Ryan Worn

This study evaluated the impact of injury prevention exercise programs (IPEPs) on players’ physical attributes and game skill performance in female team sports. A systematic review was reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were electronically searched up to December 2025, using the following databases: MEDLINE, Sport Discus, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. Article types included randomised controlled trials and non-randomised interventions with females 16 years and over who participate in team sports, reporting at least one physical attribute or game skill outcome. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and Cochrane risk of bias tool. From 1652 papers, 27 studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies reported either significant improvements or no change in flexibility, balance, strength, power, agility and aerobic ability. Only three studies examined game skill performance in soccer. Two of the three studies found significant improvements in maximal kicking velocity and dribbling ability but no significant outcomes in shooting skills. Decreased physical attributes or game skill performance changes were not reported in any study. Injury prevention exercise programs can improve players’ physical attributes when of sufficient duration, with no adverse changes observed. However, their impact on game skills remains largely unexplored due to limited assessment tools. To overcome adoption barriers, the inclusion of performance related outcomes in IPEP design may enhance player and coach motivation, relevance, and adoption in women's team sports.

Motor imagery (MI) is a fundamental performance-enhancing technique widely used within professions such as sports, exercise, medical, performing arts, and rehabilitation settings. The benefit of MI lies in its ability to simulate a realistic cognitive event, resembling key characteristics of performance, while also being adaptable and versatile to support different functions of performance. However, limited research has examined whether MI could be used to assist the regulation of training load. MI may facilitate the inter-relationship between the applied acute training load and the load capacity of athletes in complex environments. An optimal balance between training load and training capacity is crucial to maintaining performance standards and the health of individuals. An inability to maintain this balance may lead to performance disruptions and increased risk of injury. This chapter reviews the practical applications of MI in sports, rehabilitation, and skill training to offer insights for coaches, exercise and sport scientists, therapists, and athletes wishing to integrate imagery interventions for the management of training load and recovery. Ultimately, MI emerges as a powerful, evidence-based strategy for enhancing performance and recovery across various domains.

This study aimed to identify the aerobic and anaerobic metabolic performance capacities contributing to Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2) test performance. Nineteen recreational Australian footballers completed a Yo-Yo IR2 test, and on another day a treadmill peak oxygen uptake (VO_2peak) and maximal accumulated oxygen deficit test in a randomised counter-balanced order. The maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) procedures included 5 × 5 min sub-maximal continuous runs at progressively higher speeds whilst VO₂ was recorded; thereafter, speed was incrementally increased to elicit VO_2peak. After 35 min of rest, participants ran at a speed equivalent to 115% of VO_2peak until exhaustion, at which point expired air was collected to determine maximal accumulated oxygen deficit. Relationships between variables were assessed using Pearson’s correlation and partial correlations. Maximum aerobic speed, relative intensity, and VO_2peak were significantly correlated with Yo-Yo IR2 performance. High Yo-Yo IR2 performers also had higher MAS, relative intensity, and VO_2peak levels. However, when higher maximum aerobic speed, relative intensity, and VO_2peak were controlled for each other and analysed independently, neither maximal aerobic speed nor VO_2peak correlated with Yo-Yo IR2 performance. Yo-Yo IR2 performance is the result of a complex interaction between several variables. Training programs should primarily focus on improving VO_2peak, maximal aerobic speed, and relative intensity to optimize Yo-Yo IR2 test performance.

The performance-enhancing effects of strength training on cycling are well documented with findings from research, demonstrating resistance training with heavy loads conducted 2–3 times per week for at least 8 weeks can improve power output (maximal and submaximal), extend time to exhaustion, and reduce completion time for set distances, while not adding to the total body mass. Despite the evident benefits of strength training, there remains a lack of consensus regarding the most effective exercises to enhance endurance cycling. This uncertainty is evident when considering movement-specific exercises to enhance dynamic transfer to cycling. A range of lower-limb exercises involving hip, knee, and ankle flexion and extension seems to enhance cycling performance more so than static or single-joint exercises. These improvements may be attributed to enhanced coordination and improved pedaling technique. This study presents 5 strength training exercises designed to target cycling pedaling quadrants and replicate the unilateral opposing nature of cycling (simultaneous flexion and extension of the legs) to enhance transfer from weight room-based strength training to the bike. These exercises are presented in example programs alongside established “traditional” exercises that may be used to guide the development of strength training for cyclists.