Marta Castañer

Identifying and analyzing motor skill responses in body movement and dance.

The present article analyzes the diversity of motor skills related to three different kinds of instructions: descriptive, metaphoric, and kinesic, with a special emphasis on the detection of temporal patterns (T-patterns). Twelve undergraduates studying sport and physical education, but without experience in dance, were observed during 24 lessons of Body Movement, a discipline based on creative dance, mime dance, and motor skill improvisation. Using observational methodology and technology applied to movement, the aim of this article was to adapt the Observational instrument of Motor Skills (OSMOS) (Castañer, Torrents, Anguera, & Dinušová, 2008) so as to create an instrument capable of analyzing the motor skill responses generated in lessons of Body Movement and Dance. The results, as reflected by the T-patterns detected, show that (1) participants try to generate their own motor skills but copy some fundamental components of the instructions, and (2) the criterion of stability in two configurations (support and axial) is the predominant category. Sequential and coordinated locomotion also appears to be very relevant.

Goal Scoring in Soccer: A Polar Coordinate Analysis of Motor Skills Used by Lionel Messi.

Soccer research has traditionally focused on technical and tactical aspects of team play, but few studies have analyzed motor skills in individual actions, such as goal scoring. The objective of this study was to investigate how Lionel Messi, one of the worlds top soccer players, uses his motor skills and laterality in individual attacking actions resulting in a goal. We analyzed 103 goals scored by Messi between over a decade in three competitions: La Liga (n = 74), Copa del Rey (n = 8), and the UEFA Champions League (n = 21). We used an ad-hoc observation instrument (OSMOS-soccer player) comprising 10 criteria and 50 categories; polar coordinate analysis, a powerful data reduction technique, revealed significant associations for body part and orientation, foot contact zone, turn direction, and locomotion. No significant associations were observed for pitch area or interaction with opponents. Our analysis confirms significant associations between different aspects of motor skill use by Messi immediately before scoring, namely use of lower limbs, foot contact zones, turn direction, use of wings, and orientation of body to move toward the goal. Studies of motor skills in soccer could shed light on the qualities that make certain players unique.

The Specificity of Observational Studies in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences: Moving Forward in Mixed Methods Research and Proposals for Achieving Quantitative and Qualitative Symmetry

Mixed methods studies are been increasingly applied to a diversity of fields. In this paper, we discuss the growing use—and enormous potential—of mixed methods research in the field of sport and physical activity. A second aim is to contribute to strengthening the characteristics of mixed methods research by showing how systematic observation offers rigor within a flexible framework that can be applied to a wide range of situations. Observational methodology is characterized by high scientific rigor and flexibility throughout its different stages and allows the objective study of spontaneous behavior in natural settings, with no external influence. Mixed methods researchers need to take bold yet thoughtful decisions regarding both substantive and procedural issues. We present three fundamental and complementary ideas to guide researchers in this respect: we show why studies of sport and physical activity that use a mixed methods research approach should be included in the field of mixed methods research, we highlight the numerous possibilities offered by observational methodology in this field through the transformation of descriptive data into quantifiable code matrices, and we discuss possible solutions for achieving true integration of qualitative and quantitative findings.

Dance divergently in physical education: teaching using open-ended questions, metaphors, and models

This study analyzed what kind of teacher instructions (descriptive, metaphoric, or with model) can help generate more divergent motor actions in order to stimulate motor creativity in dance education. Participants were 120 physical education undergraduates (35 women and 85 men; 20 ± 1, eight years old) without experience in dance and who were observed during 24 lessons of body expression, a discipline based on creative dance, mime dance, and improvisation. Analysis of video recordings of 12 of the participants (five women and seven men; 21,1 ± 1, seven years old), by means of an ad hoc observation instrument and analysis of T-patterns was chosen as the observation method, while 120 student journals notes were used as qualitative research tool. The results show that: (1) participants try to generate their own motor responses but copy some fundamental components of the model proposed by the teacher, (2) descriptive and metaphoric instructions seem to stimulate motor creativity generating more varied responses and (3) using the three types of instructions, major response variations occur in the categories of time and body posture and gesture.

Quality of physical activity of children in exergames

Exergames are videogames based on full-body interaction that foster physical exercise during gameplay. Much research has focused on whether exergames foster sufficient physical activity and with which intensity they do so. This is usually measured through energy expenditure and compared to traditional physical activities such as sports or physical education exercises. However, little research has been undertaken on the quality of the physical activity, understood not as how well the movement is done, but as the richness and diversity of physical activity defined by experts, such as diverse types of motor skills (jumps, turns, pivots, manipulative actions, etc) and diverse types of conditioning capabilities (endurance, stretch, general strength, coordination, etc.). Hence, exergames typically address only aerobic (cardiovascular) activity and other types tend to be ignored. In this paper we propose a method for analyzing the types of physical activity (quality) that an exertion interface elicits. We propose this method as an analytical tool which can provide key information to categorize exergames, aid to their design and help designers make sure they achieve game mechanics that elicit the desired types of physical activity. We describe the method through the analysis of two exergames that we developed in the past for our exertion interface for children, called the Interactive Slide. We present the results of a systematic observational method, until now used mainly in sports analysis, which is based on applying sequential body movement analysis to obtain the play characteristics of 48 children. These results -action events and time-based patterns- typify the movement found in the two aforementioned exergames for this platform. We have found significant movement differences between the two, as well as some differences associated to age. Moreover, we show that sequential body movement analysis, which has already been successfully used in the past to analyze sports, can also be effective in analyzing exergames and hence allow grounded discussion on health issues related to their use. We present the results of a systematic observational method to obtain the play characteristics.We give an interaction design strategy to improve the quality of physical activity with exergames.We show that sequential body movement analysis can be effective in analyzing exergames.

Observing the paraverbal communication of coaches in competitive match situations

The present study examines the relationship between the verbal communication skills and paraverbal communication (both kinesic and proxemic) of indoor soccer coaches in competitive match situations, senior womens competitive level. T-patterns detection analysis provides a sequential analysis of data, illustrating the communicative style and flow of each coach.

Percepción de la intensidad al esfuerzo:Un estudio multi-method en actividad física

3 Facultad de Psicologia-Universidad de Barcelona (Espana) Abstract : >e current study had two aims: a) to determine whether the three Borg scale values assigned by young athletes to three activities of in- creasing intensity showed a signi+cant progression; and b) to analyse the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) of these athletes and their heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Method: >irty- +ve young athletes (mean age 21 years ± 0.5) performed three activities involving an increasing intensity of exercise: mild, moderate and vigorous (ACSM, 2011). Heart rate was monitored using the Polar Team 2 system, and at the end of each activity participants completed the Borg RPE scale. Indirect observational methodology (Borg scale) was complemented by a quasi-experimental approach in order to make causal inferences by means of a synchronous design involving a known assignment variable and a single group. A multiple regression analysis was performed, considering HR and RPE as predictors of BMI. Results: >e RPE of all participants incr eased across the three activities, but in no case did the trend achieve statistical signi+cance. Participants with higher values of HR and RPE also had a higher BMI, and in the regression analysis HR and RPE explained around one-quarter of BMI. >is study provides an integrated assessme nt of the relationship between BMI, HR and RPE factors that are usually examined

Appraising the aesthetics of human movement: an application to contemporary dance using a motion capture system

The present study describes a way of appraising the aesthetic meaning of dance motor skills generated by professional modern dancers. Using a motion capture system (Vicon MX), both real images and 3D stick figures were simultaneously obtained from 96 trials of dance motor skills performed by four experienced contemporary dancers. Subsequently, 101 students of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences used semantic differentials to appraise the aesthetic value of each type of motor dance skill, comparing the virtual and real images of dancers.

Paraverbal Communicative Teaching T-Patterns Using SOCIN and SOPROX Observational Systems

This chapter focuses on how to analyze the paraverbal communicative fluency of teaching style. Essential paraverbal criteria related to kinesics and proxemics were studied in lecturers offering courses. Some lessons were analyzed using the Observational Systems of Paraverbal Communication SOCIN and SOPROX, both observational instruments that enables a broad analysis of kinesics and proxemics. The recording instrument used to codify SOCIN and SOPROX was LINCE software and the Theme software was used to detect temporal patterns (T-patterns) in the observational data. The results reveal the power of the teachers’ illustrative and regulatory kinesics. The regulatory function makes use of clearly defined kinesic gestures such as emblems and kinetographs, whereas the illustrative function is accompanied by largely undefined kinesic gestures.

Comunicação Cinésica e Proxémica de Instrutores de Localizada Experientes e Estagiários: Deteção de T-patterns

O presente estudo centra-se na analise da comunicacao nao-verbal dos instrutores de fitness com recurso a metodologia observacional e objetiva a analise das configuracoes e padroes temporais ( T-patterns ) de comportamento cinesico e proxemico de instrutores com diferentes niveis de experiencia profissional. Participaram neste estudo 12 instrutores de fitness divididos em dois grupos em funcao da sua experiencia profissional: grupo de instrutores experientes ( n = 6); grupo de instrutores estagiarios ( n = 6). As sessoes de exercicio foram filmadas e os comportamentos cinesicos e proxemicos dos instrutores codificados com recurso ao Sistema de Observacao da Comunicacao Cinesica - Fitness (SOCIN- Fitness ) e ao Sistema de Observacao da Comunicacao Proxemica - Fitness (SOPROX- Fitness ). Os resultados obtidos revelaram a existencia de padroes temporais de comportamento cinesico e proxemico, proprios de cada grupo de instrutores. Foi possivel verificar que os instrutores experientes apresentam um comportamento cinesico e proxemico mais consistente e complexo do que os estagiarios, caraterizado pela regulacao do comportamento dos praticantes, atraves do acompanhamento na realizacao dos exercicios a partir da posicao correspondente, e da intercalacao de comportamentos de informacao e de feedback, com recurso a utilizacao de uma morfologia de gestos mais diversificadas.