Female swimmers participate in intensive swimming training during their menstrual periods, and they may appreciate additional understanding and flexibility regarding their training volume/intensity. Male coaches often view menstruation contemptuously as an unfortunate state that “is not a disease,” and high-performance female swimmers perceive coaching methods differently. Our study aimed to examine menstrual status and perceived coaching and training methodology. In a cross-sectional study, members of the Slovenian women’s national swim team (n = 14, age: 16.6 ± 3.1 years, body mass index: 20.1 ± 1.9 kg/m2) competing at international and national levels were included. The menstrual status (i.e., regularity, duration, perceived pain before and during menstruation, bleeding) and the opinion of these female swimmers regarding training during their menstrual periods were assessed via our in-depth questionnaire, and the athletes responded to additional questions pertaining to the motivation of swimming, coaching strategy and training methods via a questionnaire. All swimmers included in our study had experienced their first menstrual period, and the majority (85%) reported moderate or heavy menstrual bleeding. Most swimmers (93%) reported that their swimming training was “undisturbed” during their menstrual period; however, 64% of swimmers requested a reduction in training frequency or at least the usual training volume/intensity. In terms of the motivation for swimming, 74% of swimmers reported that they like swimming and like spending time with their friends. In terms of coaching and training methods, the swimmers reported polarized responses, probably because most of them are members of two major swimming clubs with different coaching styles. To conclude, when executed correctly, a similar kind of systematic screening method (i.e., anonymously and perhaps by experienced psychologists) may serve as a valuable tool to further modify training methods at a high-performance level. Moreover, unpleasant issues related to menstrual periods from the athlete’s perspective (i.e., pain, bleeding, malaise, discomfort, inability to achieve maximum effort) should not be ignored, left for swimmers to handle alone, or taken for granted. Male coaches need to seek to understand the impact of menstruation and work with athletes to maximize training.

The purpose of the study was to explore the effect of varying doses of caffeine intake on the physiological responses among university hockey players in performance. A total of sixty-four (64) hockey players consisting of 32 males and 32 females participated in the study. The hypotheses are that there would be no significant difference in the responses of different doses of caffeine intake on resting systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, vital capacity, and Maximum Oxygen uptake of hockey players in tertiary educational institutions in Edo State. The test instrument used was an adaptation of a 3-Cone shuttle drill fitness testing exercise battery as developed by Koen, Honkemper, and Pietrispens (2001). A quasi-Experimental research design was used for the study. Hockey players in the three experimental groups made up of 16 players (8 males and 8 females) each were subjected to the ingestion of three (3) separate doses of 260mg, 520mg, and 780mg respectively of strong black unsweetened coffee in cups, one hour before testing. The control group of 16 players (8 males and 8 females) was not exposed to the ingestion of coffee but the ingestion of locally prepared “zobo” drink. Descriptive statistics of mean, range, and standard deviation as well as One-Way Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) were respectively used to descriptively analyze the data and test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significant level. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the players’ responses to caffeine intake on the resting systolic blood pressure, resting diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, and Maximum Oxygen Consumption (VO2max) among the hockey players. No significant difference was recorded in the responses to caffeine intake on the vital capacity of the hockey players. Specifically, although each of the three various doses (260mg, 520mg, and 780mg) was able to effect significant physiological positive changes, a dose of 260mg was spotted as the best dosage for effective physiological improvements in hockey performance.

The aim of this research was to examine the contribution of body mass index (BMI), motor skills and physical self-concept in explaining the physical activity (PA) of adolescent karatekas (N=148). The average age of participants was 16,56 years (± 1,14). The following measuring instruments were used: Body Mass Index (BMI), Eurofit Physical Fitness Test Battery, Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ), and Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaires. The results of the hierarchical analysis showed that the predictor variables explained 18,5% of the total variance of the criterion PA of junior karatekas. With their positive direction, the independent variables of the physical self-concept strength (β = 0.049; p < 0.01), flexibility (β = 0.037; p < 0.01) and self-respect (β = 0.019; p< 0.05) showed the maximum statistically significant contribution to predicting the variability of the participants' PA, which means that junior karatekas who manifest the higher level of perception on those variables exhibit the higher level of PA. This study confirmed that the applied instruments are valid and suitable to predict PA among adolescent athletes in Serbia.

Postural irregularities, i.e., deviations from normal posture, are a growing problem today. Physical inactivity in preschool children can lead to some physiological changes, which, if not remedied timely, tend to more seriously impair health in later stages of life. Muscle activity caused by biomechanical adaptation to certain body positions in a sedentary regime in children can form muscle asymmetries. The study aimed to determine the effects of corrective gymnastics on the postural status of the spine in the frontal plane in preschool children. The total sample of children (n=133; AGE: 6.2±0.6) was divided into three sub-samples: experimental group E1 – 45 (25.57%), experimental group with additional exercises E2 – 45 (25.57%) and control group C-43 (48.86%). This is a longitudinal-type study that involved the application of a ten-week corrective gymnastics intervention on children aged 5 to 7 from Subotica, who participated in the formation of the sample. Based on the analysis of the results of the multivariate analysis of variance it can be concluded that there are no statistically significant differences (P=0.17) between the subjects from the experimental groups and the control group in the variables used for assessment of the spinal column in the frontal plane, and it is necessary to extend the treatment time in preschool children when corrective gymnastics is applied to changes in postural status when it is observed in the frontal plane.

A good understanding of potential differences in motor coordination and weight status in children from rural and urban areas may advance targeted measures implemented by experts in the field of sports and physical education. This research study is focused on investigating differences in the total motor coordination score and weight status in 70 children aged (7 to 8) living in different residential areas within the territory of the city of Šabac, Republic of Serbia (35 urban and 35 rural areas). The Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder battery of tests was used for the assessment of the overall motor coordination. By application of t-test for independent samples, the obtained results indicate that there are statistically significant differences in the majority of the applied motor tests (walking backward, p=0.000; hop for height on one leg, p=0.033; side jumps, p=0.002), as well as in the total motor coordination scores (p=0.000) in favor of the children from rural environments. The weight status of children indicates no statistically significant differences between the two groups (p=0.376).

The World Health Organization recommends infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Various factors can affect the maintenance of lactation. Increased physical activity and stress are thought to negatively affect breastfeeding success. The aim of this case study was to examine the effect of high serum creatine-kinase (CK) values and the success of breastfeeding after sports competition. It is assumed that continuous aerobic exercise is a stress for the body that can have a negative impact on lactation and extended breastfeeding. Methods. The level of acute muscle damage (AC) was measured before and after the competition in order to confirm continuous exposure to aerobic exercise. Results. After the competition, elevated serum creatine-kinase levels were noted. Prolactin and TSH values remained within optimal values. Conclusion. Several months of preparation for the competition had an impact on increasing acute muscle damage (AC) after the competition. No negative effect of continuous aerobic exercise on breastfeeding success was observed in this case study.