Este libro está dirigido a todas aquellas personas interesadas en las Ciencias Sociales, en especial los estudiantes y profesorado en Ciencias del Deporte, que quieren realizar una investigación empírica o bien analizar correctamente los datos procedentes de otras investigaciones. Por tanto, no es un libro científico sino un libro de recursos centrado en las necesidades de las personas que necesitan apoyo práctico para realizar una investigación empírica. Se divide en diez capítulos correspondiéndose cada uno de ellos con las etapas de una investigación empírica. Cada capítulo comienza con un cuadro sinóptico donde destacan los pasos a seguir en la etapa que se trata. Luego, al final hay una lista de control que permite corroborar si se han llevado a cabo correctamente esos pasos. Las definiciones se destacan en fondo gris, los resúmenes –que contienen los aspectos esenciales- en negrita y cada uno de los conceptos tratados está ilustrado con muchos ejemplos relacionados con las Ciencias del Deporte (Medicina, Psicología, Antropología, etc.)

Mixed methods research techniques, combining both quantitative and qualitative elements, have become well established throughout the social, behavioural and natural sciences. This is the first book to focus on the application of mixed methods research in the movement sciences, specifically in sport, physical education and dance. Researchers and practitioners in each of these fields are concerned with the study of habitual behaviour in naturalistic contexts, and of the concurrent and sequential nature of events and states, precisely the kind of work that multi-method research design can help illuminate. The book is arranged into four sections. The first provides a thorough overview of mixed methods procedures and research design, and summarizes their applicability to the movement sciences. The remaining sections then offer detailed case studies of mixed methods research in team and individual sports (analyzing hidden patterns of play and optimising technique); kinesics and dance (analyzing motor skills behaviour in childhood, and the complexity of motor responses in dance); and physical education (detecting interaction patterns in group situations, and optimizing non-verbal communication by teachers and sports coaches). Mixed Methods Research in the Movement Sciences offers an important new tool for researchers and helps to close the gap between the analysis of expert performance and our understanding of the general principles of movement science. It is important reading for any student, researcher or professional with an interest in motor control, sport and dance pedagogy, coaching, performance analysis or decision-making in sport.

Endurance in Sport is a comprehensive and authoritative work on all aspects of this major component of sports science. The book also embraces medical and sport-specific issues of particular relevance to those interested in endurance performance. The scientific basis and mechanisms of endurance - physiological, psychological, genetic and environmental - are all considered in depth. Measurement of endurance is extensively reviewed as is preparation and training for physical activities requiring endurance.

This book presents original research articles addressing various aspects of economics, management and optimization. The topics discussed include economics, finance, marketing, resource allocation strategies, fuzzy logic, and network-based techniques for the analysis of economics, management and mathematical optimization. Combining the input of contributing professors and researchers from various Spanish, Italian and Latin American universities, the book will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners, as well as members of the general public interested in the world of Economics and Management.