Laura Ruiz-Sanchis

Background/Objectives: This study examined the reliability, concurrent validity, agreement, and side-to-side asymmetry of a unilateral rotational medicine ball throw test in adolescents. Methods: Overall, 204 students (101 boys, 103 girls; 14.1 ± 1.3 years) completed two sessions of Eurofit frontal throws and rotational throws to both sides. Reliability, measurement error, concurrent validity, Bland–Altman agreement, and asymmetry were analyzed. Results: Reliability was good-to-excellent in boys (ICC = 0.90) and moderate-to-good in girls (ICC = 0.70–0.82), with the right-sided throw in girls below the prespecified thresholds (SEM = 0.34–0.44 m; MDC95 = 0.94–1.21 m). Performance improved from Day 1 to Day 2, suggesting a learning effect. The rotational throw was strongly associated with the Eurofit throw (r = 0.81). Bland–Altman analysis showed systematic and proportional differences (bias 0.53 m; 95% LoA −0.68 to 1.75 m). A significant group-level right–left difference was detected (mean asymmetry 7.49%), but the asymmetry index showed poor test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.22) and an inconsistent direction across sessions (κ = 0.14). Conclusions: The rotational throw is a related but not interchangeable complement to the Eurofit throw for whole-body rotational performance. Its asymmetry index describes group differences but is not suitable for individual monitoring. These findings are preliminary.

Introduction: The assessment of physical fitness in Physical Education requires tests that are valid, applicable, and useful for guiding teaching practice. Objective: This study compared the Eurofit battery with an alternative test known as the Secondary School (CFS), designed to assess flexibility, core strength, jumping, throwing, speed, and endurance in pupils in secondary education. Methodology: A total of 148 adolescents participated: 82 boys and 66 girls from years 7 to 10. This study analyzed the associations between the corresponding tests, differences in marks and perceived effort, relationships with sex, age, weekly physical activity, and anthropometric variables, as well as the convergent validity of the final CFS mark in relation to Eurofit. Results: The CFS battery showed a significant association with Eurofit in terms of the final mark (rho = .54; p < .001; r = .55; p < .001), although the absolute agreement was moderate-low (ICC = .41), indicating that the two test batteries are not interchangeable in all respects. The CFS reduced overall perceived exertion by 32.4% (p < .001) and maintained significant associations with speed, throwing, and endurance. Discussion: The Thomas test, Biering-Sørensen test, SJ-CMJ-elasticity index combination, rotational throw, 30 m sprint, and Rockport test provided information that was more specific and applicable to the school context. Conclusions: The results support the convergent validation of the CFS as a viable, functional, and inclusive alternative for assessing physical fitness in Physical Education, and future research should confirm its reliability, sensitivity to change, and external validity.

In sports activities, a comprehensive assessment of speed performance requires consideration of multiple neuromuscular and functional dimensions. The present study analyzed the relationship between multidimensional profiles (acceleration speed, jump power, postural capacity, and joint mobility) in an active university population, considering differences in sex and body composition. Fifty-four university students (13 women, 41 men) from the Physical Activity and Sports Sciences program at the Catholic University of Valencia participated in a protocol that included anthropometric assessments, joint mobility tests (modified Thomas and Biering-Sørensen), vertical jumps (SJ, CMJ, and Abalakov), elastic index, and a 30-meter acceleration test. The analysis included descriptive statistics, sex-based comparisons (Welch’s t -test, Mann-Whitney U, Hedges’ g ), Spearman correlations, principal component analysis, and multiple linear regression analyses by sex and BMI. Men showed significantly better performance in sprint and jumps ( p < 0.001, Hedges g = 2.226). The 30-meter time was inversely associated with CMJ and SJ ( ρ = -0.627 and ρ = -0.638, respectively; p < 0.001). Linear regression showed that CMJ and SJ explained 54.9% and 55.8% of the sprint variance, respectively (adjusted R² ≥ 0.532), maintaining significance after adjustment for sex and BMI. The elastic index was not significantly associated with performance. This study highlights the importance of integrating multiple field tests to characterize the multidimensional physical profile of university students, emphasizing jump power as a predictor of sprint performance, with significant sex differences that should be considered in physical assessments.

El estudio analiza los estereotipos de género y corporales en los deportes de combate olímpicos mediante la observación de 500 imágenes de Google. Utilizando un enfoque de género e interseccionalidad, se realizó un análisis descriptivo con pruebas de Chi-Cuadrado y correlación Rho de Spearman (p<.05). Los resultados muestran una mayoría de representaciones de hombres (60,7%), predominantemente caucásicos, adultos y mesomorfos, mientras que las mujeres son representadas como jóvenes, ectomorfas con elementos estéticos. Esto refuerza los estereotipos tradicionales de masculinidad en estos deportes. En conclusión, persisten desigualdades de género en la representación visual de los deportes de combate, consolidando estereotipos tradicionales.

This Data Descriptor provides an open, anonymized dataset describing anthropometric and physical fitness outcomes in undergraduate students enrolled in a Physical Activity and Sport Sciences degree program. The dataset included 156 participants (28 females and 128 males) and reported sex, age, body mass, stature, and body mass index, alongside standardized field-based tests covering flexibility, muscular endurance, strength, and jump performance. Hip flexibility was assessed using the Thomas test on both sides. Trunk extensor endurance was measured using the Biering–Sørensen test, and upper-body strength–endurance was assessed using a dead-hang test. Upper limb strength was recorded as elbow flexion strength. Lower limb power was evaluated using vertical jump tests, including Abalakov, squat jump, and countermovement jump, and a derived indicator (IE) was provided to facilitate comparisons across jump modalities. The data are distributed as a machine-readable CSV file accompanied by a detailed data dictionary describing the variables, units, and missingness. The dataset is intended to support the reproducible reporting of normative fitness profiles in sports science students, facilitate teaching and benchmarking in exercise science contexts, and enable secondary analyses exploring associations between anthropometry and physical performance. For reproducible inferential comparisons, users may apply Welch’s two-sample t-test for sex-based differences.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) provides substantial cardiovascular benefits; however, precise monitoring typically requires expensive devices. These systems are feasible in research laboratories but are costly for schools and the fitness industry. Low-cost, validated devices are required to facilitate broader implementation. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 213 students (173 men and 40 women) from the Catholic University of Valencia, Spain. The participants completed an HIIT protocol consisting of five 3 min blocks. Heart rate (HR) was recorded using a Moofit HW401 armband (ANT+ technology). Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE, Omni-Res scale) and the Wint index were also obtained. Pearson correlations were computed between reserve heart rate (HRr), RPE, and Wint index during the warm-up phases (T1, T2) and HIIT, stratified by sex, age, and body mass index (BMI). HRr was strongly correlated with the Wint index (r = 0.95, p < 0.0001) and moderately correlated with RPE (r = 0.235, p = 0.001). No significant sex differences were observed (men 83.66 ± 8.18% vs. women 82.31 ± 10.89%; p > 0.05). Correlations were weaker in participants with extreme BMI values (n < 10, obese). The Moofit HW401 armband showed consistent agreement between HRr, RPE, and Wint index during HIIT, supporting its practical use for group monitoring in educational settings, pending formal validation against gold standards.

Strength is a central axis of physical activity and sets the right evolutionary direction for children and adolescents, creating adaptations that determine functional health in adulthood. Therefore, its development and supervision are essential in the future. This study aimed to measure the rate of force development (RFD) in a sample of primary and secondary school children using the deadlift exercise. In a mixed sample of 227 students aged 9–16 years, two attempts of the isometric deadlift exercise were performed using a hand-held dynamometer. Pain perception was recorded after each attempt was made. RFD evolved in both stages, with a greater difference in boys in Secondary School (p = 0.0017), and no additional differences in the rest of the variables between sexes and stages. Pain during execution was infrequent in this sample and showed no consistent association with RFD or maximal force in adjusted exploratory models. Key outcomes (maximal force and RFD_{0–200}) were summarized by sex and educational stage; RFD was computed as ΔF/Δt over 0–200 ms from contraction onset. The main findings highlight the expected progression of strength, especially in boys, and support the deadlift as an accessible alternative for strength assessment in educational settings and health-oriented recreational activities, given its low incidence of pain during execution in this population.

El Sistema de Observación de Categorías de Imágenes en Deportes de Adversario (SOCIDA) ha sido desarrollado para analizar los estereotipos corporales y de

Background: The proper development of balance is essential in the acquisition of a correct physical condition, as well as in the evolutionary follow-up at early ages, and its periodic evaluation is very relevant in the educational environment. Objectives: The objective of this research was to design an accessible web application for static and dynamic balance assessment, based on a force platform and motion analysis software. Methods: The Single leg balance test (SLB), Tandem balance test (TBT), and Y balance test (YBT) were performed on a sample of 75 children aged 6 to 9 years. Results: The results show that static balance is more complex at an older age, greater standing height, and with eyes closed (p < 0.001). Regarding the center of pressure (COP), its variability was greater in girls owing to a lower Total Force (TF) at the time of the test (p < 0.05). Parallel observation with the Kinovea software has made it possible to elaborate a scale from 1 to 10 points for integration into an open-access web application (IMEP) to assess static and dynamic balance. Conclusions: The creation of an ad hoc application for primary school teachers and students has been possible by using validated devices obtaining a rating scale, which facilitate the monitoring of students’ functional evolution and offers the possibility of scheduling physical education sessions with a preventive approach as well as a focus on improving physical condition.

Objective: To describe the relationship between bilateral electrical activity in the biceps femoris and the variation of triaxial acceleration in three 50 m sprints. Methods: Biceps femoris muscle activation and acceleration in the anterior–posterior, mediolateral, and superior–inferior axes were measured in three 50 m sprints in nine national-level sprinters. Results: There was significant asymmetry between both legs, and the variations between axes were significant between the anterior–posterior with respect to the lateral and superior–inferior, and between the lateral and superior–inferior (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Increased biceps femoris activation during running increases speed regardless of asymmetry in force application. In the maintenance of horizontal velocity, acceleration of the anterior–posterior axis is the most relevant and depends on the flexion-extension muscle actions contained in the lateral axis.