Zdenko Reguli

Perspectives on the police profession: an international investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the diversity of professional perspectives on police culture in an international context. Design/methodology/approach – In a first step the authors developed a standardized instrument of 45 occupational features for comparative analysis of police professional views. This set was inductively created from 3,441 descriptors of the police profession from a highly diverse sample of 166 police officers across eight European countries. Using this standardized instrument, Q-methodological interviews with another 100 police officers in six European countries were conducted. Findings – The authors identified five perspectives on the police profession suggesting disparities in officers’ outlooks and understanding of their occupation. Yet, the findings also outline considerable overlaps in specific features considered important or unimportant across perspectives. Research limitations/implications – The study emphasizes that police culture needs to be described beyond ...

Policing opportunities and threats in Europe

Purpose: This paper aims to take stock and to increase understanding of the opportunities and threats for policing in ten European countries in the Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Legal (PESTL) environment. Design/methodology/approach: This study is part of the large EU-funded COMPOSITE project into organisational change. A PESTL analysis was executed to produce the environmental scan that will serve as a platform for further research into change management within the police. The findings are based on structured interviews with police officers of 17 different police forces and knowledgeable externals in ten European countries. The sampling strategy was optimized for representativeness under the binding capacity constraints defined by the COMPOSITE research budget. Findings: European police forces face a long list of environmental changes that can be grouped in the five PESTL clusters with a common denominator. There is also quite some overlap as to both the importance and nature of the key PESTL trends across the ten countries, suggesting convergence in Europe. Originality/value: A study of this magnitude has not been seen before in Europe, which brings new insights to the target population of police forces across Europe. Moreover, policing is an interesting field to study from the perspective of organisational change, featuring a high incidence of change in combination with a wide variety of change challenges, such as those related to identity and leadership.

Anthropometric Characteristics and Body Composition in Aikido Practitioners

Although aikido is a non-competitive martial art, it is recognised by SportAccord as worldwide practiced combat sport. There is a lack of scientific research in aikido and the influence of aikido practice on the human body is not known. This is the first study that presents anthropometric characteristics and body composition data in aikido practitioners. 33 adult male aikido athletes (age 36.5 +/- 9.6 years, height 178 +/- 8 cm, weight 81.2 +/- 10.1 kg) were measured. All subjects were divided from beginner to intermediate and advanced group, and were recruited from the Czech Aikido Federation which is officially recognised by the centre of aikido in Japan. As main methods, bio impedance and skinfold measurements were realized. In aikido, body composition does not play an important role compared to other martial arts. Average values are similar to reference of non-athlete population (BMI 25.6 +/- 2.7 kg/m, BF 17.18 +/- 5.18 %, FFM 65.71 +/- 7.69 kg, BSA 1.98 +/- 0.15 m(2)). Even though, aikido has positive effects on body composition, it does not have a high impact. Thus, aikido players should also gain benefits from other aspects of martial arts.

Extrinsic feedback in martial arts training

Variety of factors play important role in the process of acquiring motor skills.One of crucial factors is feedback, which is the information about the movement provided to the learner during and after a movement. That is why two kind of feedback are described in the kinesiology theory – intrinsic and extrinsic feedback. We are focusing on differences between two kind of extrinsic feedback (verbal and video) in the traditional martial arts training. 21 students in the forth semester of the study programme Special Education of Security Bodies at Masaryk University, 18 (M) and 3 (F) in average age 22.1, were involved in the study. Techniques of martial art aikido were thought in one particular educational unit by using extrinsic verbal feedback from teacher firstly and afterwards by using extrinsic video feedback. Students evaluated their own performance more strictly by using video feedback (M=2.81) in comparison with verbal feedback (M=2.67). They considered the video feedback method more effective (M=1.86) the verbal feedback (M=2.10). Significant difference was in their evaluation of amusing nature of the training, where verbal feedback was less amusing (M=2.71) than video feedback (M=1.95). On the other hand, video feedback was in average more confusing (M=1.52) for students than the verbal feedback (M=1.43). Although average number of details, which students were focusing on were higher by verbal feedback (M=4.29) than by video feedback (M=3.52), we consider this difference influenced by fatigue. Results show that use of extrinsic video feedback is considered by students more effective than extrinsic verbal feedback. Students were more critical when they saw their own execution of techniques on video. Also, use of video feedback was evaluated more amusing. We assume, there is connection between effectivity and amusing nature of training.

Specific Rating Scale for Evaluating Back Roll Fall

PURPOSE: To create created iconic-symbolic model of back roll fall and specific rating scale that was verified for content validity and inter-rater reliability. METHODS: We used Delphi method for making descriptive model and specific binomic rating scale. Descriptive model was verified and re-builded to iconic-symbolic model. 116 students falls were videotaped and evaluated by both experts (n=5) and physical education teachers (n=51). Kendall rank correlation coefficient and t-test were used to test inter-rater reliability among experts and between experts and physical education teachers. RESULTS: We regard agreement of all five experts using Delphi method in the ten items rating scale as corroboration of content validity. Order of recorded falling techniques set by sum of correctly performed selected items is in the every expert rating the same. CONCLUSION: We regard specific rating scale as objective diagnostic tool according to the martial arts/combat sports experts and physical education teachers inter-rater reliability on the stipulated significance.