Elite performance in team sports attracts the attention of the general public. In particular, the... more Elite performance in team sports attracts the attention of the general public. In particular, the best players became incredibly skilled and physically powerful, which is a fact that potentiates the delivery of a product that is considered attractive, exciting, and competitive. Not surprisingly, this is a very valuable product from an economic and social standpoint; thus, all sports professionals are extremely interested in developing new procedures to improve their sports performance. Furthermore, the great interests of the various stakeholders (owners, chief executive officers (CEOs), agents, fans, media, coaches, players, families, and friends) are one of the main reasons for this development under the sports science umbrella and the accompanying sports industry. All their personal performances should be coordinated and put into practice by the sports team. In this scientific and applied study, we primarily dealt with the individual treatment of players in order to improve their ...
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of equations fo... more OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of equations for predicting maximal values of heart rate (HR) in military personnel. METHODS Five hundred and nine members of the Croatian Armed Forces (age 29.1 +/- 5.5 years; height 180.1 +/- 6.6 cm; body mass 83.4 +/- 11.3 kg; maximal oxygen uptake [VO2(max)] 49.7 +/- 6.9 mL O2/kg/min) were tested. The graded exercise test with gas exchange measurements was used to determine VO2(max) and maximum HR (HR(max)). The analysis of variance was used to determine the differences between the equations to calculate HR(max). RESULTS The analysis of variance yielded statistically significant differences between seven HR equations (p < 0.05). The values from Stevens Creek's (HR(max) = 205 - [age/2]) and Fox and Haskell's (HR(max) = 220 - age) equations had the highest correlation with the HRmax obtained by the graded exercise test. CONCLUSION The authors recommend using the HR(max) values from the Ste...
Sport4Health Network (SPORT4H) is a multidisciplinary project co-funded by the European Union Era... more Sport4Health Network (SPORT4H) is a multidisciplinary project co-funded by the European Union Erasmus+ programme aimed to encourage participation in physical activity in working population. SPORT4H includes educational and instructional activities that provide top-notch knowledge on various physical activities that may have an additional benefit to improve healthy lifestyle behaviours across workforce. The aims of Sport4Health 2021 e-symposium organized from 22nd to 23th March 2021 were to: (1) summarize data collected during this project through evaluation of health and fitness profiles for over 40,000 employees from all Sport4HealthNet countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Netherlands, Serbia and Slovenia); (2) discuss the applicability of user-friendly guidelines for physical activity at workplace and e-learning module that includes multicomponent interventions with innovative activities; (3) share experiences from different partners about the effects of educational intervention...
In December of 2019, there was an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the C... more In December of 2019, there was an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) in China. The virus rapidly spread into the whole World causing an unprecedented pandemic and forcing governments to impose a global quarantine, entering an extreme unknown situation. The organizational consequences of quarantine/isolation are: absence of organized training and competition, lack of communication among athletes and coaches, inability to move freely, lack of adequate sunlight exposure, inappropriate training conditions. Based on the current scientific, we strongly recommend encouraging the athlete to reset their mindset to understand quarantine as an opportunity for development, organizing appropriate guidance, educating and encourage athletes to apply appropriate preventive behavior and hygiene measures to promote immunity and ensuring good living isolation conditions. The athlete’s living space should be equipped with cardio and resi...
The “Century XXI” Project is a seven-year intervention sport program performed among the best Spa... more The “Century XXI” Project is a seven-year intervention sport program performed among the best Spanish youth basketball players, who were assigned to one of the following intervention groups based on the following criteria: age, position, mature level, and origin in the country. The study was performed (1996-2001) with a total of 90 players. The main purposes of this study were: a) to describe anthropometric and performance characteristics of top youth international male basketballers in the Spanish national academy; and b) to analyze differences among positions. Insummary, the main findings of this study were: a) the anthropometry presented significant differences between groups under (U-) 14 and U-17; and b) in the U-17 group centers presented more arm span. In our study, the most significant changes are in U-16 vs U-14 and U-15 in strength body up values, and the best result in endurance capacity took place in June of the fourth year. Within this context, the results of the presen...
International journal of sports physiology and performance, Jan 18, 2018
The purpose of this paper was to study the structure of interrelationships among external trainin... more The purpose of this paper was to study the structure of interrelationships among external training load measures and how these vary among different positions in elite basketball. Eight external variables of jumping (JUMP), acceleration (ACC), deceleration (DEC) and change of direction (COD), and two internal load variables (RPE and sRPE) were collected from 13 professional players with 300 session records. Three playing positions were considered: guards (n=4), forwards (n=4) and centers (n=5). High and total external variables (hJUMP and tJUMP, hACC and tACC, hDEC and tDEC, hCOD and tCOD) were used for the principal component analysis. Extraction criteria were set at the eigenvalue of greater than one. Varimax rotation mode was used to extract multiple principal components. The analysis showed that all positions had two or three principal components (explaining almost all of the variance), but the configuration of each factor was different: tACC, tDEC, tCOD and hJUMP for centers, hA...
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphol... more The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphological characteristics of physically active men. One hundred and fifty one physical education students (18-24 years of age) were allocated into one of three groups: the plyometric group (PG; n = 50), the sprint group (SG; n = 50), and the control group (CG; n = 51). Both experimental groups participated in a training programme 3 times a week for 10 weeks. SG performed maximal sprints for distances between 10 and 50 meters, while the training programme in PG consisted of hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Anthropometric measurement was performed in the week before and the week after the experiment. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in magnitude of changes in any of the analysed anthropometric variables between the groups. However, a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in the percentage of body fat (6.1%) was found in SG. We also found a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in body mass (1%), fat-free mass (0.4%) and body mass index (0.9%) for the SG, but the magnitude of these changes was rather low. We conclude that the short-term explosive-type training programmes in which muscles operate in the fast stretch-shortening cycle conditions (i.e., sprinting, jumping) have a limited potential to induce morphological changes in physically active men.
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of agility training (training of ... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of agility training (training of acceleration, deceleration and quick change of the direction of movement) on athletic power performance. Eighty healthy male college students (age 19±1.1 years; body mass 77.2±7.1 kg; body height 180.1±7.1 cm; body fat percentage 10.8±1.6) participated in this study. The study was a randomized controlled trial. The subjects were assigned randomly to an experimental group (EG; n=40) and control group (CG; n=40). Statistically significant differences were determined within the experimental group both in the initial and in the final measurement (p&lt;.05), whereas significant differences were found between the experimental and the control group in the final measurement (p&lt;.05). Changes in muscle power were assessed through the jumping height in a counter-movement jump (CMJ). The experimental group significantly (p&lt;.05) improved in the jumping height in CMJ (43.17 vs 44.01 cm), counter-movement jump from the left leg (CMJ1L) (29.66 vs 30.12 cm) and counter-movement jump from the right leg (CMJ1R) (28.77 vs 29.11 cm). The values achieved by the subjects from the experimental group ranged from low values for the standing long jump (SLJ), to moderate values for the counter-movement jump (CMJ), to high values for the 5m sprint (SP5). To enhance explosive muscle power and dynamic athletic performance, complex agility training can be used. Therefore, in addition to the well known training methods such as resistance training and plyometric training, strength and conditioning professionals may efficiently incorporate agility training into an overall conditioning programme of athletes striving to achieve a high level of explosive leg power and dynamic athletic performance.
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of body weight on fitness tests among the p... more The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of body weight on fitness tests among the personnel of the Croatian navy. Forty two naval personnel (age 27 +/- 4.1 years; body mass 86.2 +/- 4.9 kg; height 184.6 +/- 7.4 cm; body fat percentage 17.3 +/- 5.2) participated in this study. In order to evaluate the fitness of the naval servicemen, we applied a testing procedure that included measurements of 7 fitness tests and 15 body anthropometric tests. A negative correlation was found between the body fat percentage and all the analyzed sprint tests and three anaerobic power tests (r), SP5 (r = -0.42), SP10 (r = -0.51), SP20 (r = -0.53), SJ (r = -0.45), CM (r = -0.57), SLJ (r = -0.67). Also a negative correlation was found between the body fat percentage and VO2(max) (r = -0.44). A positive correlation was found between the sprint test and the power performance test and thigh and calf girth. Spiriting ability is influenced by the strength of a person. This is one of the reasons why we found a positive correlation between the sprint test (SP5, SP10 and SP20) and thigh and calf girth. In this study we found a negative correlation between body fat percentages and all the sprint tests and three anaerobic power tests and VO2(max). The ectomorph somatotypes have positive correlations with all variables. The mesomorph somatotypes have the greatest positive correlations with all variables. The endomorph somatotypes have negative correlations with all variables. According to the body composition of Croatian naval servicemen we can conclude that they need a sufficient level of strength and endurance for everyday tasks. The effectiveness of a weight-management program is determined by the success of the participants in losing the necessary amount of weight and being able to maintain that weight loss. This requires long-term tracking of these individuals in a naval environment.
... ATHLETIC ... Kinesiology 42(2010) 1:65-72 65 THE EFFECT OF AGILITY TRAINING ON ATHLETIC POWER... more ... ATHLETIC ... Kinesiology 42(2010) 1:65-72 65 THE EFFECT OF AGILITY TRAINING ON ATHLETIC POWER PERFORMANCE Goran Spori1, Luka Milanović1, Igor Jukić1, Darija Omrčen1 and Javier Sampedro Molinuevo2 1Faculty ...
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphol... more The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphological characteristics of physically active men. One hundred and fifty one physical education students (18-24 years of age) were allocated into one of three groups: the plyometric group (PG; n = 50), the sprint group (SG; n = 50), and the control group (CG; n = 51). Both experimental groups participated in a training programme 3 times a week for 10 weeks. SG performed maximal sprints for distances between 10 and 50 meters, while the training programme in PG consisted of hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Anthropometric measurement was performed in the week before and the week after the experiment. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in magnitude of changes in any of the analysed anthropometric variables between the groups. However, a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in the percentage of body fat (6.1%) was found in SG. We also found a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in body mass (1%), fat-free mass (0.4%) and body mass index (0.9%) for the SG, but the magnitude of these changes was rather low. We conclude that the short-term explosive-type training programmes in which muscles operate in the fast stretch-shortening cycle conditions (i.e., sprinting, jumping) have a limited potential to induce morphological changes in physically active men.
The research was conducted to determine the latent structure of the variables of characteristics ... more The research was conducted to determine the latent structure of the variables of characteristics of the sports preparation process and preparedness of basketball players of both sexes. The system for data collection was based on an expert assessment of the influence of the classes of conditioning preparation contents on certain characteristics of both the preparation process and the status of preparedness. The sample of entities (127) consisted of training contents aimed at the development of the motor, physiological and morphological characteristics of athletes, whereas the sample of variables (49) involved the characteristics of the preparation process. Eight factors were extracted by means of the factor analysis of attributes or variables under the G-K criterion. The factors exhausted 85.5 % of the total variance of the manifest space. The isolated latent dimensions (factors) were named as the factor of speed-related attributes of basketball, the factor of multilateral preparation of basketball players, the factor of an aerobic regimen of work and exertion of maximal force, the factor of basic preparation of basketball players, the factor of improving the soft tissues of basketball players, the uninterpretable factor, the factor of specific explosive strength of a vertical jumping ability type, and the factor of ball control.
Elite performance in team sports attracts the attention of the general public. In particular, the... more Elite performance in team sports attracts the attention of the general public. In particular, the best players became incredibly skilled and physically powerful, which is a fact that potentiates the delivery of a product that is considered attractive, exciting, and competitive. Not surprisingly, this is a very valuable product from an economic and social standpoint; thus, all sports professionals are extremely interested in developing new procedures to improve their sports performance. Furthermore, the great interests of the various stakeholders (owners, chief executive officers (CEOs), agents, fans, media, coaches, players, families, and friends) are one of the main reasons for this development under the sports science umbrella and the accompanying sports industry. All their personal performances should be coordinated and put into practice by the sports team. In this scientific and applied study, we primarily dealt with the individual treatment of players in order to improve their ...
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of equations fo... more OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of equations for predicting maximal values of heart rate (HR) in military personnel. METHODS Five hundred and nine members of the Croatian Armed Forces (age 29.1 +/- 5.5 years; height 180.1 +/- 6.6 cm; body mass 83.4 +/- 11.3 kg; maximal oxygen uptake [VO2(max)] 49.7 +/- 6.9 mL O2/kg/min) were tested. The graded exercise test with gas exchange measurements was used to determine VO2(max) and maximum HR (HR(max)). The analysis of variance was used to determine the differences between the equations to calculate HR(max). RESULTS The analysis of variance yielded statistically significant differences between seven HR equations (p < 0.05). The values from Stevens Creek's (HR(max) = 205 - [age/2]) and Fox and Haskell's (HR(max) = 220 - age) equations had the highest correlation with the HRmax obtained by the graded exercise test. CONCLUSION The authors recommend using the HR(max) values from the Ste...
Sport4Health Network (SPORT4H) is a multidisciplinary project co-funded by the European Union Era... more Sport4Health Network (SPORT4H) is a multidisciplinary project co-funded by the European Union Erasmus+ programme aimed to encourage participation in physical activity in working population. SPORT4H includes educational and instructional activities that provide top-notch knowledge on various physical activities that may have an additional benefit to improve healthy lifestyle behaviours across workforce. The aims of Sport4Health 2021 e-symposium organized from 22nd to 23th March 2021 were to: (1) summarize data collected during this project through evaluation of health and fitness profiles for over 40,000 employees from all Sport4HealthNet countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Netherlands, Serbia and Slovenia); (2) discuss the applicability of user-friendly guidelines for physical activity at workplace and e-learning module that includes multicomponent interventions with innovative activities; (3) share experiences from different partners about the effects of educational intervention...
In December of 2019, there was an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the C... more In December of 2019, there was an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) in China. The virus rapidly spread into the whole World causing an unprecedented pandemic and forcing governments to impose a global quarantine, entering an extreme unknown situation. The organizational consequences of quarantine/isolation are: absence of organized training and competition, lack of communication among athletes and coaches, inability to move freely, lack of adequate sunlight exposure, inappropriate training conditions. Based on the current scientific, we strongly recommend encouraging the athlete to reset their mindset to understand quarantine as an opportunity for development, organizing appropriate guidance, educating and encourage athletes to apply appropriate preventive behavior and hygiene measures to promote immunity and ensuring good living isolation conditions. The athlete’s living space should be equipped with cardio and resi...
The “Century XXI” Project is a seven-year intervention sport program performed among the best Spa... more The “Century XXI” Project is a seven-year intervention sport program performed among the best Spanish youth basketball players, who were assigned to one of the following intervention groups based on the following criteria: age, position, mature level, and origin in the country. The study was performed (1996-2001) with a total of 90 players. The main purposes of this study were: a) to describe anthropometric and performance characteristics of top youth international male basketballers in the Spanish national academy; and b) to analyze differences among positions. Insummary, the main findings of this study were: a) the anthropometry presented significant differences between groups under (U-) 14 and U-17; and b) in the U-17 group centers presented more arm span. In our study, the most significant changes are in U-16 vs U-14 and U-15 in strength body up values, and the best result in endurance capacity took place in June of the fourth year. Within this context, the results of the presen...
International journal of sports physiology and performance, Jan 18, 2018
The purpose of this paper was to study the structure of interrelationships among external trainin... more The purpose of this paper was to study the structure of interrelationships among external training load measures and how these vary among different positions in elite basketball. Eight external variables of jumping (JUMP), acceleration (ACC), deceleration (DEC) and change of direction (COD), and two internal load variables (RPE and sRPE) were collected from 13 professional players with 300 session records. Three playing positions were considered: guards (n=4), forwards (n=4) and centers (n=5). High and total external variables (hJUMP and tJUMP, hACC and tACC, hDEC and tDEC, hCOD and tCOD) were used for the principal component analysis. Extraction criteria were set at the eigenvalue of greater than one. Varimax rotation mode was used to extract multiple principal components. The analysis showed that all positions had two or three principal components (explaining almost all of the variance), but the configuration of each factor was different: tACC, tDEC, tCOD and hJUMP for centers, hA...
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphol... more The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphological characteristics of physically active men. One hundred and fifty one physical education students (18-24 years of age) were allocated into one of three groups: the plyometric group (PG; n = 50), the sprint group (SG; n = 50), and the control group (CG; n = 51). Both experimental groups participated in a training programme 3 times a week for 10 weeks. SG performed maximal sprints for distances between 10 and 50 meters, while the training programme in PG consisted of hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Anthropometric measurement was performed in the week before and the week after the experiment. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in magnitude of changes in any of the analysed anthropometric variables between the groups. However, a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in the percentage of body fat (6.1%) was found in SG. We also found a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in body mass (1%), fat-free mass (0.4%) and body mass index (0.9%) for the SG, but the magnitude of these changes was rather low. We conclude that the short-term explosive-type training programmes in which muscles operate in the fast stretch-shortening cycle conditions (i.e., sprinting, jumping) have a limited potential to induce morphological changes in physically active men.
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of agility training (training of ... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of agility training (training of acceleration, deceleration and quick change of the direction of movement) on athletic power performance. Eighty healthy male college students (age 19±1.1 years; body mass 77.2±7.1 kg; body height 180.1±7.1 cm; body fat percentage 10.8±1.6) participated in this study. The study was a randomized controlled trial. The subjects were assigned randomly to an experimental group (EG; n=40) and control group (CG; n=40). Statistically significant differences were determined within the experimental group both in the initial and in the final measurement (p&lt;.05), whereas significant differences were found between the experimental and the control group in the final measurement (p&lt;.05). Changes in muscle power were assessed through the jumping height in a counter-movement jump (CMJ). The experimental group significantly (p&lt;.05) improved in the jumping height in CMJ (43.17 vs 44.01 cm), counter-movement jump from the left leg (CMJ1L) (29.66 vs 30.12 cm) and counter-movement jump from the right leg (CMJ1R) (28.77 vs 29.11 cm). The values achieved by the subjects from the experimental group ranged from low values for the standing long jump (SLJ), to moderate values for the counter-movement jump (CMJ), to high values for the 5m sprint (SP5). To enhance explosive muscle power and dynamic athletic performance, complex agility training can be used. Therefore, in addition to the well known training methods such as resistance training and plyometric training, strength and conditioning professionals may efficiently incorporate agility training into an overall conditioning programme of athletes striving to achieve a high level of explosive leg power and dynamic athletic performance.
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of body weight on fitness tests among the p... more The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of body weight on fitness tests among the personnel of the Croatian navy. Forty two naval personnel (age 27 +/- 4.1 years; body mass 86.2 +/- 4.9 kg; height 184.6 +/- 7.4 cm; body fat percentage 17.3 +/- 5.2) participated in this study. In order to evaluate the fitness of the naval servicemen, we applied a testing procedure that included measurements of 7 fitness tests and 15 body anthropometric tests. A negative correlation was found between the body fat percentage and all the analyzed sprint tests and three anaerobic power tests (r), SP5 (r = -0.42), SP10 (r = -0.51), SP20 (r = -0.53), SJ (r = -0.45), CM (r = -0.57), SLJ (r = -0.67). Also a negative correlation was found between the body fat percentage and VO2(max) (r = -0.44). A positive correlation was found between the sprint test and the power performance test and thigh and calf girth. Spiriting ability is influenced by the strength of a person. This is one of the reasons why we found a positive correlation between the sprint test (SP5, SP10 and SP20) and thigh and calf girth. In this study we found a negative correlation between body fat percentages and all the sprint tests and three anaerobic power tests and VO2(max). The ectomorph somatotypes have positive correlations with all variables. The mesomorph somatotypes have the greatest positive correlations with all variables. The endomorph somatotypes have negative correlations with all variables. According to the body composition of Croatian naval servicemen we can conclude that they need a sufficient level of strength and endurance for everyday tasks. The effectiveness of a weight-management program is determined by the success of the participants in losing the necessary amount of weight and being able to maintain that weight loss. This requires long-term tracking of these individuals in a naval environment.
... ATHLETIC ... Kinesiology 42(2010) 1:65-72 65 THE EFFECT OF AGILITY TRAINING ON ATHLETIC POWER... more ... ATHLETIC ... Kinesiology 42(2010) 1:65-72 65 THE EFFECT OF AGILITY TRAINING ON ATHLETIC POWER PERFORMANCE Goran Spori1, Luka Milanović1, Igor Jukić1, Darija Omrčen1 and Javier Sampedro Molinuevo2 1Faculty ...
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphol... more The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphological characteristics of physically active men. One hundred and fifty one physical education students (18-24 years of age) were allocated into one of three groups: the plyometric group (PG; n = 50), the sprint group (SG; n = 50), and the control group (CG; n = 51). Both experimental groups participated in a training programme 3 times a week for 10 weeks. SG performed maximal sprints for distances between 10 and 50 meters, while the training programme in PG consisted of hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Anthropometric measurement was performed in the week before and the week after the experiment. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in magnitude of changes in any of the analysed anthropometric variables between the groups. However, a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in the percentage of body fat (6.1%) was found in SG. We also found a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in body mass (1%), fat-free mass (0.4%) and body mass index (0.9%) for the SG, but the magnitude of these changes was rather low. We conclude that the short-term explosive-type training programmes in which muscles operate in the fast stretch-shortening cycle conditions (i.e., sprinting, jumping) have a limited potential to induce morphological changes in physically active men.
The research was conducted to determine the latent structure of the variables of characteristics ... more The research was conducted to determine the latent structure of the variables of characteristics of the sports preparation process and preparedness of basketball players of both sexes. The system for data collection was based on an expert assessment of the influence of the classes of conditioning preparation contents on certain characteristics of both the preparation process and the status of preparedness. The sample of entities (127) consisted of training contents aimed at the development of the motor, physiological and morphological characteristics of athletes, whereas the sample of variables (49) involved the characteristics of the preparation process. Eight factors were extracted by means of the factor analysis of attributes or variables under the G-K criterion. The factors exhausted 85.5 % of the total variance of the manifest space. The isolated latent dimensions (factors) were named as the factor of speed-related attributes of basketball, the factor of multilateral preparation of basketball players, the factor of an aerobic regimen of work and exertion of maximal force, the factor of basic preparation of basketball players, the factor of improving the soft tissues of basketball players, the uninterpretable factor, the factor of specific explosive strength of a vertical jumping ability type, and the factor of ball control.
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