The relative age effect (RAE) is the effects of differences between athletes born in the early compared to the later months of the year. This study investigated the presence of RAE among 306 age-group swimmers competing in the 2014 Malaysian Schools Sports Competition (MSSM). Participants’ birthdates were grouped according to four birth quartiles (Q1- Jan to Mar; Q2- Apr to June; Q3 – July to September; Q4 – October to December). Data analyzed using chi-squared goodness-of-fit showed there was a significant difference among overall male but not for the female swimmers. There was a presence of RAE in the U-12 and U-15 but none in the U-18 boys’ category. Further analyses on the medal winners showed no RAEs on both gender. Physical attributes of the male swimmers, especially the early adolescents are suggested to influence the relative age effects in swimming.
The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of the agility ladder drills in improving the dynamic balance ability of school children. Eighteen primary school male participants were assigned randomly into an experimental and control group respectively. The experimental group practiced the agility ladder drill activities for four weeks (three time a week) after school whereas the control group adhered to their normal daily routine without any intervention. Pre and post tests on dynamic balance were administered using the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Statistical analyses using 2 group vs 3 tests ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor showed no main effects between groups and tests. However, there was a significant interaction between group and test. The experimental group improved their dynamic balance score from pre- to post-test compared to the control group although no significant improvements were observed in the retention test. Agility ladder drills provide an additional approach to improve the dynamic balance of young children.
Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education 6(2): 1-9, 2017 - Improper landing techniques from jumps are usually associated with knee injuries. Such incidence could be alleviated through augmented instructions and feedback on performing the landing movement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of augmented feedback on landing force from jumps. Twenty-eight participants, divided into three groups (visual, n=10, verbal, n=10, control, n=8) performed jumps from a box and their ground reaction force (GRF) measured using force platform analyzer before and after treatment. The visual group received visual feedback from video playback of their landing action, the verbal group received verbal feedback based on the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) criteria, and no feedback was provided for the control group. Both visual and verbal groups underwent interventions for two weeks, consisted of three sessions per week. Factorial mixed-design ANOVA with repeated measures on the tests results showed no significant interaction between groups and test, F (2.00, 25.80) = 841, p>. 05. In conclusion, feedback could be effective in reducing GRF, but may require extended duration of practice with feedback to assess its effectiveness in modifying behaviors.
The purpose of the study was to examine the developmental pathways of elite youth swimmers. Swim-related developmental activities of elite and sub-elite youth swimmers were examined. Fifteen elite (8 males; 7 females) and 15 subelite (5 males; 10 females) youth swimmers were recruited for the study. A semistructured questionnaire was used to record retrospectively the hours engaged in swim-related activities (i.e., structured and unstructured activities) from beginning of career. No significant differences were found for swim-related developmental milestones for both elite and sub-elite swimmers. Overall, the elite swimmers accumulated more hours in swim-related activities than the sub-elites between 6-15 years of age. Although the former accumulated more hours in both structured and unstructured swimming activities between 6-12 years of age, no significant differences were found between the groups. However, the elite swimmers accumulated significantly more hours in structured swimming activities between 13-15 years of age. Both groups had analogous developmental pathways during childhood but the onset of adolescence led to different outcomes. The increased hours in structured practice during adolescence is suggested to have influenced the level of attainment in swimmers. Incremental amount of training at certain age period is critical in developing optimum performance in sports.