Efficiency in Kinesiology: Innovative Approaches in Enhancing Motor Skills for Athletic Performance, 4th Edition

A special issue of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (ISSN 2411-5142). This special issue belongs to the section "Kinesiology and Biomechanics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 692

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, I am announcing a fourth edition on the implementation of innovative applied research to improve motor skills for reaching superior sporting performances.

Investigations from recent decades have provided enough evidence for the use of certain means as training foundations for sharpening athletic performance, both from a biomotor and technical standpoint.

However, as the field of sports science continues to grow, new methodologies, technologies, and applications for evaluating, improving, or even predicting motor performance draw the attention of the academic realm, infield operators, and general audiences. Nevertheless, sometimes these new means gain wide popularity without apt scientific support, and sometimes the opposite is true—that is, cutting-edge approaches well-validated in the lab sometimes fail to transfer to sporting environments.

Due to the unceasingly evolving nature of sports science as well as the continuous demand for ever-better competitive performance, novel scientific approaches to improve athletes’ motor skills and performances are desired, and their promulgation is of utmost importance for trainers and scientists. Thus, further research is required to grant us deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations in using particular means when aiming to evaluate, predict, and model sporting performance in both amateur and professional/elite athletes.

In this Special Issue, we are looking for original investigations and reviews that introduce novel approaches to defining how leveraging either extrinsic (socio-economic, geographic, early sporting specialization, etc.) or intrinsic factors (training periodization, training methodology, equipment, cross-training, recovery management, etc.) may help upgrade athletes’ motor skills to obtain their best athletic performance.

This Special Issue is supervised by Dr. Diego Minciacchi with assistance from Dr. Vincenzo Sorgente (University of Florence).

Dr. Diego Minciacchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • kinesiology
  • sport science
  • sport performance
  • biomechanics
  • training periodization
  • training prescription
  • exercise physiology
  • athletic performance
  • motor performance
  • motor skills

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 937 KB  
Article
Kinematic Comparison of Different Types of Start Technique in Bi-Finswimming
by Gregory Kalaitzoglidis, Konstantinos Papadimitriou, Ioannis Kostoulas, Anastasios Papadopoulos and George Tsalis
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(4), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10040384 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 376
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to experimentally investigate the biomechanical and performance differences between the grab start (GS) and the kick start (KS) with each leg on the kickplate (KSR, KSL) in Bi-Finswimming (BFS). It focused on the effect of foot placement on the [...] Read more.
Objective: This study aimed to experimentally investigate the biomechanical and performance differences between the grab start (GS) and the kick start (KS) with each leg on the kickplate (KSR, KSL) in Bi-Finswimming (BFS). It focused on the effect of foot placement on the starting block, equipped with an adjustable, inclined rear kickplate (Omega, OSB11), to determine potential performance advantages and contribute evidence-based recommendations for optimizing start techniques in competitive BFS. Methods: Thirteen national-level finswimmers (seven males, six females; age: 17.7 ± 2.1 years) voluntarily participated. Each athlete performed two trials of three start techniques (GS, KSR, KSL) over three days in a randomized order. Four synchronized cameras recorded video data. Performance metrics (time to 5 m (T5), 15 m (T15), 25 m (T25), reaction time, block time (BT), flight time (FT), and entry characteristics) along with joint angles (hip, knee, ankle), were analyzed using Kinovea software (v. 2024.1). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA (start type × gender) was conducted to analyze performance metrics, and a paired-sample t-test assessed differences in joint angles. Also, correlations between dependent (type of start) and independent variables (start-examined variables) were examined through bivariate Pearson’s r analysis. Results: No significant gender differences were found (p > 0.05). Significant differences emerged between the starting techniques, with KS showing faster T5, T15, and T25 (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.6; p < 0.001, η2p = 0.5; p < 0.05, η2p = 0.3, respectively). BT was significantly longer in GS compared to KS (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.8), while FT was shorter in GS (p = 0.002, η2p = 0.4). Faster T5, T15, and T25 were associated with increased flight distance and longer FT in KSL. Conclusions: The kick start generally outperforms the grab start, especially in block time, in Bi-Finswimming. These preliminary results suggest that it could be considered for future discussion regarding potential legalization by the World Underwater Federation, pending further research. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop