Recommendations for Measurement and Management of an Elite Athlete

Sands, William A.; Cardinale, Marco; McNeal, Jeni R.; Murray, Steven R.; Sole, Christopher J.; Reed, Jacob P.; Apostolopoulos, Nikos C.; Stone, Michael H.

doi:10.3390/sports7050105

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…The 20 th , 40 th , 50 th , 60 th , and 80 th percentiles were calculated. Due to the limited overall data pool of elite young athletes [ 31 ] and in accordance with other authors [ 32 , 33 ], anthropometric and physical fitness differences as well as percentile reference values were only calculated if 30 participants were available within a subgroup. All analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentiles of German elite young athletes

et al. 2020

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The aim of this study was to establish maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentile reference values of young elite athletes from various sports. Anthropometric (i.e., standing and sitting body height, body mass, body mass index) and physical fitness (i.e., countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction speed [i.e., T-test], trunk muscle endurance [i.e., ventral Bourban test], dynamic lower limbs balance [i.e., Y-balance test], hand grip strength) of 703 male and female elite young athletes aged 8–18 years were collected to aggregate reference values according to maturation, age, and sex. Findings indicate that body height and mass were significantly higher (p<0.001; 0.95≤d≤1.74) in more compared to less mature young athletes as well as with increasing chronological age (p<0.05; 0.66≤d≤3.13). Furthermore, male young athletes were significantly taller and heavier compared to their female counterparts (p<0.001; 0.34≤d≤0.50). In terms of physical fitness, post-pubertal athletes showed better countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction, and handgrip strength performances (p<0.001; 1.57≤d≤8.72) compared to pubertal athletes. Further, countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction, and handgrip strength performances increased with increasing chronological age (p<0.05; 0.29≤d≤4.13). In addition, male athletes outperformed their female counterpart in the countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction, and handgrip strength (p<0.05; 0.17≤d≤0.76). Significant age by sex interactions indicate that sex-specific differences were even more pronounced with increasing age. Conclusively, body height, body mass, and physical fitness increased with increasing maturational status and chronological age. Sex-specific differences appear to be larger as youth grow older. Practitioners can use the percentile values as approximate benchmarks for talent identification and development.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentiles of German elite young athletes

et al. 2020

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“…Single subject research designs would be an alternative, potentially useful approach where athletes can be studied in their training and performance environments over a duration which would make the results more applicable to other coaches/practitioners. Single subject designs have already been recommended to study conditioning in sport [29] with recommendations on how to approach single subject designs research for elite sport recently published [30].…”

Section: Application Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Futureproofing triathlon: expert suggestions to improve health and performance in triathletes

Kennedy

Knight

Neto

et al. 2020

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil

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Background: Given the multi-modal nature of triathlon (swimming, cycling, running), training for a triathlon event has numerous potential health benefits including physical fitness. However, triathletes also have a high prevalence of health issues including overuse injury, illness, fatigue, and burnout. To address the ongoing prevalence of health issues, roundtable discussions were organized at the International Triathlon Union Science of Triathlon 2017 conference to develop strategic objectives deemed necessary to "futureproof triathlon". Futureproofing as a concept serves to design new approaches and ways of thinking to reduce consequences in the future. In this case, the futureproof process aimed to develop key recommendations for triathlon. Methods: This qualitative study had 22 participants including athletes, coaches, practitioners, academics, and policy makers who participated in roundtable discussions at the Science of Triathlon conference. Seven of these participants completed follow-up semi-structured interviews on the same topics. The data collected from the roundtable discussions and the semi-structured interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Five main themes were produced: "Critical appraisal and application of knowledge"; "Integrated approaches to developing, disseminating, and using research and expertise"; "Appropriate development and use of measures for monitoring training and recovery"; "Knowing your athletes and adopting holistic approaches to athlete/person-development", and; "Challenging accepted cultural and sporting norms". Participants indicated the need to reduce the knowledge gap between research and practice as well as a more collaborative approach to triathlon research development amongst coaches/practitioners and academics. It was stated that current monitoring tools require more research to determine which are most useful to informed decision making for coaches/practitioners. It was cautioned that data driven assessments should be used judiciously and be athlete centered. Triathlon as a sport should also have a greater focus on healthy participation and development of youth athletes. Conclusions: A series of applied implications were developed based on these five themes as guiding principles for how to futureproof triathlon. Additionally, roundtable and interview participants who held varying positions and opinions within the sport of triathlon agreed that the unique challenge of training for and competing in a triathlon should not be forgotten in the futureproofing of the sport.

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“…Athlete monitoring, or sometimes referred to as applied sport science, involves a scientifically minded approach to training and competition such that the overall training process is diligently planned, training is quantified and subsequent alterations to the athlete’s preparedness are measured [ 25 ]. Detailed athlete monitoring allows coaches to better understand the recovery-stress state of the athlete, as well as various aspects of recovery/adaptation, and illness/injury trends [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to enhance sport performance [ 29 ].…”

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is commonly performed via external workload methods, which may include weight room volume load (reps × load), countermovement jumps (force plates) and movement-based technologies (i.e., GPS or RFID), as well as internal workload methods, namely subjective ratings of perceived exertion and/or heart rate monitoring [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Additionally, periodic performance-based tests (e.g., force plate monitoring, agility tests, and endurance tests) can be carried out to assess specific adaptive responses, changes in performance and the athlete’s overall preparedness [ 25 , 26 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Ideally, the training is driven, first by the coach’s periodized plan in which programming strategies are utilized to bring about pre-determined adaptations.…”

Section: Data Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Baseline performance screening to assess an athlete’s initial conditioning and neuromuscular characteristics provides baseline data to provide coaches insights on their athletes’ training status. The battery of tests should include force plate assessment to ascertain strength and power capabilities as well as fatigue resiliency under load [ 26 , 27 , 37 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. Ideally, the battery of testing is performed periodically throughout the year so that when the athletes return coaches are able to compare current performance data to previous data collected before the athletes left for quarantine.…”

Section: Phasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Surveillance and Competition in Sport: Utilizing Sport Science to Protect Athletes and Staff during and after the Pandemic

Hagen

Stone

Hornsby

et al. 2020

JFMK

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The ongoing Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic abruptly halted athletic competition and standard training practices, consequently generating great confusion surrounding when and how to safely reintroduce sports. Therefore, tangible solutions disseminated to performance staff, coaches, and athletes are warranted to ensure optimal levels of health and physical performance for all personnel during both the current social distancing standards as well as the impending return of competition despite continued risks. In this commentary, we offer strategies for utilizing technology and data tools as components of longitudinal COVID-19 surveillance based on ongoing research efforts as well as current guidance from governing bodies, while also serving the performance needs of the athletes and staff. Recommended data sources include digital symptom and well-being surveys, standardized and routine physical performance testing, sleep and sleep physiology monitoring, cognitive applications, and temperature. This system is flexible to numerous commercially available products and is designed for easy implementation that permits instant feedback provided directly to the athlete as well as their support staff for early intervention, ultimately mitigating COVID-19 risks. We will discuss multiple options, including examples of data, data visualizations and recommendations for data interpretation and communication.

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Recommendations for Measurement and Management of an Elite Athlete

Cited by 26 publications

References 56 publications

Maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentiles of German elite young athletes

Maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentiles of German elite young athletes

Futureproofing triathlon: expert suggestions to improve health and performance in triathletes

COVID-19 Surveillance and Competition in Sport: Utilizing Sport Science to Protect Athletes and Staff during and after the Pandemic

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