2. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU

The history of dance has long been associated with women, creating stereotypical limitations for men in this discipline, particularly evident in Physical Education (PE) where teachers often feel uncomfortable teaching Body Expression (BE) and dance content, especially male educators. Despite various artistic languages available for BE instruction in classrooms, body percussion (BP) has recently emerged as a multidisciplinary art form combining dance, theatre, and music, showing potential for transversal application in education. This study aimed to assess how BP practices are perceived by men and women and their effects on both genders. A specialized BP teaching application was introduced into higher education, involving 62 Spanish university students who completed the Profile Mood States questionnaire before and after the intervention. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences between men and women in pre- and post-tests. However, the findings indicated a positive experience for men, showcasing modifications in their emotional states – particularly reduced tension, depression, and anger, while exhibiting increased vigor. Fatigue, a common aspect in physically demanding PE activities, persisted. The study suggests that BP practices offer positive experiences related to BE and dance content, serving as a potentially more comfortable resource for classroom use compared to other artistic languages.

The countermovement jump, the V-cut test, the muscle thickness and the adjacent subcutaneous fat thickness of the gastrocnemius medialis and rectus femoris are important physiological indicators for success in basketball. The aims of this study were to evaluate between-age-category and between-gender differences in these indicators and examine the relationships between physical tests and ultrasound measurements. The measurements were recorded in a sample of 131 elite basketball players (66 males) who played in three age-categories (U14, U16, or U18). We performed two-way analysis of covariance tests and age-adjusted partial correlation analyses. U16 and U18 males showed better performance in the countermovement jump and V-cut tests and lower adjacent subcutaneous fat thickness of the gastrocnemius medialis and rectus femoris compared to the U14 males (p≤.001) and to age-category equivalent female players (p≤.001). Comparisons between the age categories in females did not show significant differences in any of the study variables. Adjacent subcutaneous fat thickness of the gastrocnemius medialis explained 22.3% of the variation for the countermovement jump result and 12.9% of the variation for the V-cut result in males (p<.01). This study is the first to show the association and predictive role of subcutaneous fat thickness measured by ultrasound in physical performance of male and female elite youth basketball players.