Game Nexus

The present study aimed to examine the role of the dimensions of the sport engagement model in explaining the components of social capital, namely interpersonal trust and social participation, among athletes in Mazandaran Province, Iran. This study employed a descriptive-correlational design with a quantitative approach. The statistical population consisted of active athletes across the cities of Mazandaran Province. A total of 359 participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Sport Engagement Model Questionnaire, comprising cultural commitment and educational commitment, as well as the Social Capital Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and simultaneous multiple regression analysis. The results showed that both dimensions of sport engagement were positively and significantly associated with interpersonal trust and social participation (p < 0.001). Cultural commitment showed a strong positive correlation with interpersonal trust (r = 0.805), while educational commitment was also significantly related to interpersonal trust (r = 0.408). In addition, cultural commitment (r = 0.482) and educational commitment (r = 0.237) were positively and significantly related to social participation (p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis indicated that the dimensions of sport engagement jointly explained 65.1% of the variance in interpersonal trust and 23.4% of the variance in social participation. Cultural commitment was the strongest predictor of interpersonal trust, whereas both cultural and educational commitment made significant contributions to the prediction of social participation. Overall, the findings suggest that greater sport engagement, particularly through strengthening cultural and educational commitment, may contribute to the enhancement of social capital in sport settings.

This study aimed to examine whether collective efficacy could be predicted by commitment to physical activity and social dynamics among students with disabilities. The study employed a descriptive–correlational design. The statistical population consisted of all students with disabilities enrolled in the second level of secondary schools in Kermanshah Province during the 2021–2022 academic year. Using multi-stage cluster sampling, 135 students were selected. Data were collected using the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire, the Commitment to Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Social Dynamics Questionnaire. The findings revealed significant positive associations between social dynamics and collective efficacy (r = 0.48, p < 0.01) and between commitment to physical activity and collective efficacy (r = 0.45, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis further indicated that commitment to physical activity (β = 0.38, p < 0.01) and social dynamics (β = 0.32, p < 0.01) significantly predicted collective efficacy. The overall regression model was statistically significant (F = 15.46, p < 0.01), explaining 33% of the variance in collective efficacy (R² = 0.33; adjusted R² = 0.32). These findings suggest that both commitment to physical activity and social dynamics are significant correlates of collective efficacy in students with disabilities. Promoting team-based physical activities in educational settings may provide a practical pathway for strengthening social interaction, enhancing engagement in physical activity, and improving collective efficacy in this population.

The objective of this study was to develop an integrated educational model for sports empowerment grounded in educational innovation among students in Northwest Iranian schools through narrative synthesis of contemporary scholarly evidence. This study employed a qualitative narrative review design to synthesize theoretical and empirical research related to educational innovation, school sports, and student empowerment. Eighteen peer-reviewed articles were purposively selected from international and national academic databases based on relevance to innovative physical education, psychosocial development, technological integration, and inclusive sports participation. Data collection involved systematic reading, conceptual extraction, and interpretive comparison of selected studies. Narrative thematic analysis was conducted through iterative coding, categorization, and synthesis procedures to identify recurring conceptual patterns and construct an integrated educational framework suitable for school contexts. The analysis revealed that sports empowerment in educational environments is a multidimensional construct emerging from the interaction of five core domains: innovative learner-centered pedagogy, psychosocial and emotional development, technology-supported learning environments, inclusive participation structures, and institutional sustainability mechanisms. Educational innovation was found to enhance students’ motivation, leadership capacity, resilience, and social competence while strengthening physical literacy and mental well-being. The findings further suggest that digital technologies and supportive school leadership accelerate student engagement and individualized development pathways. Inclusive sport programs were inferred to reduce participation inequalities and promote equitable empowerment outcomes. Overall, effective sports empowerment depends on systemic alignment between teaching innovation, organizational support, and holistic developmental objectives. The study concludes that sports empowerment cannot be achieved through isolated physical education interventions but requires an integrated educational ecosystem combining pedagogical innovation, technological advancement, inclusive policy design, and institutional coordination. The proposed model provides a conceptual foundation for transforming school sports into a comprehensive educational strategy capable of promoting holistic student development and sustainable educational innovation within Northwest Iranian schools.

The evolving dynamics of elite football require coaches to integrate advanced tactical intelligence with adaptive leadership competencies. This study aims to forecast the future trajectory of football coaching by identifying emerging leadership patterns and strategic intelligence mechanisms within elite clubs. This research employed a mixed-method exploratory sequential design with a future-oriented approach. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 elite football coaches, performance analysts, and sport management scholars selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to extract emerging leadership dimensions and tactical intelligence indicators. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-developed questionnaire based on qualitative findings was distributed among 146 professional coaches and technical staff from elite clubs. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to test the proposed conceptual model and validate relationships between leadership patterns, tactical intelligence, and projected performance sustainability. Findings identified four dominant emerging leadership patterns: adaptive-transformational leadership, data-driven decision leadership, collaborative strategic governance, and psychologically intelligent coaching. Tactical intelligence was strongly associated with real-time analytics integration, scenario-based planning, and adaptive game modeling. SEM results confirmed a significant positive relationship between adaptive leadership and tactical intelligence (β = 0.63, p < 0.001), and between tactical intelligence and sustainable competitive performance (β = 0.58, p < 0.001). The future of football coaching will be defined by hybrid models integrating human-centered leadership with advanced analytical intelligence systems. Coach education programs and elite clubs must prioritize emotional intelligence, digital literacy, and strategic adaptability to sustain competitive excellence in an increasingly complex football ecosystem.

Cross-education refers to strength gains in the untrained limb following unilateral training. Blood flow restriction (BFR) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are known to induce peripheral and neural adaptations, respectively. This study investigated whether combining unilateral BFR and tDCS enhances cross-education effects in the untrained arm. Thirty-eight healthy young men were randomly assigned to four groups: tDCS-pBFR, Sham-pBFR, tDCS, and Control. Over four weeks, participants performed unilateral dumbbell curl training (30% 1RM, 3 sessions/week). The primary outcomes for the untrained arm were one-repetition maximum (1RM), arm muscle circumference (AMC), and electromyography (EMG) activity. ANCOVA with pre-test as covariate was used for statistical analysis. Strength of the untrained arm (1RM) increased significantly in tDCS-pBFR and Sham-pBFR groups compared with control (p < 0.05), while AMC changes were significant only in Sham-pBFR. EMG activity did not differ significantly among groups. No significant difference was observed between tDCS-pBFR and Sham-pBFR groups. Unilateral BFR training, with or without tDCS, produces cross-education effects in the contralateral untrained arm. Strength improvements appear to be primarily mediated by neural adaptations, with limited changes in muscle size or EMG activity. These findings support the use of BFR and neuromodulatory interventions to enhance contralateral strength, particularly in rehabilitation settings.

Early swimming talent detection in youth athletes remains challenging because commonly used approaches are resource-heavy, technique judgments are often subjective, and prediction models may not generalize well across clubs, pools, and populations. Although physiological testing can explain swimming performance, many informative measures (e.g., laboratory VO₂max, controlled lactate profiling, repeated maximal protocols with advanced monitoring) are impractical for large-scale screening in community settings. Evidence from youth swimming indicates that performance is more consistently associated with strength/power and lean-mass–related traits than with body fat percentage, which shows weaker and more variable relationships. Longitudinal modeling studies further suggest that a compact set of feasible anthropometric and physiological indicators can provide meaningful predictive signal, and that explainable machine-learning methods can improve coach-facing transparency by clarifying which features drive model outputs. Technique remains central in a technique-dominant sport such as swimming; however, unstructured observation is vulnerable to rater bias and inconsistency. Standardized video-based tools such as Tec Pa demonstrate high inter-rater agreement, supporting the feasibility of structured technique checkpoints for early screening. Beyond physical and technical factors, talent-development scholarship highlights the risks of early exclusion and maturation bias, emphasizing that youth screening should be developmentally appropriate, repeatable over time, and fair. Psychological and cognitive indicators (e.g., motivation, self-regulation, goal orientation) may therefore be used as supportive signals to guide development rather than as strict selection thresholds. Building on this evidence, this short review proposes “From Pool to Play,” a game-based screening concept that converts field-friendly physical proxies, structured technique checkpoints, and age-appropriate psychosocial measures into engaging, repeatable poolside and in-water “missions.” The goal is to reduce assessment burden, enhance motivation and adherence, standardize data capture across contexts, and enable transparent, explainable profiling of early talent signals in youth swimmers.

One of the spinal disorders is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two Schroth and modified Schroth exercise programs on the Cobb angle, spinal mobility, and pain in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. The study was applied in terms of purpose. The statistical population consisted of boys aged 10 to 15 years with scoliosis, from whom 40 participants were selected using stratified block randomization. The participants were allocated into three groups (two intervention groups and one control group). To assess spinal mobility and pain intensity (VAS), X-ray radiography and a grid board, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) questionnaire were used, respectively. The exercise programs were performed for 45 minutes per day, 5 days per week, over a period of 12 weeks by the exercise groups. The results showed that Schroth and modified Schroth exercises had a significant effect on the Cobb angle (P = 0.000), that Schroth and modified Schroth exercises had a significant effect on spinal mobility (P = 0.000), and that Schroth and modified Schroth exercises significantly affected pain intensity in adolescents (P = 0.000). Moreover, the effect of modified Schroth exercises on reducing the Cobb angle (P = 0.001) and reducing spinal pain (P = 0.004) was greater than that of the Schroth exercise group, while the effects of modified Schroth and Schroth exercises on spinal mobility were similar (P = 0.789). It is recommended that corrective exercise specialists, therapeutic exercise professionals, and physiotherapists use specialized Schroth exercises and related modified Schroth exercises to correct scoliosis and reduce the complications associated with this deformity. 

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-session sport video game intervention with biofeedback on improving emotional awareness and emotional regulation in young adults. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 30 participants recruited from universities and community centers in Morocco. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). The intervention group completed eight 75-minute sessions of sport video games integrated with biofeedback over four weeks, while the control group engaged in standard physical activities without biofeedback. Emotional awareness and emotion regulation were measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at a four-month follow-up using validated self-report instruments. Data analysis was conducted using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS-27. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of time, group, and their interaction for both emotional awareness (F(2,48) = 38.42, p < .001, η² = .58; F(1,28) = 31.55, p < .001, η² = .54; F(2,48) = 33.71, p < .001, η² = .56) and emotional regulation (F(2,48) = 42.61, p < .001, η² = .61; F(1,28) = 34.08, p < .001, η² = .55; F(2,48) = 36.21, p < .001, η² = .57). Bonferroni post-hoc tests indicated that the intervention group showed significant improvements from pre-test to post-test and sustained gains at the four-month follow-up (all p < .001), while the control group demonstrated no significant changes across time points. The findings suggest that sport video games integrated with biofeedback are effective in enhancing emotional awareness and emotion regulation, with benefits persisting beyond the intervention period. This approach offers a cost-effective, engaging, and scalable method to support emotional competencies in young adult populations.