Browsing by Author "Litwiniuk, Artur"
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Item Āra rekreācijas aktivitāšu ietekme uz taekvondo sportistu stresa līmeni un psihisko noturību sacensību periodā. Promocijas darba kopsavilkums(Latvijas Sporta pedagoģijas akadēmija, 2023) Boobani, Behnam; Grants, Juris; Litwiniuk, ArturSaskarsme ar dabu var ietekmēt mūsu domas, jūtas un darbības, lai tās darbotos efektīvāk. Cilvēkus iedvesmo daba, un daba un dabiskās sistēmas tiek izmantotas kā resurss jaunu produktu vai risinājumu radīšanai (Kim, Kim, Pegard, Oh, Kagan, Fleischer, & Loo, 2012). Pētījumi ir parādījuši, ka dažādas saskarsmes formas ar dabu mums sniedz dažādu labumu (Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, & Pullin, 2010; Capaldi, Dopko, & Zelenski, 2014; Grinde, & Patil, 2009). Tomēr daži pētnieki (Collado, Staats, & Sorrel, 2016; Von Lindern, Bauer, Frick, Hunziker, & Hartig, 2013) ir parādījuši, ka daži cilvēki norādīja uz nozīmīgāku atjaunošanās ietekmi, atrodoties dabā, nekā citi. Šie pierādījumi liecina, ka saskarsmi ar dabu var ietekmēt citi faktori, kas saistīti ar dabisko vidi (piemēram, sajūta, ka esat prom no ikdienas rutīnas). Pētījumi par saskarsmes ar dabu kognitīvo ietekmi ir saistīti ar uzmanības procesiem. Ohly, White, Wheeler, Bethel, Ukoumunne, Nikolaou, & Garside (2016) ir apgalvojuši, ka nav skaidrs, tieši kuri uzmanības procesi izskaidro novēroto terapeitisko efektu. Attiecībā uz iespējamām kognitīvajām funkcijām ir jābūt lielākai skaidrībai par to, vai tiek izmantoti citi garīgi produkti. Atchley, Strayer, & Atchley (2012) minēja, ka nav skaidrs, vai pozitīvas radošuma sekas ir saistītas ar atrašanos dabiskajā vidē vai citiem ar šādu vidi saistītiem faktoriem. Spēja izteikt emocijas un pielietot profesionālās iemaņas stresa situācijās rada atšķirību starp spēcīgiem un vājiem sportistiem. Kallus & Kellmann (2000) apgalvoja, ka stress, tā pārvarēšana un atjaunošanās nosaka sportista stāvokli, kas savukārt nosaka sportista reakciju uz turpmākajiem stresa faktoriem un ietekmē sniegumu. Būtisks faktors ir ne tikai stresa intensitāte, bet arī stresa ilgums, sadalījums laikā un stresa raksturs. Saskaņā ar Gucciardi, Daniel, Sandy Gordo, James, & Dimmock (2009), ja sportista fiziskā, tehniskā un taktiskā sagatavotība ir vienādā līmenī, šiem mentālajiem faktoriem ir izšķiroša nozīme uzvarā vai zaudējumā. Paaugstinot savu psihisko noturību, sportisti ar labām fiziskajām īpašībām un sporta veidam nepieciešamajām prasmēm var palielināt savas iespējas gūt stabilus panākumus sacensībās. Zinātniskajā literatūrā psihiskā noturība ir viens no sporta psiholoģijas visplašāk lietotajiem, bet vismazāk izprastiem terminiem. Daži sporta psihologi sportista psihisko noturību sacensību laikā saista ar psihisko regulējumu – sportista spēju atslābināties un regulēt gan mentālā stresa ietekmi, gan paša psihoemocionālo stāvokli un uzvedību (Weinberg, Joanne Butt, & Culp, 2011). Taekvondo kā olimpiskais sporta veids ir cīņas sporta veids, kas ietver zinātniskus un tehnoloģiskus aspektus. Lai sasniegtu labākos starptautiskos rezultātus, valstis meklē informāciju par dažādiem sporta procesā iesaistītajiem mainīgajiem lielumiem. Mūsdienu taekvondo sportisti, tāpat kā to senie priekšteči, ievēro noteiktu filozofiju (Park, & Gerrard, 2000), un treniņos bieži tiek iekļauti psiholoģiskie, fiziskie un garīgie aspekti (Lee, 2010). Lai labāk ievērotu cīņas mākslas pamatprincipus, praktizētāji gaida cieņu pret sevi un citiem, trenē pazemību, neatlaidību, savaldību un godīgumu (Park et al., 2000). Pētījums par taekvondo ietekmi uz psiholoģisko veselību liecina, ka ir saistība ar vairākiem pozitīviem rezultātiem. Tie ietver pastiprinātu kognitīvo un afektīvo pašregulāciju un prosociālo uzvedību bērniem (Lakes, & Hoyt, 2004) un samazinātu agresīvu uzvedību jauniešu un pusaudžu vidū (Harwood, Lavidor, & Rassovsky, 2017). Pētījumi liecina arī par taekvondo sportistu garastāvokļa uzlabošanos (Yang, Ko, & Roh, 2018) un stratēģiju stresa pārvarēšanai pilnveidi (Petrovic, 2017). Tomēr taekvondo sporta veidā plašu psiholoģisko pētījumu nav. Gāzizlādes vizualizācija (GDV), kuras pamatā ir Kirliana efekts, ir zinātniska metode individuālā stresa novērtēšanai (Korotkov, 2017). Mērījumu, izmantojot GDV, veic, stimulējot elektronus plaukstu pirkstu galos. Tā ir elektronu plūsma no pētījumu objekta augstas intensitātes frekvences (1024Hz) elektromagnētiskā impulsa ietekmē, kas gaisā rada gāzes fotonu starojumu (spīdumu) (Hacker, 2005). Šis spīdums rodas, jonizējot gāzveida molekulas apkārtējā gaisā, izmantojot no pirkstu galiem izlādētos elektronus. Tiek fiksēts uzlādētas-savienotas ierīces ( CCD) kameras mirdzums (Korotkov, Williams , & Wisneski, 2004). GDV attēlu iegūst no desmit abu roku pirkstiem divos veidos ar un bez filtra. Filtrs ir plāna plastmasas plēve, kuru mērījuma laikā novieto starp pirkstu un dielektrisko plāksni. Filtrs novērš svīšanas ietekmi uz simpātiskām un psihosomatiskām reakcijām un nodrošina fizioloģisko stāvokli (Korotkov, Shelkov , Shevtsov , Mohov , Paoletti, Mirosnichenko, 2012). Salīdzinot šos attēlus ar un bez filtra, veidojas aktivizācijas koeficients, cilvēka stresa līmeņa kvantitatīvs novērtējums, kas balstīts uz autonomā līdzsvara novērtējumu (Korotkov, 2002). GDV mērījumu datu rezultāti liecina, ka GDV var izmantot, lai izmērītu autonomās reakcijas aktivitāti. Moss (2012) norāda, ka pēdējos gados liela uzmanība ir pievērsta attiecībām starp dabu un pusaudžiem, un parāda, ka pusaudžu atrašanās dabā laiks samazinās. No otras puses – palielinās laiks, ko viņi pavada telpās. Daudzos pētījumos ir pētīta kaitīgā ietekme, ko rada pusaudžu pastiprināta tehnoloģiju lietošana (Von Marees, & Petermann, 2012). Tomēr ir nedaudzi pētījumi par to, kāpēc pusaudži pavada laiku mobilajos tālruņos un spēlējot datorspēles. Lietojot mobilos tālruņus, pusaudži galvenokārt uzturas iekštelpās, nevis iesaistās citās aktivitātēs dabā. Daži pētījumi šajā jomā ir veikti laboratorijas apstākļos. Dalībniekiem tika prezentēti attēli un video ar neparastu fonu, un tika izmantotas pašnovērtējuma anketas, lai novērtētu viņu vēlmes un sniegtās atbildes (Valtchanov, & Ellard, 2010). Turklāt pētnieki ir dokumentējuši psihiskās noturības labvēlīgo ietekmi uz sniegumu sportā. Tomēr Truelove (2014) pētījumā minēts, ka tikai 5-10% sportistu treniņu laika ir paredzēti būtisku psiholoģisko prasmju, piemēram, psihiskās noturības, attīstīšanai. Arī psiholoģiskie mainīgie ir būtiski pozitīvi ietekmējuši sportisko sniegumu. Psihiskā noturība tiek uzskatīta par ļoti svarīgu. Otrs iemesls, lai pētītu taekvondo sportistu psihisko noturību, ir pētījumu trūkums. Kad nav gūti sekmīgi rezultāti attiecībā uz sacensībām un sniegumu, daudzi sportisti un viņu treneri plāno vairāk strādāt fiziskās vai tehniskās sagatavotības virzienā. Viņi uzskata psiholoģisko aspektu par mazāk svarīgu. Taekvondo un daudzos citos sporta veidos sportisti smagajos fiziskajos treniņos un sacensībās var nepievērst uzmanību psiholoģiskajam treniņam saistībā ar stresu. Psiholoģiskā, sociālā vai nesportiskā fiziskā stresa pievienošana var izraisīt allostatisku slodzi, kas pārsniedz adaptācijas slieksni, izraisot fizisku nepareizu adaptāciju un stresa un noguruma uzkrāšanos (Polman, & Houlahan, 2004). Tāpēc, lai nodrošinātu optimālu atjaunošanos pēc stresa un adaptāciju un līdz ar to uzlabotu sniegumu, taekvondo sportistiem ir īpaši jātrenējas, lai pielāgotu izvēlētās spējas atbilstoši sporta veida izpildei un līdz minimumam samazinātu nespecifisku psihosociālo stresa faktoru ietekmi ar atbilstošu atjaunošanos; optimālam sacensību sniegumam sportists var trenēties ar nepieciešamo intensitāti un/vai pabeigt slodzi nākamajā treniņā. Taekvondo ir sporta veids telpās, un sportisti dod priekšroku visu veidu treniņiem klubā, piemēram, ja ir kardiotreniņš, viņiem patīk to veikt uz skrejceliņa klubā, bet neiet ārā skriet vai soļot, un pēc treniņa viņi dodas mājās un spēlē datorspēles vai pavada laiku ar mobilajiem tālruņiem. Tādēļ viņi galvenokārt atrodas telpās, nevis iesaistās citās aktivitātēs dabā. Stress, tā pārvarēšana un atjaunošanās nosaka sportista stāvokli, kas savukārt nosaka viņa reakciju uz turpmākajiem stresa faktoriem un ietekmē sniegumu. Paaugstināta stresa un nepietiekamas atjaunošanās dēļ sportists piedzīvo vēl vairāk stresa. Ja atjaunošanās nenotiek pilnvērtīgi, sportists būs saspringts, kas var radīt neveiksmi, un viņam, iespējams, būs jāatrod citi veidi, kā tikt galā ar stresu. Nelīdzsvarotība starp stresu un atjaunošanos var izraisīt sportistu snieguma īstermiņa un ilgtermiņa samazināšanos. Nepietiekama atjaunošanās un paaugstināts stress var izraisīt pārtrenēšanās sindromu. Pārtrenēšanās sindroms rodas no nepietiekamas atjaunošanās, pārmērīgi augstas intensitātes treniņa, palielinātas treniņu slodzes un ar treniņu nesaistītiem stresa faktoriem. Pārtrenēšanās var palielināt uzņēmīgumu pret traumām un slimībām, palielināt negatīvo garastāvokli un samazināt sniegumu. Pamatojoties uz iepriekš minēto, tika pētīta promocijas darba tēma “Āra rekreācijas aktivitāšu ietekme uz taekvondo sportistu stresa līmeni un psihisko noturību sacensību periodā”.Item Blood lactate concentrations after losing or winning a boxing match in junior athletes(2022-11-30) Litwiniuk, Artur; Grants, Juris; Obmiński, Zbigniew; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Bacground and Study Aim: A three-round, refereed boxing bout (3 x 3 min.) with one-minute breaks is an exercise with a high proportion of anaerobic metabolism. Weight category-dependent differences in the concentration of the metabolite studied have been reported (the highest intensity of the fight is in the medium categories). There are few studies of the metabolic response in athletes who won and lost their first or subsequent bouts. There is a lack of publications reporting on the exercise metabolism of both opponents of a fought bout with respect to different weight categories. The aim of this study is to know the post-exercise blood lactate concentrations in pairs of opponents, one of whom wins and the other loses the same three-round fight. Material and Methods: The study was conducted during the Polish Junior Boxing Championships in different categories: 49kg, n = 4; 52kg-2; 56kg-4; 60kg-4; 64kg-2; 69kg-2; 69kg-2; 75kg-4; 81kg, 4; 91kg-4. In the fifth minute after the end of the first fight, capillary blood was collected under aseptic conditions from both fighters from the earlobe using disposable automatic lancets into heparinised glass capillaries, from where the material was transferred directly to the DR-LANGE analyser, Germany. A total of 60 athletes were tested (30 who won and 30 who lost bouts). The normal distribution of results in both sub-groups mandated the use of parametric statistical tests. Results: Conclusions: There was not a single fight interrupted by the ring judge, as none of the fighters tested were knocked out. The mean La concentration expressed in mmol/L (mM) was 12.9 ±3.4 with a range of 7.1 to 21.4 in the winners, and 12.4 ±2.8 with a range of 6.0 to 17.8. There were no significant differences between these averages. A significant correlation coefficient, r = 0.408, was noted between La and body weight in the losers’ and winners’ groups. Post-fight lactate (La) concentrations in junior boxers fall within a fairly wide concentration range, which may indicate significant variation in physical activity throughout the fight between the two opponents and differences in their aerobic capacity. There are no differences in mean La between the winners and losers. The positive correlation of La in the blood and body weight of the losing and winning boxers is evidence of a similar intensity of exertion of the two opponents at identical times, so this indicator cannot serve as an argument to explain the reason for the outcome of the boxing fight (losing ÷ winning).Item Body composition and knowledge about a healthy lifestyle of selected combat sport athletes(2022) Litwiniuk, Artur; Grants, Juris; Boobani, Behnam; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Introduction. Nowadays, the level of physical condition as well as the proper composition of the body gains special importance in terms of proper psychomotor development of children and adolescents. The aim of this research was to obtain knowledge about body tissue composition and selected elements of a healthy lifestyle of combat sports athletes. Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 21 taekwondo athletes. The age of the respondents was 17-18.5 years, training experience M=5.2 years, body height M=175.05 cm and body weight M=71.9. The tool that was used to assess the body composition was the BCA Tanita 545N device and a specially constructed interview questionnaire regarding information on a healthy lifestyle. Results. in the body composition of combat sports athletes, it was found that both partial results and averages are at an adequate level for combat sports athletes to systematic training. Conclusion. It was observed that all individual results of the subjects diagnosed with the BCA Tanita 545 N device are correct and fall within the norms of physically active people, such as people training combat sports. This proves the application of the principles of a healthy lifestyle. We can say that the level of knowledge of taekwondo athletes about a healthy lifestyle is high, because they are able to make a diagnosis, interpret the results and, in the case of values outside the health norm, use a repair algorithm in a professional sense.Item Effect of different sports on young athlete's posture swimmers and cyclists(2023-08-30) Solovjova, Jelena; Boobani, Behnam; Grants, Juris; Jakubovskis, German; Avotina, Ilze; Obminski, Zbigniew; Litwiniuk, Artur; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Background & Study Aim: In each sports discipline morphological characteristics, elements of technical, tactical, and psychological preparation can be distinguished whose high level may affect sports results. The aim of this study is knowledge about the express diagnostic program and the possibility of detecting changes in musculoskeletal posture in young athletes practicing various sports disciplines. Material & Methods: The participants were 38 athletes from sports clubs in Riga, Latvia, swimmers (n = 19), and cyclists (n = 19) aged 14-15 years old with experience in National competitions. Body posture was assessed once before the training for visual diagnostics and muscular functional testing. A diagnostic program was developed from these methods, which included measuring the changes of 8 sagittal points from the vertical plane and functional testing of 8 muscle groups. The analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS version 26. The Shapiro-Wilk test, an independent t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyse the data. Results: The results showed that both groups (n = 38); standing posture was falling forward. There were significant differences between the two groups. Cyclists demonstrated significant results than swimmers for the following posture indicators - External Ear Opening (EEO), Radial Point (RP), Highest Point of the Iliac Crest (HPIC), M. Pectoralis Major Upper part (MPMU), Outer Points of the Palm (OPP), Acromion (ACR), Trochanter (Tro), Upper End of Fibula Bone (UEFB), M. Rectus Abdominis (MRA) and Blade Fixators (BF). There were significant results for swimmers in M. Quadriceps Femoris (MQF) and M. Gluteus Medium (MGM) at the 5% level. There was not a significant difference between the two groups in Hamstring Muscles (HM) and for M. Iliopsoas (MI). Conclusions: It can be concluded that each sport leads to postural changes in athletes due to specific functional muscle changes, as the results highlighted changes in both groups. Early postural changes in young athletes can be identified by applying express diagnostics. Early detection should lead to the prevention of injury.Item Effect of outdoor recreation activity on mental toughness of taekwondo athletes in competition period(2023-07-10) Boobani, Behnam; Grants, Juris; Boge, Iveta; Glaskova-Kuzmina, Tatjana; Bula-Biteniece, Inta; Jagiello, Wladyslaw; Litwiniuk, Artur; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Background & Study Aim: Taekwondo mixes mental and physical training into a helpful leisure activity. The research focusing on the impact of taekwondo on psychological health, although limited, suggests it is associated with several positive outcomes. These include increased cognitive and affective self-regulation and prosocial behaviour in children and reduced aggressive behaviour in the youth and teenager population. The aim of this study is knowledge about the effect of outdoor recreation activity (walking in nature) on mental toughness components (confidence, control, and constancy) of taekwondo athletes during the competition period. Material & Methods: The participants of this study were 12 Latvian taekwondo athletes, including males (n = 6) and females (n = 6), aged 17-23. The experiment was held four weeks before the International Sweden Taekwondo Competition (2022). The participants had twelve sessions, including 40 minutes of outdoor recreation (walking in nature), in zones 1 and 2 (HR 101-141 bpm). The Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) measured the mental toughness components (confidence, constancy, and control). The data was analyzed using the mean, standard deviations, the Shapiro-Wilk test, and paired sample t-test. Results: The outdoor recreation activity (walking in nature) did not significantly affect the component of mental toughness (confidence t (11) = 0.451 as the p-value 0.837 >0.05, for constancy t (11) = −0.233; as the p-value 0.820 >0.05 and control t (11) = 0.117; as the p-value 0.909 >0.05) at the 5% level. Conclusions: Gender disparities exist in the mental toughness components of confidence, constancy, and control among Latvian taekwondo athletes. In particular, male athletes revealed higher average scores in confidence and constancy, with control scores remaining consistent across both male and female athletes. Furthermore, male athletes showed less variability in their confidence and constancy scores when compared to their female counterparts.Item Effect of Outdoor Recreation Activity on Stress Level and Mental Toughness on Taekwondo Athletes in the Competition Period. Doctoral Thesis(Latvian Academy of Sport Education, 2023) Boobani, Behnam; Grants, Juris; Litwiniuk, ArturContact with nature may influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions to function more effectively. People are inspired by nature, and nature and natural systems are used as a resource to create new products or solutions (Kim, Kim, Pegard, Oh, Kagan, Fleischer, and Loo, 2012). Research has demonstrated that various contact forms with nature benefit us differently (Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, and Pullin, 2010; Capaldi, Dopko, and Zelenski, 2014; Grinde, and Patil, 2009). However, some researchers (Collado, Staats, and Sorrel, 2016; Von Lindern, Bauer, Frick, Hunziker, and Hartig, 2013) have shown that some people reported more significant restoration effects of being in nature than others. This evidence suggests that contact with nature may be affected by other factors associated with natural environments (e.g., a sense of being away from daily routine). Research on the cognitive impacts of contact with nature is on attentional processes. Ohly, White, Wheeler, Bethel, Ukoumunne, Nikolaou, and Garside (2016) have argued that it is unclear which precise attentional processes explain the observed therapeutic effects. Regarding the potential cognitive functions, there needs to be more clarity about whether other mental products are used. Atchley, Strayer, and Atchley (2012) mentioned that it is not clear that positive creativity effects are due to exposure to the natural environment or other factors associated with such an environment. The ability to express emotions and apply professional skills in stressful situations makes a difference between strong and weak athletes. Kallus and Kellmann (2000) stated that stress, coping with it, and recovery determine the athlete's state, which determines the athlete’s reaction to subsequent stressors and influences performance. Not only is the intensity of the stress an essential factor, but the duration, distribution over time, and the nature of the stress play important roles. According to Gucciardi, Daniel, Sandy Gordo, James, and Dimmock (2009), if the athlete's physical, technical, and tactical training is at the same level, these mental factors play a crucial role in victory or loss. By increasing their mental toughness, athletes with good physical qualities and the skills necessary for their sport can increase their chance of achieving stable success in competitions. In scientific literature, mental toughness is one of sports psychology's most widely used but least understood terms. Some sports psychologists associate an athlete's mental toughness during competitions with psychic regulation – an athlete's ability to relax and regulate both the effects of mental stress and one's own psycho-emotional state and behavior (Weinberg, Joanne Butt, and Culp, 2011). As an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is a combat sport involving scientific and technological aspects. Countries seek information from the different variables involved in the sport process to achieve the best international results. Present-day taekwondo follows a philosophy like its ancient predecessor's (Park, and Gerrard, 2000), with psychological, physical, and spiritual aspects often incorporated into training (Lee, 2010). Practitioners expect to display respect for themselves and others, humility, perseverance, self-control, and honesty to better refer to the guiding principles of martial art (Park et al., 2000). The research focusing on taekwondo's impact on psychological health, suggests it is associated with several positive outcomes. These include increased cognitive and affective self-regulation and prosocial behavior in children (Lakes, and Hoyt, 2004) and reduced aggressive behavior in youth and teenager’s population (Harwood, Lavidor, and Rassovsky, 2017). Studies have also shown improvements in mood (Yang, Ko, and Roh, 2018) and enhanced strategies for coping with and managing stress (Petrovic, 2017) in taekwondo athletes. However, taekwondo has not been widely examined in psychological research. Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) based on the Kirlian effect is a scientific method to assess individual stress (Korotkov,2017). The measurement through GDV is performed by stimulation of electrons at the fingertips. It is the flow of electrons from a conducting object under the influence of a high-frequency (1024 Hz) electromagnetic pulse of high intensity, which creates photon radiation (glow) in the gas air (Hacker, 2005). This glow results from ionizing gaseous molecules in the surrounding air through the discharged electrons from the fingertips. A chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera's glow is captured (Korotkov, Williams , and Wisneski, 2004). The GDV image is obtained from ten fingers of both hands in two ways, with and without a filter. A filter is a thin plastic film placed between the finger and the dielectric plate during the measuerment. The filter removes the effects of sweating on sympathetic and psychosomatic responses and gives the physiological state (Korotkov, Shelkov , Shevtsov , Mohov , Paoletti, Mirosnichenko, 2012). Comparison of these images with and without filter forms an Activation Coefficient, a quantitative assessment of a person's stress level based on the evaluation of autonomic balance (Korotkov, 2002). The data findings of GDV measures suggest that GDV can be used to measure the activity of autonomic response. Moss, 2012 points out that the relationship between nature and adolescents in recent years got a great deal of attention and shows that adolescents have a declining relationship with nature. On the other hand, the time they spend indoor increses. Many studies have examined the detrimental effects of adolescents' increased engagement with technology (Von Marees, and Petermann, 2012). However, some studies try to understand why adolescents spend time on cell phones and playing computer games. Cell phones keep them primarily indoors when they might be engaging in other activities in natural environments. Some research in this area was in laboratory settings, with images and videos of unusual backgrounds presented to participants and self-report questionnaires used to evaluate their preferences and measure their affective responses (Valtchanov, and Ellard, 2010). Besides, researchers have documented the beneficial effects of mental toughness on sports performance. Still, Truelove’s research (2014) mentioned that only 5-10% of athletes' training time is for developing essential psychological skills such as mental toughness. Also, psychological variables have been one of the crucial facilitators in terms of sports performance. Mental toughness has been considered very important. The other reason to study the mental toughness of taekwondo athletes is the absence of studies. When the results are not successful regarding the competition and performance, many athletes and their coaches plan to work more on the physical or technical fitness routine. They neglect the psychological aspect as less critical. Athletes in heavy physical training and competition may be limited to non-training stress in taekwondo and many sports. Adding psychological, social, or non-athletic physical stress may result in an allostatic load over the adaptation threshold, leading to physical maladaptation and an accumulation of stress and fatigue (Polman, and Houlahan, 2004). Therefore, for optimum stress recovery and adaptation and ultimately improved performance, taekwondo athletes must train specifically to adapt selected capacities relevant to event performance and minimize the impact of non-specific psychosocial stressors with appropriate recovery; the athlete can train at the required intensity and or complete the load at the next training session for optimal competition performance. Taekwondo is an indoor sport, and athletes prefer to do all kinds of training inside the club, for example, if there is cardio training, they like to do it on the treadmill inside the club but not go outdoors for jogging or walking and after training they go home and play computer games or spend their time on cell phones. Cell phones keep them primarily indoors when they might be engaging in other activities in natural environments. Stress, coping with it, and recovery determine the athlete's state, which determines their reaction to subsequent stressors and influences performance. Increased stress demands and insufficient recovery lead to the athlete experiencing more stress. If recovery demands cannot be met, the athlete will be stressed beyond the point of failure and may need to find other ways of coping with the stress. Imbalances between stress and recovery can lead to short-term and longterm reductions in the athletes’ performance. If recovery is not adequate and increased stress may result in overtraining syndrome. The overtraining syndrome results from insufficient recovery, excessive high-intensity training, increases in training load, and non-training stressors. Overtraining can increase susceptibility to injury and illness, increase negative mood states, and decrease performance. Based on the above, the doctoral thesis topic, "Effect of outdoor recreation activity on stress level and mental toughness on taekwondo athletes in the competition period," was studied.Item Effect of Outdoor Recreation Activity on Stress Level and Mental Toughness on Taekwondo Athletes in the Competition Period. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis(Latvian Academy of Sport Education, 2023) Boobani, Behnam; Grants, Juris; Litwiniuk, ArturContact with nature may influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions to function more effectively. People are inspired by nature, and nature and natural systems are used as a resource to create new products or solutions (Kim, Kim, Pegard, Oh, Kagan, Fleischer, and Loo, 2012). Research has demonstrated that various contact forms with nature benefit us differently (Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, and Pullin, 2010; Capaldi, Dopko, and Zelenski, 2014; Grinde, and Patil, 2009). However, some researchers (Collado, Staats, and Sorrel, 2016; Von Lindern, Bauer, Frick, Hunziker, and Hartig, 2013) have shown that some people reported more significant restoration effects of being in nature than others. This evidence suggests that contact with nature may be affected by other factors associated with natural environments (e.g., a sense of being away from daily routine). Research on the cognitive impacts of contact with nature is on attentional processes. Ohly, White, Wheeler, Bethel, Ukoumunne, Nikolaou, and Garside (2016) have argued that it is unclear which precise attentional processes explain the observed therapeutic effects. Regarding the potential cognitive functions, there needs to be more clarity about whether other mental products are used. Atchley, Strayer, and Atchley (2012) mentioned that it is not clear that positive creativity effects are due to exposure to the natural environment or other factors associated with such an environment. The ability to express emotions and apply professional skills in stressful situations makes a difference between strong and weak athletes. Kallus and Kellmann (2000) stated that stress, coping with it, and recovery determine the athlete's state, which determines the athlete’s reaction to subsequent stressors and influences performance. Not only is the intensity of the stress an essential factor, but the duration, distribution over time, and the nature of the stress play important roles. According to Gucciardi, Daniel, Sandy Gordo, James, and Dimmock (2009), if the athlete's physical, technical, and tactical training is at the same level, these mental factors play a crucial role in victory or loss. By increasing their mental toughness, athletes with good physical qualities and the skills necessary for their sport can increase their chance of achieving stable success in competitions. In scientific literature, mental toughness is one of sports psychology's most widely used but least understood terms. Some sports psychologists associate an athlete's mental toughness during competitions with psychic regulation – an athlete's ability to relax and regulate both the effects of mental stress and one's own psycho-emotional state and behavior (Weinberg, Joanne Butt, and Culp, 2011). As an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is a combat sport involving scientific and technological aspects. Countries seek information from the different variables involved in the sport process to achieve the best international results. Present-day taekwondo follows a philosophy like its ancient predecessor's (Park, and Gerrard, 2000), with psychological, physical, and spiritual aspects often incorporated into training (Lee, 2010). Practitioners expect to display respect for themselves and others, humility, perseverance, self-control, and honesty to better refer to the guiding principles of martial art (Park et al., 2000). The research focusing on taekwondo's impact on psychological health, suggests it is associated with several positive outcomes. These include increased cognitive and affective self-regulation and prosocial behavior in children (Lakes, and Hoyt, 2004) and reduced aggressive behavior in youth and teenager’s population (Harwood, Lavidor, and Rassovsky, 2017). Studies have also shown improvements in mood (Yang, Ko, and Roh, 2018) and enhanced strategies for coping with and managing stress (Petrovic, 2017) in taekwondo athletes. However, taekwondo has not been widely examined in psychological research. Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) based on the Kirlian effect is a scientific method to assess individual stress (Korotkov,2017). The measurement through GDV is performed by stimulation of electrons at the fingertips. It is the flow of electrons from a conducting object under the influence of a high-frequency (1024 Hz) electromagnetic pulse of high intensity, which creates photon radiation (glow) in the gas air (Hacker, 2005). This glow results from ionizing gaseous molecules in the surrounding air through the discharged electrons from the fingertips. A chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera's glow is captured (Korotkov, Williams , and Wisneski, 2004). The GDV image is obtained from ten fingers of both hands in two ways, with and without a filter. A filter is a thin plastic film placed between the finger and the dielectric plate during the measuerment. The filter removes the effects of sweating on sympathetic and psychosomatic responses and gives the physiological state (Korotkov, Shelkov , Shevtsov , Mohov , Paoletti, Mirosnichenko, 2012). Comparison of these images with and without filter forms an Activation Coefficient, a quantitative assessment of a person's stress level based on the evaluation of autonomic balance (Korotkov, 2002). The data findings of GDV measures suggest that GDV can be used to measure the activity of autonomic response. Moss, 2012 points out that the relationship between nature and adolescents in recent years got a great deal of attention and shows that adolescents have a declining relationship with nature. On the other hand, the time they spend indoor increses. Many studies have examined the detrimental effects of adolescents' increased engagement with technology (Von Marees, and Petermann, 2012). However, some studies try to understand why adolescents spend time on cell phones and playing computer games. Cell phones keep them primarily indoors when they might be engaging in other activities in natural environments. Some research in this area was in laboratory settings, with images and videos of unusual backgrounds presented to participants and self-report questionnaires used to evaluate their preferences and measure their affective responses (Valtchanov, and Ellard, 2010). Besides, researchers have documented the beneficial effects of mental toughness on sports performance. Still, Truelove’s research (2014) mentioned that only 5-10% of athletes' training time is for developing essential psychological skills such as mental toughness. Also, psychological variables have been one of the crucial facilitators in terms of sports performance. Mental toughness has been considered very important. The other reason to study the mental toughness of taekwondo athletes is the absence of studies. When the results are not successful regarding the competition and performance, many athletes and their coaches plan to work more on the physical or technical fitness routine. They neglect the psychological aspect as less critical. Athletes in heavy physical training and competition may be limited to non-training stress in taekwondo and many sports. Adding psychological, social, or non-athletic physical stress may result in an allostatic load over the adaptation threshold, leading to physical maladaptation and an accumulation of stress and fatigue (Polman, and Houlahan, 2004). Therefore, for optimum stress recovery and adaptation and ultimately improved performance, taekwondo athletes must train specifically to adapt selected capacities relevant to event performance and minimize the impact of non-specific psychosocial stressors with appropriate recovery; the athlete can train at the required intensity and or complete the load at the next training session for optimal competition performance. Taekwondo is an indoor sport, and athletes prefer to do all kinds of training inside the club, for example, if there is cardio training, they like to do it on the treadmill inside the club but not go outdoors for jogging or walking and after training they go home and play computer games or spend their time on cell phones. Cell phones keep them primarily indoors when they might be engaging in other activities in natural environments. Stress, coping with it, and recovery determine the athlete's state, which determines their reaction to subsequent stressors and influences performance. Increased stress demands and insufficient recovery lead to the athlete experiencing more stress. If recovery demands cannot be met, the athlete will be stressed beyond the point of failure and may need to find other ways of coping with the stress. Imbalances between stress and recovery can lead to short-term and longterm reductions in the athletes’ performance. If recovery is not adequate and increased stress may result in overtraining syndrome. The overtraining syndrome results from insufficient recovery, excessive high-intensity training, increases in training load, and non-training stressors. Overtraining can increase susceptibility to injury and illness, increase negative mood states, and decrease performance. Based on the above, the doctoral thesis topic, "Effect of outdoor recreation activity on stress level and mental toughness on taekwondo athletes in the competition period," was studied.Item Falls are the leading cause of injuries among farmers—Limitations of practicing judo in preventing these incidents(2021-08-02) Blach, Wieslaw; Dobosz, Dawid; Gasienica-Walczak, Bartlomiej; Grants, Juris; Litwiniuk, Artur; Department of Skiing, Shooting, Orienteering, Rowing, Tourism and RecreationBenefits related to doing martial arts go beyond health-related and constitute very useful life skills. One of them is ability to fall safely. It is an important skill since falls are a common cause of injuries. The aim of the study is knowledge regarding the burden of falls in a population of farmers. This systematic review was prepared according to PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link, Web of Science. A total of 21 articles met eligibility criteria. The common general observation was that fall (regardless of type) caused various body injuries in populations of agriculture workers. Fall was the leading cause of injuries in only one population, and the most frequently classified second or third causes among all other listed injuries. People employed in the agriculture sector constitute an occupational group with an increased risk of injury as a result of accidental fall, which may lead to disability or even death (in extreme situations). Safe fall training would be an important addition to traditional fall prophylaxis applied on farms. The authors indicate the limitations of judo as a base of such a program, such as with superficial analysis of this issue in scientific publications. There is a need for a critical and wary approach to recommendations that are limited to prophylaxis of the effects of accidental falls that are founded on judo or other combat sports and martial arts.Item The impact of an intensive alpine skiing course on the ability to optimally use the muscle strength of physical education students(2022-12-27) Gasienica-Walczak, Bartlomiej; Grants, Juris; Litwiniuk, Artur; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Alpine skiing is a physical activity that stimulates (develops and maintains) primarily coordination skills, mainly the balance of the body, and also ability to kinaesthetic differentiation. An innovative method of measuring the ability to optimally use the muscle strength (AOUMS) of lower limbs is recommended. The purpose of this study is to answer the question whether students after the alpine skiing course will improve ability to optimally use the muscle strength of lower limbs.Item Injuries at world and european judo tournaments in 2010-2012(2021) Blach, Wieslaw; Malliaropoulos, Nikos; Rydzik, Łukasz; Bikos, Georgios; Litwiniuk, Artur; Grants, Juris; Ambroży, Tadeusz; Maffulli, Nicola; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Background and Study Aim: In Olympic judo, athletes are not allowed to kick, punch, or strike, or use any equipment or weapons. The athlete must subdue the opponent only by gripping the uniform and using techniques to lift and throw the competitor or pin them down to the mat. The purpose of the research is to know about type of injuries judo athletes during the European and World Judo Championships respectively, from 2010 to 2012 and evaluates the differences between men and women. Material and Methods: The study investigates the incidence and type of injuries of 3,408 and 3,860 athletes at 16 European and 9 World Judo Championships respectively, from 2010 to 2012 and evaluates the differences between men and women. Results: Bleeding and excoriation or wounds were the most frequent injuries accounted for 3.82% and 3.96% of total injuries for men and women respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in overall injury incidence between World and European tournaments (6% vs 8%, p = 0.57) and between European cadets, junior and senior tournaments (4% vs 6% vs 6%, p = 0.51 and p = 1.000). The overall injury rate was significantly higher in the veteran tournaments when compared to the other European tournaments (17% vs 4%, p = 0.002; 17% vs 6%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: The study additionally shows that international judo competitions are associated with a low overall injury incidence. The risk of injury is greater and statistically significant in the veterans judo athletes group. Therefore, it is necessary to modify the regulations in this rival group.Item Professional competences of personal trainers(2020-06-17) Litwiniuk, Artur; Waldzinski, Tomasz; Grants, Juris; Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE)Background and Study Aim: The concept of professional competences is defined in many ways. In the area of physical activity (as a sphere of practice and sports science as research exploration), this concept is understood in two ways, both as a range of rights to perform certain roles, certified by a document authorizing to deal with a given specialty, and as a range of specific knowledge, skills and attitudes, thanks to which the individual effectively achieves the assumed goals with the help of educational interactions. The aim of this study is the knowledge about professional competences of people conducting personal training. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 62 person who have been personal trainer for at least 3 years. Specially designed interview questionnaire "Professional competences of trainers in selected sports and physical recreation disciplines" was used to examine professional competences. Results: In the opinion of the vast majority of respondents, the most useful universal features in the work of a personal trainer turned out to be the ability to create an appropriate atmosphere in class, communication skills and kindness towards other people. All respondents agreed that 9 detailed variables were equally important. In addition, it was observed that almost of the respondents declare motor predispositions (motor skills), including motor coordination and a high level of other motor features as components of vocational preparation, as significant skills. Conclusions: A general tendency was that being a personal trainer is not limited only to the subject of fitness or strength classes, but to deepening your knowledge also in other thematic areas, including medical knowledge. The respondents also declared that they lead a healthy lifestyle manifested, among others, by in active spending of free time in the air, eating specially composed and regularly consumed meals and taking advantage of selected forms of biological regeneration.Item Swimmers' shoulder injury prevention by correctly evaluate the technical errors(2024) Solovjova, Jeļena; Boobani, Behnam; Glaskova-Kuzmina, Tatjana; Jakubovskis, Germans; Grants, Juris; Žīdens, Jānis; Romero Ramos, Oscar; Litwiniuk, Artur; Rīga Stradiņš UniversityBackground and Study Aim: Shoulder pain is common in young swimmers. The aim of this study is the knowledge about the occurrence and reasons behind shoulder injuries and muscle imbalances on adolescent Latvian freestyle swimmers. Material and Methods: Thirty-six male competitive freestyle swimmers from 3 age groups (13-18 years old) from different clubs in Riga, Latvia, were selected. A questionnaire, a body posture assessment, and a video analysis were used to collect the data to find out the causes of shoulder injury and muscle imbalance. The data were analysed using the mean, standard deviations, Chi-square test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Post hoc Tukey's tests. Results: The questionnaire showed significant relationships between using small and big paddles and experiencing pain, especially in group two. The body posture analysis for points of external ear opening, acromion, radial point, outer points of the palm, highest point of the Iliac crest, trochanter, and upper end of fibula bone showed significant differences (p<0.05). The body deviation forward, the so-called ‘body falling’ forward, was in groups. The video analysis showed that the streamlined position is not achieved because the body is not in line. Conclusions: The coaches should correctly evaluate the swimmers' technical errors. The present study's findings illustrate the need for a validated shoulder injury prevention program in swimming.