Annals of Applied Sport Science

Background. Given the importance of women and their role in society, women's recreational sports are considered as one of the major issues in the fields of sports and leisure.
Objectives. This qualitative study, which was conducted using an exploratory approach, aims to determine the contextual conditions of Iranian women's recreational sports.
Methods. The statistical population of the research consisted of all the experts who had practical and scientific expertise in the fields of recreational sports and women's sports is conducted with a method and was selected using Purposive Sampling and Snowball method. Data collection tools included interviews and note-taking processes. After conducting 17 interviews (with 16 elites and 1 Canon group), the researcher reached theoretical saturation and after the data collection procedure, the data was analyzed using MAXQDA10 software and Qualitative Content Analysis.
Results. 1254 initial codes or open codes were extracted after the analysis. To further categorize the data, the codes and raw data were constantly compared based on the similarities and differences, and similar codes were placed under the same category. The initial categorization of codes yielded 51 sub-categories which were further categorized into 22 categories in the next step. The obtained concepts were divided into eight major categories (in stage of selective coding) which consisted of socio-cultural, fundamentals of Islam, political, economic, geographical environments and macro-management, media and advertisement, and sports facility issues.
Conclusion. Considering the importance of recreational sports in women, a proper understanding of the context of recreational sports can help the sport managers to apply appropriate strategies to develop it and compensate for its backwardness.

Background. Today, having a strategic approach to human resources is essential. On this basis, identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of systems and processes of human resource management in any organization can influence its success or failure.
Objectives. This study aimed to investigate the pathology of human resource management in Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth.
Methods. This study employed a mixed explorative (qualitative and quantitative) approach. The population in the qualitative part included two groups: the first group was the strategic committee that held with eight specialists; the second group included 23 participants selected through purposive sampling. Qualitative data collection to determine weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats were fulfilled by studying documents and Semi-structured interviews. In the quantitative part, the population included 62 of all managers in the ministry of sports and youth (assistant directors, general managers, the chief of offices, advisors, as well as experts of the department of sports and youth in the human resource section). There were completed and analyzed 46 researcher-made closed questionnaires. In this study, qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis of high-level documents for extracting mission statements; critical factors of the scope statement, pivotal values, critical factors of performance and finally, for identifying S, W, O and T. Also, quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, middle and criterion deviation and perspective statistics and binomial tests.
Results. In a qualitative study after analyzing the collected data 4 strengths, 51 weaknesses, 5 opportunities, and 7 threats of the Ministry were identified. In a quantitative study, the results showed all systems and processes of human resource management in Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth should be renewed and modified based on scientific methods.
Conclusion. In general, the result of this paper showed human resource management in Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth is at WO situation. Therefore the mentioned organization should apply a conservative strategy to develop human resource management. Moreover, it showed that all five systems identified in the research (including Planning and supplying, Compensation and maintenance, Development of HR, Employee and labor relation, Leadership and organizational culture) should be renewed.

Background. Low back pain is a significant issue in the field of health. Therefore, addressing new therapeutic approaches seems necessary.
Objectives. The present study examined the effect of combining core stability with stretching exercises on pain intensity and motor function in people with chronic nonspecific low back pain with and without hyperlordosis.
Methods. The research method was quasi-experimental, and its statistical population included adolescent girls with chronic low back pain with and without lumbar hyperlordosis in Lahijan schools (2018). Sixty qualified girls aged 12 to 15 years were purposefully selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomly divided into four groups. Experimental groups with and without lordosis performed stretching-core stability exercises for eight weeks in three 45-minute sessions. At the beginning and end of the exercise period, the dependent variables were evaluated.
Results. Students with and without lumbar arch enlargement who underwent therapeutic exercise experienced significant pain relief and lumbar arch reduction. Lumbar muscle strength was also increased compared to the control group (p = 0.001). However, there was a significant difference in static and dynamic balance variables between experimental and control groups without lordosis. Results also showed the effect of exercises in all variables between pre-test and post-test of the two experimental groups (p = 0.001).
Conclusion. Combining core stability with stretching exercises can, in addition to improving chronic low back pain, reduce the severity of lumbar lordosis and the trunk muscle endurance and its balance.