Suchergebnisse

The performance and heart rate of ten top-level female archers were assessed in a field study. The study was designed (a) to analyze the impact of physiological arousal on performance, (b) to investigate whether heart-rate deceleration during shooting, a marker of optimal functioning of attentional processes, is affected by arousal modification, and (c) to verify whether heart-rate deceleration appears under conditions of occluded vision and mental rehearsal or while simulating execution. Treatments comprised optimal, delayed, blind, simulated, high-arousal, and low-arousal shooting conditions. Within-factors analysis of variance was conducted on performance variables (shooting scores, variable error, and total error) and heart rate. The results revealed that best and worst outcomes were associated with optimal and delayed conditions, respectively. Decreased performance was also found for high arousal. Analysis of heart rate yielded significant results: Heart-rate deceleration during shooting, from draw to release, was associated with optimal, blind, and simulated conditions. Implications for practice in archery are derived from findings. Performance outcomes and heart-rate pattern can be assessed during training to determine optimal arousal and action timing. Furthermore, heart-rate deceleration can be used as a physiological marker of modifications induced by mental rehearsal and skill simulation.

Assessing motivation for and enjoyment of physical activity is an important step in the promotion of an active lifestyle. This study assessed the factor structure and reliability of the Italian version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale in a sample of Italian students (N
= 5,934) aged from 11 to 19. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on subsamples of girls and boys grouped into 4 age categories. Gender and age differences were also examined through a 2 (sex) × 4 (age) multivariate analysis of variance. Findings supported the factor structure
and reliability of the Italian version of the PACES.

The purpose of the study was to develop a physical self-efficacy scale to assess children's perception of personal strength, speed, and coordinative abilities. A 6-item scale, titled Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children, was presented to a sample of 1914 children, 997
girls and 917 boys, ranging in age from 8 to 10 years, drawn from 15 elementary schools representing different regions of Italy. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the data provided support for the internal validity and reliability of a single factor structure of the scale across
sex and age categories. It is argued that the scale can be used for both research and applied purposes.

The purpose of the study was to identify effective coaching communication patterns by contrasting the augmented feedback of experienced and inexperienced coaches. Nine experienced and 9 inexperienced volleyball instructors (4 men and 5 women in each group) were videotaped while coaching
11- to 14-year-old female athletes. Analysis of the videotaped behaviors revealed that, compared to the feedback of inexperienced instructors, the feedback of experienced coaches was more specific, verbal, negatively evaluative, related to previous feedback, and provided more often during
performance. From an applied perspective, our findings can be used to improve coaches' awareness – and the effectiveness – of their interactive skills.