By Dispatch staff

March 27, 2012

Martial arts are exhausting, as anyone who’s traded a few punches, kicks, or throws can attest. But where exactly does the energy come from?

Color your own Martial Artist by visiting this link: http://ydtalk.com/jdispatch/2010/09/22/meet-the-master-of-martial-arts/

A team of Brazilian researchers have taken the lab into the dojo to study the energy requirements of the Japanese art of judo.

Every form of exercise uses a different combination of the body’s metabolic systems for energy. Cyclical sports such as running and cycling are relatively easy to replicate with exercise machines in a laboratory, but that’s harder to do with more unpredictable sports such as martial arts.

Scientists studied the energy exerted by athletes that practice judo in hopes of making them more efficient with thier throws.(Photo by NOTELSE via Flickr.com)

Measuring the breath: Three different systems convert food to energy. During long periods of moderate exercise, aerobic metabolism does most of the work, using oxygen to turn sugar into energy, water, and CO2. Running a marathon or cycling for 100 miles, therefore, is almost entirely aerobic. For shorter, more intense exertion, or when the oxygen runs out, muscles can break down sugar anaerobically, although that system is far less efficient and produces muscle-burning lactic acid as a byproduct. For very short bursts of energy, such as a 10-second sprint, muscles can rely on another type of anaerobic system: they use up energy-storing compounds, called phosphagens, in muscular tissues.

The usual method for measuring metabolism requires athletes to stay in place, on a treadmill or standing bicycle, while machines track the gas composition in the athlete’s breath. Blood tests measure the amount of sugar and other metabolites. To get the metabolic profile, those numbers are plugged into a mathematical model of human metabolism.

But a martial art like judo or a team-based sport such as soccer involves “more complex actions,” says Emerson Franchini, a physiologist at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Rather than repetitive motion, these sports require constantly changing muscle groups, as well as adaptation to a partner or team member. Assessing metabolism during these activities is tricky: Judo can’t be performed while

By Dispatch staff

March 23, 2012

Some kids collect sports cards, stamps or coins. Because I like to write, I collect quotes. I save examples of those times when someone said, or wrote, something just right.

A high school girls soccer team huddles a huge umbrella in a rainstorm as they watch the game during a girls soccer game at Hazel Green High School in Hazel Green, Ala., Thursday, March 22, 2012. (The Huntsville Times/Eric Schultz)

I have collected hundreds of quotes over the years, by famous and not-so-famous people. Friends and family sometimes give me quote books and calendars with a quote for every day.

I was looking over my collection, and some favorite quotations made me think about kids and sports. Here are a few, along with who said them.

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“There is the greatest practical benefit in making a few failures early in life.”

–Thomas Henry Huxley

Lots of kids are afraid of messing up in school or in sports. They hate to strike out or miss a shot. But Huxley, a famous scientist in the 19th century, understood that it’s OK to make mistakes, especially when you are young. That’s how you learn.

Also, what seems like a failure, such as getting cut from a team, may be just the thing you need to encourage you to work harder and improve. Remember, basketball legend Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school varsity team the first time he tried out.

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“To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves.”

– Will Durant

Too many kids speak ill of — or criticize — their teammates. Maybe you have some of those kids on your team. Or maybe you are one of those kids.

As Durant, a famous historian, recognized, criticizing a teammate is really a sneaky way of saying, “I’m a better player than that kid.”

Teams are supposed to win, or lose, together. It’s tough for a team to play its best if some of the players are always complaining or talking behind their teammates’ backs. So try not to criticize your teammates. That way, you will be sure you’re a good teammate.

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“Nobody wins games with their face.”

– Lawrence “Yogi” Berra

So many kids worry about how they look when they play sports. They have to wear the coolest shoes, have a certain uniform number or get the most expensive equipment. But none of that stuff is important when the game starts. Practice and hard work make you a better player, not a cool-looking hat.

Berra, a Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, understood this. He was short and pudgy and kind of funny-looking. But Berra hit 358 home runs and helped the Yankees win 10 World Series championships.

Berra may not have looked like a winner; he just played like one.

Starting pitcher Bryan Sammons delivers a pitch during a high school baseball game, Tuesday, March 20, 2012 in North Brunswick, N.C. (AP Photo/The Star-News, Jeff Janowski)

Reported by Fred Bowen is the author of 17 sports books for kids. His latest are “Quarterback Season” and “Real Hoops.” Provided by the Washington Post.

By Dispatch staff

March 8, 2012

Before the Iditarod dog sled race came to Nome, residents there would have been cheering for an entirely different type of sport.

The region of Alaska where Nome is located is largely territory of the Inupiat people, a group of native Americans who hunted and fished for a living. Even today, the majority of Nome residents are Inupiats.

But what did they Inupiat people like to do for fun in the pre-Iditarod days? They played high-kick ball, a game where particpiants tried kick a ball tied to a rope as it was raised higher and higher.

Learn more about the sport, and see an actual high-kick ball here.

By Dispatch staff

March 5, 2012

The York YMCA is offering Intramural Volleyball for girls ages 8-10 on eight consecutive Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m. beginning March 19.

The program provides volleyball instruction in a recreational setting.

Registration is required by March 14.

To register or for more information, call Doug Markel at 843-7884, ext. 248.

By Dispatch staff

March 5, 2012

The Eckert Fitness Group is now accepting registrations for the spring Youth Flag Football and Cheerleading Camps, open to children ages 5 to 12, Saturdays beginning March 24.

All participants learn fundamental sports skills, agility, coordination, teamwork and proper sportsmanship. Games will also be played during the six-week camp.

The fee is $69 for the first child and $59 for each additional child. Participants will receive a personalized shirt, camp certificate and a sports pin and will be eligible to earn a physical fitness certificate. A portion of each registration fee is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The final registration deadline is March 10. To register or for more information, visit www.EckertFitnessGroup.com or call 650-6537.