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Balasekaran, Govindasamy
Preferred name
Balasekaran, Govindasamy
Email
govindasamy.b@nie.edu.sg
Department
Physical Education & Sports Science (PESS)
Personal Site(s)
ORCID
15 results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 15
- PublicationRestrictedPhysical education & sports science expert book series(Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Singapore, 2020)To design and write a book on chapters pertaining to a variety of sports for children and adolescents to enjoy the process of being physically active.
Background The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM, 2015) states that a sedentary lifestyle is one of the major risk factors for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, physical activity is essential and it starts from a young age. Children have to be exposed to a variety of sports, games and activities. ACSM recommends 60 minutes daily of physical activity for children and adolescents. If children are unable to accumulate 60 minutes in day, they can begin with a lower duration and subsequently increasing the duration slowly as they progress over the months. The following chapters are written and designed by our experts in their special area of work and sport that will provide a deeper understanding and greater insight to sports and exercise in general, from a recreational perspective to a competitive level. Each chapter will reveal the history, background, basic rules of the sport, and how to implement modified games during PE lessons. The chapters also provide PE educators, coaches and parents with necessary tools to teach the sport.370 17 - PublicationMetadata onlyEffectiveness of modified perceived exertion scale on exercise intensity across age group, gender and exercise modalities
This study aims to conduct a systematic and meta-analysis to collate the current findings and assess the effectiveness of perceived exertion scales (original or modified), across various users profile (gender, age, exercise background) and exercise modalities (aerobic vs resistance).
13 - PublicationOpen AccessEffects of soy milk ingestion on anaerobic performance and physiological measures(American Society of Exercise Physiologists, 2021)
; 479 526 - PublicationMetadata onlyResilience in the face of adversity: Examining the effects of COVID-19 on physical activity and the sporting industry in SingaporeThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to an acceleration of innovative technological ideas in the sporting industry. People had to learn to adapt and make changes in their sporting habits or physical activity (PA) during lockdown. Purpose: This study investigated the effects of COVID-19 on the levels of PA and sporting industry in Singapore. A total of 1,000 participants (≥21 years old) volunteered in this virtual survey. The survey collected participants’ levels of PA according to exercise intensity and type of PA. The findings revealed that 61.5% of participants (n = 795) participated in PA and expended more than 500 METs-minute/week. 23.8% of participants had an increase in PA, 40.3% of participants maintained their PA and 25.5% of participants had a decrease in PA. 49.6% of participants used online visual programmers (OVP) as part of their PA. More individuals are utilising OVP and home sporting equipment in place of their usual exercise facilities. Sporting industries are switching to virtual platforms to further engage consumers, which may have ensued in the increase in PA for 23.8% of participants. Therefore, this may have resulted in an increase or sustainability of revenue for certain sporting industries (e.g., gym equipment).
8 - PublicationOpen AccessArm-pull thrust in human swimming and the effect of post-activation potentiation(Springer Nature, 2020)
; Marinho, Daniel A.The aim of this study was to analyse the front-crawl arm-pull kinetics and kinematics, comparing it before and after post-activation potentiation (PAP), and the associations between variables describing of the arm-pull kinetics. Twelve male competitive swimmers were randomly assigned to perform two different warm-ups in a crossover manner: (i) non-PAP (control condition); and (ii) PAP (experimental condition). PAP consisted of 2 × 5 arm-pulls with resistance bands by both upper-limbs. Eight minutes later, participants underwent a 25 m all-out trial in front-crawl arm-pull. Kinetics (i.e., peak thrust, mean thrust and thrust-time integral) and kinematics (i.e., speed and speed fluctuation) were collected by an in-house customised system composed of differential pressure sensors, speedo-meter and underwater camera. There was a significant and large improvement of the arm-pull kinetics after completing the warm-up with PAP sets (0.010 < P < 0.054, 0.50 < d < 0.74). There were non-significant and small effects of PAP on speed (P = 0.307, d = 0.18) and speed fluctuation (P = 0.498, d = 0.04). Correlation coefficients among kinetic variables were significant with large associations (0.51 < R < 0.90, 0.001 < P < 0.088). In conclusion, warm-ups including PAP conditioning sets elicit a large improvement in the thrust, but with small improvement in performance. Variables used to characterise thrust are strongly correlated and hence can be used interchangeably.WOS© Citations 18 185 150Scopus© Citations 21 - PublicationMetadata onlyA normalized rate of perceived exertion at ventilatory breakpoint for different exercise modalities and production of exercise intensity with self-regulation for Singapore children(Edizioni Minerva Medica, 2022)
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METHODS: Twenty healthy males participated in the study, with 10 males in each of the cycling and walking/running groups. Participants performed orientation and V̇O2peak trials before performing a perceptual estimation exercise trial to obtain RPE Vpt, and two production trials to assess self-regulation ability.
RESULTS: Vpt corresponded to 67.7% V̇O2peak for the cycling group and 70.4% V̇O2peak for the walking/running group. There were no group differences on RPE-Overall Vpt (cycling: 4.6; walking/running: 4.4), RPE-Legs Vpt (cycling: 5.4; walking/running: 4.6), and RPE-Chest Vpt (cycling: 4.0; walking/running: 4.8). A normalized RPE-Overall Vpt response was identified at five. V̇O2 did not differ between the estimation and production trials at targets RPE of 4 (1.59 vs. 1.57 L·min-1) and 6 (1.87 vs. 1.79 L·min-1). Similarly, heart rate (HR) did not differ between estimation and production trials at targets RPE 4 (152.4 vs. 151.1 beats·min-1) and 6 (167.1 vs. 162.4 beats·min-1). Both V̇O2 and HR were significantly higher at RPE 6 compared to RPE 4. Responses were not affected by exercise mode or production sequence.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that undifferentiated and differentiated RPE Vpt were similar between cycling and walking/running participants. Male adolescents between 13- and 17-year-olds were able to use the OMNI scale to self-regulate exercise intensities that would be useful in field settings.38 - PublicationOpen AccessPhysical activity among adults residing in 11 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown(MDPI, 2021)
; Smith, Gary A.During the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, physical activity (PA) behaviors were altered worldwide due to public health measures such as “lockdown.” This study described PA among adults residing in 11 countries during COVID-19 lockdown and examined factors associated with PA engagement. We conducted a cross-sectional anonymous survey among adults (≥18 years old) in 11 countries (Brazil, Bulgaria, China, India, Ireland, Malaysia, North Macedonia, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, United States). Of 11,775 participants, 63.7% were female and 52.8% were 18–34 years old. More than 40% of participants were insufficiently active (43.9%) and reported a decrease in their PA during lockdown (44.8%). Statistically significant differences were observed in (1) proportions of participants being insufficiently active, (2) level of PA, and (3) decrease in PA across the 11 countries. More stringent governmental policy responses were associated with greater likelihood of being insufficiently active during lockdown (adjusted odds ratio = 1.22, 95% confidence interval = 1.03, 1.45). Higher depression or anxiety scores were associated with greater likelihood of decreased level of PA during lockdown.We found substantial reductions in PA levels during COVID-19 lockdown across countries. Country-specific PA promotion interventions are needed during this and similar global emergencies.WOS© Citations 16Scopus© Citations 32 276 145 - PublicationOpen AccessThe influence of mental training and playing circuit-based training program on student volleyball learning outcomes(Horizon Research Publishing, 2024)
; Nemeth, ZsoltThis research was motivated by the need for more application of physical education learning models in the form of games, especially in volleyball learning. It is known that many students feel bored and unenthusiastic when taking volleyball lessons. Apart from that, students find it difficult and are not mentally prepared to carry out volleyball techniques; as a result, they feel anxious or afraid when doing these techniques in front of other friends. This experimental type of research aims to determine the effect of mental training and playing circuits-based training programs on the learning outcomes of elementary school volleyball students. This study included 44 fifth-grade students from 2 classes at Sekolah Dasar Pembangunan Laboratorium Universitas Negeri Padang. Purposive sampling technique was utilised. A pre- and post-test of volleyball skills were determined by volleyball experts. The paired t-test was used to analyze the data. Data analysis revealed that mental training-based training programs and playing circuits affected the learning outcomes of volleyball for elementary school students at Sekolah Dasar Pembangunan Laboratorium Universitas Negeri Padang. Results indicated significant differences between pre- and post-quality basic volleyball technical skills test (pre: highest score: 70; lowest score: 60; average score: 64.09 ± 2.81 vs. post: highest score: 77; lowest score: 65; average score: 68.68 ± 3.09; p = 0.000). The learning model based on mental training and playing sequences may improve basic volleyball technical skills and increase students' self-confidence and motivation when participating in learning.
21 99Scopus© Citations 1 - PublicationOpen AccessBrain Breaks® physical activity solutions in the classroom and on attitudes toward physical activity: A randomized controlled trial among primary students from eight countries(MDPI, 2020)
; WOS© Citations 24 140 116Scopus© Citations 35 - PublicationOpen AccessSprint kayaking performance enhancement by isometric strength training inclusion: A randomized controlled trialPerforming isometric strength training (IST) can enhance various sports performance. This study compared the effects of including IST on sprint kayaking performance as compared to traditional strength training. Twenty sprint kayaking athletes (age 22 ± 4 year, stature 1.71 ± 0.09 m, body mass 72.0 ± 11.4 kg) performed a 200-m kayak ergometer time trial (200mTT), isometric squat (IsoSqT), isometric bench press (IsoPress) and isometric prone bench pull (IsoPull) during the pre- and post-tests. Athletes were randomly assigned to either traditional strength training (TRAD) or IST group. Both groups performed a similar strength training program twice a week for six weeks. However, half the volume for squat, bench press and prone bench pull were replaced by IsoSqT, IsoPress and IsoPull, respectively, for the IST group. IsoSqT was performed at 90° knee angle, while IsoPress and IsoPull were performed at 90° and 120° elbow angles, respectively. Each isometric contraction was performed with maximum intensity and sustained for three seconds. A significant main time effect was observed for 200mTT (p < 0.001, ƞ2p = 0.68) and all isometric strength measures (p = 0.001–0.032, ƞ2p = 0.24–0.76) except rate of force development at 0–90 ms (RFD90) obtained from IsoSqT120 and IsoPress90. A group main effect was observed in RFD90 obtained from IsoSqT120 and IsoPull120 (p = 0.003–0.004, ƞ2p = 0.37–0.39). Time x Group interaction was observed for 200mTT (p = 0.027, ƞ2p = 0.68), peak force obtained from IsoSqT90, IsoPress90, and IsoPull120 (p = 0.004–0.006, ƞ2p = 0.36–0.38) and RFD90 obtained from IsoSqT120 and IsoPull120 (p = 0.012–0.015, ƞ2p = 0.28–0.30). Inclusion of IST resulted in greater improvement for sprint kayaking and strength performances then TRAD alone.
WOS© Citations 8 75 110Scopus© Citations 10