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- Constraining of peripheral vision reduces standing long jump performance in childrenPublication . Matos, Rui; Cruz, João; Amaro, Nuno; Coelho, Luís; Morouço, Pedro; Rebelo Gonçalves, RicardoPeripheral vision appears to be more important than central vision for tasks where precision or ocular coordination are essential. To determine whether this effect is observedwhile performing a task for which precision is not critical, the performance of 34 children (6–9 years old) in standing long jumpwastested. Adapted swimming goggles, which induced different levels of constraint of field of vision,were used to provide full field vision, restrictthe use of central vision, and restrict the use of peripheral vision. The obtained results showed a strong detrimental effect onstanding horizontal jump length (both best and mean results) when the peripheral field of vision was restricted (approximately 5% less; p < 0.001). However, thedetrimental effect was not observed when only the central field of vision was absent. These results indicatethat peripheral vision is essentialfor this locomotor task. Although standing long jump canbe considered as a non-precision task, the children tested were able to jump farther both when vision was not restricted and when peripheral vision was allowed. A reasonable explanation is that the absence of access to optic flow detection inhibits normal motor behaviour perhaps owing to worse posture and stability. The obtainedresults suggest that information that arrives through peripheral vision is more important for jumping performance thaninformation from central vision. Furthermore, jumping biomechanics may be more hampered by the absence of these peripheral stimuli than by the impossibility of gazing straight inthe jumping direction.Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that special attention should be paid to the use of peripheral vision in physical activity tasks
- How best to quantify home advantage in team sports: an investigation involving male senior handball leagues in Portugal and Spain. [La mejor manera de cuantificar la ventaja de jugar en casa en deportes de equipo: una investigación con ligas de Balonmano senior masculino en Portugal y España]Publication . Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Pollard, RichardHome advantage (HA), or the effect of match location, has been shown to play an important role in determining the result of a game. A method introduced over 30 years ago has enjoyed wide use. However, there is a possible problem with its interpretation. Although this can be overcome by rescaling the original value for HA, this paper introduces a somewhat different approach to quantifying HA, one that is derived by expressing home performance specifically as a function of away performance. The various methods are illustrated by analyzing HA for teams in the men’s professional handball leagues in Portugal and Spain for the 2016-17 season. Results show that the traditional and rescaled methods both ensure a maximum value of 100% for HA, while the new method can produce values well above 100%. Also, when HA is small, as in the case of goals scored and conceded, then values from the new method are about twice those from the rescaled method. However, when HA is larger, as in the case of most of the teams in the lower half of the Spanish league table, when based on points, the new method produces HA values which are much higher that the rescaled. This method provides a new dimension to consider when trying to quantify HA. It has the advantage of also being appropriate for the difference between goals scored and goals conceded. Choice of methodology will depend on the specific objective being sought when studying the effect of HA on performance
- Projeto jogamos tudo, brincamos todos: o arranquePublication . Antunes, Raul; Amaro, Nuno; Matos, Rui; Ribeiro, Alícia; Coelho, Beatriz; Mangas, CatarinaO Projeto ‘Jogamos Tudo, Brincamos Todos’ tem como principal objetivo a promoção da inclusão através de jogos motores adaptados, que fomentem noções relacionadas com a educação para a cidadania e respeito pela diferença, em alunos do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (CEB). Ao longo de oito semanas serão realizadas oito sessões que seguem uma lógica de progressão e consolidação de conhecimentos, sendo cada uma constituída por quatro momentos/atividades: ‘Segue-me’ – aquecimento que simula a deslocação de uma pessoa com deficiência visual e o papel do guia; ‘BalãoBall’ – simula um movimento de uma criança com deficiência motora (falta de funcionalidade dos membros superiores); ‘Bowling Sentado’ – simula o típico jogo do bowling realizado por uma pessoa que se desloca através de uma cadeira de rodas; ‘Jogo das Caixas’ - simula uma ação concretizada a partir dos sons do meio ambiente, por impossibilidade de usar a visão. Será utilizado questionário que visa verificar as atitudes de inclusão para com os pares com deficiência e, ainda, verificar a perceção das crianças sobre a competência dos seus pares com deficiência, em dois momentos (inicial e final), procurando encontrar semelhanças e diferenças que possibilitem a avaliação do Projeto. O presente artigo pretende apresentar o Projeto “Jogamos Tudo, Brincamos Todos”, incluindo uma aplicação piloto realizada em janeiro de 2020 com duas turmas (2.º e 3.º anos do 1.º CEB), procurando-se refletir sobre a operacionalização do mesmo. A partir deste processo, espera-se ajustar e reformular as planificações e as práticas no sentido de alargar o número de participantes nos próximos anos letivos.
- A systematic review on dry-land strength and conditioning training on swimming performancePublication . Amaro, Nuno; Morouço, Pedro; Marques, M.C.; Batalha, N.; Neiva, H.; Marinho, D.A.Objectives. — The objective of this review was to examine the effects of dry-land strength and conditioning (S&C) training on swimming, and starts and turns performances. News. — S&C training is a common practice in swimming aiming to enhance performance or to prevent injuries. However, studies regarding the effects of S&C on swimming performance are scarce; the influence of age, gender or competitive level is even scarcer. Prospects and projects. — After a structured literature search, sixteen studies were included in the current review. Of those, seven did not report any positive or negative effects on swimming performance. Contrarily, most studies with positive effects were conducted with older swimmers whereas maximal strength was the most effective methodology for improving swimming performance. S&C plyometric training is suggested to be the most effective method to improve starts and turns. Future Randomized Controlled Trials should be conducted to explore the effects of S&C induced by age and gender, on different swimming distances and techniques, and long-term training effects. Conclusion. — It is recommended that S&C training should be based on maximal strength, ranging from six to twelve weeks of 2 to 4 sessions per week (approximately 24 sessions altogether). In each session, coaches should vary from 2 to 3 sets and 3 to 5 repetitions, according to prescribed intensity. Rest intervals should range between 2 to 5 minutes and the intensity should be from 80 to 90% of 1RM. Particularly regarding improving starts and turns, a S&C training regime ranging from 6 to 8 weeks and with 2 sessions per week is suggested. In each session, swimmers should perform between 1 and 6 sets and 1 and 10 repetitions, according to the established intensity. Rest between sets should range from 60 to 90 seconds. The swimmers in the included studies are mostly men which do not allow to say if the recommendations made are gender-dependent.
- The Relationship Between Anxiety Levels, Sleep, and Physical Activity During COVID-19 Lockdown: An Exploratory StudyPublication . Frontini, R.; Rebelo-Goncalves, Ricardo; Amaro, Nuno; Salvador, Rogério Paulo; Matos, Rui; Morouço, Pedro; Antunes, RaulNowadays and worldwide, the attention is focused on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and its consequences on mental health are yet to be fully understood. It is important to capture differences in anxiety levels among populations, groups, and the gender-related variation. Therefore, the present study had two main purposes: (1) to characterize the levels of state anxiety and trait anxiety by examining gender-related, sleep-related, and physical activity-related variations in a nonrepresentative sample of the Portuguese population during the first weeks of lockdown; and (2) to explore the possible relationship between trait anxiety and state anxiety and the possible role of gender as a moderator. This cross-sectional study comprised 1,332 Portuguese adults (aged 18–55 years old) recruited online during COVID-19 outbreak measures. Participants answered to sociodemographic data and the Portuguese version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Gender differences were found in both state anxiety (p = < 0.001; d = 0.385) and trait anxiety (p = < 0.001; d = 0.467) with females presenting higher values. People reporting doing more physical activity than usual during COVID-19 lockdown presented lower levels of state anxiety (p = < 0.001; d = 0.200). People reporting more satisfaction with the quality of sleep presented lower levels of both state anxiety (p = < 0.001; d = 0.701) and trait anxiety (p = < 0.001; d = 0.899). Variation associated with the physical activity level (low, moderate, and high) was significantly different among groups in both state anxiety (p = < 0.001) and trait anxiety (p = < 0.001). When analyzing in more detail separating the levels of physical activity, participants performing moderate and high physical activity showed lower values of state and trait anxiety compared to participants with low physical activity. Participants performing high physical activity also showed lower values of state anxiety compared to participants performing moderate physical activity. Higher levels of trait anxiety were related to higher levels of state anxiety, but this association was not moderated by gender. Interventions aiming to support people psychologically during this outbreak should consider anxiety as well as gender and possible behavioral changes in sleep and physical activity, for example. Health professionals should not only consider the anxiety related to the situation we are living but also address trait anxiety to help overcome COVID-19 psychological consequences.
- Portuguese adults’ concerns on the return to indoor sports practice after confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic -mitigation strategies proposalsPublication . Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Antunes, Raul; Rosa, MarleneObjective: This study aimed to get an insight of Portuguese adult people concerns about returning to physical activity and sports practice at indoor sports facilities, after confinement due to COVID-19’ pandemic. Subsequently, an additional approach to the traditional mitigation strategies was to be proposed. Methods: A total of 173 Portuguese practitioners on indoor physical activity or sports before pandemic participated in this study. A questionnaire asking how much concerned (1 – nothing, to 5 – completely) would they be on different contexts and aspects related to this return was applied. Results: respondents were considerably concerned about this theme, especially with touching on common surfaces and proximity to others. Although considerable concerned if having to travel by public transport to the training facility, using locker rooms and with features of the sports’ practice itself, the former received the highest concerns. Additionally, we have suggested modifying some objects (or creating others) that may allow their use with body parts other than hands - an important contagion source - and exploiting the possibility of using intermediate instruments on objects and sports equipment manipulation, preventing users from touching their surfaces directly. Conclusion: touching on common surfaces and proximity to others revealed high degrees of concern on the return to indoor sports practice after confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside the rules of personal distancing, respiratory etiquette and surfaces hygiene, it is suggested that sports practitioners, whenever possible, use alternative body parts and intermediate instruments that avoid direct contact of hands with surfaces and sport objects.
- Higher Physical Activity Levels May Help Buffer the Negative Psychological Consequences of Coronavirus Disease 2019 PandemicPublication . Antunes, Raul; Rebelo Gonçalves, Ricardo; Amaro, Nuno; Salvador, Rogério Paulo; Matos, Rui; Morouço, Pedro; Frontini, R.This study explored the associations between physical activity (PA) anxiety levels, and the perception of satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN), during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown. Thus, 1,404 participants (977 women, 426 men, and one respondent preferred not to answer) ranging from 18 to 89 years old (36.4 ± 11.7 year-old) completed a questionnaire in the period between 1st and 15th April 2020. The survey included sociodemographic data and the following validated instruments: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Basic Need General Satisfaction Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to examine variation in anxiety levels and BPN satisfaction according to PA category (low, moderate, and high). Spearman’s Rho correlations coefficients were used to determine the association between anxiety levels and psychological needs. Individuals presenting a higher level of PA revealed lower levels of anxiety-state (H = 20.14; p < 0.01). Differences between elements from different levels of PA were found for the autonomy (H = 23.52; p < 0.001), competence (H = 18.89; p < 0.001), and relatedness (H = 24.42; p < 0.001) psychological needs, suggesting that those who feel their BPN as more satisfied have higher levels of PA. The study found statistically significant correlations between anxiety-state and the satisfaction of the needs for autonomy (p = 0.01; r = −0.46), competence (p = 0.01; r = −0.40), and relatedness (p = 0.01; r = −0.21). These findings support the importance that PA has in the anxiety levels during social isolation, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary teams in an individual-based approach.
- Home-Advantage during COVID-19: An Analysis in Portuguese Football LeaguePublication . Matos, Rui; Monteiro, Diogo; Antunes, Raul; Mendes, Diogo; Botas, João; Clemente, João; Amaro, NunoCovid-19 pandemic forced, at the final rounds of 2019–2020 season, in many different sports leagues worldwide, teams to play without an audience. Therefore, the present paper aims to compare the home advantage score in the last ten rounds in the 2019–2020 season with the first 24 rounds in the same season using Pollard’s (1986) and Matos et al.’s (2020) methods. In addition, comparisons across different seasons (2016–2017; 2017–2018; 2018–2019 and 2019–2020) using the same methods were also analyzed. Results showed no differences (p > 0.05) between first 24 rounds and the last 10 in 2019–2020 season as well as in the 3 previous seasons. With Pollard’s method, no differences (p > 0.05) were also found among those four seasons on global (all 34 rounds) home advantage. However, a significance difference between 2017–2018 and 2019–2020 (p < 0.05) was founded using Matos et al.’s (2020) method, which is an indicator of the importance of using complementary methods when analyzing the same realities. Overall, despite what might be expectable from recent findings, the lack of an audience in the last 10 rounds of Portuguese Football League 2019–2020 season, due to COVID-19 pandemic, did not affect home advantage. Therefore, future studies could try to analyze other different variables in Portuguese Football League, such as referees’ behaviors, rules changing (e.g., the possibility of making five substitutions, instead of three), crowd dimension and density as well as include variables about odds as forecasts in football being played without crowds.
- Temas Emergentes em Atividade Física, Saúde e Bem-Estar: Realidades de Brasil e PortugalPublication . Rocha, Saulo Vasconcelos; Furtado, Guilherme Eustáquio; Amaro, Nuno; Matos, Rui
- Exploring Lifestyle Habits, Physical Activity, Anxiety and Basic Psychological Needs in a Sample of Portuguese Adults during COVID-19Publication . Antunes, Raul; Frontini, R.; Amaro, Nuno; Salvador, Rogério Paulo; Matos, Rui; Morouço, Pedro; Rebelo-Gonçalves, Ricardo; Rebelo Gonçalves, RicardoThis cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the lifestyle habits, anxiety levels and basic psychological needs (BPN), in Portuguese adults during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including a comparison between genders and age groups. In total, 1404 adults (36.4 ± 11.7 years; 69.6% female) answered sociodemographic data and three instruments: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Basic Need General Satisfaction Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Males revealed higher values for the total energy expenditure (z = -2.26; p = 0.024; η 2 = 0.004) and for the level of satisfaction of competence (z = -2.62; p = 0.009; η 2 = 0.005). Females showed higher scores for the anxiety state (z = -7.87; p ≤ 0.001; η 2 = 0.044) and anxiety trait (z = -6.49; p ≤ 0.001; η 2 = 0.030). Regarding age, higher values for the anxiety trait (p ≤ 0.001; η H 2 = 0.030) were found in the 18-34 years-old group compared to all the other age groups, also presenting significantly higher values of total energy expenditure (χ² = 13.93; p = 0.008; η H 2 = 0.007) when compared to the 35-44 years-old group. Significant differences were observed between the 18-34 years-old group and the other age groups for the satisfaction of competence (χ² = 40.97; p ≤ 0.001; η H 2 = 0.026), except for the >65 years-old group. Strategies for promoting well-being during periods of social isolation should consider the role of psychological dimensions and lifestyle habits according to the gender or age group