Purpose: To evaluate whether a soccer program (RSP) might lower risk factors related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) in obese adolescents. Methods: A 12-week randomized controlled trial [RSP: n = 6 (2 girls), age = 13.9 ± 1.6 yr, body mass index = 30.5 ± 2.1 kg/m[superscript 2]; Control: n = 7 (2 girls); age = 14.7 ± 2.3 yr, body mass index: 30.8 ±…

Purpose: Adopting an ecological perspective, the study explored the context-strengths of three successful school-based TDEs in rugby league. Method: Utilizing a mixed methods approach, incorporating validated psychometric questionnaires (N = 118) and semi-structured interviews, various stakeholder perspectives (N = 30; i.e., current/past students…

Purpose: Using an action-research design, this study examined the impact of combining concepts from two contemporary pedagogical approaches, the Constraints-led Approach (CLA) and Step-Game Approach (SGA), on the development of youth volleyballers' tactical knowledge, as expressed in performance, throughout a full competitive season. Method:…

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate if player tactical skill level and age category influence team performance and player exploratory behavior in tasks with different difficulty levels. Method: In total, 48 youth male soccer players participated in the study (U15, n = 24, mean age = 13.06 [plus or minus] 1.53 years; U17, n = 24, mean age =…

Purpose: This study examined the relationships between the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and resting heart rate variability (HRV) and submaximal 5'-5' test derived measures in novice male soccer players. Methods: Forty players (11.54 [plus or minus] 0.58 years) from a soccer academy participated in this study, performing…

Purpose: This study tested two hypotheses relating young athletes' sports motivations to parental behaviors and cognitive appraisal: (1) young athletes' motivation in sports is related to their parents' behavior; and (2) this relationship is mediated by cognitive appraisal, even after controlling for competitive level and sports records. Method:…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the effects of a differential-learning program, embedded in small-sided games, on the creative and tactical behavior of youth soccer players. Forty players from under-13 (U13) and under-15 (U15) were allocated into control and experimental groups and were tested using a randomized pretest to posttest…

Research from several countries has documented a decline in physical activity (PA) levels and in participation in organized sport with increasing age, indicating that organized sport may be of importance to adolescents' cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how regular participation in organized and…

An emerging area of research has focused on understanding how the group dynamics of a sport team influence positive youth development (PYD). The identities that youth form through their membership in sport teams (i.e., social identities) have been found to influence teammate behavior and team performance. Yet, minimal work exists on social…

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to investigate how boys communicate previous experiences of cultural norms in physical education (PE) practice. This was done by analyzing what boys (from a school in the United Kingdom) remember about PE 2 years after they last participated. Making use of autobiographical memory theory and John Dewey's…

Exercise deficit disorder (EDD) is a pediatric medical condition characterized by reduced levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) that are below current recommendations and inconsistent with positive health outcomes. At present, a majority of children and adolescents meet the diagnostic criteria for EDD because they are not…

Purpose: The general purpose of the present study was to examine the link between cohesion and motivational climate in youth sport. The first specific objective was to determine if relationships demonstrated in previous research with adult basketball and handball participants would be replicated in a younger sample and with a more heterogeneous…

Purpose: To quantify creatine kinase (CK) activity changes across time following an acute bout of whole-body vibration (WBV) and determine the association between changes in CK activity and jumping performance. Method: Twenty-six elite young basketball players were assigned to 3 groups: 36-Hz and 46-Hz vibration groups (G36 and G46, respectively)…

A developmental description of overarm-throwing characteristics of U-14 female ASA softball players is presented here. Comparisons were made between these athletes and teens of similar age in the United States (Runion, Roberton, & Langendorfer, 2003) and in Germany (Ehl, Roberton, & Langendorfer, 2005). A majority of the softball players…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aggressor-victim difference in perceived legitimacy of aggression in soccer as a function of score information (tied, favorable, unfavorable), sporting penalization (no risk, yellow card, red card), and type of aggression (instrumental, hostile). French male soccer players (N = 133) read written…