Recep Gürsoy

Left-Handed Wrestlers are More Successful

It has been reported that there is a high proportion of left-handers among top athletes in different sports. In this study, the goal was to examine the rate of left-handedness in the top wrestlers at the world championships for achievement by left-handed wrestlers. The rate of left-handedness was higher in wrestlers with medal honors compared to wrestlers without medals for both men and women. The winning numbers and match degrees were higher in the left-handed wrestlers than in both right- and mixed-handed wrestlers among top international wrestlers.

Sport injuries: relations to sex, sport, injured body region.

The present study evaluated the association among sex, sport, and injured body region of sport injuries. The subjects were 329 men and 127 women, ranging in age from 17 to 28 years, attending classes in the departments of Physical Training and Sport of Atatürk University (Erzurum, Erzincan, and Ağri in Turkey). There were no differences between men and women in percentages of injuries. The difference among various sports in the percentages of injured athletes was statistically significant. Running had the lowest percentage of injuries and basketball had the highest percentage. The most frequently injured body regions were the foot and the ankle in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and running, but in wrestling, the knee. These findings suggest that injury rates are associated with the sport rather than sex of player, and the most frequently injured body regions are the lower extremities. Therefore, the muscles of lower extremity should be strengthened to avoid injuries.

Sex Differences in Relations of Muscle Power, Lung Function, and Reaction Time in Athletes

In an earlier study, relations of nonverbal abilities with several bodily measures such as height, weight, and lung capacity were observed. The present aim was estimation of associations of muscle power and lung function with simple eye–hand reaction time. Sex differences for muscle power were significant even with the covariates of height, weight, and age included; however, these disappeared for lung functions (forced vital capacity and peak expiratory flow) and reaction time. The effects of leg power, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow on the left eye–hand reaction time were significant after adjustment for height, weight, right- and left-hand powers and age. The positive effect of exercise may be especially associated with the right brain activity or left hand speed.