International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports

Perceived Sports Competence and Retrospective Physical Education Experiences in University Students: A Mixed-Methods Study

Motomu Haishima, Chieko Kato, Zihan Zhang — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

School physical education experiences may shape later exercise engagement, yet how such experiences are cognitively organized in relation to perceived sports competence remains insufficiently understood. This study examined the associations between perceived sports competence and retrospective physical education experiences among Japanese university students using a mixed-methods design. Participants (N = 276) completed a retrospective questionnaire assessing perceived sports competence (PSPP-J short-form Sports Competence subscale), elementary and junior high school physical education experiences, and current exercise-related outcomes. Exploratory factor analysis supported a single-factor structure (eigenvalue = 2.84, variance explained = 61.87%), with good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). Based on median scores, participants were classified into lower and higher competence groups. Quantitative analyses indicated that students with higher perceived competence reported more positive retrospective evaluations, greater comfort in physical education settings, and higher current exercise frequency. Qualitative text mining analyses further revealed systematic structural contrasts in narrative organization: higher competence narratives demonstrated greater integration of ability-related and affective elements, whereas lower competence narratives showed stronger clustering of evaluative and socially contextualized terms. Overall, the findings suggest that perceived sports competence is associated not only with exercise-related behaviors but also with differences in how physical education experiences are organized within retrospective accounts. These findings highlight the potential relevance of competence-supportive instructional contexts for understanding how physical education experiences may be remembered and interpreted later in life.

Tests of Walking Performance as Predictors of Physiological Work during Walking Football Tournament Match Play

Daniel P. Heil, Dee Dee A Salle — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Walking football (WF), the walking version of competitive football (i.e., soccer), is a team-based sport that is popular with middle-aged and older adults. While some research has focused on the potential health benefits of WF participation, little research has focused on evaluating walking fitness tests as correlates (i.e., predictors) of physical work during WF competitions. This study evaluated whether metrics of walking test performance could predict metrics of physiological work measured during match play. Methods: Men’s (n=16; Mean±SD: 49±10 yrs age) and women’s (n=20; Mean±SD: 55±14 yrs age) WF teams from England, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, all of whom were competing in an international WF tournament in Singapore, were recruited for this study. Participants performed two walking tests: 10m Walk Test to determine maximal walking speed (WS_MAX), and the 6-min Walk Test to measure maximal walking distance (6MWTD) in 6 mins. The 6MWTD was also transformed into a predicted maximal oxygen uptake (PVO_2MAX). During the tournament the next day, participants wore a neoprene waist pack with an accelerometry-based activity monitor (AM) that was used to derive three metrics from a single competitive match: Total activity counts (AC_TOT, counts/match), total steps (STEPS_TOT, steps/match), and a sum of MET-minutes (MET-mins/match). Multiple regression procedures were then used to predict the physiological work values (AC_TOT, STEPS_TOT, MET-mins) from the walking test metrics (WS_MAX, 6MWTD, PVO_2MAX) (0.05 alpha). Results: Neither 6MWTD nor PVO_2MAX were predictive of any physiological work variables (P=0.57-0.97), but WS_MAX was highly predictive of all physiological work variables – R²=0.65 for AC_TOT, R²=0.54 for STEPS_TOT, R²=0.61 for MET-mins – with sex as a covariate. Conclusions: Walking test metrics related to cardiorespiratory fitness were not related to measures of physiological work during WF match play, but the metric of maximal walking speed (WS_MAX) seemed to be highly predictive. These results suggest that aerobic walking fitness (i.e., as determined by 6MWTD performance) may be less important than anaerobic bursts of walking speed (i.e., WS_MAX) to the needs of competitive WF match play.

Cycling Interventions and Gait Speed in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Exercise Prescription and Mobility Outcomes

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Gait speed has become a key predictor in identifying individuals at risk for falls in both healthy and clinical populations. Given the cost of falls on the healthcare system and the aging population, decreasing the prevalence for falls and improving gait speed has become an important area of research for reducing the financial burden on the healthcare system. Cycling, in particular, has emerged as a promising modality to improve gait speed, with recent evidence suggesting that cycling cadence may be a key variable influencing this improvement. This systematic review aims to identify the current state of the literature regarding cycling cadence and gait speed, with seventeen studies meeting the inclusion criteria for inclusion in this review. Evidence generally supports the benefits of cycling interventions for improving gait speed, but also highlights inconsistencies in the reporting of cycling prescription variables including cadence, work rate, and intensity within the literature. Furthermore, the studies identified do not provide insight into potential underlying adaptations that may be driving the reported improvements in gait speed. Across the included studies, cycling interventions were generally associated with improvements in gait speed or related mobility outcomes across a range of older adult and clinical populations. Future studies should more consistently report cycling prescription variables and incorporate mechanistic outcomes to better understand how cycling interventions improve gait performance.

Effects of A Period of Home-Based Resistance Training on Functional Capacity, Anthropometric Measurements, and Blood Pressure in an Older Adult: A Retrospective Case Report

Diogo Cardozo — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Population aging is a growing phenomenon worldwide, particularly with a significant increase in the population aged 80 and over, a group characterized by a greater predisposition to sedentary lifestyles and marked physiological declines. In this context, low-cost strategies, such as home-based strength training, can help maintain health and functional autonomy. The study aimed to verify the effects of a period of home-based strength training on functional capacity, anthropometric measurements, and resting blood pressure in an octogenarian. This is a retrospective case report involving an 84-year-old male participant who is hypertensive and sedentary. Anthropometric measurements, resting blood pressure, and functional capacity were assessed using the Senior Fitness Test. The training protocol was conducted at home, three times a week, for 24 weeks, using full-body circuit training exercises with resistance bands, dumbbells, and ankle weights. Following the intervention period, improvements in functional fitness were observed, with increased performance in strength, flexibility, agility, and aerobic endurance tests, as well as a reduction in anthropometric measurements and resting blood pressure. In conclusion, this case study showed that home-based strength training was associated with improvements in functional, anthropometric, and cardiovascular parameters in an octogenarian. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution, as they refer to a single participant.