Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Plyometric Training In Badminton

The Plyometric Training In Badminton PHYSICAL TRAINING IN SPORTS Physical fitness is a very important factor affecting performance in sports. As in the preparatory phase of periodization plan for any training programme, the physical fitness is always the first to be developed before focusing into other training factors such as technical training, tactical training, and psychological training. Physical fitness contributes to sports performance. It serves as a foundation that leads to high performance level in sports (Bompa Haff, 2009). Many researchers have studied various types of physical fitness training, such as balance training (Myer, 2005; Myer et al., 2006), agility training (Miller et al., 2001; Young et al., 2001; Holmberg, 2009), sprinting training (Markovic et al., 2007), resistance training (Candow Burke, 2007; Sturgess Newton, 2008; Hamberg-van Reenen et al., 2009), circuit training (Chtara et al., 2008; Duncan et al., 2009), interval training, and plyometric training (Gehri et al., 1998; Swanik, 2002; Spurrs et al., 2003; Turner et al., 2003; Myer, 2005; Miller et al., 2006; Myer et al., 2006; Saunders et al., 2006; Salonikidis Zafeiridis, 2008; Vescovi et al., 2008; de Villarreal et al., 2008; Meylan Malatesta, 2009; Thomas et al., 2009; Ebben et al., 2010; King Cipriani, 2010; Rubley et al., 2011) and many studies found that physical training served the purpose of improving various physical attributes, such as flexibility, functional performance, muscular control, muscular power, distance runni ng performance, running economy, strength performance, explosive power, vertical jump, initial acceleration, speed, and agility (Gehri et al., 1998; Swanik, 2002; Spurrs et al., 2003; Turner et al., 2003; Kotzamanidis, 2006; Miller et al., 2006; Saunders et al., 2006; Markovic et al., 2007; Chtara et al., 2008; de Villarreal et al., 2008; Jullien et al., 2008; Salonikidis Zafeiridis, 2008; Vescovi et al., 2008; Meylan Malatesta, 2009; Thomas et al., 2009; Walklate et al., 2009; Sà ¡ez-Sà ¡ez de Villarreal et al., 2010). PHYSICAL TRAINING IN BADMINTON Badminton is a highly competitive dynamic sport. At elite level, it is suggested that badminton is characterized by repetitive efforts of alactic nature and great intensity which are continuously performed throughout the match (Cabello Manrique Gonzà ¡lez-Badillo, 2003; Lees, 2003; Faude et al., 2007; Sturgess Newton, 2008). Badminton players are required to be able to move in multiple directions while smashing and receiving a shuttlecock at high speed. The speed of a shuttlecock can be up to 421kph (Guinness World Record, 2009). Badminton players are often required to perform speed, agility, flexibility, endurance, and strength capabilities at their limit. It is proposed by Badminton Association of England (2002) that the off-court type of fitness training for badminton can include strength training, aerobic training, speed and agility training, flexibility training, core stability training, and circuit training. As an explosive sport, badminton performance can be enhanced from resistance training. Effective resistance training programme requires a systematic process of analysis, implementation and evaluation to ensure maximum adaptation and improvement. The prescription of resistance training methods can enhance badminton specific performance in jump smashes, lunges, and quick change of direction (Sturgess Newton, 2008). AGILITY IN SPORTS Agility is an essential element for many sports. It is an ability that involves a rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus. In many competitive sports such as badminton, the players do not perform at their own pace and move, but are performing in response to the shuttlecock, the opponent, or the partners. As such, agility in badminton is not completely an independent factor (Young et al., 2002; Sheppard Young, 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Jullien et al., 2008). Little and William (2005) proposed that agility is a specific physical attribute that is fundamentally important to sports performance for three reasons. First, developing agility will provide a strong foundation for muscular control and motor skill function, thereby establishing overall performance in badminton. Second, good agility enable players to move fast in balanced and stabled manner, and this proper movement mechanics and this may reduce injury risk. Finally, as an athlete matures, a heightened ability to quickly change directions will enhance overall performance in both proactive offensive and reactive defensive circumstances. According to Young and Farrow (2006) and Vescovi (2008), agility is important as many sports such as badminton performed on a court require high-speed total body movements. Many of these movements are in response to the motion of the shuttlecock, opponents, or partner. As such, quick movements are very important. Deterministic Model Of Agility Performance The multifactorial nature of agility has been represented by a deterministic model in Figure 2.1 which indicating the various factors contributing to performance in sports included badminton (Young et al., 2002). The model (Figure 2.1) indicated the agility can be affected by perceptual and decision making factor, and change of direction speed. Perceptual and decision making is one of the main factors affecting agility. The factors affecting perceptual and decision making included visual scanning, anticipating, pattern recognition, and knowledge of the condition. Leg muscle qualities Change of directional speed Young and Farrow (2006) noted that agility is affected by the change of directional speed. Change of directional speed is influenced by the techniques, straight sprinting speed, and leg muscle quality. Techniques to change direction and change velocity quickly are expected to be influenced by the position of the body while running. A forward lean is required to accelerate, a backward lean to decelerate and stop, and a sideward lean to produce a lateral change of direction. These body positions are necessary in order to produce forces to the ground to evoke reaction forces in the desired direction. The technique of body lean enables badminton player to make quick adjustments of strides to accelerate and decelerate, to the running posture to execute a quick change of direction. Such quick adjustments of posture and positioning of limbs is clearly a skill that requires training. This can be developed by plyometric training (Meylan Malatesta, 2009). Leg muscles quality is exclusively responsible for change of directional movements. The available research provides little support that leg muscle strength, power, and reactive strength are major contributors to agility performance. However, a rationale was made to suggest that plyometric training program involving jumping exercises that contain single leg lateral takeoffs, such as bounding in a zigzag pattern could potentially be beneficial to change of directional speed development (Robinson Owens, 2004; Miller et al., 2006; Sheppard Young, 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Markovic et al., 2007; Thomas et al., 2009). Good quality of leg muscle in badminton helps to reduce time taken from ready position to move to receive a shot. AGILITY CONTRIBUTION IN BADMINTON Motion analysis of a typical badminton match reveals that there are many changes in direction and it requires the athlete to be very agile in all directions (Cabello Manrique Gonzà ¡lez-Badillo, 2003; Sturgess Newton, 2008). Notational analysis of European players during international tournaments indicated that badminton can be characterized by repetitive, short-duration, high-intensity efforts with high-frequency movement (Cabello Manrique Gonzà ¡lez-Badillo, 2003). Badminton is the fastest sport among the racket games with the speed of the shuttlecocks capable of travelling up to 421kph. This means in the court area of approximately 34m2 for badminton singles, the shuttlecock will take not more than 0.15 second to pass through the entire badminton court which is 13.4m in length (Olympics ABC, 2007). As a sport with such a high speed, agility plays a very important role to contribute to the performance. In an elite badminton match, the competition can be played up to more than 60 minutes, and the total running distance can be covered up to 6km. But the energy spent for both players were not the same. When a player is more agile and faster than opponent, he can get into favourable position to play the shot to move opponent around in the badminton court which will lead to greater radius of movement for the opponent. In another word, throughout the match, the player who have better agility are having advantage and spending less effort and energy compare to the less agile opponent. Olympic ABC (2007) also proposed that a player need approximately 0.32 to 0.36 second to move from a ready position towards the shuttle and approximately 0.486 seconds to react to the coming shot. This lead to an idea that a badminton player needs about 0.8 second to react to a shot and move to receive the shot. In this condition, agility is a critical factor affecting the performance. Time taken to react to the coming shot is affecting by the perceptual and decision making factor, while the time taken to move from a ready position towards the shuttle is affecting by the agility, which have the direct relationship with the change of direction speed. Good agility and fast action to move from ready position enable a badminton player to return the shot in a favourable position and have advantage over opponent. PLYOMETRIC TRAINING IN IMPROVING AGILITY Plyometrics are training techniques used by athletes in all types of sports to increase strength and explosiveness (Chu, 1998). Plyometric training programme involving jumping exercises that could potentially be beneficial to agility development (Robinson Owens, 2004; Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Thomas et al., 2009). Plyometric drills usually involve stopping, starting, and changing directions of movement in an explosive manner. These movements are components that can contribute to developing agility (Young et al., 2001; Miller et al., 2001). Previous studies found that plyometric training, when used in a periodized manner, can contribute to agility gains (Miller et al., 2006; Thomas et al., 2009). Agility is an explosive movement which can be referred to running speed and changes of direction ability. Fast running speed and quick change of direction contribute to good agility. Explosiveness is affecting the running speed and change of direction ability. Thus, improvement in explosiveness leads to agility development. Plyometrics have been proven to be an effective method to improve on explosiveness (Markovic et al., 2007; Chtara et al., 2008). By enhancing balance and control of body positions during movement, agility theoretically should improve (Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006). Plyometric activities have been used in sports such as football, tennis, soccer or other sports event (Yap Brown, 2000; Robinson Owens, 2004). These sports are intermediate sports which require rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus, which is similar to badminton. CONCLUSION Physical fitness is a very critical factor affecting sports performance. It contributes to sports as the foundation that leads to high performance level in sports. Plyometric is one of the physical training which leads to the gain of various physical attributes which included speed, power, and agility (Miller et al., 2006). In badminton, a player requires high-speed total body movements. Many of these movements are in response to the motion of the shuttlecock, opponents, or partner. Agility permits badminton player to start quickly and efficiently, move in the correct direction, and to change direction or stop quickly to make a play in fast, smooth, efficient, and repeatable manner, in response to a stimulus. A competitive badminton match can be played up to more than 60 minutes, agility allow a player to be in the favourable position quickly to play the shot to move opponent around in the badminton court which will lead to greater radius of movement for the opponent. In another word, agility leads to the advantage of lesser effort and energy spent than the less agile player (Olympic ABC, 2007). Young and Farrow (2006) noted that agility is affected by change of directional speed. Quality of leg muscles is exclusively responsible for change of directional speed. Good quality of leg muscle and good agility in badminton helps to reduce time taken from ready position to move to receive a shot. This enables a badminton player to return the shot in a favourable position and have advantage over the opponent. Agility refers to running speed and changes of direction in an explosive manner. Fast running speed and quick change of direction is the key to good agility, which is affected by explosiveness. Thus, improvement in explosiveness should lead to agility development. Plyometrics has been proven to be effective and efficient in developing explosiveness (Robinson Owens, 2004; Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Markovic et al., 2007; Chtara et al., 2008; Thomas et al., 2009). Plyometric drills involve starting, stopping, and change of movement directions explosively. These movements contribute to agility development (Young et al., 2001; Miller et al., 2001). Previous studies showed that plyometric training, when used in a periodized manner, can contribute to agility gains (Miller et al., 2006; Thomas et al., 2009). In addition, plyometric training which enhances balance and body control during movement promotes improvement in agility (Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006).

Monday, January 20, 2020

Dark Hart :: Essays Papers

Dark Hart Dark Hart is a fantasy story. It happens in Chicago in the late 20th century. The main characters of the story are Justinian and Lt. Sandra McCormick. Justinian or Justin as he is called has a long past. He was born in England in the fourteenth century, he was a lord then. When the Black Death came he, his wife Gwendolyne and his kids got ill. His wife and kids died from the plague but he survived. He survived because when he was dying a dragon appeared in his mirror and offered him immortality which he accepted. But the price of immortality was eternal service to the dragon. Now Justin lives in his night club in Chicago called Gwendolyne’s Flight. Still serving his dragon master. Sandra is a homicide detective in Chicago. She is divorced and lives with her younger brother Benny. Sandra is investigating strange murders which seem to be comitted by the same person. She has few and very strange clues. She tries to clear her head and go’s out where she meets Justin and gets involved with him. With time she gets closer to the unbelievable truth that dragons exist and that Justin is the murderer that she is trying to find. She also discovers that he can chance into a dragonling (some sort of mini dragon) that has many strange powers. As she gets closer to the truth the dragon gets angrier at Justin for not killing her to conceal the dragons existence and makes Justin feel more and more pain as he delays it. Mean wile Kalsar one of the dragons servant who hates Justin makes it harder for Justin to hide the truth from Sandra. When Sandra has discovered the truth Justin tries to convince her to join the dragon and become immortal. While she is thinking about it Justin convinces her brother to join the dragon and he accepts. When she finds out she gets mad and does not want to talk to him. Mean wile Kalsar tries to kill her to help Justin please the dragon. But Justin manages to hold him of but when she refuses to join the dragon the dragon makes Justin feel so much pain that he cant resist killing Sandra.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Indian Society

Marginalisation affects a large part of Indian society, who are subjected to loss of rights and mistreatment due to their place in the caste system. In the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup, a street boy, Ram Mohammad Thomas narrates the events of mistreatment and abuse in not only his life, but several others characters with the same fate. Throughout the novel, the experiences of Ram, Salim and Nita are told, contributing to the privileging of social, gender and religious marginalisation in Indian society as foregrounded by Swarup.Ram Mohammad Thomas, throughout the novel narrates his experiences of marginalisation and mistreatment due to his social status in the caste system. Ram’s social marginalisation is privileged through the foregrounding of the caste system in Indian society where he is seen as an untouchable, someone who lives in a chawl, with no education, Ram states â€Å"†¦The brain is not an organ we are authorized to use. We are supposed to use only our hands and l egs. † (pg. 2), this foregrounds how as an untouchable in society, Ram is only seen as a slave to others, not someone with any kind of intelligence to have the mental capacity to partake in a quiz show. This is further foregrounded when Ram states â€Å"Like Godbole, you believe I am only good for serving chicken fry and whisky in a restaurant. That I am meant to live life like a dog and die an insect. Don’t you? † (pg. 29), further stating how in Indian society people believe the place in the caste position you are born, you must stay and not partake in activities which are meant for higher class people.Swarup positions the reader to feel sympathetic for Ram, by story after story of discrimination and see him as a representative of the untouchable class, someone who is just a street boy, with no control over their fate, and being at the bottom of the caste system leading him to be clearly shown as socially marginalised. Salim Ilyasi in the novel is Ram’s best friend, much like Ram, he is socially marginalised but also religiously marginalised for being Muslim.His marginalisation is privileged through several stories throughout the novel, Ram revealed (speaking about Salim’s experience) â€Å"The moment the Hindi’s heard this they went on a rampage. Armed with machetes and pickaxes, sticks and torches, they raided the homes of all the Muslim families†¦Before his very eyes they set fire to the hut†¦ His whole family was burnt to death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 95). This quote illustrates how Salim’s family and many other Muslims, were marginalised and attacked purely because they were part of the religion that was getting accused.Further, his religious marginalisation is shown where Salim stated (recounting his experience to Ram) â€Å"This bastard is definitely a Muslim, let’s kill him’ †¦ ‘No. Killing him would be too easy. We will burn this motherfucker alive in this bus. Then he a nd his community will learn never to touch our homes,† (pg. 229), this further foregrounds how because Salim is Muslim, in Indian society he is religiously marginalised because of this. Along with the social and religious marginalisation associated with Ram and Salim, Nita is also gender marginalised through her religion.Nita’s religious and gender marginalisation is privileged through the foregrounding of the religion she was born into, where she was chosen to become a prostitute only because she was born a girl with more beauty than her sister. This is shown when Ram states (recounting what Nita told him about her religion) â€Å"She is a Bedia tribal girl from the Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh†¦ In her community, it is the tradition for one girl from each family to serve as a communal prostitute, called the Bedni.This girl earns money for her family, while the males spend their time drinking and playing cards. ‘This is why the birth of a girl is an occ asion to celebrate in our community, not a cause for gloom’† this foregrounds how in this one situation she is both gender marginalised for being a girl, and forced to become a prostitute, and religiously marginalised as this is not her choice, but the choice of her religion. Further, supporting the point of gender marginalisation against Nita in the book is the character Gudiya, who was abused by her father, Ram states â€Å"†¦ What was Gudiya’s crime?Simply that she was born a girl and Shantaram was her father†, this greatly privileges the aspect of marginalisation Swarup was aiming to depict and foregrounds that not only in that particular religion is gender marginalisation evident, but all over Indian society. In essence, throughout the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup marginalisation is privileged through the foregrounding of the carefully created stories of mistreatment and abuse against several characters. This positions the reader to understand and a cknowledge the observation of Indian society and feel sympathetic for the representation of the untouchable class as interpreted in the novel.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer History

Throughout history, it is easy to realize that Maine has always been a predominantly white and heterosexual state. A state where some communities have been put through many hardships in coming out publicly in an attempt to stop the abuse that they were facing. For example, over time many communities and organizations have tried to change this stereotype about Maine including the LGBTQ community. As the curator of the new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer History Museum I have the task of choosing the centerpiece for the museum. The two documents that I have chosen to be the centerpieces are both related to Michael Rossetti and are both from the same event. The documents include a poster of the pride pier dance of 1996 and an article called â€Å"These Days, Apology is Refreshing† which is a recollection of the events that took place during and after the pride pier dance. These two documents should be the centerpieces of the museum because the pride pier dance of 1996 was an important event in Maine gay history, and because of the major role Michael Rossetti played during that time period in addition to how perfectly he handled the situation that was caused by the event. Before mentioning the reasons as to why the two documents should be the centerpieces it is important to know more about the Southern Maine Pride organization that held the event. The organization was created by Michael Rossetti in 1987 and was first known as the Portland Pride organization. It was notShow MoreRelatedLGBTQI in New York Essay1069 Words   |  5 Pageslegalize gay marriage in many states however some areas of the U.S still do not accept homosexual culture. Many cultures around the world still do not accept homosexual culture. Some cultures accept homosexuality, some see the practice as a sin, some create laws forbidding same sex relationships and marriage, and some punish homosexuality with the death penalty. Homosexual culture is referred to as LGBTQI culture and is shared by any person who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioningRead MoreOppression and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons 1091 Words   |  5 PagesLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Oppression Generations ago, the United States was a country of the male wardrobe. Todays movements for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are leveraging the existence of more globalized and open systems. Besides, the promotion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population have been acknowledged through smart partnerships within conventional, political and economic scene, while the males and heterosexuals areRead MoreLgbt19540 Words   |  79 Pagesstands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and along with heterosexual they describe peoples sexual orientation or gender identity. These terms are explained in more detail here. Lesbian A lesbian woman is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to women. Many lesbians prefer to be called lesbian rather than gay. Gay A gay man is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to men. The word gay can be used to refer generally to lesbian, gay and bisexualRead MoreRacism : A Social Construct1593 Words   |  7 Pagesof our lives in the US, however; it’s the intersectionality of the other social identity forces that when they are interacting with racism, they manifest many forms of social oppression. My social identity is that of an African-American, married lesbian woman. Racism is a social construct that has serious impact on many people’s lives. Heterosexism, also a social construct and racism contribute to the ever widening inequality gap. To slow sown or change the gap growth, policies would have toRead MoreDiversity Is A Key Component Of American Society1025 Words   |  5 PagesFrom its beginnings, the United States has struggled with deciding who establishes the norms and values of society, given that we are a nation built primarily through immigration (Bessett, 1997). Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people have been a part of society throughout history. There is evidence of same sex relationships at least as far back as ancient Greece (Crompton, 2003). Over time, negative societal attitudes in the western world developed and led to active oppressionRead MoreGender Identity Is The Assumption Of There Being Binary Categories3311 Words   |  14 PagesBinary Logic: Another issue with research pertaining to sexual identity is the assumption of there being binary categories, such as gay/straight, male/female, etc. Research in this area is generally dichotomized (e.g. male/female, gay/straight), which can foster rigid identity assumptions, foster homogeneous understanding of research particiapnts and results, foster a divide between ‘normal’ and ‘deviant’ behavior, as well as mask inherent variation in different groups and populations (Johnson Read MoreHuman Rights Campaign : The Natural Consequence Of Liberty1384 Words   |  6 Pagesachieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans† (HRC website). As their mission statement indicates, â€Å"The Human Rights Campaign is organized and will be operated for the promotion of the social welfare of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, HRC strives to end discrimination against LG BT people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.† (HRC website) As a gay man, I am personallyRead MoreQueer Culture Has Long Been K.d. Lang, Ellen Degeneres, And Elton John1512 Words   |  7 PagesThe faces of Queer Culture has long been K.D. Lang, Ellen Degeneres, and Elton John. While these icons represent the queer community in that they are gay individuals, they are not wholly representative of the community because there is no one queer story. However, these icons all have cisgender, white privilege which results in a great dearth of representation for transgender, non-binary, and people of color in the media. Another issue with queer representation in the media is the differentiationRead MoreHuman Service Course History Paper1447 Words   |  6 PagesHuman Service Course History Paper Nikki Boswell Western Washington University â€Æ' Introduction The year is 2015 and I can’t imagine not having the freedom I do today. Marriage equality is a very recent topic in history. It wasn’t very long ago that laws prohibited the marriage of same-sex couples. I have decided to investigate the history of marriage equality and the organizations that helped make the dream come true. In order to fully understand the changes that occurred, and to comprehend the levelRead MoreLgbtq Identity And Family Treatment3596 Words   |  15 Pagespopulation is comprised of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered individuals, and queer or questioning individuals. In addition to having higher rates of substance abuse and seeking substance abuse treatment (McCabe, West, Hughes, Boyd, 2013; Silvestre, Beatty, Friedman, 2013; Senreich, 2009), LGBTQ individuals and their families have unique issues in family and treatment settings. In family settings, youths who either identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning or y ouths