Pedro E. Alcaraz

Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia | UCAM · Centro de Investigación en Alto Rendimiento Deportivo

Padel is an intermittent racket sport played in pairs (2 vs. 2) on a small-sized grass court (20 x 10 m), involving high physical fitness demands for the players. Therefore, this study aims to compare the effect of two 8-week in-season training programs on the athletic performance of male padel players. Participants (age, 22.1±0.8; body height, 182...

Olympic coaches are likely to have adequate knowledge and implement effective training programs. This study aimed to describe and critically examine the strength and conditioning practices adopted by Brazilian Olympic sprint and jump coaches. Nineteen Olympic coaches (age: 50.2 ± 10.8 years; professional experience: 25.9 ± 13.1 years) completed a s...

Player availability, defined as keeping players injury-free and ready to participate in competition, is extremely important in the current elite team sport scenarios, because it is related to team performance. In fact, individual player availability may be more important than each player being at their individual level of peak performance. However,...

Dietary (poly)phenol intake derived from the daily consumption of five portions of fruits and vegetables could protect against the development of non-communicable diseases. However, the general population does not meet the recommended intake. Supplementation with (poly)phenol-rich ingredients, within a varied and balanced diet, could help in fillin...

This study aimed to compare the changes in body composition and physical qualities of under 19’ s backs and forwards during the season (i.e . from pre-season [Pre-S] to end-season [End-S]). Twenty-seven male youth rugby union players (mean ± SD: age, Forwards [n = 11]: 17.5 ± 1.2 and Backs [n = 16]: 17.0 ± 0.9 years) participated in this study. Par...

This study aimed to describe the current practices in futsal regarding a variety of topics related to performance and injury risk mitigation. Thirty-seven coaches from Spain and Portugal completed a questionnaire consisting of 28 closed questions organized in four categories: a) background information; b) training load (TL) monitoring and assessmen...

Sprinting is one of the most important skills associated with sports performance. One of the resisted sprint methods associated with the development of this skill is resisted sled training (RST), which appears to be effective for the development of sprinting, especially for the acceleration phase. However, there seems to be no consensus in the scie...

Infrared thermography is a valid tool for the measurement and quantification of the metabolic response of the muscular system, including in sports (1). In particular, infrared thermography is a reliable, non-invasive, low-cost diagnostic tool that measures the intensity of infrared radiation emitted by body surfaces, converting it into a temperatur...

This study aimed to (1) characterize the physical demands of 3 × 3 basketball games during live playing time and ball possession and (2) assess the differences in physical demands between male and female players. Following an observational design, video footage from 27 games of the International Basketball Federation 3 × 3 World Cup 2019 were analy...

During the off-season, cyclists reduce their volume and intensity of training in order to recover the body from the high workload during the competitive season. Some studies have examined the effects of the off-season on cardiovascular, metabolic, and performance levels but have not evaluated oxygen metabolism, acid-base status, and electrolytes in...

A professional futsal season imposes a great amount of physiological and mechanical stress on players. The main aim of this study was to examine the changes in neuromuscular performance qualities across the season. Ten professional male players performed a 10-m sprint, standing long jumps (SLJ), and countermovement jumps (CMJ) during the competitiv...

The primary aim of this narrative review was to outline the historical genesis of resistance training strategies that incorporate high-load, low-velocity exercises and low-load, high-velocity exercises in the same training session allowing for different "exercise sequences" to be simultaneously implemented. Discrepancies between scientific works an...

This study aimed to: i) analyze the differences in anthropometric, body composition, physical, and technical parameters in elite female football players across distinct playing positions; ii) examine the correlations between kicking velocity (KV) and physical performance, and the relationships between linear sprint and curve sprint (CS) times. Twen...

We investigated the relationships between linear and multidirectional sprint tests in elite young soccer players, using different speed measurements and their associated deficits. Twenty-three under-17 and seventeen under-16 soccer players performed, on the same day: 17-m linear sprint (with 10-m split times), curve sprints for “good” and “weak” si...

This study aimed at developing and validating an innovative field test for measuring the aerobic capacity of basketball players during games. Such capacity is necessary for recovering from high frequency anaerobic actions such as sprinting and continuing to perform well. To recover, the body must rebuild its creatine phosphate reserve and emit accu...

Sprinting is a key component for many individual and team sports. Therefore, to enhance sprint performance, various training methods are widely used by coaches and practitioners, including maximum sprint speed and resisted sprint training. Resisted sprinting with sled towing is a method that has recently received considerable attention from the spo...

Chronic supplementation with 2S-hesperidin improves performance; however, the mechanisms underlying this effect have not yet been explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether changes in acid-base status may be associated with improved performance after 2S-hesperidin supplementation compared to microcellulose (placebo). Forty ama...

This study aimed to analyze the acute and residual effects of increased high-speed running (HSR) demands during an in-season training microcycle in young elite soccer players on localized neuromuscular fatigue (NMF) of the knee extensors (KE), posterior chain muscles and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Thirty-four elite young soccer players (age...

A progressive shift away from traditional healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterra- nean diet (MedDiet), has been observed in recent decades. The aim of this study was to assess de- terminants of optimal adherence to the MedDiet in Spanish children and adolescents. A cross-sec- tional analysis was included in the PASOS nationwide representat...

The aims of this study were twofold: to compare the strength-related performance between young forwards and backs rugby players and to examine the correlations between strength deficit (SDef), strength parameters, and sprint and jump performance. Fifty-seven male rugby players (mean 6 SD: age, 17.4 6 1.3 years) performed anthropometric and body com...

Background and aims: The World Health Organization recommended simultaneous measurement of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and suggested joint use to predict disease risks. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of BMI and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) categories among Spanish children and adolescents, as well as thei...

Abstract: In the field of sports science, the recovery umbrella is a trending topic, and even more so in the world of elite sports. This is evidenced by the significant increase in scientific publications during the last 10 years as teams look to find a competitive edge. Recovery is recognized to be an integral component to assist athlete preparati...

We examined the relationships between change of direction (COD) speed and deficit, and a series of speed- and power-related measurements in national team rugby union players and analyzed the influence of movement patterns on COD ability. Eleven male athletes completed the following physical assessments on different days: day 1—anthropometric measur...

Rugby Union is a physically demanding game, in which well developed physical qualities (eg. body size, strength, speed and aerobic fitness) are important attributes for player success (1,2). Hence, due to the demands of rugby union, the development of these physical qualities and an optimal body composition are all required to enable the completion...

Endurance profile assessment is of major interest to evaluate the cyclist’s performance potential. In this regard, maximal oxygen uptake and functional threshold power are useful functional parameters to determine metabolic training zones (ventilatory threshold). The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the physiological profile of differe...

Background: This study aimed to compare the worst-case scenarios (WCS) between official (OFF) and non-official (Non-OFF) matches, among different time-periods in an elite futsal team. Material and Methods: Twenty-six games were divided into OFF (n = 13) and Non-OFF (n = 13). The WCS were calculated using: two methods, rolling averages (ROLL) and f...

This study's aim was to analyze muscle activation and kinematics of sled-pushing and resisted-parachute sprinting with three load conditions on an instrumentalized SKILLRUN ® tread-mill. Nine male amateur rugby union players (21.3 ± 4.3 years, 75.8 ± 10.2 kg, 176.6 ± 8.8 cm) performed a sled-push session consisting of three 15-m repetitions at 20%,...

Introduction : Recently, a pandemic disease (i.e., COVID-19) arose complicated conditions for players, clubs, and sports competitions. Most European countries postponed or canceled their respective leagues as players were forced into a long-term lockdown. This case study presents and compares the absolute and relative non-contact lower-limb injury...

Purpose: To compare the strength, speed, and power performance of elite sprinters with and without visual impairment. Methods: Twelve elite able-bodied sprinters and 15 Paralympic sprinters with visual impairment took part in this study. Sprinters from both groups performed the following tests: squat and countermovement jumps, maximum bar-power...

Brazil is the leading global exporter of soccer players, with approximately 2,000 international transfers to different clubs per year. Although Brazilian players compete in the most prestigious soccer leagues worldwide, the habitual training methods, strategies, and routines of Brazilian soccer strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) are undocumen...

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine the changes in resisted sprint performance and kinematics provoked by different sled loads in elite sprinters and rugby players. Methods: Eight elite male sprinters and 10 rugby union players performed 20-m sprints under three loading conditions (0%, 20%, and 60% body-mass [BM]). Sprint time was...

Background Validation of self-reported tools, such as physical activity (PA) questionnaires, is crucial. The aim of this study was to determine test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and the concurrent, construct, and predictive validity of the short semi-quantitative Physical Activity Unit 7 item Screener (PAU-7S), using accelerometry as t...

Change of direction (COD) efforts are crucial in team-sports and an extensive body of research has been devoted to investigating this complex and multifaceted skill. Most studies have assessed players' ability to change direction by reporting completion time or average velocity in different COD tasks. However, it has been argued that these variable...

Currently, there are no studies that compares bone condition markers between professional (PRO) and amateur (AMA) cyclists. Amateur cyclists are the ones who practice this sport the most. Therefore, there is an interest in behaving if there is a negative effect at the bone level could be similar than previously described in professional cyclists. T...

It has long been known that sprint running requires an optimal combination of biomechanical and bioenergetic variables as suggested by Mero et al. (1992), Kyröläinen et al. (2005) and Kakehata et al. (2020) who analyzed the timing of neuromuscular activation during running, particularly at maximum speed, and concluded that coordinated activation of...

The purposes of this study were to determine the impact of 6 weeks of whole-body vibration training (WBVT) on maximum voluntary plantar flexor strength, muscle activity via surface electromyography (EMG), and muscle architecture measured at rest and during maximal contraction at different ankle joint angles in young healthy adults. Using a single-b...

The aim of this study was to examine changes in body mass (BM) and power-related measures in Olympic boxers during an official qualifying boxing tournament. Fourteen elite amateur boxers from the Brazilian National Team (eight men and six women) participated in this study. Athletes performed three fights in four days against the same opponent of th...

BACKGROUND: This study examined the differences in physical and anthropometric traits between specific playing positions (i.e., forwards: front row, second row, back row; backs: half backs, centers, wings/fullbacks) in amateur rugby players and analyzed the magnitude of correlations among jump, sprint, and strength measures in forwards and backs. M...

2S-Hesperidin is the main flavonoid of orange (Citrus sinensis). Previous researches have pointed its effects in muscle development and fat accumulation reduction, although most of these results have not been assessed in humans. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of chronic (8-weeks) intake of 2S-hesperidin on amateur cyclists’ b...

Basketball is a game of repeated jumps and sprints. The objective of this study was to examine whether repeated jump assessments the day prior to competition (MD-1) could discriminate be-tween fast and slow in-game performances the following day. Seven NCAA Division I Basketball athletes (4 guards and 3 forwards; 20 ± 1.2 years, 1.95 ± 0.09 m, and...

Objective: Recognizing the high stakes associated with winning and losing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms of NBA game-play performance would provide substantial benefit to all stakeholders involved with preparing NBA players and teams for competitive success. To the authors’ best of kn...

Both acute and chronic ingestion of 2S-hesperidin have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in animal studies, but so far, no one has studied this effect of chronic ingestion in humans. The main objective was to evaluate whether an 8-week intake of 2S-hesperidin had the ability to modulate antioxidant-oxidant and inflammatory status in a...

Quantifying external load during futsal competition can provide objective data for the management of the athlete’s performance and late-stage rehabilitation. This study aimed to report the match external load collected via wearable technology according to time-periods (i.e., halves) and contextual factors (i.e., team´s ranking, match result, and lo...

The aim of this study is to evaluate if screen time and parents’ education levels are associated with adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern. This cross-sectional study analyzed a representative sample of 3333 children and adolescents (8 to 16 years) included in the Physical Activity, Sedentarism, lifestyles and Obesity in Spanish youth (PASO...

Currently, no studies have examined the differences in endogenous antioxidant enzymes in professional and amateur cyclists and how these can influence sports performance. The aim of this study was to identify differences in endogenous antioxidants enzymes and hemogram between competitive levels of cycling and to see if differences found in these pa...

Recent world events (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic) led to an unparalleled situation in sports. Players were forced to stay at home for a prolonged period and not allowed to use their team’s training facilities or even exercise outdoors. The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on neuromuscular performance and body c...

Overweight and obesity adversely affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) through day-to-day impairments of both mental and physical functioning. It is assumed that polyphenols within the Mediterranean diet may contribute to improving HRQOL. This investigation aimed at studying the effects of a polyphenol-rich ingredient on HRQOL in overweight...

Hamstring strain injury (HSI) remains the most common muscle injury in high-intensity running in humans. The majority of acute HSI occur specifically within the proximal region of the long head of biceps femoris and there is a sustained interest among researchers in understanding the factors that predispose to HSI. The present critical review descr...

2S-Hesperidin is a flavanone (flavonoid) found in high concentrations in citrus fruits. It has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, improving performance in animals. This study investigated the effects of chronic intake of an orange extract (2S-hesperidin) or placebo on non-oxidative/glycolytic and oxidative metabolism markers and performa...

Overweight and obesity adversely affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) through day-to-day impairments of both mental and physical functioning. It is assumed that polyphenols within the Mediterranean diet may contribute to improve HRQOL. This investigation aimed at studying the effects of a polyphenol-rich ingredient on HRQOL in overweight a...

An urgent SOS to the world of soccer seems required. The preseason matches are becoming less and less friendly. An evidence-based analysis suggests that more and more intense competitions during the consecutive seasons require to respect the primary objective of preseasons, which is to properly prepare and conditioning the players after a period of...

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses induced by high-intensity resistance circuit-based (HRC) and traditional strength (TS) training protocols. Ten amateur soccer players reported to the laboratory on four occasions: (1) protocol familiarization and load determination; (2) maximal...

Background Football is the most practised sport in the world and is associated with the risk of injuries in the players. Some studies have been published that identify injury prevention programmes, but there is no review of the full body of evidence on injury prevention programmes for use by football coaches. The aim of this article was to carry ou...

Background: There is controversial evidence regarding the effect of acute resistance exercise (ARE) on heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, which indicates the activities of the cardiac autonomic nervous system. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on the effect of ARE on HRV parameters a...

Basketball has a high demand on a player's neuromuscular system due to a high volume of explosive high-intensity actions. This study aimed to examine the seasonal variations on game demands and players' neuromuscular performance during the Non-Conference (NON-CONF) and Conference (CONF) seasons in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball. Seven NCAA Divisi...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of short-term detraining on the strength, speed, and jump capacities of under-20 soccer players. Twenty-four elite under-20 soccer players from the same professional club were assessed pre and post 26 days of detraining. The measurements were performed in the following order: countermovement jump (CM...

Futsal, also known as five-a-side indoor soccer, is a team-sport that is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, the number of futsal-related investigations is growing in recent years. This review aimed to summarize the scientific literature addressing the match-play demands from the following four dimensions: time-motion/external load analysis and p...

In December of 2019, there was an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) in China. The virus rapidly spread into the whole world causing an unprecedented pandemic and forcing governments to impose a global quarantine, entering an extreme unknown situation. The organizational consequences...

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is essential to healthy mental and physical development in early life. However, the prevalence of physical inactivity, which is considered a key modifiable driver of childhood obesity, has reached alarming levels among European youth. There is a need to update the data for Spain, in order to establish if curren...

2S-hesperidin is a flavanone (flavonoid) found in high concentrations in citrus fruits. It has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, improving performance in animals. This study investigated the effects of chronic intake of an orange extract (2S-hesperidin) or placebo on aerobic-anaerobic and metabolic performance markers in amateur cyclists...

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of elite female players from three different sports in linear sprint and change of direction (COD) tests and examine their efficiency for changing direction through the calculation of the COD deficit (i.e., the difference in velocity between a linear sprint and a COD task of equal distance). One-...

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a match-congested period on straight and curve sprint performance, change of direction (COD) speed and deficit, vertical jumping ability, and half-squat (HS) mean propulsive power (MPP) output in young soccer players. Methods: A total of 15 under-20 elite male soccer players participated in 14 matches over...

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between linear sprint, curve sprint (CS), and change of direction (COD) abilities and vertical jump performance in elite young soccer players. Methods: Twenty-nine players from the same soccer club participated in this study. On the same day, athletes performed countermovement...

This study aimed to compare muscle activity, leg stiffness, and kinematics (contact and flight time [FT], stride length and frequency, and trunk angle [TA]) of unloaded sprinting to resisted sprint (RST) using different loads. Twelve male rugby players (age: 23.5 ± 5.1 years; height: 1.79 ± 0.04 m; body mass 82.5 ± 13.1 kg) performed 30-m sprints u...

Given the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak, the official declaration of a global pandemic by the 15 World Health Organization, and its consequential disruptions on the professional team sports 16 landscape, it is the main objective of this brief opinion to help ensure that professional team-sport 17 athletes and support staff remain aware as a so...