Carlo Minganti

NOTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF ELITE AND SUB-ELITE WATER POLO MATCHES

Lupo, C, Tessitore, A, Minganti, C, and Capranica, L. Notational analysis of elite and sub-elite water polo matches. J Strength Cond Res 24(1): 223-229, 2010-This study aimed at comparing elite (i.e., Euro League and Italian “Serie A1”) and sub-elite (Italian “Serie B”) matches. A notational analysis was performed on 17 mens water polo matches during the 2005-2006 season to evaluate the following technical and tactical parameters of the offensive play: frequency of occurrence of the actions; mean clock-time duration; mean number of players involved and passes; frequency of occurrence of the turnovers; and frequency of occurrence of the number, outcome, position, and type of the shots. All the indicators were analyzed in relation to even (i.e., equal number of offensive and defensive players), counterattack (i.e., higher number of offensive players than that of the defense), and power play (i.e., a team defending for 20 seconds without a player because of an exclusion foul) situations. A multivariate approach (multivariate analysis of variance) was applied to the playing situations (even, counterattack, and power play) as dependent variables and competition levels (Final Four of Euro League Championship, Serie A1 Championship, and Serie B Championship) as between factor (p < 0.05). Significant differences among competition levels emerged in (a) the frequency of occurrence of counterattack and power play actions, (b) the duration of even situations, (c) the mean number of players directly involved during power play actions, (d) the mean number of the passes during even and power play actions, (e) the frequency of occurrence of the shots during counterattack and power play actions, (f) the frequency of occurrence of goals during even actions, (g) the frequency of occurrence of shots originating from different zones of the court, and (h) the type of shots performed. The present results showed that the competition level has a relevant impact on the occurrence of technical and tactical indicators especially in relation to even, counterattack, and power play situations. Thus, notational analysis proved to be a valuable tool for better coaching through the interpretation of technical and tactical aspects of water polo in relation to its competition level.

Technical and Tactical Analysis of Youth Taekwondo Performance

Abstract Casolino, E, Lupo, C, Cortis, C, Chiodo, S, Minganti, C, Capranica, L, and Tessitore, A. Technical and tactical analysis of youth taekwondo performance. J Strength Cond Res 26(6): 1489–1495, 2012—This study aimed to analyze the technical and tactical aspects of young athletes during official taekwondo competitions. Fifty-nine youth taekwondo athletes (43 boys and 16 girls; age range: 10–12 years; weight category range: <24 to >59 kg) with at least 2 years of taekwondo training consisting of three 90-minute training sessions for 3 d·wk−1 participated in this study. Thirty-seven matches (three 1-minute rounds, with 1-minute rest in between) were analyzed to verify the differences (p ⩽ 0.05) in offensive and defensive actions in relation to gender (male, female), match outcome (winners, nonwinners), kicking leg (front, rear), and round (first, second, third). No difference emerged for gender and match outcome. With respect to defensive actions (8.4 ± 12.0%), youth athletes engaged more frequently (p < 0.0001) in offensive actions (91.6 ± 12.0%), which showed a significant decrease (p < 0.016) from the first round (42.3 ± 21.8%) to the second (33.1 ± 14.8%) and third (24.5 ± 16.0%) ones. Kicks performed with the rear leg (94.4 ± 7.8%) occurred more frequently (p < 0.0001) than those performed with the front leg (5.6 ± 7.8%). In considering that a high level of coordination is required to perform front-leg kicks and defensive actions necessitate a high level of tactical skills, these findings might indicate a not-yet complete attainment of fundamental coordinative capabilities in 10- to 12-year-old athletes, independently of match outcome. To enhance coordination capabilities in youth athletes, coaches are recommended to structure their training including skill-ability and sport-ability drills.

Time-motion analysis of youth Olympic Taekwondo combats.

Abstract Tornello, F, Capranica, L, Chiodo, S, Minganti, C, and Tessitore, A. Time-motion analysis of youth Olympic Taekwondo combats. J Strength Cond Res 27(1): 223–228, 2013—This study aimed to analyze the time-motion structure of combat phases (fighting: F, nonfighting: NF, and stoppage time: ST) during semifinal and final matches (three 1.5-minute rounds, with 1-minute rest in between) of the 2010 Italian Taekwondo Cadet (age 13–14 years) Championship (adolescent boys, n = 40; adolescent girls, n = 28) in relation to gender (adolescent boys and girls) and grouped weight division (light, middle, and heavy) of athletes. Regardless of gender, grouped weight division, round, and tournament stage, differences (p < 0.001, effect size range: 1.92–3.02) emerged for frequency of occurrence of combat phases (F: 42.4 ± 0.5%; NF: 44.5 ± 0.7%; ST: 13.1 ± 0.9%) and their mean duration (F: 2.8 ± 1.0 seconds; NF: 6.5 ± 1.8 seconds; ST: 13.7 ± 5.0 seconds). A 1:2 F to NF ratio was found, whereas a 1:3 ratio emerged when F was considered in relation to the sum of NF and ST. During F phase, 5 ± 1 tactical movements and 4 ± 1 technical exchanges were performed, lasting 0.6 ± 0.1 seconds and 0.7 ± 0.1 seconds, respectively. These findings mirrored the intermittent nature of youth combat, characterized by a high occurrence of tactical movements and technical exchanges during F phase. The lack of differences for round and tournament stages indicates a limited tactical capability of young athletes in adopting specific match strategies, independently from gender and weight divisions of the athletes. To prepare young athletes to handle the technical-tactical demands of the match, coaches could include 7–9 circuit stations of specific taekwondo sequences of attack and counter attack techniques.

Field Evaluation of Cycled Coupled Movements of Hand and Foot in Older Individuals

Background: Age-related deterioration of motor performance has been investigated, often associated to behavioral slowing and to modification in the quality of movement coordination. However, the complexity of laboratory settings restrains sound quantitative evaluation of inter-limb coordination in large-scale clinical assessments, and no information regarding test stability has been provided. Objective: The aims of the present study were to verify in homolateral hand and foot coordination field performances: (1) acceptable test–retest reliability criteria for older adults, and (2) the effects of coordination mode and test velocity at different ages across lifespan. Methods: Seventy-seven individuals, ranging in age from 10 to 87 years, performed simultaneous flexions and extensions of the homolateral wrist and ankle in the sagittal plane with a 1:1 ratio. Two homolateral conditions (preferred and non-preferred limbs) were tested in two coordination modes: in-phase (isodirectional) and anti-phase (nonisodirectional) at three test frequencies (80, 120 and 180 bpm, respectively). Time of correct execution within a maximum of 60 s was recorded for each test condition. Older adults (n = 36) performed the test and the retest with a week interval. Results: High ICCs (range 0.72–0.98) and acceptable limits of agreement were found for the subsample of older adults. Main effects and significant interactions were found for age, coordination mode, and execution frequency. Time of correct execution was longest in younger adults and shortest in older individuals. At all ages, it was longer for the in-phase than in the anti-phase condition and decreased with increasing execution frequency. However, the amplitude of the differences between execution frequencies varied as a function of age and coordination mode. Conclusions: The high test-retest stability coefficients confirm that the present field test represents a reliable tool to quantify older individual’s performance on cyclic coupled movements of hand and foot allowing large-scale evaluations with an inexpensive apparatus. Aging generally harms homolateral inter-limb coordination performance, but a more complex pattern of effects emerges when coordination mode, and frequency of execution are manipulated. In fact, age-related performance impairments were most pronounced during anti-phase movements, that need increased monitoring and attentional allocation in order to inhibit the natural in-phase mode, and at high execution frequencies, that are strongly affected by age-related muscle weakness, prolonged reaction times, and changes in stretch reflexes.

Technical-tactical Analysis of Youth Olympic Taekwondo Combat

Abstract Tornello, F, Capranica, L, Minganti, C, Chiodo, S, Condello, G, and Tessitore, A. Technical-tactical analysis of youth Olympic taekwondo combat. J Strength Cond Res 28(4): 1151–1157, 2014—The purpose of this study was to define the technical and tactical profiles of official youth taekwondo competitions played under the most recent rules of the International Taekwondo Federation. Tactical actions (i.e., attack, defense, and block), technical executions (from 1- to 4-point scores), kicking legs (i.e., front/rear and right/left), and overall technical effectiveness were investigated in relation to match outcome of semifinal and final competitions (n = 50) of youth (aged 13–14 years) black belt athletes during the Italian Taekwondo Cadet Championship. Differences (p < 0.001) were found among all action typologies (Attack: 50.9 ± 2.2%; Defense: 27.7 ± 1.5%; Block: 21.3 ± 1.6%), with winners showing fewer (p = 0.005) offensive actions and more (p = 0.001) defensive actions with respect to non-winners. Independently from match outcome, technical exchanges showed differences (p < 0.001) for technical executions. Winners resulted more efficient (p < 0.001) for both technical and tactical variables. In general, these findings showed that Cadets tend to adopt an offensive strategy. In considering that the adoption of the new electronic system requires athletes to execute correct technical actions to have a score assigned, coaches should emphasize the effectiveness of scoring techniques and help athletes to effectively improve their defense and counterattack capabilities.

The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of gastrocnemius strains: a retrospective observational study

Abstract The aim of the present retrospective observational study was to evaluate the time of functional recovery following a specific combined therapeutic approach characterized by an active exercise therapy carried out immediately after Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for the treatment of the muscular lesion of the distal musculotendinous junction of the gastrocnemius medial head.Medical records of 31 subjects treated with three PRP intra-lesional ultrasound guided injections and 30 patients treated with the standard therapeutic approach (control group) were analyzed. Both groups followed the same rehabilitation therapy. Patients in the control group were able to start active exercise with a significant delay when compared to the PRP treated subjects: 17 ± 7.2 days and 9 ± 3.8 days (p = 0.0001), respectively. This delay was mainly due to the persistence of pain in the subjects in the control group. The time necessary to return to walk without pain was significantly shorter in the PRP treated group: 24.27 ± 12.36 days versus 52.4 ± 20.03 days in the control group (p < 0.001) as well as the time needed to fully return to practice the previous sport activity: 53.33 ± 27.74 days versus 119.3 ± 43.87 days in the control group (p < 0.001).The present study showed that ultrasound guided delivery of PRP into the site of muscle injury has to be considered a valid therapeutic approach with the potentiality of significantly reduce time and costs for reaching a complete functional recovery.

Young athletes with ventricular premature beats: Continuing or not intense training and competition?

Isolated ventricular premature beats (VPBs) are commonly found during pre‐participation screening in athletes. Currently, the debate about the role of detraining in reducing the number of VPBs is still open. This study evaluated the arrhythmic risk in a population of young competitive athletes who showed VPBs during eligibility evaluation and that did not undergo detraining but continued practicing competitive sports. 3746 consecutive subjects underwent pre‐participation screening. Athletes who showed VPBs were selected and underwent second level evaluation (Echocardiogram, 24 hour Holter ECG and Exercise test). Athletes were re‐evaluated after a follow‐up period (6‐48 months) while they continued practicing competitive sports. 5.3% of the whole population showed ventricular arrhythmias. 73% of the subjects showed isolated VPBs. 88% of the subjects showed monomorphic VPBs, and 12% of athletes showed polymorphic VPBs. At echocardiogram, there was not any pathology which contraindicated competitive sport activity. At 24 hour Holter ECG recording, mean number of daily VPBs was 1592±3217 (range 0‐16678). At holter ECG follow‐up (16±12 months), the median number of VPBs decreased from 93 (IQR 20‐3065) to a new value of 72 (IQR 2‐1299). Continuing competitive sport in subjects with ventricular arrhythmias even though frequent but with a low grade of complexity and without structural cardiomyopathy does not increase sudden death risk.

Perceived equal opportunities in sport careers of italian managers and Sport Sciences University professors

Na medida em que todas as obras da UC Digitalis se encontram protegidas pelo Código do Direito de Autor e Direitos Conexos e demais legislação aplicável, toda a cópia, parcial ou total, deste documento, nos casos em que é legalmente admitida, deverá conter ou fazer-se acompanhar por este aviso. Perceived equal opportunities in sport careers of italian managers and Sport Sciences University professors

Evaluation of critical swimming velocity in young amateur swimmers

The purpose of this study was to compare in amateur swimmers the critical swimming velocity (CV) with the swimming velocity corresponding to a blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol l−1 (V4). Ten amateur swimmers volunteered for this study (six men, age 22.3 ± 2 years; four women, age 21.3 ± 1 years) and performed a 7 × 200-m swimming test (at 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% and 100% of their 200-m best time) with 5 min rest between each repetition. Blood lactate concentration was determined after each repetition. V4 was determined from the speed-lactate curve. In order to calculate CV, the best front-crawl swimming results over 50, 100, 200 and 400 m were used. CV was expressed as the slope of the linear relationship between time and distance. Swimming velocities obtained with the two tests (CV 1.086 ± 0.151 m s−1; V4 1.087 ± 0.128 m s−1) were positively and significantly correlated (r = 0.93, p < 0.05) and no significant differences were found. A Bland-Altman plot showed a good agreement between the two measurement methods. These results confirm that the CV seems to be a valid and noninvasive method for also determining training intensities and monitor endurance capacity in less-experienced athletes.