The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between body composition, strength, power characteristics, sprinting, jumping, and intermittent endurance performance in collegiate male players. Twenty-three players participated (19.7 ± 1.6 yrs; 71.8 ± 7.1 kg; 176.5 ± 5.1 cm). Measurements of interest in body composition included body fat percentage (BF%), lean body mass (LBM), and body mass (BM). Power characteristics were measured with an unloaded squat jump (SJ0) and loaded SJ at 20 kg (SJ20) and 40 kg (SJ40), and unloaded countermovement jump (CMJ0). Power assessments included peak power (PP) and PP allometrically scaled (PPa). Strength characteristics were assessed using isometric mid-thigh pull. Strength assessment included isometric peak force (IPF) and IPF allometrically scaled (IPFa). Performance measures included 10m and 20 m sprint time, CMJ0 jump-height, and Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test level 1 distance. Significant correlations ranging from moderate to very large were found for LBM and CMJ jump height (CM0 JH) (p = 0.01, r = 0.50); BF% and sprint times at 10 m (p = 0.03, r = 0.44) and 20 m (p = 0.02, r = 0.50). PP and PPa from SJ0 and CMJ0 were significantly correlated to 10m sprint time (p < 0.05, r = −0.45 to −0.53) and 20 m sprint time (p < 0.05, r = −0.40 to −0.49). Our findings agree with previous literature in that body composition and power characteristics are directly related to soccer-related performance.

The purpose of this study was to examine if short-term periodized programming may improve strength, power, jump kinetics, and sprint efficiency in soccer. Seventeen players (19.6 ± 1.6 yrs; 73.8 ± 8.2 kg; 1.77 ± 0.6 m) were divided into two groups based on mean isometric midthigh pull peak force (IPF) (stronger and weaker) and squat jump (SJ) peak power (PP) (higher power and lower power). Eight weaker players were included in the lower power group, while six stronger players were included in the higher power group. Block periodization was adopted to design strength training consisting of 3-week strength endurance and 4-week maximum strength blocks. Performance data included SJ with polyvinyl chloride pipe (SJ0), 20 kgs bar (SJ20), and 40 kgs (SJ40) bar and 20 m sprint across three time points (baseline: TB; post-block 1: T1; post-block 2: T2 ). Stronger group showed significant increases from TB to T2 in SJ20 peak power (PP), net impulse, and allometrically-scaled PP (p = 0.005 to 0.01, ES = 0.32 to 0.49). Weaker group demonstrated moderate to large increases from TB to T2 in SJ20, allometrically-scaled peak force (PF), PP, and allometrically-scaled PP (p = <0.001 to 0.04, ES = 1.41 to 1.74). Lower power group showed significant increases from TB to T2 in SJ20 allometrically-scaled PF, net impulse, PP, and allometrically-scaled PP (p = <0.001 to 0.026, ES = 1.06 to 2.01). Weaker and less powerful soccer players can benefit from strength-focused training to improve loaded SJ kinetics associating with force production.

The research seeks to understand and explain the impact, if any, on the transition out of sport, based on the level of commitment to sport being a Collegiate Athlete. Interest for this study came from personal experience as an athlete, as well as knowing numerous athletes who have gone or are going through, questioning their Identity once their playing days came to an end. This study includes extant literature discussing Athletic Identity. It offers a different perspective than other studies working through grief and loss after losing the ability to play a sport. The purpose of this study is to offer possible explanations and resources to deal with the problem of Identity Crisis in a post-athletic career. Here, Identity Crisis will be defined as a “personal psychosocial conflict, especially in adolescence that involves confusion about one's social role and often a sense of loss of continuity to one's personality” (Merriam-Webster's dictionary). This is currently being brought to light with the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study will describe the effects of transitioning out of sport through the Kübler-Ross “Grief and Loss cycle” of an athlete. This study is intended to be a resource for collegiate athletes, coaches, trainers, administrators, parents, and counselors to be better prepared to help athletes with this transition.

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Student athletes (SAs) are faced with multiple hurdles upon stepping onto campus, including balancing their lives as a student with that of being an athlete for 20 or more hours per week. SAs typically maintain weekly physical activity (PA) recommendations as a by-product of participation in one’s sport. Because most SAs have high athletic identity, which remains fairly consistent throughout their lives, many incorrectly assume this will translate into a high exercise identity and greater PA throughout their life spans. Certainly, the challenge is how to assist SAs in transitioning from athlete to exerciser. Based on findings from previous research on barriers to maintaining healthy PA levels faced by student-athletes as they transition out of sport, the purpose of this study is to examine the components of resources that can help individuals navigate this transition. Phase I of the study was quantitative in nature and examined the relationship between athletic identity and exercise identity; the relationship was not significant; however, as expected, an individual’s level of exercise identity was related to one’s levels of moderate and vigorous exercise per week. Additionally, individuals with high athletic identity were more likely to participate in vigorous PA. For the purpose of the study, Phase II involved conducted hack groups (typically labeled as focus groups) to gain a deeper understanding of how practitioners can best serve athletes as they transition out of collegiate sport. According to the participants, attention should be given to the delivery method of resources. The most frequently cited form of delivery was that of a phone app with a social network. An app allows for individuals to access an online community of former SAs to not only process their experience but develop connections with like-minded individuals in the area. These connections were highlighted as a motivator for attending exercise groups and act as a form of accountability that may be missing from one’s life after the loss of one’s coach and/or team environment. Former SAs also reported the need for an increased awareness of one’s change in identity and help reframing exercise. Moreover, strategies to build community through authentic connection and shared values, along with assistance developing new routines and habits were deemed important. PA levels or one’s overall well-being may be positively influenced by these connections, but this remains to be studied in depth. The results of the present research indicate a need for attention on activities individuals enjoy rather than exercising for the sake of exercising. Experiencing positive feelings towards PA may in turn allow for increased present-moment awareness in the activity, leading to more enjoyment and potentially increased motivation to maintain PA following the transition out of collegiate sport. / Kinesiology

Over the past two decades, a large body of research has examined the issues of eating disorders as well as compensatory behaviors in collegiate competitive athletes. Up to 49.1% of student-athletes engage in disordered eating and compensatory behaviors, while up to 7.1% of athletes have symptoms that reach the threshold of formal psychiatric diagnoses. Greater symptoms are linked to reduced athletic and academic performance, both of which may impact physical and psychosocial functioning later in adulthood. However, most athletes suffer from these symptoms in isolation, as these behaviors are often undetected by athletic trainers and coaches. The purpose of the current study was: (a) to examine the prevalence of both formal eating disorders and disordered eating symptomatology in a sample of collegiate student-athletes; (b) to explore the frequency of compulsive exercise occurrence; (c) to investigate the differences in athletes’ disordered eating, compulsive exercise, and body image concerns by gender, sport type, and level of athletic participation; and (d) to assess the relationships among athletes’ disordered eating, compulsive exercise, and body image concerns, as well as associations between athletes’ age and each of these three variables. In total, 128 NCAA Division I varsity and club athletes completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), and Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire – Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS). Correlational analysis, Independent two-sample, and Welch’s t-tests were conducted to establish statistical significance for the relationships of interest. Out of 128 athletes, 11 athletes (8.6%) scored in the clinically significant range on at least one EDE-Q subscale. Four athletes (3.2%) met criteria for Bulimia Nervosa, 3 athletes (2.4%) met criteria for Binge Eating Disorder, and 2 athletes (1.6%) met criteria for Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder. In addition, 40 athletes (31.3%) reported subclinical symptoms of an eating disorder. Nineteen athletes (14.85%) scored above the clinical cut-off score for compulsive exercise behavior. Female athletes reported greater disordered eating symptomatology and body image dissatisfaction than males. In addition, lean-sport athletes had a higher prevalence of maladaptive eating behaviors than non-lean sport athletes. Age was not associated with athletes’ disordered eating, compulsive exercise, and body image scores. Also, no differences were found between club and varsity athletes for the same variables. Positive correlations were found between athletes’ eating pathology and their compulsive exercise behaviors, suggesting that greater eating disorder symptoms were associated with greater excessive exercise engagement. In contrast to athletes with no symptoms of an eating disorder, athletes with symptoms of an eating disorder reported using exercise as a weight control measure. Higher levels of body image dissatisfaction were also associated with greater eating pathology. This study addressed a number of methodological shortcomings across the body of eating disorder research (e.g., studies with insufficient sample sizes, lack of group comparisons by age and level of athletic participation, and suboptimal psychometric measures) and underscored the need for a new generation of studies. The study also explored the frequency of compulsive exercise, a compensatory behavior which is highly prevalent, but often overlooked among athletes. The study findings may aid coaches, athletic administration, and mental health professionals in identifying at-risk athletes. The study findings also inform the development of prevention and treatment efforts. / Kinesiology