Educación Física y Deporte

Effects of Foam Roller Application on Flexibility and Performance in Young Swimmers

2024-11-15T22:04:19-05:00

This study aimed at investigating the effects of foam roller applications on joint mobility and performance in young swimmers. Thirty swimmers participated in the study. 17 males and 13 females. While the control group continued with the regular swimming training and dynamic warm-up exercises, the experimental group incorporated myofascial release techniques into their routine. The eight-week study was conducted for four days a week for two hours each day. The study used pre- and post-test measurement methods. The SPSS package program was used to analyze the obtained data. The results showed that the swimming athletes who used the myofascial release technique with a dynamic warm-up significantly improved their maximal performance levels and flexibility values in all four styles compared to the group that only used the traditional dynamic warm-ups.

Effects of Strength Training with Inertial Devices and Subsequent Detraining in Female Professional Futsal Players

2025-07-02T11:01:05-05:00

This study aimed at evaluate the effects of strength training with inertial devices on the performance and body composition of female professional futsal players, and the subsequent detraining period. Eleven players from a first division Spanish league participated in six weeks of supervised training, followed by four weeks of strength training cessation. Specific on-court training was maintained throughout. Body fat percentage decreased after the intervention and remained low after detraining. Jump performance increased after the intervention and after detraining. Sprint performance was improved in the 5-, 10- and 20-meter distances only after the intervention. Velocity and power outcomes during the squat exercise showed significant improvement after the intervention and after detraining. Six weeks of twice-weekly strength training using inertial devices could be an optimal way to improve performance and body composition. These improvements were maintained after a four-week detraining period, during which the players only trained on the futsal court.

Leisure and Education: Institutional Inhibitors of Positive Mental Health in School Adolescents

2025-07-16T19:51:56-05:00

Recently, the collective importance of promotion and prevention, as well as the role of leisure in promoting well-being as a sociohistorical practice, has been recognized from the perspective of positive mental health. This article employed reflective ethnography to examine how institutional and leisure discourses and practices affect the mental health of school-aged adolescents at a public school in Medellín, Colombia. The article only presents the results related to institutional inhibitors. The main categories identified were discourse on educational quality based on performance and academic excellence; academic and international curricula; the pedagogy of control; and the denial of leisure as a pedagogical possibility. In conclusion, our study emphasizes the importance of schools implementing leisure programs that counteract, rather than exacerbate, the suffering caused by the accelerated pace of life under capitalism.

2023 Brazilian Professional Soccer Championship: Mapping Clubs and Athletes

2025-08-22T12:38:15-05:00

The study analyzed the hometowns with the highest number of athletes in the 2023 Brazilian Professional Soccer Championship. The objective was to understand how relative age and regions of origin influenced the performance of the four highest-ranked clubs (G4) and the four lowest-ranked clubs (Z4) that finished the competition. In addition, the study analyzed the relationship between average age and position on the field. The sample consisted of 546 Brazilian athletes. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal-Wallis, and chi-square tests were performed at a significance level of p < 0.05. The results indicated a predominance of players born in the first quartile (33.7 %), confirming the presence of the relative age effect. The cities with the highest number of athletes were economically developed capital cities. There were no significant differences in average age by position or between the G4 and Z4 clubs.

Impact of a Feedback Program on the Accuracy and Quality of Feedback uded by a Secondary Physical Education Teacher

2025-08-20T09:17:01-05:00

This study aimed to evaluate the consistency between the type of feedback that a secondary school physical education teacher perceives and the feedback he or she provides, as well as the quality of the feedback. The study was conducted with one physical education teacher at a public secondary school in southeastern Spain. A mixed-methods action research design was used to record the teacher's feedback during nine sessions. The results showed that the teacher provided feedback that largely contradicted recommendations from the literature. There was also a significant discrepancy between the teacher's performance and their self-perception. However, as the program progressed, the differences between perceived and actual performance diminished. Providing teachers with tools to improve their self-perception positively influences how they perceive themselves and promotes closer alignment between the type of feedback and the recommendations.

“Eutopia and Reality of Leisure in Our Times” Revisited: Comings, Goings, and Concerns

2025-09-08T11:56:59-05:00

This document presents the results of an academic exercise in rereading the article published in the first issue of the journal Cuadernos de Ocio in 1997. This new reexamination aims to recognize the epistemological and conceptual shifts surrounding leisure, free time, playfulness, games, and recreation. It also sought to examine the categories that remain relevant to the ‘Gocemos’ research group, such as reality, locus of enunciation, diversity, participation, and social criticism. There is a recognized enduring concern to emphasize historical responsibility in the processes of education and to advocate a perspective on leisure, free time, and recreation that is more supportive, cooperative, joyful, creative, imaginative, and committed to transforming contexts.