Digit ratio has been investigated extensively and in certain studies has been shown to be predetermined as early as in the womb. Digit ratio is often associated with varied human performance in various aspects such as fertility, psychology, disease, and sports. It has been reported that athletes with higher testosterone levels excel over than those with low testosterone levels. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the association of low digit ratio with talented young footballers’ aerobic and anaerobic capacities. The study selected 29 subjects (N=29), comprising male students aged 10.41±0.57 (years) actively undergoing football training at the Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) Academy. Spearman’s Rho result indicates that low digit ratio is moderately correlated with aerobic capacity, which was tested by using One Mile Run test (MRW) with =0.406, p=0.029. Meanwhile, concerning the association between low digit ratio and anaerobic capacity through 50-meter sprint tests, the results deduced from Spearman’s Rho revealed that there is no significant correlation, with =-.128, p=0.509. In conclusion, these results may give further insights into the influence of digit ratio on energy capacities if the sample size is improved with a thorough methodology. Given a larger sample size and detailed research in future, digit ratio could be a good indicator in classifying athletes based on their dominant energy system capacity.
Recently, the general performance standards of women’s squash have progressed to very high
levels as demonstrated by several ‘spectacular’ world championships final matches. Our aim
was to identify successful game strategies of female squash players at the international level via
notational analysis. 25 matches were obtained for analysis from several international
competitions, including the Women’s World Championship 2014, the Women’s World Team
Squash Championship 2014 and the Malaysia Circuit Squash 2015. Analysis was based on
observation of the type of stroke performed and the rally outcome. The mean total number of
shots performed per game was 337 (SD=189.6) shots. The most preferred strokes performed
were drive (47.1%), followed by cross-court (19.9%), volley (12.7%), drop (11.1%), boast
(5.8%), with the lob (3.4%) as least frequently occurring shot. Meanwhile, rally outcomes were
categorized as winners, errors, stroke, and let. There were more winners produced (58.5%) than
errors (24.8%) or lets (16.69%). The findings indicate that defensive long rallies together with
offensive endings (such as well-timed drop shots) are characteristic of points played in elite
women’s squash. The practical implications of this analysis may help coaches and female
players enhance both tactical strategy and performance.