Based on the limited evidence available about balance performance among young badminton players, this study was aimed to establish the presence or absence of lower-limb balance asymmetry among 13-15 years old players. The research was done among 40 young players (22 girls, 18 boys) from 3 Bulgarian clubs. Uni-pedal stance test and Y balance test were used to determine balance abilities. Paired sample T test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to evaluate the data from the dominant and non-dominant leg. The results from the two tests show that there is no statistically significant difference between the legs. These results support the usefulness of performing bilateral balance exercises, so that the asymmetry that players are predisposed to develop could be reduced and the risk of lower extremity injuries would be decreased.

Successful performance in the Kumite discipline of Karate-do requires well developed aerobic and anaerobic cell-systems for supplying energy. Therefore, more and more often over the recent years, the preparation of martial arts athletes has included intensive interval training sessions following the Tabata method. The objective of this survey was to create a highly-intensive Tabata-based circuit training that is suitable for the functional preparation of Karate competitors and for defining the physiological and the biochemical characteristics of the training load through measuring the heart rate and the concentration of lactate in the peripheral blood. A group of six Karate practitioners, all Kumite competitors, took part in the survey. They performed tree times 10 exercises with Karate-technique elements following the classical Tabata scheme of 20 seconds work with a maximum number of repetitions and 10 seconds of break. The results proved that; 1) The heart rate increased after each circuit and exceeded 180 bpm, and in the break time it went down to 120-140 bpm; 2) The lactate concentration in the blood rose progressively after the first two circuits, and after finishing the last circle an overall decrease was registered regarding this indicator (9.3 ± 3.32 vs 13.4 ± 2.39 vs 11.8 ±1.63 mmol/L, respectively). In conclusion, the intensity of the latter circuit training model is very high because the levels of blood lactate after performing each circuit of the training were higher than the respective concentrations after Kumite competition matches at the same heart rates.

The power of the stroke in rowing is one of the main factors which determines good sport results. In this relation, increasing of power is ? key task during rowers’ muscular and strength training. The main purpose of the current research was to determine speed-strength ability of specific muscle groups of rowers, performing specific strength exercises: bench pull, squat and clean pull. Methods of the experiment include measurement of velocity and power in different load levels using Gym Aware device and its adjoining software Gym Aware Cloud. The received results demonstrate the specific strength and velocity abilities of the muscular groups which are involved in these movements. It was determined that the maximal power of each of them is achieved at a different point in the range of its working velocity. In squat the maximal power is in the range of the highest velocity achieved with small resistance, in bench pull the maximal power is achieved in the middle of the velocity range and in the clean pull it is achieved at a big resistance and at low velocity. These results arise lots of questions for further discussions.

This article presents the development of an experimental methodology that aims to improve the speed of the front-hand punch in karate. The rationale behind developing this methodology is that the speed of the front-hand punch in karate is one of the most important criteria for the successful defeat of the opponent. In addition, the front-hand punch is one of the most commonly used punches during matches. The objective that we set was to study the effect of the application of the methodology we developed for the purpose of improving the speed of the front-hand punch (Kizami Tsuki) in karate. To accomplish this study, we used a computerized video system to register and analyze the speed of karate punches performed by the participants in the experiment. The results regarding the speed of the straight-hand punch were measured in the same way in order to provide identical conditions. Input data was processed by means of applied software for kinematic analysis. To prove the credibility of the registered data, we used statistical analysis methodology. We hope that by presenting our methodology in this article, more coaches will begin to use modern tools and methods in order to improve the quality of training in karate.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using difficult conditions in the balance training program through virtual reality glasses and glasses simulating alcohol consumption. According to the hypotheses of the study, the application of the balance training program with applying additional difficulty on the vestibular apparatus through technical means will lead to a greater training effect. The object of the study was the balance stability. The research was done among twenty-six Bulgarian students from the National Sports Academy. A pedagogical experiment was conducted to prove the hypothesis of the study. The testing session included two balance exercises. The collected data from the study were statistically processed with the variance analysis and t-criterion of Student. The results of the research were statistically significant and showed a greater increase in the parameters of the experimental group (FE: 33,3?; P=100?; SE: 14,3?; P=99,9?) than in those of the control group (FE: 14,7?; P=99,9?; SE: 8,3?; P=99,9?). The analysis of the results justified the hypothesis of the research. The study found out that the usage of the balance training program that applies additional difficulty on the vestibular apparatus through virtual reality glasses and glasses simulating alcohol use leads to a better balance stability.

Coaches’ confidence in their coaching abilities has a great influence on athletes and the results from their activity. In an attempt to explain coaching efficacy some authors relate it to emotional intelligence. The aim of the present research is to study the interdependence between emotional intelligence and coaching efficacy among football coaches. Methodology: The research was done among 50 football coaches aged between 23 and 45 years with different level of qualification. In order to fulfill the aim, we used: 1) Background information; 2) Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES; Feltz et al., 1999); 3) Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS; Schutte et al., 1998). Results: the results reveal that the leading subscales for the researched football coaches are „Technique efficacy“ and „Motivation efficacy“. We established significant correlations among the subscales of emotional intelligence and coaching efficacy. The results show a significant influence of emotional intelligence on coaching efficacy expectations. High Emotional Intelligence leads to increase in Technique efficacy. Conclusions: Our results regarding coaching efficacy reveal a certain specificity in comparison with the data published by foreign authors but confirm the findings in literature about the role of emotional intelligence as a predictor of coaching efficacy.

Chronic spinal disc disease has a large socioeconomic impact on the health care system. A lot of researchers confirm that physiotherapy (PT) is an effective choice of treatment for many patients. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the combined effect of physiotherapy and balneotherapy thetreatment of lumbar disc disease and to compare the results with those obtained only after physiotherapy. Twenty patients with lumbar disc disease in the chronic period, divided into two groups – experimental and control were studied. The experimental group did exercises in a thermal mineral pool and underwent a general PT program for ten days, while the control group had only general PT program for ten days. The general PT program was the same for both groups. Before and after the treatment the Schober test and the static part of the Kraus-Weber test were conducted. We revealed significant positive changes in the lumbar flexibility, endurance and strength of the back muscles, mm. glutei, abdominal muscles and the hip flexors among the patients from the experimental group, objectified by the increased time to perform the static test positions of Kraus-Weber Test and Schober test. We recommend our program with PT and balneotherapy as appropriate when dealing with patients with chronic lumbar spine disease in balneological resorts and SPA hotels.