Hitting balls from a pitching machine and pitcher in softball: case study

J. Carboch, P. Šmejkalová

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):225-229 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.050  

If a player faces a pitching machine, he/she cannot see some important cues before the ball release, which are available if the player hits the balls delivered from a pitcher. The aim is to find, if hitting balls delivered from a pitching machine or a pitcher affect the players swing timing in softball. This is a case study. The subject hit balls delivered from a pitcher and pitching machine. This action was recorded by a high-speed video camera (200 fps). The swing timing was significantly different in specific phases of the swing. The subject initiated her movement 0,24 s earlier when she faced the pitcher compared to the pitching machine (d...

Somatotype and Futher Characteristics of Volunteer Firefighters

M. Hrušková, P. Mráčková

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):231-241 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.051  

We assessed somatotype of volunteer firefighters. The assessment of the somatotype in 36 males aged of 25-38 years compared with the data from 1985 showed significantly lower values of mesomorphy (worse musculoskeletal status) in our file. The statistically significant correlation of the duration of physical activity and the mesomorphy value was confirmed.

Somatic profile in bodyguards of the Police of the Czech Republic

I. Kinkorová, P. Mejsnar, J. Heller, P. Vodička

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):243-250 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.052  

Claims on bodyguards are not just about psychological resilience, ie. stress management and stressful situations, but also physical readiness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the somatic profile, ie. physical constitution and analysis of parameters of body composition, for members of the Protective Services of the Police of the Czech Republic. The group consisted of 21 volunteers aged 28-55 years (mean age - 37.2 ± 8.2 years, body height - 184.0 ± 4.9 cm, body weight - 90.6 ± 9.7 kg, BMI - 26.7 ± 2.5 kg / m², body fat - 18.3 ± 4.0 %, fat free mass - 73.9 ± 6.7 kg, muscle mass - 70.2 ±...

Performance changes at the long jump men in the postwar period

V. Kursová

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):251-258 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.053  

The essence of sport is the shifting performance boundaries. We used expert and statistical analysis of time series to determine changes in long jump performance from 1945 to 2019. We also attempted to map potential effects on performance changes. The source of the data were athletic annuals showing the top 50 competitors in each year. Performance after 1945 is rising sharply. The curve expressing the course of performance has the shape of a parabola only in wide sets. The peak period of performance is in all ensembles at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. The best performance of the year since the 1980s did not show any decrease in performance, unlike...

Doping as a negative psychosocial phenomenon in sport

J. Macho, P. Slepička

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):259-267 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.054  

The review article refers to psychosocial factors which play an important role in the explanation of doping behaviour. The first part of the text is focused on elite sports where macro and micro-social impacts modify the attitudes of sportsman toward doping. Psychological factors are also taken into account in the explanation of the final decision to doping. The second part of the article refers to the impact of these factors in recreational sports. Authors speculate about social impacts of the specific background of fitness centers which play a substantial role in forming attitudes toward doping. The main pressuposition of effective doping prevention...

Age of peak performance of the world's best men's handball teams

R. Vobr, V. Kolbová

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):269-274 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.055  

This work deals with the analysis of the age structure of handball teams, which ranked in the first three places at the Olympic Games, the World Championship and the European Championship in the years 1970 - 2016. The percentage of players' birth data was 100 % in the Olympic Games, 92.6 % in the World Championship and 99.4 % in the European Championship. Altogether there were 1,866 athletes. Of these, there were 532 handball players participating in the Olympic Games in 1972 - 2016, 792 handball players participating in the World Championship in 1970 - 2015 and 542 handball players participating in the European Championship in 1994 - 2016. The findings...

Book review: "Parents and Children's Sports Activities"

V. Kunz

Studia Kinanthropologica 2019, 20(3):275-278 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2019.056