%0 Journal Article %9 Editorial %A Hopkins, W.G. %T Sportscience sets the pace for publishing sport research %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghedit.html (721 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Physiology and School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand. Email: will.hopkins=AT=otago.ac.nz %X Sportscience, a new quarterly journal, offers many innovative features: new structures for articles, comprehensible data and statistics, sections devoted to popular content through formal research papers, and downloadable article templates, reprints, and bibliographic files. %K journal, peer-review, sport science, Web %0 Journal Article %9 News %A Sands, W.A. %A McNeil, J.R. %T Judging gymnastics with biomechanics %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/was.html (865 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Exercise & Sport Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112. Email: wmasands=AT=concentric.net %X Human judges often have difficulty in determining the subtle differences in trajectories and speed between competitors in gymnastics. We have devised an objective scoring system for the compulsory vault by using video digitizing, infrared timers, and a computer algorithm. We combined the objective score with a human judge's score for form errors. The objective score successfully increased the differentiation between performances in a trial of 25 gymnasts at a competition. %K competitive performance, judge, score, skill, vault %0 Journal Article %9 News %A Hopkins, W.G. %A Hawley, J.A. %A Burke, L.M. %T Researching worthwhile performance enhancements %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghnews.html (1101 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Physiology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand. Email: will.hopkins=AT=otago.ac.nz %O Department of Human Biology & Movement Science, RMIT University, Bundoora 3083, Australia %O Department of Sports Nutrition, Australian Institute of Sport, Belconnen 2616, Australia %X For an athlete at the top of the field, a performance enhancement makes a difference to the chance of winning when it is about half the athlete's typical between-event variation in performance. Measuring enhancements of this magnitude with adequate precision requires much bigger sample sizes than researchers normally use. To avoid confusion over interpretation of their findings, researchers should therefore publish and explain the precision of their estimates of performance enhancement. %K competitions, elite athletes, exercise tests, research design and analysis %0 Journal Article %9 News %A Hatfield, F.C. %T A new weights machine with dynamically adjustable resistance %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/fch.html (762 words) %D 1999 %O International Sports Sciences Association, Santa Barbara, California 93101. Email: drsquat=AT=issaonline.com %X A new strength-training machine allows the user to instantly change resistance at any point in the exercise movement. The machine has the potential to improve strength by optimizing the time each targeted muscle spends under maximum stress. Whether it is more effective than other machines or free weights remains to be seen. %K gym equipment, strength training %0 Journal Article %9 News %A Nicholson, R.M. %T The power clean vs the power pull for strength training %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/rmn.html (768 words) %D 1999 %O School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand. Email: rnicholson=AT=pooka.otago.ac.nz %X In a recent discussion on the Sportscience Forum contributors agreed that power cleans and power pulls are effective ways to develop power. They also agreed that the stages involved in each lift need to be taught progressively, through a full range of motion; and with due regard to the training experience of the athlete. Some trainers preferred the power pull or the other components of the power clean (hang clean and dead lift) on the grounds of sport specificity or ease of teaching. %K dead lift, hang clean, Olympic weightlifting, power shrug, specificity %0 Journal Article %9 News %A Daley, K. %T Moving Together: Newsletter 23 %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/mt23.html %D 1999 %O Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA 52557. Email: kdaley=AT=mum.edu %X Topics in this newsletter: Technology and teaching conferences, lecture notes, lesson plans, medical emergency encyclopedia, health-fitness... %K Internet, kinesiology, news, physical education %0 Journal Article %9 Perspective %A DeMont, M.E. %T Learn from Nature's competitive swimmers %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/med.html (1559 words) %D 1999 %O Biology Department, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada B2G 2W5. Email: edemont=AT=juliet.stfx.ca %X Two examples demonstrate how research on aquatic animals can benefit research on human swimmers. In the first example, work by comparative biomechanists studying animals that move through the air-water interface has shown that for competitive swimmers the optimal depth during the glide phase is the depth that minimizes surface waves. The second example contributes to the ongoing argument on the nature of thrust generation in freestyle swimming. The dominant view is that lift generates more thrust than drag. These forces arise from steady-state fluid dynamics, but the movement of the thrust-generating surfaces creates unsteady fluid motion. Recent work on aquatic animal locomotion has shown that unsteady mechanisms probably play an important role in generating thrust, so the thrust-generating mechanisms used by competitive swimmers should be reevaluated. %K biomechanics, drag, fluid dynamics, force, lift, swim, thrust %0 Journal Article %9 Perspective %A Katch, F.I. %T History Makers: Wilbur Olin Atwater (1844-1907) %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/news/history/atwater/atwater.html %D 1999 %O Department of Exercise Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Maryland, USA 01003. Email: fkatch=AT=excsci.umass.edu %K calorimetry, exercise nutrition, metabolism %0 Journal Article %9 Perspective %A Burke, L.M. %T Fluid and carbohydrate intake during team games: research and recommendations %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/lmb.html (1733 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Sports Nutrition, Australian Institute of Sport, Belconnen 2616, Australia. Email: lburke=AT=ausport.gov.au %X The effects of nutritional strategies on performance in team games are uncertain, because changes in performance are hard to measure accurately in these sports. A small number of researchers have used lab tests, simulated games, or real games to measure the effect of hydration status and carbohydrate feeding on simulated game performance. The lack of consistency in the outcomes of these studies may be due to lack of precision in the measurement of performance, differences between athletes or sports in the effects of the nutritional intervention, or differences in environmental conditions between studies. Until there are better research tools, those who work with team-sport athletes should continue to give nutritional advice based on research with endurance athletes. However, the fluid and energy requirements in a team game may differ considerably from those of an endurance event, so the advice should be tempered by common sense and experience. %K nutrition, research design, sports drinks, supplementation, team sports %0 Journal Article %9 Perspective %A Hopkins, W.G. %T Guidelines on style for scientific writing %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghstyle.html (4397 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Physiology and School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 9001. Email: will.hopkins=AT=otago.ac.nz %X In this article I present the elements of scientific style, ranging from the specifics of punctuation and abbreviations through to the flow of ideas in the document. I also deal with presentation of data, common grammatical errors, and citation of publications. The guidelines are generally consistent with the style promoted by the American Psychological Association. %K data presentation, grammar, punctuation, publishing, research %0 Journal Article %9 Perspective %A Hopkins, W.G. %T How to write a literature review %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghreview.html (2618 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Physiology and School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 9001. Email: will.hopkins=AT=otago.ac.nz %X BACKGROUND. In this first section of the Summary, get the reader's interest with a sentence or two explaining the need for the review. LITERATURE. List the documents you included in the review. For example: 31 original investigations, one monograph, five reviews, four popular articles, one manuscript. FINDINGS. Write several sentences here to outline the main findings of the documents you reviewed. Give data and interpret magnitudes of effects. Use plain language and no abbreviations. CONCLUSIONS. This section of the Summary should need only a sentence or two. Try to include a conclusion of practical significance. FURTHER RESEARCH. Indicate what you think now needs to be done. The summary must consist of less than 300 words. Be as economical with words as possible, but do not compromise grammar. %K analysis, design, publishing, research, scientific writing %0 Journal Article %9 Perspective %A Hopkins, W.G. %T How to write a research paper %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghpaper.html (1805 words) %D 1999 %O Department of Physiology and School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 9001. Email: will.hopkins=AT=otago.ac.nz %X BACKGROUND. In one or two sentences explain why your study is important. AIM. To determine the relationship between X and Y, the effect of X on Y, and so on. DESIGN. Cross-sectional, case-control, randomized double-blind controlled trial, and so on. Include any relevant time frame. SUBJECTS. State the number of subjects, their athletic caliber, and the means and standard deviations of their appropriate demographics. MEASURES. List the main variables for a descriptive study; list the dependent variables for a repeated-measures study. ANALYSES. Describe the statistical procedures in this summary only if they were unusual. TECHNICALITIES. Describe methodological problems or insights in this summary only if they are important. OUTCOMES. State them quantitatively, with likely ranges for the true effects. CONCLUSIONS. Interpret the outcomes qualitatively, explaining any major limitations in generalizing to real populations. The summary must consist of less than 300 words. Be as economical with words as possible, but do not compromise grammar. %K analysis, design, publishing, research, scientific writing %0 Journal Article %9 Review %A Kreider, R.B. %T Effects of protein and amino-acid supplementation on athletic performance %J Sportsci %B Sportscience %V 3 %N 1 %P sportsci.org/jour/9901/rbk.html (5579 words) %D 1999 %O Exercise & Sport Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Human Movement Sciences & Education, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152. Email: kreider.richard=AT=coe.memphis.edu %X BACKGROUND. Protein and amino acids are among the most common nutritional supplements taken by athletes. This review evaluates the theoretical rationale and potential effects on athletic performance of protein, purported anabolic amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, glutamine, creatine, and hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB). LITERATURE. Two books, 61 research articles, 10 published abstracts, and 19 review articles or book chapters. FINDINGS. Dietary supplementation of protein beyond that necessary to maintain nitrogen balance does not provide additional benefits for athletes. Ingesting carbohydrate with protein prior to or following exercise may reduce catabolism, promote glycogen resynthesis, or promote a more anabolic hormonal environment. Whether employing these strategies during training enhances performance is not yet clear. There is some evidence from clinical studies that certain amino acids (e.g., arginine, histidine, lysine, methionine, ornithine, and phenylalanine) have anabolic effects by stimulating the release of growth hormone, insulin, and/or glucocorticoids, but there is little evidence that supplementation of these amino acids enhances athletic performance. Branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and glutamine may be involved in exercise- induced central fatigue and immune suppression, but their ergogenic value as supplements is equivocal at present. Most studies indicate that creatine supplementation may be an effective and safe way to enhance performance of intermittent high-intensity exercise and to enhance adaptations to training. Supplementation with hydroxymethylbutyrate appears to reduce catabolism and increase gains in strength and fat-free mass in untrained individuals initiating training; as yet, limited data are available to decide how it affects training adaptations in athletes. CONCLUSIONS. Of the nutrients reviewed, creatine appears to have the greatest ergogenic potential for athletes involved in intense training. FURTHER RESEARCH. All supplements reviewed here need more evaluation for safety and effects on athletic performance. %K anabolic, BCAA, branched-chain amino acids, creatine, ergogenic, glutamine, HMB, hydroxymethylbutyrate, training