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This study aimed to verify the network of interactions resulting from the collective behavior of professional football teams and the influence of ball possession. A dataset of 30 matches of one highly successful team from the Portuguese Premier League, season 2010/2011, was considered. From these 30 matches, 13,958 passes (e.g., 11,127 successfully passes and 2831 unsuccessfully passes) and 7583 collective offensive actions were analysed. The data were analysed using Node XL Template that allows to characterize networks and team activity profiles. The results showed that football players' interactions tended to occur, preferentially, during the offensive phase, wherein the network of contacts was mainly organised in the central and lateral areas of the field. We concluded that the ball possession during a football match endows the team with a larger domain in terms of game actions. Moreover, the results of this study also allow concluding that the ball possession does not significantly influence the final outcome of the game. This study has practical implications for coaches, since it provides a multidimensional analysis of the football match (e.g., networks and ball possession) and offers relevant insights on how creative and organizing individuals might act to orchestrate team strategies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 342–354, 2016

The aim of this systematic review is to collect and summarize the benefits of Pilates in the elderly population (>60 years old), within the current scientific production, assessing its contribution to Healthy Ageing (HA). We used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) to select, collect, and analyse this thematic. The methodological procedures were registered in the PROSPERO database. The main results of the studies analysed (n = 30) point to significant differences between the intervention and the control groups in dynamic balance, strength, mobility, functional capacity, risk of falling reduction, and mental and psychological health. Thus, the results showed that Pilates may be beneficial for the health of the elderly. The meta-analysis found statistical differences between means on the dynamic balance (mean difference (MD) = −0.0, 95% CI [−0.71, −0.50]; I2: 0%) and the aerobic capacity and aerobic resistance [(MD) = 38.29, 95% CI [6.82, 69.77]; I2: 0%). Thus, it is concluded that the efficacy of Pilates has been shown in various areas of HA and has proven to be affordable and safe for the majority of people, using just a mat on the floor. Future studies should focus on the analysis of the relationship between the cost and the benefit of a Pilates intervention in the elderly population, to better understand how health costs can be minimized and to contribute to a multidisciplinary and generalized HA. Pilates has practical application for the clinicians, therapists, and health professionals that work with the elderly population.

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Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a interação e network de sequências ofensivas coletivas que resultaram em finalização de uma Seleção de Futebol de Sub-20. A amostra consistiu na análise de 76 ações ofensivas que foram transformadas em golo. Foi realizada uma análise quantitativa e qualitativa das ações de jogo através do software VideObserver ®. As networks de interação entre jogadores foram obtidas através do mesmo programa. As métricas de centralidade foram calculadas através do software Social Network Visualizer ®. Os resultados indicaram que as ações ofensivas que terminaram em finalização ocorreram em sequências de passe mais curtas e emergiram com um maior número de finalizações e golos. Por seu lado, o maior nível de interação ocorreu entre o jogador 9 (avançado) e o jogador 18 (extremo direito). Concluiu-se que as interações que emergiram durante as ações ofensivas que resultaram em golo foram originadas, maioritariamente, pelos médios, extremos e avançados, ocorrendo, sobretudo, no setor ofensivo. Neste sentido, o jogador 7 (médio centro) foi considerado o jogador-chave na circulação e desenvolvimento das ações ofensivas que resultaram em finalização da equipa, assumindo um papel preponderante na dinâmica coletiva da equipa.