ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9531-3004
Current Organisation
The University of Edinburgh
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Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2009
DOI: 10.1080/02640410903110982
Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which measures derived from the new FIFA referees' fitness tests can be used to monitor a referee's match-related physical capacity. Match-analysis data were collected (Prozone, Leeds, UK) from 17 soccer referees for 5.0 (s = 1.7) FA Premier League matches per referee during the first 4 months of the 2007-08 season. Physical match performance categories included total distance covered, high-intensity running distance (speed >5.5 m x s(-1)), and sprinting distance (>7.0 m x s(-1)). The two tests were a 6 x 40-m sprint test and a 150-m interval test. Heart rate demand was correlated with total match distance covered (r = -0.70, P = 0.002) and high-intensity running (r = -0.57, P = 0.018) in the interval test. The fastest 40-m sprint was related to total distance covered (r = -0.69, P = 0.002), high-intensity running (r = -0.76, P < 0.001), and sprinting distance (r = -0.75, P = 0.001), while mean time for the 40-m sprints was related to total distance covered (r = -0.70, P = 0.002), high-intensity running (r = -0.77, P < 0.001), and sprinting distance (r = -0.77, P < 0.001). The referees who recorded the best interval-test heart rate demand and fastest 40-m time produced the best physical match performances. However, only the sprint test and in particular the fastest 40-m time had appropriate construct validity for the physical assessment of soccer referees.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-05-2020
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 03-2015
Abstract: To quantify the effects of a 12-wk isolated core-training program on 50-m front-crawl swim time and measures of core musculature functionally relevant to swimming. Twenty national-level junior swimmers (10 male and 10 female, 16 ± 1 y, 171 ± 5 cm, 63 ± 4 kg) participated in the study. Group allocation (intervention [n = 10], control [n = 10]) was based on 2 preexisting swim-training groups who were part of the same swimming club but trained in different groups. The intervention group completed the core training, incorporating exercises targeting the lumbopelvic complex and upper region extending to the scapula, 3 times/wk for 12 wk. While the training was performed in addition to the normal pool-based swimming program, the control group maintained their usual pool-based swimming program. The authors made probabilistic magnitude-based inferences about the effect of the core training on 50-m swim time and functionally relevant measures of core function. Compared with the control group, the core-training intervention group had a possibly large beneficial effect on 50-m swim time (–2.0% 90% confidence interval –3.8 to –0.2%). Moreover, it showed small to moderate improvements on a timed prone-bridge test (9.0% 2.1–16.4%) and asymmetric straight-arm pull-down test (23.1% 13.7–33.4%), and there were moderate to large increases in peak EMG activity of core musculature during isolated tests of maximal voluntary contraction. This is the first study to demonstrate a clear beneficial effect of isolated core training on 50-m front-crawl swim performance.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 20-05-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2012
DOI: 10.2165/11632360-000000000-00000
Abstract: Soccer referees are required to keep up with play at all times to ensure optimal positioning in making key decisions. While the physiological aspects of soccer refereeing have been extensively reviewed, other key areas of preparation and performance have yet to be considered in detail. We present a contemporary examination of methodological considerations for the interpretation of referees' match activities, the validation of fitness testing and training protocols, match and training injury profiles, and the understanding and development of perceptual-cognitive expertise. A referee covers approximately 11 km during a match, with ∼900 m of high-speed running and, consequently, the demands of match play represent a significant physical challenge. The analyses of within-match activity profiles have attempted to assess the possible occurrence of referee fatigue, with equivocal findings. However, researchers have demonstrated that referees' physical performances are interrelated with those of the players during the same match. Therefore, the evaluation of referees' match activity profiles should be made in the context of the players' performances. High match-to-match variability in key variables, namely, high-speed running and sprinting, along with age-related reductions in match running are other factors that require due consideration when interpreting physical performances. Fitness testing is used by national and international referee governing bodies as part of their match selection criteria. Therefore, the tests need to reflect the physical task of refereeing, yet for the recent fitness tests introduced by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association--a 20 × 150 m high-intensity and 6 × 40 m repeated-sprint test - only the repeated-sprint test possesses the appropriate construct validity for assessment of match-related running capacity. Also, the performance standards of the tests have not been validated. Consequently, the scientific rationale behind the tests and their associated standards is not clear. Soccer referees dedicate a large proportion of their overall training to the development of physical capacity and researchers have demonstrated that high-intensity (>85% maximal heart rate) training protocols are effective for improving fitness and match running performance. These high training loads combined with increasing age could, in part, explain an incidence of non-contact match injuries (18 injuries per 1000 match hours) similar to players, with lower leg muscle strains being the most common type of non-contact injuries in referees. The implementation of injury prevention programmes along with the careful monitoring of training and match loads may help minimize referee's injury incidence. The perceptual-cognitive demands of soccer refereeing are significant, yet there remains limited research examining the perceptual and cognitive processes informing referees' decisions. As such, a three-step approach for the study of expertise in soccer referees is proposed. First, objective and reliable markers of decision making should be established, with due consideration to the development of naturalistic test situations while maintaining experimental control. Second, process-tracing measures can be used to identify the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms involved in accurate decision making. Finally, research is required to help understand the acquisition of superior decision making and whether such expertise can be developed via training programmes.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.JSAMS.2006.03.022
Abstract: The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of match standard and referee experience on the objective and subjective workload of referees during English Premier League and Football League soccer matches. We also examined the relationship between heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) for assessing match intensity in soccer referees. Heart rate responses were recorded using short-range telemetry and RPE scores were collected using a 10-point scale. Analysis revealed a significant relationship between mean match HR and match RPE scores (r=0.485, p<0.05, n=18). There were significant differences in match HR (Premier League 83.6+/-2.6% maximal HR (HRmax) versus Football League 81.5+/-2.2%HRmax, p<0.05) and match RPE scores (Premier League 7.8+/-0.8 versus Football League 6.9+/-0.8, p<0.05) between standards of competition. Referee experience had no effect on match HR and RPE responses to Premier League and Football League matches. The results of the present study demonstrate the validity of using HR and RPE as a measure of global match intensity in soccer referees. Referee experience had no effect on the referees' objective and subjective match workload assessments, whereas match intensity was correlated to competition standard. These findings have implications for fitness preparation and evaluation in soccer referees. When progressing to a higher level of competition, referees should ensure that appropriate levels of fitness are developed in order to enable them to cope with an increase in physical match demands.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-12-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S40279-017-0830-Z
Abstract: The associations between internal and external measures of training load and intensity are important in understanding the training process and the validity of specific internal measures. We aimed to provide meta-analytic estimates of the relationships, as determined by a correlation coefficient, between internal and external measures of load and intensity during team-sport training and competition. A further aim was to examine the moderating effects of training mode on these relationships. We searched six electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL) for original research articles published up to September 2017. A Boolean search phrase was created to include search terms relevant to team-sport athletes (population 37 keywords), internal load (dependent variable 35 keywords), and external load (independent variable 81 keywords). Articles were considered for meta-analysis when a correlation coefficient describing the association between at least one internal and one external measure of session load or intensity, measured in the time or frequency domain, was obtained from team-sport athletes during normal training or match-play (i.e., unstructured observational study). The final data s le included 122 estimates from 13 independent studies describing 15 unique relationships between three internal and nine external measures of load and intensity. This s le included 295 athletes and 10,418 in idual session observations. Internal measures were session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE), sRPE training load (sRPE-TL), and heart-rate-derived training impulse (TRIMP). External measures were total distance (TD), the distance covered at high and very high speeds (HSRD ≥ 13.1-15.0 km h During all training modes combined, the external load relationships for sRPE-TL were possibly very large with TD [r = 0.79 90% confidence interval (CI) 0.74 to 0.83], possibly large with AL (r = 0.63 90% CI 0.54 to 0.70) and Impacts (r = 0.57 90% CI 0.47 to 0.64), and likely moderate with HSRD (r = 0.47 90% CI 0.32 to 0.59). The relationship between TRIMP and AL was possibly large (r = 0.54 90% CI 0.40 to 0.66). All other relationships were unclear or not possible to infer (r range 0.17-0.74, n = 10 datasets). Between-estimate heterogeneity [standard deviations (SDs) representing unexplained variation τ] in the pooled internal-external relationships were trivial to extremely large for sRPE (τ range = 0.00-0.47), small to large for sRPE-TL (τ range = 0.07-0.31), and trivial to moderate for TRIMP (τ range= 0.00-0.17). The internal-external load relationships during mixed training were possibly very large for sRPE-TL with TD (r = 0.82 90% CI 0.75 to 0.87) and AL (r = 0.81 90% CI 0.74 to 0.86), and TRIMP with AL (r = 0.72 90% CI 0.55 to 0.84), and possibly large for sRPE-TL with HSRD (r = 0.65 90% CI 0.44 to 0.80). A reduction in these correlation magnitudes was evident for all other training modes (range of the change in r when compared with mixed training - 0.08 to - 0.58), with these differences being unclear to possibly large. Training mode explained 24-100% of the between-estimate variance in the internal-external load relationships. Measures of internal load derived from perceived exertion and heart rate show consistently positive associations with running- and accelerometer-derived external loads and intensity during team-sport training and competition, but the magnitude and uncertainty of these relationships are measure and training mode dependent.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-05-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S40279-019-01125-6
Abstract: Cardiorespiratory fitness is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality. Physical activity of at least moderate intensity can improve cardiorespiratory fitness. Workplaces may provide a relatively controlled setting in which to improve cardiorespiratory fitness through physical activity. Limited work has been conducted to quantify the impact of delivering physical activity in the workplace on cardiorespiratory fitness. The objective of this systematic review was to quantify the effects of workplace physical activity interventions on peak oxygen consumption (VO Seven databases were searched up to September 2018. Search terms included "workplace", "physical activity" and "intervention". Inclusion criteria were controlled trials where physical activity of at least moderate intensity was delivered in the workplace and compared to controls or non-active comparators and cardiorespiratory fitness measured by actual or predicted VO The final dataset consisted of 25 estimates of VO Workplace-based physical activity interventions consisting of at least moderate-intensity activity improve cardiorespiratory fitness. At the present time, we surmise that no single group of employees (e.g. older employees or less fit in iduals) can be definitively identified as standing to benefit more from workplace physical activity interventions than others. This demonstrates the potential utility of workplace physical activity interventions for improving cardiorespiratory fitness in a broad range of healthy employees. Protocol registration: PROSPERO (registration number: 42017057498).
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 30-03-2023
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-01-2021
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 03-2011
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 12-2010
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001654
Abstract: McCunn, R, Weston, M, Hill, JKA, Johnston, RD, and Gibson, NV. Influence of physical maturity status on sprinting speed among youth soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 31(7): 1795–1801, 2017—The relative age effect is well documented with the maturation-selection hypothesis the most common explanation however, conflicting evidence exists. We observed the birth date distribution within an elite junior soccer academy. The influence of physical maturity status on anthropometric variables and sprinting ability was also investigated. Annual fitness testing was conducted over an 8-year period with a total of 306 players (age: 12.5 ± 1.7 years [range: 9.7–16.6 years] stature: 156.9 ± 12.9 cm mass: 46.5 ± 12.5 kg) drawn from 6 age categories (under-11s to under-17s) who attended the same Scottish Premiership club academy. Measurements included mass, stature, maturity offset and 0–15 m sprint. Odds ratios revealed a clear bias toward recruitment of players born in quartile 1 compared with quartile 4. The overall effect (all squads combined) of birth quartile was very likely small for maturity offset (0.85 years 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.44–1.26 years) and stature (6.2 cm 90% CI, 2.8–9.6 cm), and likely small for mass (5.1 kg 90% CI, 1.7–8.4 kg). The magnitude of the relationship between maturity offset and 15-m sprinting speed ranged from trivial for under-11s ( r = 0.01 90% CI, −0.14 to 0.16) to very likely large for under-15s ( r = −0.62 −0.71 to −0.51). Making decisions about which players to retain and release should not be based on sprinting ability around the under-14 and under-15 age categories because any interin idual differences may be confounded by transient inequalities in maturity offset.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.JSAMS.2006.09.001
Abstract: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of first half activity, overall match intensity and seasonal variation on the physical match performances of English Premier League football referees. Match analysis data was collected using the Prozone match analysis system from 19 full-time professional referees during a total of 254 matches in the 2004-2005 season. Physical match performances were classified into three separate categories: 1, total distance covered (TD) 2, high-intensity running distance (running speed>5.5m/s, HIR) 3, average distance from infringements (DI). Using these match activity variables the influence of first half TD and HIR distances on second half activities and also the influence of players' match activities upon the referees' physical match performances were examined. The main finding of the present study was that the physical match performances of the referees were partly related to those of the players, in that the referees' HIR correlated with players' HIR (r=0.43, p<0.0001, n=212). Furthermore, first half TD and HIR distances were found to be related to second half coverage in referees (r=0.47 and r=0.52, respectively, p<0.001, n=254). These results demonstrate a need to assess the overall match intensity prior to examining the physical match performance of the referee. Further examination is required as to whether reduced physical performances in the second half of matches are a consequence of referee fatigue, tactical strategies on behalf of the referee or reduced player match activities resulting in a slower tempo of match.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1519/R-14984.1
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.JSAMS.2008.07.009
Abstract: Soccer referees are required to keep up with play at all times despite occupying an age bracket of on average 10-15 years older than their playing counterparts. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of age upon the physical match performances and match physiological loads of elite-level soccer referees. Match analysis data was collected (Prozone((R)), Leeds, UK) from 22 professional soccer referees (age range 31-48 years) on FA Premier League matches over four consecutive seasons (778 observations). Physical match performance categories were total-distance covered (TD) high intensity running distance (speed >5.5 ms(-1), HIR) sprint count (>7.0 ms(-1), SC) top sprinting speed (TS) average distance from the ball (DB) and average distance from fouls (DF). Significant age effects were found for TD (r=-0.52, p<0.001), HIR (r=-0.53, p<0.001) and SC (r=-0.53, p 0.05). Despite covering less TD, HIR and performing fewer sprints the older referees (43-48 years) were able to maintain an average distance from fouls that was comparable to that recorded by the young (31-36 years) referees. Therefore, the reduced physical match performances associated with increasing referee age did not appear to impact upon the older referees' ability to keep up with play. In light of these findings, refereeing governing bodies may wish to review their age-based retirement guidelines.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-06-2019
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2019.1625613
Abstract: To examine responses to an International netball tournament, female athletes (
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Matthew Weston.