Feint movement is an important factor for offensive players to outplay their guard, and score. So far, there is no evidence of feint biomechanical analysis on a sample of elite players in handball or other team sports. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate kinematic parameters of single side fake movement between elite and professional level handball players. The sample of participants consisted of 10 handball players divided into two subsamples: elite handball players (100.00 ± 8.00 kg; 196.00 ± 4.64 cm) and professional handball players (91.20 ± 3.42 kg; 192.4 ± 7.30 cm). The kinematic analysis was conducted using a GAIT—LaBACS software system. Variables consisted of two phases (fake phase and actual phase) of feint single change of direction. Both phases included seven kinematic parameters that were observed. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistic parameters. The differences between elite and professional handball players were analyzed by multivariate and univariate variance analysis. Results showed significant differences between elite and professional players (λ = 0.44, p = 0.00), in fake phase (i.e., 1. Phase). The results also indicate that in there is no statistically significant difference between both groups (λ = 0.64, p = 0.22). Two variables had significant differences between elite and professional players (i.e., step length of the stride leg (p = 0.02) and moving the leg opposite the throwing arm in space (p = 0.00)). To conclude, the article examines specific movement patterns of single side fake movement in elite players and the confirmed importance of efficient skill execution in top level handball. On the contrary, less skilled players use more space for the same technical element.

Sport climbers should possess specific anthropometric characteristics and conditioning capacities to reach a top level in this sport. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine gender differences in the fitness status of the top-level youth sport climbers. METHODS: The study was conducted on 20 elite Croatian youth sport climbers (all members of the national team, ten females; 13-18 years of age). The variables included anthropometric status (mass, height, arm span, and body fat percentage), generic- (countermovement- and squat-jump, grip strength), and specific-fitness tests (power slap test and Draga foot lift). RESULTS: Boys were taller than girls (t-test=2.51, p=0.02, moderate effect size (ES)), and had lower body fat percentage (t=- 5.66, p=0.001, very large ES). Boys achieved better results in countermovement- (t=5.39, p=0.001, very large ES) and squat-jump (t=2.19, p=0.04, moderate ES), while there were no gender differences in the specific fitness tests. CONCLUSION: Gender differences were observed in generic but not in specific fitness, which may indicate that climbing is a specific sport that requires and develops specific abilities in a similar way in boys and girls.

Students, as a relatively health-informed population group, may still have limitations in health literacy, which is a concern as students take increasing responsibility for their health and make independent health decisions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall attitudes towards COVID vaccination among university students and to investigate various factors contributing to vaccination willingness among health and non-health studies students. A total of 752 students from the University of Split were included in this cross-sectional study and completed a questionnaire that consisted of three sections: socio-demographic data, health status information, and information on vaccination against COVID-19. Results show that the majority of students of health and natural sciences were willing to be vaccinated, but the majority of students of social sciences were not (p < 0.001). Students who used credible sources of information had a more significant proportion of those willing to be vaccinated and the majority of students who used less credible sources (79%) or did not think about it (68.8%) were unwilling to be vaccinated (p < 0.001). Multiple binary logistic regression modeling shows that female gender, younger age, studying social sciences, negative opinion about the need to reintroduce lockdown and the effectiveness of epidemiological measures, and usage of less credible sources of information were the most important factors contributing to increased vaccination hesitancy. Therefore, improving health literacy and restoring trust in relevant institutions can be critical in health promotion and COVID-19 prevention.

Stress was previously defined as a response to any demand for change. These demands are noticeable during sport events, not only in athletes but also in coaches. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the influence of slow-paced breathing (SPB) on acute stress to handball coaches during official matches. One professional handball coach, aged 37 (height, 180 cm; weight, 80 kg), took part in the study. His salivary cortisol (C) concentration and alpha-amylase (AA) activity were measured, and his heart rate (HR) was monitored during six official matches. In the first three matches the SPB training protocol was not followed. From match four to match six, the coach performed SPB training every day and directly before the match. The decrease observed in AA was statistically significant with a large effect size (1.80). The trend of change in HR is visible and similar for matches with and without SPB. However, for SPB matches, there is a lower starting point compared to matches without SPB (89.81 ± 6.26 and 96.62 ± 8.10, respectively). Moreover, values of AA on SPB matches were smaller before the match (93.92 ± 15.89) compared to the same time point in non-SPB matches (115.30 ± 26.00). For AA, there is a significant effect size in the half-time (2.00) and after the match (−2.14). SPB matches showed a lower increase in AA. SPB might be used as one of the possible tools that could help coaches in achieving a desirable mental state during the match.

A variety of loads are placed upon an athlete in team sports (e.g., training, match, or competitions). However, the volume of the training load plays an important role in match success. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the differences in biomarker dynamics during the match and during training, and to evaluate if such training represents a good stimulus for an athlete to adapt to match stress. Ten male handball players (average age of 24.1 ± 3.17 years, body height of 1.88 ± 0.64 m, and body mass of 94.6 ± 9.6 kg) took part in this study. Their saliva cortisol, testosterone, and alpha-amylase were sampled during the match and training (sessions of 90 min duration, respectively). The results showed that cortisol had higher values after the match (0.65 µg/dL) than after training (0.32 µg/dL) (p = 0.05; ES = 0.39). Testosterone concentrations had a steeper increase during a match (65%) than after training (37%). Alpha-amylase levels did not differ significantly between the match and training (p = 0.77; ES = −0.06). Overall, the results showed that the environment of a match was more stressful for the athletes; therefore, a match provoked a stronger endocrine response in the studied markers. Therefore, we concluded that a match seemed to be a stronger trigger for all of the measured biomarker responses.