• Funding: Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. State Program for the Promotion of Scientific and Technical Research of Excellence, State Subprogram for the Generation of Knowledge. (Reference number: DEP2016-79395-P).
• PI: Dres. Moreno Hernandez, Francisco Javier y Reina Vaíllo, Raúl.

One of the main aims of this project is to figure out the relationship between the amount and structure of the motor variability in relation to the characteristics of a proposed learning. This will determine which characteristics of variability during practice can be manipulated in the training to increase motor learning. A second key challenge is to analyse in which extent motor variability might characterize the motor underlying processes, motor performance and learning sensitivity in people with different motor capabilities; especially those who present alterations in the nervous system related to error and reinforcement learning (e.g. acquired brain damage or cerebral palsy).

he final project results will have a direct application to motor learning. However, the final outcomes about quantification of the variability during practice will enable to open other research lines in people with motor control impairments, sensory impairments, or situations such motor rehabilitation, among others, all of them with high social relevance.

• Funding: ONCE foundation for the Cooperation and Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities.
  
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

This project has made it possible to evaluate the opinions expressed by those responsible for the Support Services for Students with Disabilities, Sport Service Office and students with disabilities, from a total of 42 Spanish universities. Data obtained highlighted the perceived barriers and enabling factors related to physical activity and sport participation by university students with disability.

There have been generated 11 action strategies to improve physical activity and sport participation among university students with disability. These action strategies are focused on: 1. The offer of activities and practice opportunities for the group; 2. Articulate strategies for the inclusion of people with disabilities in university sports competitions, 3. Facilitate the use and dissemination of information, 4. University policies on the subject, 5. Training of managers and professionals, 6. Compliance with regulations and actions related to accessibility, 7. Access to specific or adapted material, 8. Human resource endowment, 9. Positive discrimination measures, 10. The conciliation of academic and sports activities, and 11. The contribution of the sports practice to develop skills related to employability.

• Funding: Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Projects of R & D of Excellence and R & D Projects Oriented to the Challenges of Society. (Reference number: DEP2013-44160-P:)
• PI: Dr. Francisco Javier Moreno Hernández.

The aim of this project is to advance in the knowledge of the variability characteristics as an index of motor control and to quantify variability in practice to optimize motor skill acquisition and training according to the learner’s characteristics.

The project’s results will be clearly applied to motor learning and sport technique training. However, the conclusions about the quantification of the variability in practice will help to another research lines like the rehabilitation after long immobilization, alterations in the control of voluntary movement or decrease of skills in ageing people, situations which have a great social relevance and are also related with the motor learning process.

Conclusions:

This project reached two important advances in the studying area of motor variability and its relationship to performance and learning. On the one hand, it was stated the functional role of the structure of motor variability, analyzed using nonlinear tools to describe the ability to adapt to the task to perform. In addition, it was identified as a predictor for both performance and learning ability of each individual. On the other hand, the useful of manipulating the variability during practice as a way to stimulate individual exploratory strategies enabled individual learning tasks based on error perception.

Related research works:

Coves, A. (2018). The effect of the application of different loads of practice variability on the learning process of trunk stability task. Doctoral thesis. Miguel Hernández University of Elche.

Barbado, D., Caballero, C., Moreside, J., Vera-García, F.J. & Moreno, F.J. (2017). Can the structure of motor variability predict learning rate? Journal of Experimental Psychology – Human Perception and Performance, 43(3):596-607.

Caballero, C., Moreno, F.J., Reina, R., Roldán, A., Coves, A., & Barbado (2017). The role of motor variability in motor control and learning depends on the nature of the task and the individual’s capabilities. European Journal of Human Movement, 38, 12-26.

García-Herrero, J. A., Sabido, R., Barbado, D., Martínez, I. & Moreno, F.J. (2016). The load of practice variability must be regulated in relation with learner expertise. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 47(6), 559-570.

Caballero, C., Barbado, D. Davids, K. & Moreno, F.J. (2016). Variations in task constraints shape emergent performance outcomes and complexity levels in balancing. Experimental Brain Research, 234, 1611-1622.

Caballero, C., Barbado, D. & Moreno, F.J. (2015). What COP and kinematic parameters better characterize postural control in standing balance tasks? Journal of Motor Behavior, 47, 550-562.

Urbán, T., Gutiérrez, O. y Moreno, F.J. (2015). Effects of Unstable Conditions on Kinematics and Performance Variables in Young Handball Players. Journal of human kinetics, 46(1):39-48.

Reynoso, S.R, Sabido, R., Reina, R. & Moreno, F.J. (2014). Differential Learning Applied to Volleyball Serves in Novice Athletes. Apunts, 114, 45-52.

Hernández-Davó, H., Urbán, T., Morón, H., Reina, R. & Moreno, F. J. (2014). Variable training effect in the accuracy of the free throw in basketball in young players. Kronos, 13 (1).

• Funding: Casa Verde Foundation. (Reference number: 12/16)
  
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

In this contract, a physical and sports activity project was developed for people with disabilities based on inter- and multidisciplinary work with health/clinical professionals from the Casa Verde Foundation. The program offers four intervention programs based on: a) group sports for the group offer (Total Football Program), b) sports and recreational activities (Games-4-All), c) inclusive fitness (Fun Fitness Program), and activities directed to users in wheelchairs (Wheelchair Play & Health). Each of the programs consisted of an initial and final evaluation after 2-3 weeks of intervention in an occasional stay regime, accompanied by social and cultural activities. The different programs offered are based on the following four bases:

INDIVIDUALIZATION, responding to the needs and interests of the users of the program. The previous evaluation allows making the appropriate adjustments of the base programming, giving an adequate response to the capacities that each user can perform.

MOTIVATION, sought active involvement in each of the activities, through the application of motivational strategies of management and interaction between the components of the group, as well as the technician, materials and environment where the activities are carried out.

AUTONOMY, enhancing the individual capacities of each one of the users.

QUALITY, by making available to users the materials and facilities of the Miguel Hernandez University, as well as a group of professionals with experience in the prescription and programming of physical and sports activities for people with functional diversity.

• Funding: Spanish Paralumpic Committee and Miguel Hernandez University. (Reference number: 51/15).
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

A total of four contracts have been signed with the Spanish Paralympic Committee, all of them aimed at training physical education (PE) teachers for the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE classes. The result of the different contracts has led to the brand Include-T (https://incluyeteblog.wordpress.com/) having trained more than 300 teachers in the Valencia Community. The program consists of a face-to-face training of 18 hours (6 sessions of 3 hours each), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Comunitat Valenciana. In this training, different training strategies are used based on simulation, information, the use of multimedia materials, and contact with people with disabilities acquiring inclusive strategies for people with visual, hearing, physical and intellectual disabilities. The program evaluates the teachers’ perception of competence to include students with disability before and after the training program, having obtained significant improvements in this respect. In addition, to complete a total of 30 training hours, accredited by the Teacher Training Centers of the Generalitat Valenciana, teachers have to implement an inclusive or awareness-raising activity in their classrooms/schools, evaluating the attitudes of their students towards the inclusion of classmates and companions with disabilities. The program is being extended successfully to other autonomous communities such as the Canary Islands.

The contracts were the following:

1. Contract to carry out training activities framed in the “Project Includes-T: Training of physical education teachers in physical activity and inclusive sports in the Valencian Community” (CPE3.16F, Reference number 137/16).

• Funding: Spanish Paralympic Committee.
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

2. Training agreement for trainers in inclusive physical education between the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE1.17F, Reference number. 101/17).

• Funding: Spanish Paralympic Committee.
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

3. Contract for the development of training activities between the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE2.17F, Reference number 129/17)

• Funding: Spanish Paralympic Committee
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

• Funding: AGITOS Foundation (International Paralympic Committee). Reference number: GSP14-CPISRA01-IF.
  
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

This project has been carried out in collaboration with the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), where the evidence-based classification research reference center is located and supported by the International Paralympic Committee. The aim of the aforementioned project was to identify the criteria that a group of 20 international classifiers of para-athletics and CP Football considered crucial to determine the impact that players’ deficiency (hypertonia, ataxia or athetosis) has on the execution of certain motor activities: jumps, stability, changes of direction, and sprint. The classifiers had to make a judgment of 0 (no impact), 1 (some impact) or 2 (much impact) on parameters of asymmetry, fluency, coordination, range of motion and arm-leg coordination, as well as a series of judgments qualitative that will help to re-define the profiles of the classes FT5-FT8 of CP Fútbol and T35-T38 of para-athletics.

• Funding: Ministry of Science and Innovation. General Directorate of Research and Management of the National R + D + I Plan. (Reference number.: DEP2010-19420).
  
• PI: Dr. Francisco Javier Moreno Hernández.

The aim of this project is to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between variability and processes by which the humans learn to perform skilled voluntary movements.

The project has been focused on the motor coordination of basic skills by the general population, as well as on sport-specific skills of two different sports, handball and tennis, in order to be able to generalize the effect of variability on the learning process and the technique training.

From the information obtained we hoped to be able to propose criteria for the design of exercises aimed to optimize motor learning processes and sport training technique.

Related research works:

Hernández-Davó, H., Urbán, T., Sarabia, J.M., Juan-Recio, C. & Moreno, F.J. (2014). Training variability: effects on the velocity and accuracy in tennis serve. Journal of Sport Science, 32(14).

Caballero, C., Barbado, D. & Moreno, F.J. (2013). Center of pressure preprocessing methods to analyze complexity/performance relation in quiet standing. Revista Andaluza de Medicina del Deporte, 6(3):101-107.

Urbán, T., Hernández-Davó, H. & Moreno, F. J. (2012). Kinematic variability in relation to serving performance in young tennis players. Motricidad. European Journal of Human Movement, 29, 1-21.

• Funding: Eulen Servicios Sociosanitarios S.A. and Miguel Hernandez University. (Reference number: 80/11).
  
• PI: Dr. Raúl Reina Vaíllo.

With this contract signed between the UMH and Eulen Servicios Sociosanitarios S.L., the foundations of the Spanish Association of Sport and Adapted Physical Activity (AEDAFA) were set, based at the Sports Research Center of the Miguel Hernández University.  The result was the creation of an online platform (www.dafaweb.es) that combines free access contents among others reserved for its members, configuring an on-line thematic portal with information that aims to act as a mediator between the multiplicity and dispersion of information that is continually being generated on issues related to disability, physical activity and sports. The online platform, that meet the accessibility criteria of 3WC programming, is aimed at people with disabilities, their families and any other professionals involved in the field of attention to the group (researchers, associations, activity managers, etc.). It is intended to be a meeting point for all agents, making it a living and dynamic entity. For this, it has a presence on social networks Facebook and Twitter, as well as having its own channel on YouTube. The portal is structured in the following sections:

NEWS: informs about relevant actions and acts related to physical activity and adapted sports.

SPORTS: contains a collection of sports, organized by groups of visual impairment, hearing, physical and reduced mobility, cerebral palsy and brain damage, and intellectual disability (differentiated between INAS movement and Special Olympics). Each sport has information about materials, regulations, classifications, links, videos or bibliography.

CLOSE BET: contact information is presented from the main federations that collect sports programs for people with disabilities, both nationally and autonomously, sports and sports. There is also a directory on the associative movement.

SPORTS EVENTS: It is intended to help spread the main events of adapted sports, especially at the national and international level that are held in Spain.

TRAINING: We inform about the main training programs in physical activity and adapted sport, as well as congresses and related training days.

PUBLICATIONS: This section allows access to a database of works and magazines related to disability, especially with their sports and physical activity. Filtered searches can be done by disability groups, author or scope of intervention.

RESEARCH: Here we try to present the scientific activity of different research groups of Spanish centers and universities. Access to their most relevant publications and activities is facilitated, thus contributing to the establishment of a knowledge network in Physical Activity and Adapted Sports.

For more information:

Web: www.dafaweb.es

Twitter: @AEDAFA

Facebook: Aedafa – Asociación Española de Actividad Física y Deporte Adaptado