The aim of the study was to analyze etiology and the incidence of sports injuries among wheelchair rugby players. Moreover, we verified if the levels of aggressiveness and anger presented by the athletes and their roles in the team influenced the incidence and severity of the injuries. The study involved 14 male players, members of the Polish National Wheelchair Rugby Team. During a 9-month period, the athletes participated in up to 9 training camps and 4 Wheelchair Rugby tournaments. The study was based on the Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale, registry of sports injuries consulted and non-consulted with a physician and a demographic questionnaire. The following observations were made during the 9-month period corresponding to a mean of 25 training and tournament days: 1) wheelchair rugby players experienced primarily minor injuries (n=102) that did not require a medical intervention, 2) only four injuries needed to be consulted by a physician, 3) sports injuries occurred more frequently among offensive players than in defensive players, 4) offensive players showed a tendency to higher levels of anger and aggressiveness than defensive players. It can be concluded that wheelchair rugby is a discipline associated with a high incidence of minor injuries that do not require a medical intervention. The incidence rate of injuries during the analyzed period was 0.3 per athlete per training day.

The aim of the study was to assess changes in the anaerobic threshold of young soccer players in an annual training cycle. A group of highly trained 15-18 year old players of KKS Lech Poznań were tested. The tests included an annual training macrocycle, and its individual stages resulted from the time structure of the sports training. In order to assess the level of exercise capacities of the players, a field exercise test of increasing intensity was carried out on a soccer pitch. The test made it possible to determine the 4 millimolar lactate threshold (T LA 4 mmol · l-1) on the basis of the lactate concentration in blood [LA], to establish the threshold running speed and the threshold heart rate [HR]. The threshold running speed at the level of the 4 millimolar lactate threshold was established using the two-point form of the equation of a straight line. The obtained indicators of the threshold running speed allowed for precise establishment of effort intensity used in individual training in developing aerobic endurance. In order to test the significance of differences in mean values between four dates of tests, a non-parametric Friedman ANOVA test was used. The significance of differences between consecutive dates of tests was determined using a post-hoc Friedman ANOVA test. The tests showed significant differences in values of selected indicators determined at the anaerobic threshold in various stages of an annual training cycle of young soccer players. The most beneficial changes in terms of the threshold running speed were noted on the fourth date of tests, when the participants had the highest values of 4.01 m · s-1 for older juniors, and 3.80 m · s-1 for younger juniors. This may be indicative of effective application of an individualized programme of training loads and of good preparation of teams for competition in terms of players’ aerobic endurance.

Transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) increases corticospinal and spinal reflex excitability, and may be a new tool for increasing muscle explosive performance in sports training. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether tsDCS can enhance jumping ability in trained humans practicing volleyball. Twenty eight participants completed the study, including 21 men and 7 women. We investigated the effects of a single 15-minute session of sham, anodal, and cathodal tsDCS over spine and shoulder on repeated counter movement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) performance at 0, 30 and 60 min post-stimulation. The order of SJs and CMJs sets in each session was randomized. Each SJ and CMJ set consisted of 3 jumps. The break between each attempt was 1 min and the interval between the sets was 3 min. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA did not show effect of time, nor stimulation method, nor stimulation method × time interactions on SJ (time: F(1.8,142.1) = 1.054; p = 0.346, stimulation: F(2,78) = 0.019; p = 0.981, stimulation × time: F(3.6,142.1) = 0.725; p = 0.564) or CMJ (time: F(1.8,140.9) = 2.092; p = 0.132, stimulation: F(2,78) = 0.005; p = 0.995, stimulation × time: F(3.6,140.9) = 0.517; p = 0.705) performance. Single session of tsDCS over spine and shoulder does not increase jumping height in well-trained volleyball players. This is an important finding for coaches and strength conditioning professionals for understanding the practical utility of tsDCS for enhancing muscular explosiveness.

Despite many previous studies dealing with various aspects of physical activity in individuals with an amputation, the risk of injury in amputee footballers has not been assessed thus far. The aim of this study was to characterize the incidence and causes of sport injuries experienced by amputee football players. Furthermore, the incidence of injuries was stratified according to the players' level of competitive aggressiveness and anger, and their role in the field. The study included 21 members of the Polish National Amputee Football Team, who have been followed-up for a period of 6 months. A total of 16 injuries were recorded, including three that required a medical consultation: luxation of the left elbow, adductor strain and ankle sprain. The group of injuries that have not been consulted with a physician included muscle strains (n = 4), abrasions (n = 3), bruising (n = 3), joint subluxations (n = 2) and luxation (n = 1). The injuries turned out to be more frequent in the lower limbs (n = 10) than in the upper ones (n = 6). The risk of injury turned out to be higher during trainings (n = 9) than matches (n = 7). Amputee football seems to be associated with low risk of injury, since only several bodily contusions were documented throughout the study period. The injuries occurred in 38% of the players; this makes amputee football a relatively safe discipline which can be recommended to physically disabled persons.

Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a functional screen test of the motor system which is steadily gaining recognition and popularity among individuals interested in prevention of sports injuries. The FMS test battery includes seven mutually related motor activities to analyse the quality of basic movement patterns. An in-depth interpretation of the performed test design provides good conditions to determine the weakest links in the kinematic chain and to estimate the risk of injury. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the FMS test results on frequency of sports injuries in soccer players. With the main objective of the study in mind the following research hypothesis was formulated: "a group of players in the lowest interval (14-17 FMS test points) will have a high frequency of injuries in comparison to a group in the upper interval (18-21 points in the FMS test)". The tests were carried out on a group of 102 younger and older junior soccer players representing the Soccer Academy of KKS Lech Poznań. For that the test design with FMS test procedure was used, followed by a six month period in which the injuries of the individuals in the study group were recorded. The research hypothesis was not confirmed. In the analysis of the results no statistical significance was noted between the total number of points obtained in the FMS test and the number of injuries. It was noted that the number of injuries was statistically significantly correlated with the results of the Shoulder Mobility test of the right side (for all participants and for the players in the lower interval), Hurdle Step test of the left side (for a group of players in the lower interval), and the In-line Lunge test of the left side (for upper interval players). The results of the single variable logistic regression showed that injuries occurred more often in players of the lower interval. A forest plot indicates the direction of the increased risk of injury in players in the lower interval of points: OR = 1.14 (95% CL; 0.71 : 1.83).