This book focuses on sports performance. According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English , "performance" refers to "how well or badly a person, company etc. does a particular job or activity" and "high performance" describes "cars, computers etc. that are able to go faster, do more work etc. than normal ones". In the 100-m dash Usain Bolt is indubitably the fastest person in history and Javier Sotomayor, the world record holder in the high jump, has exhibited the highest level of performance in this event. In these contests, the index of sports performance is unitary; it is simply the time or the jumping/throwing distance. What is it that allows such performers to achieve the fastest running time or the highest jump? One of the topics covered in this book is an attempt to clarify some of the unique motor skills and/or physical abilities that underlie such high performances.

This book comprises a compilation of updated reviews on performance in various sports,including both basic and applied research and is divided into three parts.

The central theme of Part I is the brain. Basic research on human locomotion, motor imagery, and cognitive function are included in this part. In Part II, the focus is on basic information involving high performance in sports, including the athletes' physiology, genetics, nutrition and biomechanics.

In Part III, entitled Performance and Coaching in Various Sports, the latest findings involving skills and performance in individual sports are presented. These performances are thoroughly described and to the extent possible, explained utilizing observations that involve applied biomechanics, coaching science and information technology. In the e-book version, videos and images are available, which provide valuable information on movement in sports. This book will awaken a deeper and more sophisticated interest in exceptional sports performance, not only in specialists such as researchers, athletes, and coaches, but also in laypeople who enjoy participating in and watching sports.

Includes up-to-date content on broad areas of sport performance Uses many video sequences to facilitate understanding Focuses on a variety of sports events and performance levels

Inhalt
Preface.- Part I: The Sporting Brain.- Sports Performance and the Brain.- Brain Activity during Motor Imagery.- Brain Oscillations and Athletic Performance.- Intra- and Inter-Person Coordinated Movements of Fingers and Toes.- Training Locomotor Function.- On the Structure of Movement Preparation.- Muscle Relaxation and Sports.- Neural Mechanisms of Muscle Cramp.- Task Difficulty Affects the Association Between Childhood Fitness and Cognitive Flexibility.- Part II: The Physiological Basis of Sports Performance.- Genetic Polymorphisms associated with Elite Athlete Status.- Resting Energy Expenditure in Japanese Athletes.- Health Issues and Dietary Strategies for Heavy Athletes.- High Fat Diet and Endurance Exercise Performance.- Nonuniform Muscle Hypertrophy along the Length Induced by Resistance Training.- Quantitative Profiles of the Quadriceps Femoris in Sport Athletes.- Jump Performance Enhancement Induced by Countermovement.- Can a High-Intensity Contraction be Enhanced by a Conditioning Contraction? Insight from the Relationship between Shortening Velocity of Muscle Fibers and Post activation Potentiation.- Is Graduated Pressure Profile an Essential Feature for Compression Stockings to Reduce Fatigue Development of the Plantar Flexors?.- Exercise in Space: Physical and mental benefit.- Part III: Performance and Coaching in Various Sports.- Energetic Considerations in Cross-Country Skiing.- Biomechanical Analysis of V2 Skating in Cross-Country Skiing.- Limb Force Generation as a Limiting Factor for Maximum-effort Acceleration Performance.- Optimal Technique, Variability and Control in Gymnastics.- Activity of the Trunk and Leg Musculature during the Flutter Kick.- Open Water Swimming Performance.- The Spin on a Baseball for Eight Different Pitches Thrown by an Elite Professional Pitcher.- Baseball Hitting Accuracy and Contributing Factors.- Automatic Tracking of Player Locations from Video Image of Football Game.- Conceptualization of Coaching Process and Coaching Practice.