There are many books on Yoga as it has become a fascinating subject of study for many scholars of Yoga. It is an interesting field of study for many scholars. There are many types of Yoga, however, in this thesis only Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga will be considered in detail, Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga will always remain interested in their attempts to give certain physical and mental characteristics to the physical body by certain types of physical exercises and to the mental structure by different types of mental exercises. These physical and mental exercises will develop the process of concentration of mind, the object of which when properly focused, will lead to the attainment of Self-Realization.

The pole vault is an event performed in track and field athletics wherein the athlete, with the aid of a pole 14 and 15 feet in length, attempts to clear a crossbar resting on two pegs supported by two standards. The standards, or uprights, are placed not less than 12 feet nor more than 13 feet apart. The vaulter cushions his fall in a pit filled with shavings. The object of the event is to vault higher than your competitors. The purpose of this study is to trace the progress made in the pole vault since man first learned to propel himself upward with the aid of a pole; and to give a year by year account of the best vaults made since the first years of competition. This study will also present the evolution of techniques employed in pole vaulting, the equipment changes, and the extent of their influence on the progress made in the records of this sport.

In the process of coaching, one of the more valuable techniques is the correction of faulty techniques which distract from the best performance. It is the purpose of this thesis to bring together from authoritative sources and observation some of the more common errors of technique, which make for faulty performance in eight track and field events. Each event has been broken down or separated into the more or less logical areas of operation. For instance, the sprint races break down into four areas, while the pole value breaks down into eleven areas. Each technique has been photographed both positive and negative in aspect. These eight events will be analyzed and the most common errors listed. These events are: sprints, middle distance, distance, relays, pole vault, shot put, discus, and javelin.

Every person who either participates in or witnesses an athletic activity acquires an interest in the definitions of the terms that have specific meaning in relation to that activity. In seeking definitions, the layman, the student, or the instructor naturally desires the simplest, most do noise, and the best understood definition at his disposal. It is with this idea in mind that I have endeavored to cover twelve sports.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rates of attrition at each level within US Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. Using USA Gymnastics membership information, this thesis explored trends within raising and falling membership rates by level and the potential predictive information this can offer gyms, coaches, parents and athletes. Until this study, previous research had only looked at the causes of attrition. The results of this study provided insight into when this attrition will be most likely to occur. This will assist in preparing coaches, parents and athletes to make informed decisions in regards to the training and commitment necessary in pursuing a future in competitive gymnastics. It also informs the gym on attrition within their program, which offers opportunities to better cater the program to the athletes, including additional coach’s education at these levels. After reviewing the current and past number of athletes participating, it was concluded that attrition peaks for athletes going into Level 5. A significant drop in athletes from Level 4 occurs, and the trend continued, at a smaller degree, as the number of athletes drops at each level through Level 10.

Football (or soccer in America) is one of the most popular sports in the world, it is played worldwide from the United Kingdom to the Laos Islands. Usually called the beautiful game, fans' traditions are inherited from parents to children, and legendary players are venerated as demigods. However, with its growth, also came the growth of a billions-worth “non-profit” industry governed by FIFA. The love of the game is also used to explore the concept of “nation” and has a long history with dictatorships using “passion” to cover up their human rights violations as well as attempts to use it to reinforce national identities while reinforcing racial stereotypes. The present study examines the relationship between fans and identities (as well as how they perceive rivals), the exploitation of the sport for nationalistic purposes and how athletes carry that mission, and how racism and football are intertwined with a special focus on Latin America and Europe due to their long history with the sport. The research for this study consisted of peer reviews from different studies on the sport, from the sociological to the political level, as well as zoom interviews with fans around the world and questions done in the r/soccer subreddit. Interviews were from 7-10 total people, and roughly ten answers to the question on reddit. Among the limitations for this study is how fans are a heterogeneous group - and how most fans do not think alike, and the major findings were that even though some people choose to become fans on their own, it is usually a family tradition and that people usually prefer a nation win over a club win.

Performance anxiety is a challenge most individuals in a sport face. From experts to novices in dressage, various individuals attempt to find harmony between horse and rider. Performance is a large part of dressage sport riding. This thesis will examine the following topics: the differences in expert and amateurs’ performance anxiety; the anxiety level of an expert or amateur who has been involved in a sport related injury; if the individual has a neurotic personality, whether more performance anxiety may occur while riding. A Mini IPIP five-factor personality test, Sports anxiety scale, Sports injury anxiety scales, and dressage questionnaires will be used to obtain the data to support or disprove these hypotheses. The results showed significance for hypothesis one, differences between experts and amateurs experiencing performance anxiety. Hypothesis two was not supported for people who had an injury related to dressage; However, hypothesis two did demonstrate that the individuals who have not or had a neutral sport-related injury showed significance in somatic trait anxiety scores, which are the human body’s physiological responses to stress. The third hypothesis yielded significance in those with a neurotic personality who experience heightened performance anxiety.

The primary purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the effectiveness of a questionnaire designed to assess coaches’ perceptions of an athlete monitoring program. There are four reasons for this examination of perceptions: 1) it may serve as a check for understanding of how the coach takes in the information presented to them, 2) identify any gaps in the knowledge of the coach which the sport scientist may help to fill, 3) can serve to open a dialog with the coach for ways in which the information may be better tailored to help them improve their decision-making, and 4) the feedback provided can shed insight towards the areas a sport scientist can make more robust (e.g., delivery of information or structure of a training program). Coaches participating in the athlete monitoring program at East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Sport Performance Enhancement Group (SPEG) were invited to participate. There were no statistically significant differences between the pre- vs post- questionnaire responses. The secondary purpose of this dissertation is to examine the outcomes from the questionnaire and develop an understanding of the present responses. Considering the range of responses submitted by coaches, this serves as an indicator for the sport scientist/Strength & Conditioning Coach to prompt a dialog with the coach of the team they work with to better understand what else they may contribute towards enhancing the coach’s experience with such services. The tertiary goal of dissertation section is to provide practitioners who are interested in developing a sport scientist program for assessment of athletes with resources to better approach the logistics for developing their own system. Considerations included applying evidence-based practice, implementing precursor methods leading up to data collection (e.g., pre-testing certifications, lab set up, data collection, and testing protocols), approaching data collection (e.g., factors related to assessments, athletes, and additional considerations cover aspects of assessment validity and reliability), and potential assessment methods to consider (e.g., hydration, body composition, vertical jump height (VJH), and maximal strength).

In this thesis, I explore how bowling frames a gendered understanding of the world. I examine style, ball weight, and relationships, and others areas to discuss the ramifications of a binary understanding of gender as it is conceived in bowling centers. To complete this examination, I use interviews and personal observations from a year of fieldwork in Louisville and Bowling Green, Kentucky. I also rely on my personal experiences with the sport to provide contextual information. Drawing primarily on scholarship from Judith Butler, Richard Bauman, and Ann K. Ferrell, I theorize about gendered performances occurring in the bowling center. These performances regularly highlight the disparities between men and women; not only are there two distinct genders, but performing outside one’s ascribed gender has negative social ramifications. I conclude with an examination of the current state of the sport and the reinstitution of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association, which occurred in 2015. Taken together, this thesis questions the binary gender system and offers insight into the ramifications of a traditionalized gender performance. This work also provides a necessary examination of recreational folklore, as that area of scholarship is not explored academically to the same degree that it is a predominant factor in the lives of many people.

Participation in sports has a strong influence on the development of African American youth and the Black community as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to explore the positive and negative effects that participating in sports has on the African American community using previous works and experiments on the topic. Results found that participation in athletics helps African American youth develop important social skills, creates an outlet to keep Black youth off the streets in impoverished neighborhoods, and establishes a vehicle to help Black youth get into college. However, the overemphasized importance of sports within the African American community through the media and Black families themselves has resulted in multiple negative effects including career immaturity, lower academic achievement and the exploitation of the Black intercollegiate athlete.