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This study investigated the hydration profile of high-performance female cricket players competing at a national tournament. The profile comprised hydration monitoring (n = 18) and a questionnaire (n = 20). Our objectives were to 1) advance the understanding of fluid losses in cricket sessions across a tournament and 2) assess the hydration knowledge and practices in female cricket players. Body mass before and after each game inning was recorded in order to estimate sweat rate, sweat loss, and percentage body-mass loss. Comparisons were made between groups categorized according to level of activity during each inning. When sweat rates were estimated according to actual activity time, results were in the range of those in other female team sports but less than results from male cricket players. A range of knowledge of hydration issues was also observed. This study supports the need for individualized hydration recommendations and provides direction for further hydration education in women’s cricket.

The heart rate intensity during 20 minutes of sports participation by circumpubertal children was monitored several times over a season. The competitive games’ mean absolute heart rates for basketball, badminton, netball, and tennis were 170, 159, 168, and 162 bts·min⁻¹ (or 72, 75, 69, and 67% of heart rate maximum), respectively. The mean abolute heart rates for 20 minutes of participation under practice conditions for badminton, basketball, netball, and tennis were 149, 157, 144, and 135 bts·min⁻¹, or 73, 75, 69, and 67% of heart rate maximum. At the 0.05 level of probability there was a significant difference between the heart rate intensities under competitive game and practice situations in the badminton, netball, and tennis groups. The difference between intensities of competitive games and practices was nonsignificant in the basketball players. The study concluded that participation in practice and game conditions was positive in providing the potential for a training stimulus.

This study examined the changes in the physiological profile of children engaged in organized sporting activity compared to a group of normally active children. Eight children (mean age 11.4 yrs) from each of four popular sports in Australia (badminton, basketball, netball, and tennis) and an equal number of nontraining children were monitored over a 12-week season. Very few differences occurred between the sporting groups and the control group. No change was reported between groups in peak oxygen uptake at the start and completion of the season. Changes occurring within each group did not consistently reflect any sport-specific characteristics over the season. Flexibility improved significantly, with an average gain of 3.76 cm in all groups except basketball players, who gained only 0.69 cm for the 12 weeks. Anaerobic power demonstrated significant improvement only within those sporting groups whose training specifically included explosive based activity. It is suggested that the active nature of the control children and use of only 12 weeks of data collection could have contributed to the limited physiological differences observed between active sporting and nonsporting children.

Traditional talent development pathways for adolescents in team sports follow talent identification procedures based on subjective games ratings and isolated athletic assessment. Most talent development models are exclusive rather than inclusive in nature. Subsequently, talent identification may result in discontentment, premature stratification, or dropout from team sports. Understanding the multidimensional differences among the requirements of adolescent and elite adult athletes could provide more realistic goals for potential talented players. Coach education should include adolescent development, and rewards for team success at the adolescent level should reflect the needs of long-term player development. Effective talent development needs to incorporate physical and psychological maturity, the relative age effect, objective measures of game sense, and athletic prowess. The influences of media and culture on the individual, and the competing time demands between various competitions for player training time should be monitored and mediated where appropriate. Despite the complexity, talent development is a worthy investment in professional team sport.

Despite widespread encouragement for children to participate in sport, the efficacy of early sporting pathways remains underexplored. We compared a rotational junior-sport model combining skills from rugby, cricket, and netball with a modified games model. Motion analysis was used to quantify movement. Results revealed no differences between sporting models in relative percent time spent stationary (p = .32), walking (p = .89), jogging (p = .45), and fast running (p =.06). The rotational model had a greater number of skill-development opportunities per minute (median = 3.4) compared with the modified games model (median = 1.1, p = .001). Promising results from varied and rotational skill exposure warrant further elucidation.

The purpose of this study was to determine the anaerobic capacity of children using the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit technique (AOD). Eighteen healthy children (9 boys, 9 girls) with a mean age of 10.6 years volunteered as subjects. Peak oxygen uptake and submaximal steady-state oxygen uptake tests were conducted against progressive constant work rates on a Cybex cycle ergometer. Supramaximal work rates were predicted from the linear regression of submaximal steady-state work rates and oxygen uptakes to equal 110, 130, and 150% of peak oxygen uptake. Results indicated a significant interaction in the responses of both sexes when the accumulated oxygen deficit data were expressed in both absolute and relative terms. The profile of accumulated oxygen deficits across the three intensities indicated a downward shift in the girls responses between the 110 and 150% supramaximal tests. This trend was not evident in the boys’ responses. Intraclass correlations conducted on test-retest data indicated that compared to the boys, the reliability of the girls in the accumulated oxygen deficits in liters and ml·kg⁻¹ was poorer.

A definitive measure for assessing the energy contribution of anaerobic pathways during exhaustive exercise remains inconclusive. The accumulated oxygen deficit (AOD) has been used in several studies to estimate energy contribution. The underlying assumptions of the AOD measure have been criticized for underestimating the true contribution of anaerobic metabolism in high intensity exercise. Indeed, the AOD measure has been the subject of much controversy. Several of the physiological exercise responses of children may lead to an even greater underestimation of the anaerobic energy contribution to high intensity exercise in children than adults when AOD measures are calculated.

Thirty-two elite junior athletes in two age categories, older than or equal to IS years old (O15) (8 females and 9 males) and less than 15 years old (U15) (8 females and 7 males), performed a laboratory-based duathlon (run-ride-run). At the completion of the event, significant body mass losses were recorded for all groups. Compared with the other three groups, the O15 males lost body mass at a greater absolute rate (1.26 ±0.06 kg ⋅ hr⁻¹ vs. a mean of 0.62 ±0.11 kg ⋅ hr⁻¹ for the other three groups) and a greater relative rate (1.95 ± 0.10% BM ⋅ hr⁻¹ vs. a mean of 1.23 ± 0.19 %BM ⋅ hr⁻¹ for the other three groups) (p < .05). No differences were observed between groups for fluid consumption. Subjects consumed more fluid (p < .05) during the cycle phase and postevent than preevenl or during the run phases. Results indicated that the athletes' fluid intake practices were insufficient to maintain adequate hydration during the simulated event.