https://ejournal.gomit.id/inasport Inasport: Indonesian Journal of Sport, Health and Physical Education Science CV Media Inti Teknologi en-US Indonesian Journal of Sport, Health and Physical Education Science 3026-3697 https://ejournal.gomit.id/inasport/article/view/753 <p>Background: Hamstring tightness is a common issue among football players, increasing the risk of injury and reducing performance. Sports massage is frequently used to enhance flexibility, but limited evidence exists regarding its structured, longitudinal application in university-level athletes.</p> <p>Aims: This study investigated the effect of a six-week structured sports massage program on hamstring flexibility among male university football players.</p> <p>Methods: A two-group, pre-test–post-test quasi-experimental design was employed with 20 male football players from Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. Participants were allocated to a treatment group (n = 10; mean age = 22.7 ± 1.2 years; body mass = 66.4 ± 4.8 kg; height = 1.67 ± 0.04 m) or a control group (n = 10; mean age = 22.8 ± 1.3 years; body mass = 66.9 ± 5.1 kg; height = 1.68 ± 0.05 m). The treatment group received 15-minute effleurage-based sports massage sessions twice weekly for six weeks, while the control group continued regular football training without massage. Flexibility was assessed using seven measures: the Sit-and-Reach Test (SRT), left and right Active Knee Extension Tests (AKET), left and right Passive Knee Extension Tests (PKET), and left and right Straight-Leg Raise tests (SLR). Data were analyzed using 2 × 2 mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc comparisons.</p> <p>Result: The treatment group demonstrated improvements across all seven flexibility measures, whereas the control group showed small declines in the reported mean scores. The original analysis reported significant Time × Group interactions for all outcomes (p &lt; 0.001), with partial eta-squared values of 0.52–0.61. Reported within-group improvements in the treatment group ranged from 1.77° to 4.11° across the angular measures, while the SRT reportedly increased by 3.56 cm. The reported effect sizes were very large (Cohen’s d = 2.32–3.78). However, these inferential statistics and change scores require verification against the participant-level data and final descriptive tables before publication.</p> <p>Conclusion: A six-week effleurage-based sports massage program was associated with improvements in hamstring flexibility among male university football players. Sports massage may be a useful supplementary strategy for flexibility management within football training programs. Further research with larger samples and longer follow-up periods is needed to establish the durability of these improvements and determine whether they translate into meaningful performance or injury-prevention benefits.</p> WHKT Nimesh Weerasinghe Pramesh Chathushka Thotawaththa Copyright (c) 2026 WHKT Nimesh Weerasinghe, Pramesh Chathushka Thotawaththa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 2026-10-19 2026-10-19 4 3 120 137 10.58723/inasport.v4i3.753 https://ejournal.gomit.id/inasport/article/view/771 <p>Background: Caffeine is commonly used as an ergogenic aid to enhance athletic performance; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness during cycling remains equivocal, particularly when performance is assessed under conditions that closely resemble real-world practice.</p> <p>Aims: This study examined the acute effects of caffeine ingestion on physiological and performance outcomes during a 20-minute self-paced cycling time trial in amateur cyclists. Additionally, inter-individual variability in performance responses to caffeine supplementation was explored.</p> <p>Methods: Eight recreationally trained male cyclists participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover pilot study. Experimental sessions were separated by a seven-day washout period. Participants ingested either caffeine (6 mg·kg⁻¹ body mass) or a placebo 60 minutes before completing a 20-minute self-paced time trial using their personal bicycles mounted on a smart trainer. Mean power output, total distance covered, and heart rate were recorded throughout the test. Individual performance responses were also evaluated.</p> <p>Results: No statistically significant differences were identified between caffeine and placebo conditions for heart rate, mean power output, or distance covered (p &gt; 0.05 for all comparisons). Despite the absence of significant group-level effects, considerable inter-individual variability in percentage changes in mean power output was observed. In the exploratory analysis, three participants (37.5%) showed increases ≥2%, four (50.0%) showed changes between −2% and +2%, and one (12.5%) showed a decrease &lt;−2%. Given the absence of repeated baseline measurements to estimate measurement error and day-to-day variability, these individual changes should not be interpreted as evidence of confirmed responsiveness to caffeine. Mild adverse effects, including increased perception of heart rate and feelings of nervousness, were reported by a subset of participants.</p> <p>Conclusion: Ingestion of 6 mg·kg⁻¹ of caffeine did not significantly influence physiological responses or cycling performance during a 20-minute self-paced time trial in this sample of amateur cyclists. Individual percentage changes varied across participants; however, these exploratory observations cannot establish true individual responsiveness. Larger studies incorporating repeated measurements are required to determine whether such variability reflects genuine differences in caffeine response.</p> Leonardo Rocha Rangel Anderson Tavares Silva Mariana Alves Marini Victor Souza Maciel Anderson Pontes Morales Copyright (c) 2026 Leonardo Rocha Rangel, Anderson Tavares Silva, Mariana Alves Marini, Victor Souza Maciel, Anderson Pontes Morales https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 2026-10-16 2026-10-16 4 3 103 112 10.58723/inasport.v4i3.771 https://ejournal.gomit.id/inasport/article/view/972 <p>Background: The volleyball smash is a complex technique requiring coordination, timing, and movement accuracy.</p> <p>Aims: This study aimed to describe open-spike difficulties and their causal factors among athletes at ABT Club, Air Beliti Village.</p> <p>Methods: A descriptive qualitative design was used with 10 male athletes and one supporting coach. Data were collected through direct observation, structured interviews, and documentation, then analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing and verification. Credibility was strengthened through technique triangulation.</p> <p>Results: The most consistent difficulties occurred during preparation and ball contact, particularly approach-step control, excessive approach speed, insufficient jump height, body position relative to the net, arm-swing coordination, hitting-hand position, and ball-contact accuracy. Landing was generally adequate.</p> <p>Conclusion: The findings indicate an interconnected sequence of technical difficulties and provide a practical basis for targeted coaching. The biomechanical interpretation is supported by previous literature, while direct kinematic measurement remains a recommendation for future research.</p> <p>Background: The volleyball smash is a complex technique requiring coordination, timing, and movement accuracy.</p> <p>Aims: This study aimed to describe open-spike difficulties and their causal factors among athletes at ABT Club, Air Beliti Village.</p> <p>Methods: A descriptive qualitative design was used with 10 male athletes and one supporting coach. Data were collected through direct observation, structured interviews, and documentation, then analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing and verification. Credibility was strengthened through technique triangulation.</p> <p>Results: The most consistent difficulties occurred during preparation and ball contact, particularly approach-step control, excessive approach speed, insufficient jump height, body position relative to the net, arm-swing coordination, hitting-hand position, and ball-contact accuracy. Landing was generally adequate.</p> <p>Conclusion: The findings indicate an interconnected sequence of technical difficulties and provide a practical basis for targeted coaching. The biomechanical interpretation is supported by previous literature, while direct kinematic measurement remains a recommendation for future research.</p> Azizil Fikri Risky Setiawan Niku Saputra Copyright (c) 2026 Azizil Fikri, Risky Setiawan, Niku Saputra https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 2026-10-16 2026-10-16 4 3 113 119 10.58723/inasport.v4i3.972