APOLLARO G.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to quantify the age at which taekwondo athletes competed in the Olympic Games and to provide initial insights into weight category changes over time. METHODS: For the first analysis, the study included all 611 taekwondo athletes who competed in the Olympics between 2000 and 2016; for each sex, a three-way...

Previous studies in taekwondo have considered the use of the manual scoring system or the electronic system with only the use of the electronic body protector. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the color protectors and success in 1,327 taekwondo matches from six World Grand Prix Series of two 4-year Olympic...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the quality perception of the main talent development environments within the elite taekwondo population, through the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5). METHODS: The TDEQ-5 was given to 107 top level athletes from the Italian National Team and from 12 domestic clubs. An...

Many observers have pointed out how baseball in Japan is narrated, taught, and played differently from its counterpart in North America. Hard-work, selfless behaviors, and defensive and collectivistic strategies are described as the basic tenets of Japanese baseball, often referred to as 'Samurai Baseball'. This paper aims to investigate sports...

Soccer organizations generally adopt deterministic models within their talent pathways. In this framework, early ability and results are emphasized, leading to selection biases, such as birth advantages (i.e., relative age effects and birthplace effects), which research has shown affect both early developmental experiences and continued...

Talent identification and development systems (TIDS) adopt a deterministic perspective (i.e. athletes' future state/performances can be predicted by observations of their initial state/performance), which encourages early identification and specialisation in sport. In this framework, the main aim of sport systems is to enhance predictability...

The objectives of this study were (1) to analyse the relationship between the colour of the protectors and the outcome of 895 matches in the six Olympic Games in which taekwondo has been included, and (2) to analyse the effect of confounding factors through the different degrees of asymmetry between contestants. Data were recorded on the colour...

Relative Age Effects (RAEs) appear largely throughout youth soccer. However, little is known about how RAEs at youth levels can impact transition at senior levels. Accordingly, this study aimed to: (a) provide further test of RAEs by exploring the birth quarter (BQ) distribution of 2,030 Italian players born from 1975 to 2001 who have played in...

The expression "southern question" is used in reference to the poverty and economic underdevelopment, less advanced social relations, and clientelist style of politics that characterize South-Italy compared to North and Central Italy. This study aimed to investigate the presence of the "southern question" in Italian soccer. Accordingly, we...

COVID-19 has resulted in widespread changes, including within the realm of sports. Professional soccer has adapted by allowing more substitutions, leading to tactical adjustments and potential physical benefits. Accordingly, this study analyzed the impact of the new rule in Italian top-level soccer, focusing on substitution patterns and...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to determine the time-motion structure of high-level taekwondo matches during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in relation to sex, match outcome, weight category and match round. METHODS: Overall, 7007 actions were recorded during the analysis of 134 performances (67 rounds of 24 matches: four rounds of...

BACKGROUND: Relative age effect (RAE) is a well-known phenomenon among those involved in youth sports, especially when the sport being investigated is widespread and involves early selection for participation in national and international competitions. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to verify whether the Italian youth soccer ecosystem...

BacKGrouNd: repeated sprint ability (rSa) in soccer is deemed fundamental to ensure high level of performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of two different initial heart rates (ihr) on fatigue when testing rSa in males and females' soccer players and to compare the respective patterns of fatigue. MeThodS: Nineteen...