Lorenzo Laporta

• PhD in Sport Science
• Professor at Federal University of Santa Maria

Este trabalho buscou verificar e sistematizar a literatura existente sobre a utilização dos Jogos Reduzidos eCondicionados no ensino dos esportes coletivos para pessoas com Transtorno do Espectro Autista através deuma revisão bibliográfica. Foram realizadas buscas nas bases de dados digitais Scielo, PubMed, Scopus e Web ofScience no mês de dezembro...

Padel is a worldwide racket sport that is growing each year. The unilateral upper limb repetitive movements of this sport may lead to shoulder structural and functional adaptations, which may alter muscle mechanics, however evidence is limited. We aimed to investigate if there is morphological, mechanical and functional shoulder symmetry between up...

The behavior of the serve, return of serve, and third action in male young athletes from the Brazilian national padel team El comportamiento del saque, la devolución del saque y la tercera acción en jóvenes atletas masculinos del Equipo Nacional de Pádel de Brasil Abstract. The objective of this study was to investigate the initial actions' behavio...

Introduction: Beach tennis has become a popular sport, but research on its mental health benefits is scarce. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the effects of beach tennis on anxiety symptoms. Objectives: To assess the effect of a single session of beach tennis, in both singles and doubles modes, on anxiety symptoms. Methods: Tw...

Purpose The objective of the present manuscript was to analyse the flow of play in high-level women’s volleyball by sequencing game complexes per set. Methods The sample analysed 135 matches played in the 2021/2022 Brazilian Women’s Superliga, with the number of matches analysed ranging from 14 and 25 matches for all teams participating in the cha...

Small-sided games (SSGs) are commonly employed to simulate game-specific scenarios, emphasizing the importance of incorporating numerical equality and imbalance to mirror real match dynamics. This study evaluated the physical, physiological, and tactical responses of U-15 and U-17 soccer players during SSGs with numerical balance and numerical supe...

Small-sided games (SSGs) are commonly employed to simulate game-specific scenarios, emphasizing the importance of incorporating numerical equality and imbalance to mirror real match dynamics. This study evaluated the physical, physiological, and tactical responses of U-15 and U-17 soccer players during SSGs with numerical balance and numerical supe...

SUMMARY Background. It is still not clear what physiologically differentiates trained individu­als from untrained individuals regarding the ability to hypertrophy, with speculation that these individuals may present different swelling levels in response to the same training load. Objective. This study aimed to compare the response of muscular swell...

Futsal is an intermittent sport that demands high intensity. In parallel, the control and monitoring ofintensities become important to quantify and qualify training demands. Variations in internal and externaltraining intensity were analyzed in semi-professional futsal players, along with the training intensityplanned by the coach during regular we...

The current investigation scrutinized the strategic approaches employed by the top four teams in the Brazilian Men’s Volleyball Superliga, according to the match’s opponent. The study encompasses the analysis of 22 matches, involving teams ranked first through fourth, competing against each of the 12 teams participating in the 21–22 season of the B...

Introduction: The discussion regarding the influence of range of motion (ROM) on muscle hypertrophy following resistance training has increased. However, there is still limited data on the impact of varying the range of motion on muscle hypertrophy. Methodology: This study compared within-subject (study case) the hypertrophy of the medial gastrocn...

The current investigation scrutinized the strategic approaches employed by the top four teams in the Brazilian Men's Volleyball Superliga, according to the match's opponent. The study encompasses the analysis of 22 matches, involving teams ranked first through fourth, competing against each of the 12 teams participating in the 21-22 season of the B...

The ability to design Small-sided games (SSGs) by manipulating the game allows coaches to align the games with players' specific needs, thereby fostering adaptations in their behavior as they engage with the challenges presented in the drills. Given the increasing volume of original research on SSGs in basketball, this systematic review aims to syn...

This Frontiers Research Topic compiles studies focused on performance analysis using small-sided games (SSGs) in team sports. Specifically, it emphasizes various aspects such as the manipulation and adaptation of new game scenarios, evaluation and training of tactical and technical variables within SSGs, assessment and monitoring of physiological,...

Vertical jump is an important skill that influences volleyball performance. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between vertical jump performance and birth quartile of Brazilian male youth volleyball players. We calculated chi-square goodness-of-fit tests to compare the athletes' birthdate distributions in quarters of their birth years (Q1,...

Background Stretching has garnered significant attention in sports sciences, resulting in numerous studies. However, there is no comprehensive overview on investigation of stretching in healthy athletes. Objectives To perform a systematic scoping review with an evidence gap map of stretching studies in healthy athletes, identify current gaps in th...

Background. Previous studies suggest training to failure may not yield superior muscle responses compared to non-failure training, leaving the combined use unexplored. Objective. To compare the number of repetitions, volume-load, time under tension (TUT), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and muscle swelling between two protocols: one involving fou...

Vertical jump is an important skill that influences volleyball performance. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between vertical jump performance and birth quartile of Brazilian male youth volleyball players. We calculated chi-square goodness-of-fit tests to compare the athletes’ birthdate distributions in quarters of their birth years (Q1,...

Purpose The aim of the present study was to analyse the within-week variations according to the internal (rate of perceived exertion [RPE], and session-RPE) and external (jump height average, minimum jump, maximal jump, range of jump, number of jumps and density) intensity. Methods Twelve male elite/international volleyball athletes from the Portu...

Os jogos reduzidos e condicionados são uma estratégia eficaz no ensino e aprendizagem de competências tático-técnicas no voleibol. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se os jogos reduzidos e condicionados no voleibol fazem parte do ementário dos cursos de Educação Física das universidades federais brasileiras. Utilizamos a investigação documental...

Our primary objective in this study was to investigate the offensive strategies employed in the attack phase of men’s volleyball, specifically focusing on side-out as stratified by the type of confrontation that was determined by the opponent’s team performance. We analyzed 5524 attacking actions during 22 games of the 12 teams that participated in...

The objective of the present study was to analyze and compare the setter's decision-making (DM) in the offensive construction of the side-out (attack from the reception) in high-level men's volleyball. The sample consisted of the analysis of 132 games of the Brazilian men's volleyball Super-League 2021/2022, with 22 games for each team. The results...

In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of acute fatigue on pistol shooting performance among Air Force marksmen. We compared the accuracy, precision, speed-accuracy trade-off, shooting cycle time, and hits on a silhouette target among 12 Brazilian Air Force servicemen (M age = 21.5, SD – 1.6 years) under both fatigue and non-fatigue cond...

Small-sided and conditioned games (SSGs) are pedagogical tools that help in soccer training, being used to solve tactical problems with the specific demands of the game. In this context, this study aimed to compare physical, physiological, and tactical responses in elite women’s soccer in SSGs with numerical equality (3-a-side) and superiority (3-a...

The present study verified the differences in the offensive construction from the reception of the priority receivers in volleyball (libero, outsider hitter near and away from setter) through the Social Networks Analysis. The sample consisted of 3053 reception actions and 2743 attack actions of the 2018 Men's Volleyball World Championship played be...

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the rally length in high-level Spanish volleyball was longer in women than in men. A total of 1,786 rallies were observed: 792 for women and 994 for men. The recorded variables were match (quarter-final 1, quarter-final 2, semi-final 1, semi-final 2, final), gender (men, women), rally length (seconds),...

The stereotyped sequence of volleyball actions allows organising them into six game complexes (K), each with specific dynamics. The purpose of this study was to verify the game flow in high-level women's volleyball through the sequencing of game complexes, their relative importance within the game and their relationship to attack efficacy. Seven ma...

O Efeito da Idade Relativa (EIR) está presente no voleibol em diferentes faixas etárias, níveis competitivos e sexo, fazendo-se necessária a busca pelas informações e melhor entendimento acerca desse fenômeno na modalidade. O presente estudo objetiva apresentar, através de uma revisão narrativa, as publicações relacionadas ao EIR no voleibol mascul...

The analysis of decision making in different sports is a procedure that has been investigated and allows a better ecological understanding of the game. However, little is known about the setter's decision making in volleyball and its influence on the game in high-level volleyball. Thus, the objective of the present research was to analyze the sette...

The present research objective was to analyze the offensive phase from Complex I in high-level male volleyball teams in a macro- and micro-level view, through the inter e intra-team variability analysis of eight best teams of the 2018 Men’s Volleyball World Championship over the social network analysis and eigenvector centrality. The sample consist...

Purpose: To compare the tactical-technical behavior of volleyball players according to the manipulation of court size in small-sided games. Method: We analyzed the tactical-technical behaviors of 16 male players (12.2 ± 0.5 years and 1.2 ± 0.8 years of practice) using the components of the GPAI instrument (Adjustment, efficiency, decision-making an...

Athletes born closer to an arbitrary cut-off date are more likely to reach an elite level in sport, which is supported by a phenomenon called the relative age effect (RAE). It is important to determine whether this phenomenon is present in a sport to minimize this selection bias. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of RAE in elite volley...

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze the within-week differences in external training intensity in different microcycles considering different playing positions in women elite volleyball players. Methods The training and match data were collected during the 2020–2021 season, which included 10 friendly matches, 41 league matches and 11 champ...

O presente estudo objetivou analisar a realização das ações de approach, subida à rede e voleio, em um cenário crítico durante situação de treino. Dezessete atletas infantojuvenis foram analisados durante jogos tie-break de até 10 pontos, totalizando 696 trocas de bola, das quais 137 possibilitaram o approach. Foram avaliadas quatro variáveis relac...

Athletes born closer to an arbitrary cutoff date are more likely to reach an elite level in sport, which is supported by a phenomenon called the relative age effect (RAE). It is important to determine whether this phenomenon is present in a sport to minimize this selection bias. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of RAE in elite volleyb...

Volleyball is a popular sport in Brazil, and the relative age effect (RAE) is known to occur within it; but less is known of how RAE relates to elite Brazilian volleyball players’ age, sex, and competitive levels. We aimed to investigate RAE prevalence with data from two seasons of play among players in the Superliga A (2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seas...

Os jogos reduzidos são formas alternativas de mudar a dinâmica e a estrutura dos jogos formais. Manipulações como: espaço de jogo, número de jogadores, posses de bola, regras, entre outros são realizadas, objetivando que o jogador se adapte a diversos contextos, como também fomentar a iniciação e facilitar a aprendizagem da tática e técnica inerent...

The purpose of the study was to test the within-week variations of the internal and external training intensity outcomes organized by days of the week. An 8-month observational period was conducted during the 2020–2021 season. The training sessions and matches of an elite volleyball team were monitored daily. The data comes from 14 players (two set...

Studies on small-sided games (SSG) in team sports have increased in recent decades. However, the literature concerning this training strategy in volleyball is sparse. This study aims to summarize and analyse the scientific evidence on SSG in volleyball. For this purpose, electronic searches were conducted in August 2021 in PubMed, Scielo, ScienceDi...

Team sports are played in highly unpredictable environments, in which players’ cognitive processes are critical to successful Decision Making. Thus, it is important that training settings provide players a variety of game situations that will allow them to develop the cognitive processes related to their Decision-Making capacity. Accordingly, it is...

The present study used the Social Network Analysis aiming to explain the direct and indirect relationships between the reception location and subsequent game procedures, evaluating the similarities and differences in offensive construction.The sample consisted of the analysis of 22 games from the 2018 Men’s Volleyball World Championship. Only teams...

Background: The spike is a key action in volleyball, and the landing technique and its asymmetries are commonly associated with an increased risk of injury. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to assess how male and female volleyball players land (i.e., unilaterally, or bilaterally) after spike jumps in matches and analytical settings...

The investigation of the perception of affordances in sport has evolved by considering an ecological analysis of the game, thus seeking to understand how athletes collect information from the environment to increase the chances of making appropriate decisions concerning the constraints of the game. Perception of affordances involves an interaction...

In performance analysis, and most notably in match analysis, generalizing game patterns in a sport or competition may result in formulating generic models and neglecting relevant variability in benefit of average or central values. Here, we aimed to understand how different game models can coexist at the same competitive level using social network...

In sports, it is often assumed that distinct game patterns may influence the outcome of the play differently. However, a few articles about men’s volleyball have suggested that play efficacy may rely more on the quality of individual attack actions, and not on game patterns. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to scrutinize if and how game pat- t...

This study aimed to analyze how situational constraints (lifter distance to attackers and blockers) influenced a volleyball setter’s distribution after reception that allow an organized attack with all attack options and the relationship between the attack tempo and the effect of the attack according to the setting location. The sample comprised 22...

Introduction. Motivation and decision-making are important variables of sports performance. In this perspective, identifying whether motivation is associated with decisions made by athletes is essential to provide environments that facilitate the achievement of better performances. Aim of Study. The objective was (a) to analyze the decision-making...

A contribuição da fundação tênis e dos valores olímpicos na vida e na formação escolar de ex-participantes do projeto em Santiago/RS The contribution of the tennis foundation and Olympic values in the life and school education of ex project participants in Santiago City/RS/ Brazil La contribución de la fundación tenis y de los valores olímpicos en...

The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of exercise programs using agility ladders and to assess the quality of available evidence. Search was conducted in October of 2019 using the following databases: Cochrane Library, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Study eligibility criteria included randomized trials or randomi...

Match Analysis has provided valuable insights for understanding performance. Social Network Analysis has delivered powerful contributions, especially with its most recent game-centred approaches, coupled with the weighting of direct and indirect connections between game actions. The goal was to expand upon these applications, analysing whether diff...

Performance analysis in volleyball has seldom analysed the interrelationships of game actions under the systemic view of distinct game complexes, and how different patterns of game flow emerge. In this study, we used Social Network Analysis with eigenvector centrality to weight direct and indirect relationships between game actions and to assess th...

Social Network Analysis establishes a network system and provides information about the relationships (edges) between system components (nodes). Although nodes usually correspond to actors within the network (e.g., the players), it is possible to stipulate game actions as nodes, thus creating a network of the flow of game actions. In this study, Ei...

Eigenvector Centrality values for Complex II. (DOCX)

Eigenvector Centrality values for Complex IV. (DOCX)

Eigenvector Centrality values for Complex V. (DOCX)

Summary of variables and occurrence in the game. (DOCX)

Eigenvector Centrality values for Complex I. (DOCX)

Eigenvector Centrality values for Complex 0. (DOCX)

Eigenvector Centrality values for Complex III. (DOCX)

Gephi Data Base with Codes for the different variables: IPS–Initial Position of the Serve; ST–Serve Type (Jump, Jump-Float and Standing-Float); FC–Zone of First Contact; SC Setting Condition; AZ–Attack Zone; AT–Attack Tempo; BO–Block Opposition; KIVB–Number of Available Player Before of Attack Coverage; KIVL–Number of Coverage Lines; KVD and KVF–Do...

The aim of the present study was to analyse the Japanese National Women’s Volleyball Team and to identify items differentiating it from other teams. All fifteen matches between the six National Teams (i.e., Japan, Brazil, China, Belgium, Turkey and Russia) competing at the Women’s Volleyball World Grand Prix Finals of 2014 were analyzed, in a total...

A deeper understanding of the factors behind performance and their interactions is essential to promote better training practices. Notwithstanding, the focus often relies on the outcomes of players' actions (e.g., efficacy rates), whereas the nature and variations of particular classes of actions remain largely unexplored. Our purpose was to conduc...

Th is work analysed team sports as complex systems in which behavioural variables need to be taken into consideration when studying performance. Within this understanding, the use of Social Network Analysis constitutes a useful research path. As such, this research analysed two of the least studied game complexes: attack coverage and freeball and d...

Competitive sports are growing in popularity at an exponential rate, with training becoming an almost overwhelming process, demanding an understanding and awareness of the effects of a great number of variables on sport performance. Thus, systemic approaches have emerged as essential for understanding the complex dynamics of performance. In this ve...

In a systematic approach to mapping the game of Volleyball, Social Network Analysis emerges as a tool for objectifying relationships (edges) between game actions (nodes). Volleyball is composed of six subsystems or Game Complexes (K). Our study focused on the interaction between some variables of Complex 0 (K0: Serve Zone and Type) and Complex I (K...

Change is pervasive, but emerging patterns are occasionally detectable through analysis of systemic behaviors. Match analysis uses these patterns in order to reduce the degree of improvisation and to optimize the training process. However, it is possible that certain game phases elude systematic patterning. In this vein, our aim was to analyze the...

Change is ubiquitous, but its degree and rate often affords detection of emerging patterns and establishing behavioral dynamics based on expected regularities. Match analysis capitalizes on such regularities, capturing information relevant for enhancing structure and reducing improvisation to a minimum. However, what if a game phase is only loosely...

Change is ubiquitous, but its degree and rate often affords detection of emerging patterns and establishing behavioral dynamics based on expected regularities. Match analysis capitalizes on such regularities, capturing information relevant for enhancing structure and reducing improvisation to a minimum. However, what if a game phase is only loosely...

Volleyball is a non-invasive team sport characterized by two fundamentally different games complex (Ks) [1]. The KI or side-out consists in the attack organization after serve-reception, while the KII refers to the attack after the defense (i.e., the counter-attack). Within each of the game complexes, the moment of attack implies, most of the times...