Loturco, I, Nakamura, FY, Winckler, C, Bragança, JR, da Fonseca, RA, Filho, JM, Zaccani, WA, Kobal, R, Cal Abad, CC, Kitamura, K, Pereira, LA, and Franchini, E. Strength-power performance of visually impaired paralympic and olympic judo athletes from the brazilian national team: a comparative study. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 743-749, 2017-The aim of this study was to compare the muscle power and maximal isometric strength capacities of Olympic and visually impaired Paralympic judo athletes. Twenty-eight elite judo athletes (7 men and 7 women per group) from the permanent Brazilian National Paralympic and Olympic teams took part in this study. After a specific warm-up, the athletes performed loaded jump squat (JS), bench press (BP), and standing barbell row (SBR) exercises to determine their values of maximum mean propulsive power (MPP) in these respective exercises. The maximal isometric strength (MIS) was also determined for both upper and lower limbs, through the use of BP and half-squat (HS) exercises. Finally, the jumping ability was assessed using unloaded squat jump (SJ). The magnitude-based inference was used to compare the groups. The Olympic judo athletes presented a likely higher SJ height than the Paralympic athletes. The Olympic group presented almost certainly higher MPP in the loaded JS and in the SBR exercises and likely higher MPP in the BP exercise. Importantly, in the MIS assessments the differences between groups in the HS and BP exercises were rated as unclear. In conclusion, our results showed that both Olympic and Paralympic judo athletes present similar levels of maximal isometric strength, but muscle power performance is superior in Olympic athletes.

The aim of this study was to describe the variations in power performance of elite Paralympic judo athletes across three consecutive training cycles of preparation for the ParaPan American Games, the World Championship and the Paralympic Games. Eleven Paralympic judokas from the Brazilian National team participated in this study. They were repeatedly assessed using squat and countermovement jumps, mean propulsive power (MPP) in the jump-squat (JS), the bench press and prone bench pull at several moments of the preparation. Training supervision based on the optimum power zone (range of loads where power production is maximized) was provided in the final cycle, prior to the Paralympic Games. Magnitude-based inference was used to compare the repeated measurements of power performance. Lower and upper limb muscle power gradually increased throughout the cycles; however, the best results in all exercises were observed prior to the Paralympic Games, during which the team won four silver medals. As an illustration, prior to participation in the Paralympic Games the MPP in the JS was likely to very likely higher than prior to the World Championship (effect size [ES] = 0.77) and ParaPan American Games (ES = 0.53), and in January and March 2016 (ES = 0.98 and 0.92, respectively; months preceding the Paralympic Games). Power performance assessments can provide information about the evolution of Paralympic judokas, and training at the optimum power zone seems to constitute an effective method to improve lower and upper limb power in these athletes.

This study aimed to test the reliability, sensitivity, construct and logical validity of an adapted Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) for judo athletes with visual impairment . Twenty judo athletes with visual impairments performed both the adapted SJFT with tactile and sonorous stimuli (experimental conditions) and the typically administered SJFT (standard condition). We used analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with repeated-measures to compare the groups’ SJFT performances, and one-way ANOVAs to compare different visual ability classes of athletes (B1, B2 and B3). We used t-tests to compare SJFT variables between elite and sub-elite groups. We set statistical significance for all tests at p < 0.05. The standard SJFT showed excellent test-retest reliability for number of throws and overall index (ICC = 0.91–0.95), and both sonorous and tactile sensitivity adaptations of the SJFT showed medium sensitivity for detecting performance changes. The number of throws and SJFT index were higher with the sonorous adaptation of the test, compared to the tactile and standard versions ( p < 0.001). Athletes who were blind (B1) presented similar performances to athletes who were partially sighted (B2 and B3) only on the SJFT with the sonorous stimulus. Moreover, only the sonorous SJFT adaptation discriminated between the performances of elite and sub-elite athletes ( p < 0.001). In conclusion, both SJFT adaptations showed excellent reliability and medium sensitivity on test-retest, but, only the SJFT with the sonorous stimulus seemed valid for assessing judo athletes with varying degrees of visual impairment, and only the sonorous stimulus SJFT discriminated elite from sub-elite athletes.

de não poder levar a efeito, com toda sua amplitude, os requerimentos da execução esportiva. Por isso, as lesões esportivas, em qualquer parte do corpo em que ocorram, influirão, sempre, em toda a pessoa do desportista. Assim, compreender e reconhecer as implicações psicológicas das lesões desportivas é muito importante, porque cada lesão apresenta um cenário de ajuste psicológico ao trauma físico. O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar as implicações psicológicas das lesões esportivas em atletas de Judô Paralímpico com deficiência visual, bem como o processo de reabilitação. Foram avaliados 10 atletas, de ambos os sexos, com média de idade de 28,5 (±7,25) an os, por meio de uma entrevista semiestruturada composta por 13 perguntas formuladas pelos pesquisadores. As respostas às entrevistas foram gravadas e, posteriormente, transcritas e analisadas à luz da análise do discurso. Os resultados mostraram sentimentos de medo, frustração, tristeza e pessimismo frente à lesão, bem como impaciência pelo retorno à prática esportiva. Na etapa de reabilitação, alguns atletas mostraram preocupação em não conseguir executar movimentos antes realizados. Já no retorno às ativi dades esportivas, apontaram medo e insegurança em ter uma nova lesão. Esses resultados levam a concluir que as respostas psicológicas frente aos traumas físicos são determinadas por um processo dinâmico de avaliação cognitiva, por parte do atleta, acerca da situação da lesão e de outros fatores relevantes. Ele avalia a intensidade e os efeitos da lesão e responde emocional e comportamentalmente a ela. Palavras-chave: Psicologia do esporte; lesões; deficiente visual. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF INJURIES IN PARALYMPIC JUDO ATHLETES WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTSABSTRACT. An injury isolates the athlete of his activity, or at least puts him in a position that can not be undertaken, with all its breadth, the requirements of sports performance. Therefore, sports inju ries, which can occur anywhere in the body, will always influence in every individual athlete. So, it is very important to understand and to recognize the psychological implications of sports injuries because each injury presents a psychological adjustment scenario to physical trauma. Thus, this study aimed to verify the 1 Artigo originado do Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso da pesquisadora principal, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Psicóloga, Universidade São

Our aim in this study was to compare performance adaptations based on tactile or sonorous stimuli in para-judo athletes with congenital or acquired visual impairment. Twenty judo athletes with a type of visual impairment performed both the adapted Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) with tactile and sonorous stimuli and the standard SJFT. We used two-way ANOVA with repeated measurements in the second factor to compare the SJFT performance of athletes with visual impairment between two groups (acquired or congenital) in the two test situations, with the level of significance set at p < .05. Both groups of participants performed better on the adapted SJFT with tactile and sonorous stimuli compared to the standard condition on number of throws ( p = .029 and p < .001) and showed lower final and post 1-minute heart rates (HR) ( p < .05). There were no group differences in performance on any SJFT adaptations ( p > .05). Thus, both SJFT adaptations (tactile and sonorous stimuli) enhanced the judo-specific performance of athletes with both acquired and congenital visual impairments. However, athletes with either origin of impairment showed a better HR in the adaptive tactile stimuli testing compared to the standard SJFT testing condition.