RESUMO
Ischemic preconditioning (IPC), which involves episodes of blood flow restriction followed by reperfusion, has uncertain effects on athletes. Additionally, employing sports-specific tests that are highly familiar to athletes can enhance methodological rigor in determining IPC's effects on taekwondo performance. This study aimed to investigate IPC's influence on taekwondo athletes' performance through two studies. To induce occlusion in both studies, the cuff was inflated to an individualized occlusion pressure established for each athlete's lower limb, with four cycles of occlusion lasting five minutes each, alternated with five-minute reperfusion intervals. Both traditional frequentist statistics and Bayesian analysis were employed. In the first study, eleven high-level athletes were subjected to either IPC or a placebo (SHAM) procedure on both legs, followed by performing countermovement jumps (CMJs) and a specific taekwondo endurance test. However, no significant differences were observed in taekwondo endurance performance or CMJ between the IPC and SHAM conditions. The second study involved fourteen elite athletes who underwent the same IPC or SHAM conditions, performing CMJ and three bouts of the Multiple Frequency Speed of Kick test (FSKTmult) in three blocks, each separated by approximately thirty minutes. Again, the results indicated no significant differences in FSKTmult measures or CMJ performance between the two conditions. In conclusion, IPC did not significantly affect neuromuscular (in both studies), endurance (in the first study), or anaerobic (in the second study) performance in these taekwondo athletes.
RESUMO
abstract This study aimed to investigate the birthplace effect in Brazilian basketball athletes of both sexes according their states and geographical regions. Our hypothesis is that the São Paulo (SP) state is the leading player in the Southeastern region and stands out from the other regions. The birthplace of Brazilian athletes participating in the FIBA World Cup and in two national leagues were collected from open-access websites. Three hundred and fifteen athletes' birthplaces were included. The absolute and relative frequencies of athletes' birthplaces per state and geographical region were calculated. Chi-Square tests were used to compare the expected and the observed frequencies of birthplaces among regions and states. Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to indicate the probability of a high-level athlete to be born in a certain region or state. The results completely confirmed our hypothesis, showing higher frequencies of athletes born in the Southeastern region, especially in the SP state. We concluded that the uneven participation in basketball in Brazil is caused by the continental dimensions of the country and the modality historical context. Concentrating basketball clubs on a single region or state (SP) leads to an underuse of the sporting potential in the country.
resumo O presente estudo investigou o efeito do local de nascimento em ambos os sexos do basquete brasileiro e de acordo com os estados e regiões geográficas. Nós hipotetizamos que o estado de São Paulo (SP) seria o principal responsável pelo destaque da região sudeste sobre as demais regiões. O efeito do local de Nascimento dos atletas brasileiros participantes da Copa do Mundo da FIBA e de duas ligas nacionais foram coletados de sites com acesso livre. Os locais de nascimento de 315 atletas foram incluídos. As frequências absolutas e relativas do local de nascimento dos atletas em cada estado e região geográfica foram calculadas. O teste de chi-quadrado foi usado para comparar as frequências esperadas e observadas entre regiões e estados. A razão de chances e o intervalo de confiança de 95% foram calculados para indicar a probabilidade de um atleta de alto rendimento nascer em determinada região ou estado. Os resultados confirmaram nossas hipóteses, apontando altas frequências de atletas nascidos na região Sudeste, especialmente no estado de SP. Concluímos que a desigualdade de participação no basquete brasileiro é causada pela dimensão continental do país e pelo contexto histórico da modalidade. A concentração de clubes de basquete em uma única região e estado (SP) levam a subutilização do potencial esportivo do país.