Although the coach–athlete relationship has been widely examined across competitive levels, limited research has focused on its dynamics within elite national team settings. This study explored the coach-athlete relationship in the context of national team coaches participating in major international competitions (e.g., European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games). A semi-structured protocol was used to interview 13 elite national team coaches from team and individual sports. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed three higher-order themes: (1) Coaching identities are shaped through experience and transition, highlighting how national team coaches build their profiles through personal pathways, lifelong learning, and relational competence; (2) Constructing performance beyond skill, showing that athlete selection transcends technical-tactical criteria, integrating psychosocial fit and team dynamics; and (3) Navigating connections in high-stakes contexts, illustrating how relational management, closeness, and complementarity influence sports success across competition phases. These findings expand existing knowledge by offering an in-depth understanding of coach-athlete relationship in elite national team settings, emphasising the interplay between individual profiles and relational processes. This study reinforces the importance of relational expertise as a core coaching skill and underlines the value of adaptive leadership in managing interpersonal dynamics. The practical implications include guiding the design of professional development programmes to strengthen interpersonal coaching skills and informing selection and communication strategies within national teams. By addressing a gap in the literature, this study contributes to enhancing the quality of coach–athlete interactions in high-performance environments and offers practical insights for federations, coaching organisations, and sport governing bodies aiming to optimise professional development and team performance.

This scoping review maps and synthesizes the scientific literature on the learning processes of parasport coaches. It focused on their perceptions of learning opportunities throughout their careers, the effectiveness of existing training programs, and the most relevant content for their practice. Based on an analysis of 26 selected articles, the findings reveal that most coaches enter the parasport field through unplanned pathways, face gaps in formal education, and rely heavily on informal learning strategies such as practical experiences, mentorship, social learning spaces, and peer and athlete exchanges. The study concludes that the development of parasport coaches requires an integrative approach that values different knowledge bases, incorporating content specific to disability, opportunities for critical reflection, and inclusive pedagogical strategies.

In general, non-sprinters (team sport athletes) exhibit lower sprint performance than sprinters. The differences in spatiotemporal and ground reaction force (GRF) variables between non-sprinters and sprinters have been reported previously. The differences may not simply reflect sprint ability but rather sport-specific characteristics, implying variation in joint kinetics. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the differences in lower limb joint kinetics during the stance phase of maximal speed sprinting between non-sprinters and sprinters. Twenty-six male non-sprinters (13 soccer and 13 baseball players) and 12 male sprinters participated. Sprint data around the maximal speed phase were measured using a motion capture system and force plates. Kinetic variables of the lower limb joints and GRFs during the stance phase were compared between the two groups. As a result, maximal sprint speed was lower in non-sprinters (8.53 ± 0.38 m/s) than in sprinters (9.62 ± 0.25 m/s). The vertical and anteroposterior GRFs throughout the stance phase were smaller in non-sprinters than in sprinters. Moreover, compared with sprinters, non-sprinters exhibited smaller ankle plantarflexion torques but larger knee and hip extension torques. The results indicate that knee and hip extension torques compensate for insufficient ankle plantarflexion torque in generating vertical and anteroposterior GRFs in non-sprinters. The differences in sprint mechanics between non-sprinters and sprinters might be influenced by differences in sports specificities. Therefore, increasing ankle plantarflexion torque may improve maximal-speed sprint performance in non-sprinters; however, the direct transfer of this suggested modification to short sprints involving frequent changes of direction requires careful consideration.

Objectives This study compared the effectiveness of traditionally-planned (TPT) and randomly-planned (RPT) jump training regimens on physical performance metrics in youth academy soccer players. The groups undertook jump training with identical total programme volume and intensity, differing only in the order in which the prescribed training weeks were executed. Design A total of 28 male youth academy soccer players (mean age: 12.6 ± 0.26 yrs; height: 158.1 ± 7.24 cm; mass: 43.3 ± 5.1 kg; maturity offset: 0.81 ± 0.38 yrs; soccer experience: 4–5 years) were randomly assigned to either TPT or RPT groups, undertaking an eight-week training programme. Methods While the TPT group executed a planned training programme, the RPT group undertook identical training weeks performed in a randomised order with all other training variables being the same between the groups. Results Results indicated significant within-group improvements across all metrics (sprint speed [10 m, 20 m, 30 m], countermovement jump [CMJ], drop jump, and change of direction speed; [dz = 0.37 to 1.15; p = <0.001]) except for the change-of-direction (CoD) test with no ball. No significant between-group differences were found except for in the CMJ, where the TPT group outperformed RPT (dz = 1.15 vs. 0.45, p < 0.001). Conclusion These findings suggest that RPT regimens may yield similar performance outcomes to TPT programmes when matched for jump volume and intensity, though there may be a specificity advantage to using planned schemes. Using more flexible approaches might prove beneficial over time as it appears to encourage greater variability and could benefit coaches who are negatively affected by scheduling difficulties or other time constraints to a programme. This pilot investigation can help coaches and future researchers by serving as a basis for further study of flexible planning in youth populations and can provide preliminary guidance on how coaches can establish effective training programmes without necessarily having to adhere to rigid frameworks.

Selecting elite youth athletes requires evaluating their current performance and future potential. In badminton, performance determinants differ according to event type and sex, making it essential to establish systematic evidence-based selection criteria. This study aimed to prioritize selection indicators for elite women's single badminton players using expert consensus through Analytic Hierarchy Process. Thirteen badminton experts participated in an Analytic Hierarchy Process survey to assess the relative importance of the indicators across three hierarchical levels. At the primary level, Anthropometric factors (0.58) ranked higher than Motor-performance factors (0.42). At the secondary level, Body Composition (0.47) was the highest within Anthropometric factors, whereas Physical strength (0.76) ranked highest in Motor-performance factors. At the tertiary level, Skeletal muscle mass (0.40), Thigh circumference (0.36), and Height (0.42) were prioritized for Anthropometric factors, whereas Agility (0.28) and Visual ability (0.63) were prioritized for Motor-performance factors. These findings provide objective, prioritized criteria for evaluating and selecting elite women's single players, supporting a more transparent and tailored identification process. This approach may serve as a foundation for developing selection systems that reflect event- and sex-specific demands in badminton.

This study examines the effectiveness of the Judo Mat as a didactic tool in the teaching of the tai otoshi throwing technique during the initial stages of judo instruction. A total of 108 university students without prior experience in judo participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group receiving traditional instruction, an experimental group exposed to the Judo Mat in other techniques but not in tai otoshi , and a second experimental group that used the Judo Mat specifically to learn tai otoshi . An observational and experimental methodology was used, assessing the presence of technical errors through the SOBJUDO-TAI v.2 instrument. Statistical analyses included Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test, along with multiple comparison corrections using Holm-Bonferroni and Benjamini-Hochberg procedures. Among the errors analyzed, only the incorrect positioning of the right foot (IRFP) showed statistically significant differences between groups after correction (adjusted p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cramér's V = 0.403). The group using the Judo Mat specifically for tai otoshi demonstrated a lower frequency of this error. No significant differences were observed in the remaining categories. These findings suggest that the Judo Mat may be effective in addressing specific technical errors when applied directly to the target skill, but its overall impact on performance improvement remains limited.

The enhanced visibility and support for women's sports, represented by events including the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and gender parity at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (half of the competing athletes were women) are noteworthy. Despite these gains research with and for cisgender female athletes remains underdeveloped. Presently the majority of sports science research is based on male athletes. Accordingly, these studies do not address the intersectional experiences of cisgender females, contributing to significant knowledge gaps. Currently, testing and training protocols do not adequately address their efficacy among cisgender female athlete cohorts, especially in relation to fluctuating hormones, differences in body composition and biomechanics, and sociocultural influences including overall training history and movement literacies. Accordingly, this commentary identifies and critically discusses the complexities associated with this research and knowledge gap (including gender inequities, biological differences, and environmental influences), while urging a more inclusive, intersectional approach to research, training, and policy to better support cisgender female athletes’ health and athletic performance.

Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) remain a prevalent issue across sports, despite extensive research. Previously, the current authors have reported practices and perceptions of training for the mitigation of HSIs, however such practices are highly nuanced. In this study, the authors utilised semi-structured interviews to further understand applied practitioner perceptions and identify how evidence is translated into practice. Twelve practitioners (one physiotherapist and eleven strength and conditioning [S&C] coaches including one dual accredited S&C coach and physiotherapist) working in a range of sporting disciplines were interviewed across six broad categories of questioning (practitioner profile, job role challenges, resistance training, high-speed running training, athlete testing and monitoring and views on contemporary research). Thematic analyses highlighted key challenges relating to limited time spent with athletes, fixture schedules and planning of training across the broader multidisciplinary team (MDT) as well as strategies to deal with such challenges such as micro-dosing of the resistance training stimulus, utilisation of isometric exercise during fixture congestion periods. However, analyses also highlighted some areas of research that are not well translated into practice such as recommendations for the use of low-volumes of the Nordic hamstring exercise to elicit positive adaptations in strength and repeated bout effects and minimal effective dosages for resistance training. The findings of the study highlight the need for continued athlete and practitioner education, better communication and planning in the MDT and further research into minimum effective dosages to elicit strength adaptation in elite level athletes.

This manuscript examines the influence of different types of feedback provided by the coach during small-sided games (SSG) on players’ performance. Sixteen U-16 amateur, healthy, and well-trained soccer players (age: 15.28 ± 0.48 years) participated in this study, playing several 3-min 4v4 SSG under the following conditions: 1) Absence of a coach (AC), 2) presence of a coach (PC), 3) general verbal stimulation (VS) from the coach, 4) verbal stimulation with offensive instructions (VS_OF), and 5) verbal stimulation with defensive instructions (VS_DF). Six physical performance variables were recorded using GPS devices (Catapult Vector S7), and seven technical-tactical performance variables were recorded and evaluated through video. The statistical analysis showed how the coach's presence significantly affected the players’ perceived effort (RPE) (p < .001), regardless of the type of verbal feedback provided. Defensive verbal instructions significantly influenced the total distance traveled regarding control condition (p = .046), the total number of passes made (p = .039), and the number of successful passes (p = .044). Offensive verbal instructions significantly increased the total number of passes made by the players (p = .019). and the number of successful passes (p = .004).

Concussions are a prevalent public health concern; however, non-concussive head impacts without signs and symptoms of concussion may have a greater influence on brain health. The objective of this study was to apply components of the health belief model to perceptions of non-concussive head impacts and preventative efforts to reduce head impacts in youth American football and thematically analyze responses across parents with children participating in youth football, coaches, and organizational leaders. Parents, coaches, and organizational leaders of a local youth football league were invited to complete a one-time online anonymous survey assessing football and sport history, knowledge, beliefs, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, self-efficacy, and demographics. Principal factor analysis was conducted prior to scoring measurements evaluated in this study. Parents perceived the susceptibility and severity of head impacts in football to be greater than coaches and organizational leaders; however, coaches and organizational leaders had greater beliefs and self-efficacy surrounding head impact safety efforts in football compared to parents. Understanding beliefs and perceptions of key stakeholders in the youth football community is critical to the development and implementation of prevention programs aimed at reducing head impact exposure in the sport.