RESUmOObjetivo: avaliar o desempenho isocinético da musculatura extensora e flexora do joelho em atletas de futsal nos membros DO e ND. Metodologia: participaram 23 atletas, com idade de 27,1 ± 3,6 anos, massa corporal 72,7 ± 12,6kg e estatura 1,75 ± 6,

Introduction: Self-concept is a structure formed by cognitive schemas, among of these there are gender schemas (male and female schemas). According to the Interactive Model, all individuals are composed of both schemas resulting in different psychological profile. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate if futsal athletes who differ in gender schemas typological groups present differences in body composition and physical fitness level. Method: The initial sample was composed of 92 male athletes, who were classified in the following gender schema typological group: Male Heteroschematic (MH), Female Heteroschematic (FH) and Isoschematic (ISO). In order to classify the sample in typological groups, the Male Inventory of the Self-Concept's Gender Schemas (IMEGA) was used. The Squat Jump, Counter Movement Jump and Running Anaerobic Sprint Tests were used to assess explosive power and anaerobic capacity, respectively. The results were analyzed with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA): One Way, Mixed and Manova. Results: The results showed no differences in body composition, but MH presented more fatigue than the ISO and FH groups. In the assessment of six sprints executed by the athletes, it was observed that MH presented more variation between the initial and final maximum power, when compared with the other groups. Conclusion: These results lead to the conclusion that different psychological profiles adapt better to some game positions performance and/or to some specific situations during the game. Finally, it is suggested that the psychological profile must be used as a criterion in the selection of the athletes, considering also physiological and technical factors.

The relative age effect is prevalent in different elite team sports. However, little is known about this phenomenon in high-level adult male futsal players. Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of relative age effect in Brazilian male elite futsal players, and its relationship with playing position and goals scored on Brazil National Futsal Leagues (BNFL) from 2016 to 2020. Methods: The distribution of birth dates, playing positions, and goals scored by male participants of the Brazil National Futsal Leagues were analyzed. Chi-squared tests were used to analyze the birth dates distribution based on quarters and semesters of the year, according to playing position (defender, winger, pivot, and goalkeeper) and scoring performance (high and low). Results: The overall analysis indicated that the relative age effect is prevalent on the pool of athletes analyzed. However, this effect was position-dependent, since relatively older athletes were overrepresented only in wingers and defenders playing positions. On the other hand, scoring performance was not associated with the relative age effect, since this effect was found in both performance levels. Conclusion: Relative age effects are prevalent in Brazilian male elite futsal athletes, especially for defenders and wingers. Considering the high level of competitiveness for spots in elite futsal teams, coaches and sports administrators must be educated about the prevalence of the relative age effect in this sporting context. This is necessary in order to reduce the inequalities generated by age categories based on arbitrary cut-off dates, which may reduce potential talent loss.

Athletes born closer to an arbitrary cut-off date are more likely to reach an elite level in sport, which is supported by a phenomenon called the relative age effect (RAE). It is important to determine whether this phenomenon is present in a sport to minimize this selection bias. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of RAE in elite volleyball athletes, considering the influence of gender, the playing position (Setter, Middle, Libero, Opposite, and Outside Hitter) and the performance level (attack points, aces, and block points). The sample comprised 203 male and 193 female athletes competing in the Superliga A in the 2020/2021 season, which was equivalent to all of the teams of the championship. The data collection was performed during May and June, 2021. Athletes were organized according to gender, the playing position, and performance in the Superliga. For performance variables, athletes were separated based on the median value (90.0), and classified as high- or low-performance. Chi-squared tests were performed to verify differences between birth date distributions in relation to the aforementioned variables. Results indicated overrepresentation of relatively older male athletes (Q1 = 35.96%; Q2 = 27.59%; Q3 = 19.21%; Q4 = 17.24%), especially in Middles, Opposites, and Outside Hitters, regardless of their performance level. Considering females, no differences were found. Our findings suggest that RAE operates differently for men and women in elite Brazilian volleyball. The characteristics of the games played by male and female elite athletes may lead to different talent selection processes, affecting the likelihood of RAE prevalence.

The present study aimed to identify the psychological profiles of professional futsal players in terms of the gender schema and to evaluate the physiological parameters (speed, acceleration, strength, and power) and fatigue index of these athletes according to their gender profiles and relative to their positions on the court. The Masculine Inventory of the Self-concept Gender Schemas was used to classify the sample into typological groups, and the Running Anaerobic Sprint Test was used to measure the physiological parameters (speed, acceleration, strength, and power) and the fatigue index. The study sample was composed of 64 male professional futsal players who competed in the National Indoor Soccer league in 2013; the subjects had an average weight of 76.00±6.7 kg. Among the athletes studied, 23 (35.9%) were classified as heteroschematic female, 22 (34.4%) as heteroschematic male, and 19 (29.7%) as isoschematic. Regarding their positions on the court, eleven were goalkeepers (17.2%), 13 (20.3%) were defenders, 28 (43.8%) were midfielders, and 12 (18.8%) were attackers. The players had similar weights even when belonging to different typological groups and having different positions in the court. However, it is worth noting that male heteroschematic players had a greater mean weight (77.11±5.93 kg) and that the goalkeeper was, on average, the heaviest player (79.36±8.14 kg). The results of the physiological parameter analysis relative to typological group showed that, on average, high-level soccer players presented similar performance profiles in different rounds, as statistically significant differences were not found in any of the studied physiological variables (weight, distance, speed, acceleration, strength, power, and fatigue index). Although the results of this research did not reveal statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the assessed variables, we observed that some results related to personality traits associated with both the male and female components could help to clarify and establish relationships with some strategic aspects inherent to futsal.

Volleyball is a popular sport in Brazil, and the relative age effect (RAE) is known to occur within it; but less is known of how RAE relates to elite Brazilian volleyball players’ age, sex, and competitive levels. We aimed to investigate RAE prevalence with data from two seasons of play among players in the Superliga A (2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons), and Superliga B (2021 and 2022 seasons) made available from the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV), the club’s official website, or direct consultation with the CBV. After removing duplicate data, we grouped these 1,063 athletes by their dates of birth, sex, and competition level (Superliga A or B). We divided players’ birth dates into quarters (Q1: January-March, Q2: April-June, Q3: July-September and Q4: October-December) and into semesters, and we performed chi-square (χ2) tests to investigate RAE prevalence according to the players’ sex and competitive level. RAE was prevalent overall (χ2 = 33.198; p < .001), among males (χ2 = 24.48; p < .001) and females (χ2 = 11.23; p < .011). Regarding competition level, RAE was evident among males in both Superliga A (χ2 = 14.581; p = 0.002), and B (χ2 = 13.985; p = 0.003), and among females in Superliga B (χ2 = 9.204; p = 0.027), but not Superliga A (χ2 = 4.012; p = 0.26). Thus, the RAE phenomenon operated differently for male and female Brazilian volleyball players according to their competitive level. We discuss the implications of these findings.

O objetivo foi analisar a velocidade da bola na ação realizada pelo chute por meninas praticantes de futsal no contexto escolar, bem como categorizar o lado dominante e o não dominante. Foram analisadas de forma transversal e quantitativamente 53 alunas, distribuídas em suas respectivas categorias:  sub 11 (n=12), sub 13 (n=14), sub 15 (n=14) e sub 17 (n=13), participantes nas aulas de educação física em uma escola municipal na cidade de Tapejara-RS. Para tal, cada aluna efetuou três chutes com a perna dominante, e três chutes com a perna não dominante na marcação do tiro de 10m do futsal. Todas as categorias apresentaram menor velocidade média da bola no lado não dominante em relação ao lado dominante. Houve diferença significativa no lado dominante entre as categorias sub 17 e sub 11, sendo 22,7% maior na categoria sub 17 em relação a categoria sub 11 (p = 0,016). A detecção de maior velocidade na bola após o chute, para estudantes do sexo feminino, está ligada diretamente a assimetria de utilização e estímulo dado aos segmentos nas diferentes ações diárias e específicas do futsal. Os autores sugerem um maior incentivo na participação de meninas em atividades esportivas dentro das escolinhas de futsal, pois pode elevar a maturação biológica dentro da faixa etária cronológica analisada, diminuindo o atraso no amadurecimento e na qualificação motriz de meninas que apenas fazem atividades escolares.

No abstract