This study was designed to examine the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and weight training (WT) on muscular strength and athletic performance. Thirty college women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: WT, PNF, and control. WT and PNF subjects trained 3 days a week for 8 weeks. All subjects were tested for changes in knee and elbow extensor strength, throwing distance, and vertical jump. The WT group increased strength by 19.3% for knee extension and 20.4% for elbow extension while the PNF group increaseil22.1 and 29.1 %, respectively. PNF also increased throwing distance by 25% and vertical jump by 16% while WT had increases of 12.8 and 9.9% respectively. These findings indicate PNF might be superior to WT in athletic performance enhancement and, therefore, the better modality for athletic conditioning and injury rehabilitation. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1986;7(5):250-253.
Experiments using rapid-positioning movements in humans, where the subject is suddenly and unexpectedly provided with a change in the load characteristics of the limb, are described. Taken together, the pattern of results supports a mass-spring model of unidirectional limb action, where the limb moves to a position defined by the relative tensions in the agonist and antagonist. As well, various results provide evidence contrary to predictions from an impulse-timing viewpoint, where the motor program times the onset of impulses to the musculature, and against a feedback-processing viewpoint, where limb position is defined by minimizing positioning error indicated by feedback. The evidence suggests that the role of phasing in motor programs may be different for unidirectional actions on the one band and multi-directional and/or multi-component actions on the other.
In brief The six collegiate male volleyball players in this study had moderate aerobic capacity (56 ml·kg·min) and predominantly fast twitch fiber distribution (57%) in the vastus lateralis muscle. Prolonged volleyball play resulted in a greater depletion of glycogen in slow twitch fibers than in fast twitch and no hint of anaerobic fatigue. These results suggest that in spite of the apparent explosive activity of volleyball, the overall intensity is probably mild to moderate and therefore aerobic endurance may be critical to performance.
Scoring systems for two-team (two-person) net games are typically evaluated for accuracy, efficiency, and variability. This evaluation may be difficult if many points are involved, the probability of winning a point changes with service, and/or points are not scored every rally. A computer program that may be used to evaluate general scoring systems for accuracy, efficiency, variability, and expected score difference is presented. Four scoring systems, side-out, quick, side-out point, and bonus point, are analyzed. A list of items to consider when developing an optimal scoring system is suggested. An optimal scoring system for volleyball is introduced.
It has become very popular to view the human as a processor of information, with reaction time (RT) used in various ways to measure the speed of information processing. In many sports quick decisions are essential to success. It is tempting to study reaction time, infer information-processing ability, and use the results to make predictions about success. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between various RT and movement time (MT) measures [simple RT, simple MT, simple total response time (TRT), choice RT, choice MT, choice TRT, and information-processing ability as determined by the increase in RT from simple to eight-choice conditions] with batting average, slugging percentage, and total average. 40 varsity baseball players from Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, University of Utah, and Brigham Young University were given 24 practice attempts followed by 48 experimental attempts for both simple and choice RT and MT. These scores were then correlated with batting averages, slugging percentages, and total averages. This research demonstrated no relationship between the various measurements of reaction and movement times and offensive ability in baseball.
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