Physical fitness is a critical marker of adolescent health. Although physical activity and dietary patterns are widely recognized as behavioural correlates of fitness, evidence on their integrated pathways particularly through body composition remains limited among urban adolescents in developing countries. This cross-sectional explanatory study examined the direct and indirect associations of physical activity and dietary patterns with physical fitness, with body composition tested as a mediating variable, among urban adolescents aged 13–15 years in Jakarta, Indonesia (N = 300). Physical activity was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and expressed as total MET-minutes/week. Dietary patterns were assessed using an eight-item dietary behaviour questionnaire (five-point Likert scale), of which three indicators (protein-source intake, water intake, and reverse-scored fried-food consumption) were retained in the final formative construct. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (Xiaomi Mi Body Scale 2). Physical fitness was assessed using the V Sit-and-Reach, Sit-Up, Squat Thrust, and Kasch Pulse Recovery Step tests. Data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS 4; Ringle et al., 2024). Dietary patterns showed the strongest direct association with physical fitness (β = 0.482, p < .001), larger than that observed for physical activity (β = 0.105, p = .040). Body composition was significantly associated with physical fitness (β = 0.251, p < .001) and carried significant indirect associations of both dietary patterns (β = 0.107, p < .001) and physical activity (β = 0.081, p < .001) with physical fitness. The model explained 53.6% of the variance in physical fitness (R² = 0.536, adjusted R² = 0.531) and 43.6% of the variance in body composition (R² = 0.436, adjusted R² = 0.432). Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than confirmed causal or mediating effects. The results suggest that the retained dietary behaviours (protein-source and water intake and lower fried-food consumption) and body composition reflected here by lean mass and hydration status rather than adiposity are important correlates of adolescent fitness and support further longitudinal or experimental investigation of interventions that integrate nutrition improvement with physical activity promotion.
Teaching–learning processes and sports training represent two fundamental pillars in the pedagogy of any sport. In football, coaches integrate both simultaneously across all competitive levels, from grassroots to elite professional contexts. The primary aim of this study was to analyse how football coaches structure their weekly training sessions in terms of frequency, content, and time allocation. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 517 coaches. Data were collected through an ad hoc questionnaire designed to capture the distribution of training sessions. The average session duration was 87.38 ± 18.57 minutes. Technical and tactical components were the most frequently included contents. On average, 2.75 ± 1.50 sessions per week were devoted to technical work (39.28 ± 26.41 minutes per session), whereas tactical work was addressed in 3.70 ± 2.81 sessions per week, with a slightly lower average duration of 28.25 ± 20.67 minutes per session. Overall, the findings indicate that coaches place comparable emphasis on technical and tactical training within their weekly planning.
This study aimed to develop and pilot-evaluate the GAMES-MMS game-based instructional model for improving manipulative movement skills among lower-grade elementary school students. Using a research-and-development approach, the model was designed through expert validation and classroom trials, and then organized as an implementation-ready program consisting of structured games, clear procedures, progressions, and instructional cues. The pilot implementation was conducted over four weeks during regular physical education lessons using a one-group pretest–posttest design. The results showed that manipulative movement skill scores increased from 62.14 (SD = 8.22) at pretest to 77.36 (SD = 7.18) at posttest. The mean change was 15.22, 95% CI [11.83, 18.61], and the paired-samples t-test indicated a statistically significant within-group difference (t = 9.21, p < .001). The magnitude of change was large (Cohen’s d ≈ 1.6). Expert validation also indicated excellent ratings for instructional design, developmental relevance, and clarity of instructions, engagement level, and overall feasibility, supporting the model’s practical value for classroom use. The main contribution of this study lies in providing a structured, play-based instructional model that is closely aligned with the developmental characteristics of young learners and the practical needs of primary physical education. However, because the evaluation phase did not include a comparison group, the observed gains should be interpreted as preliminary evidence of feasibility and potential efficacy rather than as definitive causal effects. Future studies are needed to examine the model using controlled designs, larger and more diverse samples, follow-up assessments, and broader outcomes related to physical literacy and sustained physical activity.
The aim was to determine the effect of kinesiotherapy with elements of the Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization concept on the kinematic parameters of the lower extremities during running in artistic gymnasts. The study included 10 competitive gymnasts (10.8 ± 1.3 years; 145.7 ± 12.2 cm; 35.2 ± 8.2 kg). Only girls who had not reached menarche and had no traumatic lower extremity injuries were selected. Another criterion was the assessment of hypermobility using the Sachs test. The intervention was carried out for two months through group exercise based on developmental kinesiology concept of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization. Video analysis was used with two NINOXTM125 cameras and MR3 software was used to evaluate the effect of exercises on pelvic, knee, and ankle joints in the sagittal and frontal planes during the midstance phase of the running cycle. Foot rotation during the stance phase was assessed using a dynamic treadmill Rehawalk® with the zebris system. Measurements were taken before and after the two-month therapy period. The paired Wilcoxon test was used, and statistically significant differences were considered at a significance level of α = 0.05. The effect size of the differences was evaluated using the r coefficient: < 0.1 trivial; 0.1–0.3 small; 0.3–0.5 moderate; > 0.5 large. There was a significant reduction in pelvic anteversion and lateral pelvic drop, increased ankle dorsiflexion, and a reduction in heel valgus during the midstance phase of the running cycle after therapy. The application of therapy that included elements of developmental kinesiology positively influenced dynamic stabilization of the pelvis and lower extremity weight bearing joints during running, which may have future beneficial effects on the health and performance of gymnasts.
Bowling accuracy represents an essential performance variable in visually impaired (VI) cricket, but existing literature does not provide a validated, cricket-specific framework of assessment of the challenges of this group of perceptual-motor. The purpose of this systematic review was to cover this gap by synthesising existing evidence on cricket and adapted sports to propose a conceptual framework of integrating multisensory performance factors. Five databases (2015-2025) were searched systematically and in accordance with PRISMA 2020 principles and allowed finding the necessary 28 eligible studies. The quality of the studies was evaluated using such evaluation tools like the Jadad Scale, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and AMSTAR 2. The results revealed the importance of auditory, tactile, proprioceptive and balance-based feedback systems in enabling motor control and skill acquisition in VI athletes. The findings in goalball, blind baseball, and adaptive athletics were generalized to provide information about situations in cricket. It is due to such synthesis that new conceptual framework was introduced with sensory inputs being related to intermediate abilities, e.g., balance and core stability and finally, to the accuracy of bowling. The protocol not being registered and the empirical validation of the method being cricket specific are the main limitations even though the methods are methodologically strong. The review ends by recommending validation of this multisensory model and the creation of inclusive and standardised assessment instruments of VI cricket.
