George P NassisUniversity of Kalba
George P Nassis
Dean at University of Kalba UAE & Adj Professor University of Southern Denmark
About
174
Publications
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Introduction
George Nassis is the Dean of Sport Science at University of Kalba, UAE & adjunct professor at University of Southern Denmark. His research is focusing on exercise and health and football science. He is an associate editor for BJSM and editorial board member for Journal of Sport & Health Science & Science & Medicine in Football. George has extensive international leadership experience in leading and managing high-profile projects related to FIFA World Cup and more recently to Olympic Games.
Publications
Publications (174)
The aim of the present study was to examine: 1) the coexistence of excessive body weight and low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), at a level to be considered unhealthy, and 2) the stability (tracking) of this profile. 1754 European boys, aged 8- to 14-years old, were tested for CRF and based on international cut points were classified as having hea...
Objective: The aims of this study were to examine the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and time-trial performance in vaccinated well-trained young kayak athletes. Methods: This is a longitudinal observational study. Sixteen (7 male, 9 female) vaccinated kayakers underwent body composition assessment, maximal graded...
We need more research that will fulfill the needs of athletes and coaches. This is a common statement, highly relevant nowadays only a few weeks before the commencement of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. To fill this gap, we have identified 6 topics that we feel coaches and athletes would be interested in learning more in order to optimize their prep...
The 2026 FIFA World Cup challenge
Historical data between 2012 and 2021 reveal the potential weather challenges awaiting the upcoming 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup slated for June-July 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico.1 The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is projected to range between 30°C and 35°C in s...
Background
The effects of acute respiratory infections (ARinf) on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and sports performance still mixed outcomes and remain significant methodological heterogeneity. The current situation has become more unclear by elements encompassing vaccination, the appearance of new variants, and more open guidelines for return-to-...
The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of beetroot juice supplementation (BEET) on neuromuscular fatigue etiology during simulated soccer match play. In a randomized, double-blind, crossover design, 13 soccer players completed the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST). Players received either BEET (2×150 mL; ∼8 mmol/L nitrate...
Objective
to (1) systematically review the chronic effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on maximal fat oxidation (MFO) in overweight and obese adults, and (2) explore MFO influencing factors and its dose-response relationships with HIIT and MICT.
Methods
Studies using a between-group d...
Purpose
This study aimed to examine the short-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and return to sport (RTS) on neuromuscular performance, body composition, and mental health in well-trained young kayakers.
Methods
17 vaccinated kayakers (8 male, 9 female) underwent body composition assessment, peak power output bench press (BP), and 40-s maximum...
INTRODUCTION: Sleep is recognised as an essential component to athletic performance and recovery. Yet, compared to general recommendations, and their self-reported sleep needs, athletes typically obtain less than the recommended,
which can negatively impact performance, recovery, and health. Previous data have examined sleep needs across multiple s...
Background
Muscle strength is closely related to chronic noncommunicable diseases; specifically, a decline in handgrip strength (HS) is predominant globally. Exposure to green space—built environment components used for health intervention—reportedly decreases the risk of certain diseases and all-cause mortality. However, evidence in this area is l...
In the present topical mini-review, the beneficial impact of small-sided game football training for the increasing elderly global population is presented. As a multicomponent type of physical activity, football training executed on small pitched with 4-6 players in each team is targeting a myriad of physiological systems and causes positive adaptat...
Recruiting companies recommend elite female soccer players be ≥165 cm (5 ′ 5 ′′) in stature. This study investigated if stature limits match-playing time and performance in elite World Cup soccer among players, positions, and countries. We hypothesized stature would not affect match-playing time or performance. Descriptive data were collected on 55...
Background
Adopting a healthy lifestyle during childhood could improve physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood and reduce relevant disease burdens. However, the lifestyles of children with mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDDs) remains under-described within the literature of public health field. This study aimed to examin...
In 2022, the FIFA World Cup has been scheduled to take place in Qatar in November and December, months which coincide with the in-season period of the European soccer
season. This will be challenging for the staff of the participating national teams and the domestic clubs to which participating players are attached. The aim of this letter to the
ed...
The aim of the present chapter was to describe the specific effects of the COVID-19 regulations upon PA in sedentary people and on sport and athletes. Also, we present the importance of the home learning with specific recommendations and strategies to minimize the negative effects of the lockdown caused by the restrictions that the pandemic has pro...
Neuromuscular characteristics, such as lower-limb joint strength, the ability to reuse elastic energy, and to generate force are essential factors influencing running performance. However, their relationship with running economy (RE) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations between isokinetic lower-limb joint peak tor...
This narrative review paper aimed to discuss the literature on machine learning applications in soccer with an emphasis on injury risk assessment. A secondary aim was to provide practical tips for the health and performance staff in soccer clubs on how machine learning can provide a competitive advantage. Performance
analysis is the area with the m...
Purpose
The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological and perceptional responses to forward, forward-backward, and lateral shuttle running.
Methods
Twenty-four eligible male subjects performed a maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) test and three directional modes (i.e., forward, forward-backward, and lateral) of 5-m shuttle running at the...
Most studies investigating mental fatigue (MF) in soccer utilized a computerized Stroop task to induce MF. However, the traditional key-pressing task has been challenged for its lack of ecological validity. The limited relevance to real-life soccer made it difficult to bridge the gap between the research and the applied setting. Therefore, a novel...
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of different conditioning activities (CAs) on short-term increase in sprint performance. In twelve male sprinters (21.1±2.6 years, 100 m performance: 11.5±0.6 s) their body composition, half squat maximum strength, 100 m sprinting and countermovement jump performances were evaluated. The pe...
Background
There has been a surge of interest on velocity-based training (VBT) in recent years. However, it remains unclear whether VBT is more effective in improving strength, jump, linear sprint and change of direction speed (CODs) than the traditional 1RM percentage-based training (PBT).
Objectives
To compare the training effects in VBT vs. PBT...
Objectives
This study aimed to identify the 15-year trends of handgrip strength-to-weight (relative HS) and assess the association between relative HS and hypertension among Chinese adults aged 20–69.
Methods
Using a complex, stratified, multistage probability cluster sampling, we analyzed data collected from 712,442 adults aged 20–69 years in fou...
Exercises can be categorized into either unilateral or bilateral movements. Despite the topic popularity, the answer to the question as to which (unilateral or bilateral) is superior for a certain athletic performance enhancement remains unclear. To compare the effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance training interventions on measures of athl...
We investigated whether single or combined methods of precooling could affect high-intensity exercise performance in a hot environment. Seven male athletes were subjected to four experimental conditions for 30 min in a randomised order. The four experimental conditions were: 1) wearing a vest cooled to a temperature of 4 ℃ (Vest), 2) consuming a be...
ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to compare: i) the physiological and perceptual responses of low-load exercise [(moderate intensity exercise (MI)] with different levels of blood flow restriction (BFR), and ii) MI with BFR on the bike with high intensity (HI) exercise without BFR. The protocol involved large muscle mass exercise at different lev...
Marathon performance is influenced by factors such as aerobic capacity and those related to neuromuscular function. Complex training (CPX) is a multicomponent training method, wherein heavy strength and plyometric exercises alternate within a single session and is an effective method to improve neuromuscular adaptations. This study compared the eff...
Marathon performance is influenced by factors such as aerobic capacity and those related to neuromuscular function. Complex training (CPX) is a multicomponent training method, wherein heavy strength and plyometric exercises alternate within a single session and is an effective method to improve neuromuscular adaptations. This study compared the eff...
We aimed to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 lock down on lifestyle in China during the initial stage of the pandemic. A questionnaire was distributed to Chinese adults living in 31 provinces of China via the internet using a snowball sampling strategy. Information on 7-day physical activity recall, screen time, and emotional state were collect...
The current study aimed to investigate the evolutionary trends of players’ technical performances in the UEFA Champions League. Match statistics of 18 technical performance indicators from 1,125 matches (2,489 players, 16,247 full match observations) from the group and knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League (season 2009/2010 to 2017/2018) wer...
China is experiencing significant public health challenges related to social and demographic transitions and lifestyle transformations following unprecedented economic reforms four decades ago. Of particular public health concern is the fourfold increase in overweight and obesity rates in the nation’s youth population, coupled with the low prevalen...
The forehand loop drive is one of the primary attacking techniques in table tennis and is practiced at a large volume during training. The aim of this study was to investigate the energetic profile of the high-repetition forehand loop drive practice in table tennis. Twenty-six well-trained, young table tennis players performed a treadmill graded ex...
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the conditions for competitive football around the globe dramatically. Several competitions and leagues have been cancelled or postponed. Players have firstly been forced to training in solitude. In a second stage, players start training in small groups with strict contact restriction and return to competitive play...
The aim of this editorial is to discuss the football evolution and prepare the players, the coaches, sports medicine and sports science staff for the future game demands. The game tactical evolution is expected to elevate the players' physical demands. This together with the congested schedule will impose additional physical and mental load to the...
The on-going Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China has become the world's leading health headline and is causing major panic and public concerns. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.1 The virus has already had a direct im...
DOES ACUTE FATIGUE AFFECT PLAYER LOAD DURING AN AGILITY TASK?
Marques, JB., Paul, DJ., Akenhead, R., Nassis, G.
ASPETAR, National Sports Medicine Programme, Excellence in Football Project (Doha, Qatar)
Introduction
Accelerometers have been used to quantify deceleration (Nedergaard et al., 2014) and may be useful for monitoring neuromuscular fatigue...
The on-going Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China has become the world's leading health headline and is causing major panic and public concerns. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.1 The virus has already had a direct im...
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the characteristics of lifestyle in China during the initial stage of the COVID-19 lock down.
DESIGN
Nationwide cross-sectional study.
SETTING
Thirty-one provinces of China from January 24 to February 2, 2020.
PARTICIPANTS
12107 participants (5633 men and 6474 women) were included.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Physical activity,...
Background:
Exercise frequency is important for maintaining health; however, its effects on postprandial responses remain largely unknown. Better understanding this during popular sports activities such as football may influence exercise habits. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of playing one single versus three c...
Background:
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) opens an interesting perspective for predicting injury risk and performance in team sports. A better understanding of the techniques of AI employed and of the sports that are using AI is clearly warranted. The purpose of this study is to identify which AI approaches have been applied to i...
Background:The application of artificial intelligence (AI) opens an interesting perspective for predicting injury risk and performance in team sports. A better understanding of the techniques of AI employed and of the sports that are using AI is clearly warranted. The purpose of this study is to identify which AI approaches have been applied to inv...
Elevated postprandial triglyceride (TG) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The time window for the last bout beneficial effect on postprandial lipaemia after football play is unknown. The aim of the present study was to examine whether playing affects postprandial TG during 1.5 day of reduced activity. Eighteen males were...
Overall injury rates remain high in elite football despite the significant research on injury prevention.1 One of the reasons is the players’ low adherence to injury prevention programmes due to their experience of muscle soreness and ‘heavy legs during the match’.2 Additionally, prevention training compliance may be reduced due to the ‘desire to p...
Background
Sleep quality is an essential component of athlete’s recovery. However, a better understanding of the parameters to adequately quantify sleep quality in team sport athletes is clearly warranted.
Objective
To identify which parameters to use for sleep quality monitoring in team sport athletes.
Methods
Systematic searches for articles re...
Purpose
To quantify the association between salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and training load in elite football players.
Methods
Data were obtained in four consecutive days during the preparation camp for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Saliva samples of 18 elite male football players were collected prior to breakfast. The session rating of...
Objectives To conduct a comprehensive mapping analysis to the scientific literature published in football aiming to identify the areas of bigger interest and potential for further exploration.
Methods The data were obtained by a search conducted on the Web of Science. Articles were listed based on citation frequency. We used an open-source bibliom...
The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether recruitment status influences neuromuscular and endurance performances in academy soccer players over a 2-year training period (from Under-16 to Under-18). Thirty-seven male soccer players from an elite academy were selected and divided in two cohorts according to their recruitment s...
Purpose:
The aim of the study was to i) examine the reproducibility of the perceived recovery scale (PRS) in football players ii) describe the time course of the PRS in response to a football match.
Methods
Twenty trained youth players (mean ± SD; age 16.2 ± 1.2 y, height 1.75 ± 0.07 m, body mass 64.0 ± 7.8 kg) took part in the study. PRS was coll...
Introduction Salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) provides a non-invasive assessment that may be useful to monitor soccer players responses to training along with measures of training load. There are seldom attempts to quantify the association between sIgA and measures of training load, but these are limited by suboptimal statistical approach...
Background:
It is unknown whether a concentrated period of small-sided games and high intensity training is an effective training approach in youth soccer players. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a concentrated period of soccer specific training on physical fitness in youth players.
Methods:
Nineteen male soccer players, from t...
Cite this article as:
Paul, D.J., Bangsbo, J. & Nassis, G.P. Eur J Appl Physiol (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3766-y
Introduction
The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of playing football on postprandial lipaemia in normal and overweight individuals.
Methods
Fifteen (7 normal weight, age = 32.3 ± 6.0 years, BMI = 22...
We all have noticed a big increase in the number of scientific publications related to injury prevention and performance enhancement in football in the last 10-15 years. Despite that our impact as sports science and medicine staff in football teams may have not improved to a similar extent. Indeed, in a recent survey staff from high level football...
Background: The tournament design of any FIFA World CupTM is characterized with a high amount of games within a short period of time with limited recovery periods. This study aimed to investigate alterations in match activity and fatigue patterns of players from top ranked teams during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Methods: The performance dat...
Tο debate έγινε στο πλαίσιο του 2ου Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου ΦΑΑ, της ΣΕΦΑΑ-ΑΠΘ.
Οι εισηγητές Γ. Μπογδάνης και Γ. Νάσσης είχαν ίση συμμετοχή ως πρώτοι συγγραφείς (equal first author contribution) στην εργασία αυτή. Σχολιαστής του debate και συν-συγγραφέας ήταν ο Β. Μούγιος, Καθηγητής Βιοχημείας της Άσκησης, ΤΕΦΑΑ Θεσσαλονίκης
In summary, our study showed that a RPE-based workload calculation is not without limitations and this should be taken into account from scientists and practitioners. Indeed, this point has been raised by others as well (3, 4). Studies showing low-to-moderate correlation coefficients between RPE and GPS-derived workload data are on the same line (6...
I Want to Monitor My Athlete But Where Do I Start?
Given the relationships among athlete workloads, injury1 and performance,2 athlete monitoring has become critical in the high performance sporting environment. Sports medicine and science
staff have a suite of monitoring tools available to track how much ‘work’ an athlete has performed, the respons...
Introduction Talent identification and development is paramount to ensure long-term economic, sportive success and sustainability of professional clubs (Williams et al., 2000). Evidence shows a higher rate of physical development in academy compared to non-academy soccer players (Wrigley et al., 2014). The premise being that earlier recruitment wil...
Introduction Recovery monitoring is a staple feature in most professional football clubs daily routine. The time course response of several di↵erent measures (neuromuscular and biochemical) following a match or training has been examined. However, little is known regarding the time course response of perceived recovery following a football match an...
Methods
Seven male club-level soccer players completed 12 maximal sprint shuttle (180° turn) efforts with 2mins passive rest between each. The 12 efforts were distributed between 3 experimental conditions which differed by the time elapsed between the start beep and the signal to change direction (1.0 sec, 1.5 sec and 2.0 sec). The distances of eac...
Playing soccer has shown to have short and long term health benefits. Whether a dose response relationship exists for soccer training over a short period (1 week) is unknown.
PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of acute versus accumulated soccer match play on postprandial dysmetabolism in recreational players.
METHODS:...
High intensity interval training (HIIT) can produce similar if not greater improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, an independent protective factor against premature death, and some health-related parameters compared to conventional, moderate intensity continuous training (MICT). HIIT takes substantially less time to complete and this enhances i...
β-alanine is a popular supplement among athletes with 61% of competitive team sport players recently surveyed reporting β-alanine use(1). Despite its popularity, there is limited evidence on the most effective supplementation strategy and the systematic review and meta-analysis published by Sauders B et al (2) has shed some light on this issue. Ath...