Background/Aim. The main role of physical education is health and educational
practices of cadets and all-round personality development. Instruction
executing is successful only when the set requirements are realized. The aim
of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of physical education in
order to rise physical capabilities of the Military Academy cadets during a
4-year education. Methods. The study was conducted in the Military Academy,
Belgrade. A total of 120 cadets who at the beginning of the study were 19
years ? 6 months and at the end 23 years ? 6 months were included in this
study. The study used the following tests for verification and assessment of
physical fitness: pull-ups, lifting the trunk from the ground, standing long
jump seats, running at 1,600 m and overcoming the infantry obstacles. The
data were analyzed using statistical programs to calculate the central and
dispersion parameters. The difference in the achieved results in the
individual variables were evaluated by the univariate analysis of variance
(ANOVA), while the differences in the system variables by region were
identified by the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and discriminant
analysis. The group membership was determined using profile analysis.
Results. There were statistically significant differences in all the tests to
evaluate the effectiveness of physical education during a 4-year study,
except in the standing long jump test. The best average results in motor
capabilities tests, were achieved after two years of study, while in the
endurance tests showed the best results achieved at the end of a 4-years
studying. Conclusion. The results of overcoming specific tests for the
physical abilities of the Military Academy cadets show that the physical
education curriculum only slightly improves the development of physical
skills of cadets during a 4-year study. The existing program shows the best
results in the pull-ups test of the ground troops, and the worst in the
multiple motor control tests (endurance, strength and speed).