The aim of this study was to examine the effect of modified equipment on skill acquisition of novice badminton players. The participants (24 boys, 16 girls) aged between 7 – 9 years old, without any prior formal badminton experience, were divided into four groups randomly, namely the standard racquet with standard court (SRSC), standard racquet with modified court (SRMC), modified racquet with standard court (MRSC) and modified racquet with modified court (MRMC). Children’s hitting opportunities and stroke effectiveness were tabulated using videotaped and notated during a mini-competition after they went a five weeks training program. The results showed that the children who practiced using modified racquet with the modified court (MRMC), recorded the highest hitting opportunities and stroke effectiveness compared to others group. The participants who practiced using the standard equipment recorded less hitting opportunities and stroke effectiveness during the mini-competition. This study demonstrated the advantages for children playing using modified equipment with a smaller court. By manipulating the task constraints, skill acquisition can be enhanced among children.

Background and Study Aim. Despite many evidences showed the effectiveness of small sided games (SSG) to be included in sport training programs, majority of the study was done in soccer, while is very limited in hockey. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the effects of small sided games and traditional training on physical fitness components (cardiovascular endurance, power, speed) and skills (dribbling, hitting, passing) among Under-12 hockey players. Material and Methods. A total of 36 primary schools’ male students aged below 12 that represent their district were randomly divided into three groups; i) 3x3, ii) 4x4 and iii) traditional training (TT). The yo-yo test (cardiovascular endurance), standing long jump test (power) and 30m sprint test (speed) were conducted to measure level of physical fitness performance while the skills of the players was tested based on the skills of dribbling, hitting and passing. Pre- and post-tests were conducted on all fitness and skill level before and after 8 week intervention period. Mixed between within analysis of variances (ANOVA) was used to analyze the differences in physical fitness and skills performance between and within the three groups. Results. The results of this study showed all groups managed to improve their physical fitness and skills in the post test. However, the 3x3 and 4x4 SSG have better improvement compared to TT in physical fitness while no significant differences were found in skills tests. Conclusions. In conclusion, SSG interventions were found to be more effective in improving physical fitness but not in terms of skills. Coaches are encouraging to implement SSG in their training program in order to improve both physical and skills among hockey players.

Athletes born at the beginning of the year may present the advantage of physical characteristics, motor ability or cognitive knowledge that could increase their chances for selection against their peers. This circumstance could lead to the over-representation of older athletes in an age-defined competition which is commonly referred to as relative age effect (RAE). Although, a number of studies have demonstrated that RAE is apparent in youth soccer, such studies barely investigates the performance advantage that may likely exists across the birth month of the athletes. The current study aims to determine the presence of RAE in the under 16 Asian Football Confederation Championship (AFC), investigate the effect of RAE on the team qualification success as well as ascertain the existence of RAE in the playing position amongst the soccer players. Data of the 2018 AFC under 16 qualifications matches were obtained from the AFC. A total of 719 players from 32 countries participated in the qualification competitions. Chi-square for goodness fit is used to determine the existence of the RAE across the players’ month of birth while logistic regression is applied to analyze the differences of the quartiles’ distribution with respect to the quartile, qualification status (qualifier or non-qualifier) as well as the playing position of the players. The results demonstrate the presence of RAE in the AFC under 16 soccer tournaments [χ2(4) = 21.53; p < 0.001] with the largest number of older players dominating the qualified team. Likewise, a substantial difference is observed with regards to the quartile and various playing position of the players p < 0.05.

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Background and Study Aim. Chin-up is an exercise that is done to improve the strength, muscular endurance and size of the upper back and arm muscles. There are many ways to perform chin-up exercises including by performing it with different forms of knee flexion. This study aims to examine the effects of knee flexion on muscle activation and performance during chin-up exercise. Material and Methods. A total of twenty-one healthy trained male (age 20-25 years old) were recruited and were instructed to perform chin-up exercises in three knee conditions: i) knee fully flexed, ii) partial knee flexed, and iii) straight knee. Chin-up performance was measured by the number of repetitions performed in three sets. Muscle activation was measured using EMG and taken from latissimus dorsi (LD), posterior deltoid (PD), and biceps brachii (BB) during both concentric and eccentric phase. One-way repeated measure Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) were conducted to compare the muscle activation and number of repetitions performed across the three variation of chin-up exercise. Results. Findings showed that during the concentric phase, BB recorded higher muscle activation during straight knee compared to knee fully flexed and partial knee flexed, p < .05. In addition, chin-up performance during straight knee and partial knee flexed were better than knee fully flexed, p < .05. Conclusions. The results of this study demonstrated the importance to consider techniques manipulation during exercises due to its effects on acute responses as shown by number of repetitions and muscle activation in this study that might also affect the long-term outcomes.