CPSS Performance Assessment Technologies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coach asks a sport scientist to assess athlete readiness using heart rate variability (HRV). Which metric derived from HRV is most commonly used as a daily readiness indicator?
- Mean R-R interval duration
- RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences) (Correct answer)
- QRS complex duration
- P-wave amplitude
Correct answer: RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences)
RMSSD reflects parasympathetic nervous system activity and is the most widely used HRV metric for daily athlete readiness monitoring.
Question 2: In sport science, what does the term 'time-motion analysis' primarily assess?
- Biochemical changes during exercise over time
- Movement patterns, distances, and speeds during competition or training (Correct answer)
- The reaction time of athletes to visual stimuli
- Time taken for muscle force to reach peak during contractions
Correct answer: Movement patterns, distances, and speeds during competition or training
Time-motion analysis quantifies movement patterns including distance covered, velocities, and work-to-rest ratios during sport activity.
Question 3: Which wearable technology approach is most validated for measuring external training load in team sport athletes?
- Chest-mounted heart rate belts
- Triaxial accelerometer-based PlayerLoad in vests (Correct answer)
- Blood glucose continuous monitors
- Skin temperature patches
Correct answer: Triaxial accelerometer-based PlayerLoad in vests
Triaxial accelerometer-derived PlayerLoad quantifies the mechanical demands on the body and is extensively validated in team sports.
Question 4: When using 3D motion capture to assess pitching mechanics, which segment is typically modeled as rigid to simplify analysis?
- The entire shoulder girdle as one segment (Correct answer)
- Each finger individually
- The fluid in the glenohumeral joint capsule
- Tendon lengthening during follow-through
Correct answer: The entire shoulder girdle as one segment
The shoulder girdle is commonly modeled as a rigid segment in pitching biomechanics to simplify complex multi-joint calculations.
Question 5: Which technology provides the most direct non-invasive estimate of cardiac output during high-intensity exercise?
- Impedance cardiography (Correct answer)
- Standard 12-lead ECG
- Pulse oximetry
- Blood pressure cuff sphygmomanometry
Correct answer: Impedance cardiography
Impedance cardiography measures thoracic electrical impedance changes with each heartbeat to estimate stroke volume and cardiac output.
Question 6: In force-velocity profiling of an athlete using a linear position transducer, what does a rightward shift of the F-V curve indicate?
- Decreased maximum force production capacity
- Improved power output at higher velocities (Correct answer)
- Reduced neuromuscular efficiency
- Greater time to peak force
Correct answer: Improved power output at higher velocities
A rightward shift on the force-velocity curve indicates that an athlete generates greater force or power at higher movement velocities.
Question 7: A sport scientist collects lactate data at multiple intensities during an incremental test. What computational method is most commonly used to identify the lactate threshold?
- First derivative analysis or Dmax method applied to the lactate-intensity curve (Correct answer)
- Peak lactate value divided by resting lactate
- The intensity at which heart rate exceeds 90% of maximum
- Linear regression of the full data set
Correct answer: First derivative analysis or Dmax method applied to the lactate-intensity curve
The Dmax method or first derivative analysis identifies the inflection point on the lactate curve where accumulation begins to increase non-linearly.
CPSS Performance Assessment Technologies 3
A coach asks a sport scientist to assess athlete readiness using heart rate variability (HRV).
Which metric derived from HRV is most commonly used as a daily readiness indicator?