulting in 69 matchobservations collected across 10 official matches. Hydration-related variables included pre- and post-match body mass(BM), urine specific gravity (USG), handgrip strength (HS), percentage dehydration (%deh), fluid intake (W), and estimatedrehydration requirements (REHA). External load was monitored using 10-Hz GPS devices and included total distancecovered, relative running intensity, maximal velocity, high-intensity running distance, sprint distance, and accelerations/decelerations. Pre- to post-match differences were assessed using paired-samples t-tests, while associations betweendehydration and GPS variables were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients.Results: Significant reductions in body mass were observed following match play (P < 0.001), with players losing 0.9 ± 0.5 kgon average, corresponding to a mean dehydration level of 1.2 ± 0.7%. Urine specific gravity increased significantly post-match(P = 0.001), indicating deterioration in hydration status. Although mean dehydration remained below the commonly cited2% threshold, 11.6% of observations exceeded this value. Fluid intake during matches (1.0 ± 0.5 L) appeared insufficientrelative to estimated rehydration requirements (2.9 ± 1.1 L). A significant positive correlation was observed between %dehand total distance covered (rho = 0.283, P = 0.019), whereas no significant associations were found for other GPS variables.Midfield players demonstrated significantly greater relative running intensity than defenders and forwards (P < 0.001),although no positional differences in dehydration were identified.Conclusions: Elite academy football players demonstrated significant match-induced deterioration in hydration statusduring official competition. Individualized hydration monitoring and fluid replacement strategies may be important foroptimizing recovery and reducing exercise-induced fluid deficits in elite youth football.
Purpose: This exploratory study investigated kinematic characteristics associated with successful (hit) and unsuccessful (miss) outcomes in elite Chinese skeet shooters, aiming to identify movement strategies that contribute to shooting success. Methods: Video data were collected from five finalists of the Chinese national skeet team during internal qualification competitions for the Paris Olympics. Three cameras (50 Hz) recorded double-targettrials atstation 3. Each athlete contributed three successful and three unsuccessful trials. Four critical time points were analyzed: initiation of gun movement (T1), gun stock contact with the cheek (T2), first shot (T3), and second shot (T4). Variables included gun muzzle displacement and velocity, center of mass (COM) velocity, joint angles (shoulder, elbow, hip, knee), and stability/balance angles. Results: At T2, hit shots exhibited significantly smaller gun displacement compared with missed shots (19.555 +/- 1.526cm vs. 22.496 +/- 2.375cm, P<.001, Cohen's d=-1.474), including both horizontal (17.279 +/- 1.266cm vs. 19.400 +/- 2.388cm, P=.004, Cohen's d=-1.110) and vertical components (9.081 +/- 1.480cm vs. 11.292 +/- 1.524cm, P<.001, Cohen's d=-1.427). Vertical velocity was also reduced (.247 +/-.104m/s vs..284 +/-.099m/s, P=.033, Cohen's d=-.355). In addition, hit shots demonstrated a greater rear stability angle (13.580 +/- 1.841 degrees vs. 13.100 +/- 1.750 degrees, P=.009, Cohen's d=.267) and a smaller right elbow angle (70.840 +/- 3.363 degrees vs. 72.937 +/- 2.710 degrees, P=.026, Cohen's d=-.686). At T4, hit shots were characterized by a larger right knee angle (165.319 +/- 6.516 degrees vs. 162.019 +/- 4.446 degrees, P=.032, Cohen's d=.592) and a smaller right elbow angle (62.552 +/- 6.025 degrees vs. 66.878 +/- 3.609 degrees, P=.013, Cohen's d=-.871). Other joint angles and COM velocity showed no significant differences, though some variables indicated small to moderate effect sizes. Conclusions: Effective skeet shooting is closely associated with reduced gun displacement and vertical velocity at T2, accompanied by a greater rear stability angle and a smaller right elbow angle. At T4, a larger right knee angle and a smaller right elbow angle further distinguished hit shots from misses. These findings highlight the importance of muzzle control, trunk posture, and upper limb configuration in enhancing shooting stability and mitigating recoil effects.
