Over the last decade or so, performances in most sports have increased dramatically as have the f... more Over the last decade or so, performances in most sports have increased dramatically as have the financial rewards and status of those performing at the very top level. As a result, many athletes have been placed under pressure to train at considerably higher levels than had previously been expected. In addition, traditional sporting seasons that allowed athletes to have rest periods have been replaced by year round training and competition. Researchers such as Raglin have questioned the danger of this change and observed that "with longer competitive seasons and with increasingly extensive training practices, more individuals are placed at risk of experiencing performance problems…" (p. 840). An example of this extended season has become evident in the English soccer calendar. The professional soccer player in England not only has a busy domestic fixture list, but for many top class players, European and International fixtures add to this burden.
In urban Maroua, Cameroon, improved drinking water sources are available to a large majority of t... more In urban Maroua, Cameroon, improved drinking water sources are available to a large majority of the population, yet this water is frequently distributed through informal distribution systems and stored in home containers (canaries), leaving it vulnerable to contamination. We assessed where contamination occurs within the distribution system, determined potential sources of environmental contamination, and investigated potential pathogens. Gastrointestinal health status (785 individuals) was collected via health surveys. OPEN ACCESS Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11 12455 Drinking water samples were collected from drinking water sources and canaries. Escherichia coli and total coliform levels were evaluated and molecular detection was performed to measure human-associated faecal marker, HF183; tetracycline-resistance gene, tetQ; Campylobacter spp.; and Staphylococcus aureus. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between microbial contamination and gastrointestinal illness. Canari samples had higher levels of contamination than source samples. HF183 and tetQ were detected in home and source samples. An inverse relationship was found between tetQ and E. coli. Presence of tetQ with lower E. coli levels increased the odds of reported diarrhoeal illness than E. coli levels alone. Further work is warranted to better assess the relationship between antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and other pathogens in micro-ecosystems within canaries and this relationship's impact on drinking water quality.
and injury Incidence. Objective: To examine the relationship between bilateral strength imbalance... more and injury Incidence. Objective: To examine the relationship between bilateral strength imbalance and incidence of injury. Participants and Design: Thirty national-or international-standard flatwater kayakers were classified as noninjured, trunk injured, or upper-limb injured based on the number of days lost from training over the last 6 months. Bilateral strength imbalance was measured using a kayak ergometer, producing data for peak force and force impulse for each side of each stroke. Bilateral strength imbalance was then compared between the noninjured, trunk-injured, and upper-limb-injured groups by means of 2 one-way ANOVAs. No participants reported training days lost through lower-limb injury. Results: A significantly elevated bilateral peak-force strength imbalance was observed between the upper-limb-injured and the noninjured groups. Conclusion: These data support the existence of a relationship between strength imbalance and incidence of injury.
Individual electroencephalographic differences when performing movement mental imagery
Journal of Human Movement Studies
Applied interventions for improving team effectiveness
The Effect of Recovery Duration on Technical Proficiency during Small Sided Games of Football
Sports, 2016
The Effect of Recovery Duration on Vastus Lateralis Oxygenation, Heart Rate, Perceived Exertion and Time Motion Descriptors during Small Sided Football Games
PloS one, 2016
Small sided games (SSG) of football are an effective and efficient format to simultaneously train... more Small sided games (SSG) of football are an effective and efficient format to simultaneously train the physiological, technical, and tactical components of football. The duration of the recovery period between bouts of SSG will affect the physiological response to subsequent bouts. It was hypothesised that decreasing the duration of recovery periods separating serial SSG bouts would increase physiological, and perceptual responses, and decrease high speed running, and distance during SSG bouts. Twelve experienced footballers (mean ± SD; age 21 ± 3 yrs; VO2peak 64 ± 7 ml·min·kg-1; playing experience 15 ± 3 yrs) completed two SSG sessions. Each SSG consisted of 3 vs. 3 players and 6 bouts of 2 min duration, with bouts separated by either 30 s recovery (REC-30) or 120 s recovery (REC-120). Deoxygenated haemoglobin (HHb) in the vastus lateralis (VL) (using near infrared spectroscopy), heart rate (HR) and time motion descriptors (TMD) (speed and distance) were measured continuously during...
The purpose of this investigation is to assess the attitudes, expectations and demands, both phys... more The purpose of this investigation is to assess the attitudes, expectations and demands, both physical and mental, perceived and experienced by Football Association Premier League referees in England during the 1998-99 season. To this end a mailed self-report questionnaire was completed by 72 per cent of the Premier League referees (n=13) at the time of the investigation. Responses to the questionnaire revealed considerable differences between participants in perceived fitness requirements and actual fitness conditioning undertaken throughout a Premier League season. The results also suggest that mental preparation is a consideration amongst those Premier League referees surveyed but the use of sport psychology to assist this consideration is limited. All those referees surveyed indicated that they had been subjected to a number of violent and abusive situations as a result of officiating in the Premier League. The sample also possessed diverse opinions on the proposed role of the pr...
An investigation into the efficacy of a music based men’s group for improving psychological wellbeing
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of a music-based psycholo... more ABSTRACT: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of a music-based psychological intervention for improving psychological wellbeing of men. Male participants (N = 31) completed the Outcome Rating Scales (ORS), measuring psychological wellbeing at Sessions 1, 6, and 12 of the music group based intervention. Measures of importance of music, perceived musical ability, and likelihood of engaging in a mainstream psychological therapy were recorded. Results demonstrated significant improvements in ORS wellbeing scores over the duration of the intervention. None of the between measures significantly effected ORS scores. Almost 42% of the sample identified themselves as unlikely to attend a mainstream psychological intervention. Results suggest that a men’s music group based intervention is an effective intervention for improving psychological wellbeing and that the participants do not need to have a high interest in music nor require musical ability to experience bene...
Research has reported that initial evaluations of consultants' competency are affected by dress a... more Research has reported that initial evaluations of consultants' competency are affected by dress and build. This investigation examined how athletes' perceptions of sport psychology consultants (SPCs) are affected by SPCs' physical characteristics of BMI and dress, and whether these perceptions are moderated by the athletes' sex or standard of competition. Two hundred and thirty three competitive sports volunteers classified by sex and competitive standard viewed computer generated images of the same female SPC in sports and formal attire manipulated to represent a range of body mass indexes. Participants were asked to rank the SPCs in order of their preference to work with them, and to rate their perceived effectiveness of each of the SPCs. Results demonstrated that SPCs' physical characteristics do influence athletes' preference to work with them and perceptions of their effectiveness. Furthermore, athlete's competitive standard does significantly moderate initial evaluation of SPCs based on physical characteristics.
AbstractTransitioning to university involves a major life change that can have implications for p... more AbstractTransitioning to university involves a major life change that can have implications for physical and mental health. This study had three objectives: first, assess the mental health and health-behavior participation of Australian university students; second, evaluate clustering of health behaviors; and third, examine how mental health relates to health behaviors. University students (n = 751) enrolled at an Australian regional university completed an online survey containing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales and a health-behavior questionnaire. Over one-third of students reported mild or higher mental illness symptoms and most reported engaging in multiple unhealthy behaviors. Furthermore, mental health was associated with unhealthy behaviors. For males, depressive symptoms were associated with skipping breakfast and poor sleep quality. For females, depressive symptoms were associated with skipping breakfast, inadequate vigorous physical activity, and short or long sleep hours. Stress symptoms in females were associated with healthy sleep hours, but poor sleep quality. Future research may consider whether an intervention targeting one or two key health behaviors has utility in improving participation in other health behaviors and mental health.
A survey of 100 women in the south of London, United Kingdom (UK) compared exercise barrier inten... more A survey of 100 women in the south of London, United Kingdom (UK) compared exercise barrier intensities between non-exercising younger (20-27 years) and older (28-35 years) adult women; and examined childcare duties as perceived barriers to exercise. Perceived barriers to exercise were examined using an Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) comprising four subscales (exercise milieu; time expenditure; physical exertion; family discouragement). Participants' number of children was also noted. Nonexercising older women reported significantly higher total exercise barriers, as well as across three barrier subscales: exercise milieu, time expenditure, and family discouragement. For both age groups, significant correlation existed between number of children and women's total exercise barrier scores. Number of children explained 25% and 30% of the variance of younger and older women's total barrier scores respectively. For both women groups, the strongest correlation between exercise barrier and number of children was for the time expenditure subscale. Broad grouping of 20-35 year old nonexercising women does not reflect a homogenous sample. Age categories employing narrower age brackets are recommended. Issues surrounding family responsibilities e.g. childcare duties may be shared between these groups and require further research and policy attention.
Effect of cardiac rehabilitation exercise classes upon exercise self-efficacy and physical activity outside supervised contexts
New Zealand Sports Medicine and Science Conference 2009 Conference Catalogue, 2009
Speed of image manipulation, imagery ability and motor skill acquisition
International Journal of Sport Psychology, 2001
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
As more than just an enjoyable activity, team sport offers a range of invaluable benefits to play... more As more than just an enjoyable activity, team sport offers a range of invaluable benefits to players and has the potential to provide personal, physical and social growth. Despite the many benefits of team sport participation, these benefits do not come without some cost. Although there are strict rules and guidelines in all contact sports, the risk of injuries such as concussion are impossible to prevent completely. Sport-related concussion is a growing concern in contact sport; however, the underlying risk factors and epidemiology of sport-related concussion in junior athletes is not well understood. The notable cognitive, hormonal and neurophysiological changes occurring during development throughout late childhood and adolescence potentially places paediatric athletes at greater risk of sustaining and experiencing enduring effects of brain injury. The aim of this review is to discuss the risk factors to sport-related concussion for junior athletes.
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Papers by Geoff Lovell