Thesis (M.A.)--Western Michigan University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-46).

Thesis (M.S.)--Springfield College, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. A.)--Brock University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-103). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

No description available.

Thesis (MScSportSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to compile a sport psychological skills profile of track and field athletes and to determine whether a purposefully-developed psychological-skills training (PST) programme would affect this profile and athletic performance. The study was conducted in two phases. During the first phase 143 student athletes completed sport psychological skills questionnaires before competing in the 2011 University Sport South Africa (USSA) Athletics Championship. The athletes’ perceived importance of psychological skills, psychologically preparedness, and need for psychological skills training were investigated. The athletes’ best performances at the championship were recorded and their IAAF performance points calculated. The majority of the athletes perceived PST as important. However, in contrast, a large percentage was uncertain about their need for PST programmes and, alarmingly, most of the athletes under-utilized the services of sport psychologists. This could possibly indicate a resistance to PST. Overall, the results revealed poor sport psychological skill levels. Only the achievement motivation and goal directedness dimensions showed satisfactory results. Effect sizes were used to compare the sport psychological skill levels of more and less successful athletes. This revealed significant differences between the respective groups. The within-group comparisons showed that the more successful sprinters outscored the less successful sprinters in the subscales of stress control and achievement motivation. Achievement motivation was the only aspect that differed significantly between the more and less successful middle and long-distance athletes. Among the jumpers, confidence and stress control distinguished between the top and bottom athletes. The more successful throwers recorded higher imagery and achievement motivation scores than the less successful throwers. The results from the first phase were used to develop a PST programme aimed at improving the sport psychological skill levels and performance of student track and field athletes. In Phase Two, athletes from Stellenbosch University were divided into an experimental (n = 24) and control group (n = 18). Both groups underwent pre and post-testing of the same psychological skills questionnaires used in the first phase, whilst their athletic performances were recorded on both occasions. The experimental group participated in a PST programme consisting of seven sessions which covered the following topics: achievement motivation, goal-directedness, managing somatic anxiety, managing cognitive anxiety, self-confidence, concentration, and imagery. In addition to these sessions daily activities and assignments were completed in a workbook. The effectiveness of the PST programme in improving the athletes’ sport psychological skills levels is evident from the improvements observed in nine of the eleven subscales among the experimental group opposed to four skills among the control group. Inexplicably, the control group’s athletic performance improved significantly more than that of the experimental group. Further research into the role and effectiveness of PST in track and field is recommended. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om ’n sportsielkundige vaardigheidsprofiel vir baan- en veldatlete saam te stel en om te bepaal tot watter mate ’n sportsielkundige vaardigheidsprogram (SVP) hierdie profiel en atletiekprestasie sal beïnvloed. Die navorsing het uit twee fases bestaan. Gedurende fase een het 143 studente-atlete verskeie sportsielkundige vraelyste voltooi voor deelname aan die 2011 Suid-Afrikaanse Studente-Atletiekkampioenskappe (USSA). Die atlete se persepsie oor die belangrikheid van sielkundige vaardighede, sielkundige voorbereiding en behoefte aan onderrig in sielkundige vaardighede is ondersoek. Die atlete se beste vertonings tydens die kampioenskappe is gemonitor en hul IAAF- prestasiepunte bereken. Die meerderheid van hierdie atlete het aangedui dat sportsielkundige vaardigheidsontwikkeling belangrik is, maar in teensteling hiermee het ’n groot persentasie aangedui dat hulle onseker is oor hul behoefte aan sportsielkundige vaardigheidsontwikkeling. Die bevinding dat die meerderheid van die atlete nie genoegsaam van sportsielkundige dienste gebruik maak nie, is kommerwekkend. Hierdie verskynsel kan op ’n weerstand teen sportsielkundige vaardigheids-ontwikkeling dui. In geheel het die sportsielkundige profiel van hierdie baan- en veldatlete swak vertoon, behalwe vir prestasiemotivering en doelgerigtheid wat bevredigende resultate opgelewer het. Effekgroottes is gebruik om die sportsielkundige vaardighede van minder en meer suksesvolle atlete met mekaar vergelyk. Dit het beduidende verskille tussen die groepe opgelewer. Die binnegroepvergelykings het getoon dat meer suksesvolle naellopers hoër tellings as minder suksesvolle naellopers in die volgende subskale behaal het: stresbeheer en prestasiemotivering. Prestasiemotivering was ook die enigste subskaal wat tussen meer en minder suksesvolle middel- en langafstandatlete kon onderskei. Selfvertroue en stresbeheer was twee aspekte wat tussen meer en minder suksesvolle springers gediskrimineer het. Prestasiemotivering en beelding was die enigste sportsielkundige dimensies wat tussen meer en minder suksesvolle gooiers kon onderskei. Die meer suksesvolle gooiers het beter vlakke met betrekking tot hierdie twee subskale getoon. Die resultate van die eerste fase is gebruik om ’n sportsielkundige intervensieprogram te ontwikkel waardeur sielkundige vaardighede en prestasie van tersiêre baan- en veldatlete verbeter kan word. In die tweede fase is atlete van die Stellenbosch Universiteit in ’n eksperimentele- (n = 24) en kontrolegroep (n = 18) verdeel. Beide groepe het dieselfde sportsielkundige vraelyste as in die eerste fase, voor en na afloop van die intervensieprogram, waaraan die eksperimentele groep meegedoen het, voltooi. Alle deelnemers se atletiekprestasies is voor en na afloop van die intervensieprogram genoteer. Die eksperimentele groep het aan die ontwikkelde sportsielkundige vaardigheidsprogram deelgeneem wat uit die volgende sewe sessies bestaan het: prestasiemotivering, doelgerigtheid, somatiese angsbeheer, kognitiewe angsbeheer, selfvertroue, konsentrasie en beelding. Hierdie sessies is deur daaglikse aktiwiteite aangevul en opdragte wat in ’n werkboek voltooi moes word. Die effektiwiteit van die program in die ontwikkeling van sielkundige vaardighede blyk duidelik uit die bevinding dat die eksperimentele groep betekenisvolle verbeteringe getoon het in nege uit elf sportsielkundige vaardighede teenoor die vier vaardighede wat by die kontrolegroep verbeter het. ’n Onverklaarbare bevinding was egter dat die kontrolegroep se atletiekprestasies betekenisvol meer verbeter het as die eksperimentele groep s’n. Verdere navorsing oor die rol en effektiwiteit van sportsielkundige vaardigheidsontwikkeling in atletiek word aanbeveel.

The problem of this study was to search for possible effects of the pre-competition meal. This problem had two primary facets: 1) to determine performance scores secured by college varsity track and field men under two different pre-competition meal conditions and to study the relationship of the meal last ingested before competition to the scores; 2) to determine the concern for certain psychological and psycho-physiological factors under each of the two pre-competition meal conditions.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

No description available.

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the development of elite sport through national sport policy within a developing country, Jamaica. Taking a qualitative approach, the thesis drew on the SPLISS framework (De Bosscher et al., 2006, 2015) to understand government influence in the development of elite sport, through policy, and to investigate other contributing factors for elite sporting success. A logic model illustrated the input-throughput-output pillars of the SPLISS framework, and aided in the interpretation of both a theoretical and rival proposition (Yin, 2018). This thesis purpose, accomplished in part by exploring the most successful elite sport in Jamaica, athletics (track and field), incorporated three interconnected studies on that developing country’s national sport system, a sport system that produced its first Olympic success in 1948, forty-six years before the introduction of national sport policy. Three interconnected studies allowed for findings that highlighted the roots of Jamaica’s sport development, beginning with the introduction of a school and community sport system by the former colonial British government, and retained and expanded by the Jamaican government from 1962. The findings also highlighted that the school and community sport systems facilitated a local approach to the development and training for athletics. It included factors outside of the influence of government, such as the impact of coaches and role models that assisted in creating a fraternity in the sport through tradition, culture and passion, and established an environment for elite sport. This environment involved a collaboration between educational institutions and the professional local club system, and represents the critical elements in the success of athletics, indicating that the influence of government policies for sport development was not impacting international sporting success up to 2017. The interconnected studies also provided support for gaps identified in the SPLISS framework and the literature on elite sport policy. For SPLISS, the findings provided evidence in understanding what happens when input factors are processed (the ‘black box’) leading to outputs, and national outcomes. For the literature, the thesis found that an historical context is important in understanding the coalescing of micro-, macro-, and meso-level factors for elite sporting success.

O presente estudo teve por objetivo caracterizar em atletas homens e mulheres a dinâmica do stiffness e dos parâmetros biomecânicos atrelados ao stiffness (PBAS) durante uma corrida de elevada velocidade e curta duração. Ainda, investigar possíveis discriminantes de desempenho da corrida, e a relação destes com as tarefas de salto frequentemente utilizados nos treinamentos. Para tanto, foram realizados 2 estudos, sendo que o estudo 1 caracterizou a dinâmica dos parâmetros biomecânicos atrelados ao stiffness e apontou possíveis discriminantes de desempenho (por gênero), e no estudo 2 relacionou-se estes possíveis discriminantes com as tarefas de salto. O \"Spring Mass Model\" foi utilizado para obtenção dos PBAS, ao ponto que plataformas de força (AMTI) e a cinemetria (VICON) foram utilizados para a aquisição dos dados de salto. Foi evidenciado que o stiffness não apresentou total convergência com a dinâmica da velocidade apresentada no teste de corrida de elevada velocidade e curta duração, e que a força vertical aplicada ao solo durante a fase de apoio foi o PBAS que mais se aproximou da dinâmica apresentada pela velocidade. Não houveram distinções entre os gêneros na dinâmica do stiffness e dos PBAS, porém o gênero feminino apresentou maior dependência de parâmetros temporais de passo no início do teste e complacência muscular no final do teste, e o gênero masculino maior dependência de parâmetros atrelados a incremento de força no início do teste e incremento da fase aérea no final do teste. Ainda, houve diferença com significância estatística entre os gêneros quanto à magnitude e contribuição das fases da corrida. No mais, o salto horizontal (SH) apresentou maior relação com o desempenho em ambos os gêneros. Desta forma, conclui-se que 1) o stiffness propriamente dito não pode explicar o desempenho em uma corrida de elevada velocidade e curta duração, 2) dentre os PBAS, a magnitude da força vertical aplicada ao solo durante a fase de apoio apresentou maior proximidade com a dinâmica da velocidade, 3) homens e mulheres dependem distintamente dos PBAS para melhora no desempenho na corrida, e 4) o SH é meio de maior validade ecológica a ser utilizado nas rotinas de avaliação e treinamento de atletas envolvidos em provas de elevada velocidade e curta duração / The present study aims to characterize the dynamics of stiffness and biomechanical parameters related to stiffness (BPRS) in male and female athletes during top speed short distance run. It also intends to investigate possible performance discriminative factors and their relation with jumping tasks frequently used in training. For this purpose, two studies have been developed. Study 1 has characterized the dynamics of the biomechanical parameters related to stiffness and indicated possible discriminative factors (by gender). The study 2 has related these possible discriminative factors with jumping. The \'Spring Mass Model\' has been used to obtain the BRPS and the force plate (AMTI) and cinemetry (VICON) have been used to acquire jumping data. The study showed that stiffness has not presented total convergence with velocity dynamics and the vertical force applied to the ground during the support phase has been the closest result to the velocity dynamics presented. There has not been distinctions regarding gender in stiffness and BRPS dynamics, however, females have showed more dependency on step timing parameters on the test beginning and muscle complacency at the end of the test; and males presented more dependency on to the vertical force applied to the ground during the support phase on the test beginning and parameters connected to the increase in the swing phase at the end test. Moreover, there has been a difference with statistical significance between genders regarding magnitude and contribution through the running phases. In additional, the horizontal jump (HJ) results represented a closer relation to the performance top speed short distance run. Therefore, it has been concluded that 1) stiffness itself cannot explain the performance in top speed short distance run, 2) among the BRPS, vertical force magnitude applied to the ground during support phase presents closer results to velocity dynamics, 3) males and females depend on distinct BRPS to enrich their performance and 4) HJ is the exercise with the major validity to be used for the evaluation and training routine of top speed short distance run athletes