STATE AND DYNAMICS OF THE STRENGTH ABILITIES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

The period of pre-school age is characterized by an intensive growth and development of the human organism. In that connection, we set the aim of our study: to investigate the development of the strength abilities of children from a preparatory group for school (5-7 years old) as a result of the application of physical culture enriched educational program (for the period of one school year). The investigated subjects were 208 children from two kindergartens and one school in the city of Sofia. The following methods were used: Theoretical analysis, pedagogical experiment, pedagogical testing, and statistical methods. The following motor fitness tests were used: hand grip (left and right hand), standing broad jump, throwing 1 kg medicine ball with two hands above head, throwing 1 kg medicine ball with two hands underneath, throwing a small dense ball as far as possible, and maximum number of squats for 20 sec. From the results obtained, it was found that the greatest increase in strength abilities was found in the children of the experimental test groups as follows: ‘Throwing a small dense ball’, ‘left hand grip’, ‘throwing 1 kg medicine ball with two hands above head’. Results: As a result of the training methodology applied, an increase in the strength abilities of the children of both sexes was established.

EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL GYMNASTICS ON MOTOR FITNESS IN PRESCHOOL GIRLS

The aim of this research was to determine the effects of developmental gymnastics on motor fitness in preschool girls. This study was performed on a sample of 56 healthy preschool girls that were divided into two groups, a developmental training group and a control group. Motor fitness tests were used from several test batteries: the 20m dash, Obstacle course backwards, Standing broad jump, Arm plate tapping, Seated straddle stretch, Bent arm hang, Sit ups. The basic characteristics of developmental gymnastic training process consisted of station and circuit work and obstacle courses two times a week lasting for 60 min with intensity around 160-180bpm. After the training intervention, the training group showed significant (p < 0.05) improvements in almost all the parameters analyzed (e.g., Obstacle course backwards; Standing broad jump; Arm plate tapping; Bent arm hang and Sit ups) compared with pretest values, with percentages of change and ES ranging from 13.3% to 48.2% and 0.64 (moderate) to 1.20 (large), respectively. No significant changes were observed in the control group after the training intervention except for the standing broad jump and arm plate tapping (p < 0.05). This study provides evidence on the effectiveness of developmental gymnastics programs for the optimal development of young children’s motor fitness.

Eurofit Special: European Fitness Battery Score Variation among Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

The Eurofit Special Test is a battery of motor fitness tests resulting from a 10-year project of the Committee of Experts for Sports Research and is comprised of strength, speed, flexibility, and balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Eurofit Special was able to distinguish variations in functioning among individuals with intellectual disabilities. Significant differences were found in long jump flexibility 25-m dash, medicine ball throw, balance walk, sit ups in 30-s. Analyses demonstrated that the Eurofit Special was able to discriminate performance levels by gender, age, and level of intellectual disability (mild: 177 female, 368 male; moderate: 359 female, 476 male; severe: 92 female, 111 male).

Test-Retest Reliability of the Eurofit Test Battery Administered to University Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the rest-retest reliability of the Eurofit motor fitness tests performed by university students. A total of 98 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education departments in Greece participated (29 men aged 19.5 ± 2.7 hr. and 66 women aged 19, 4 ± 2.7 yr.). ALL Eurofit motor fitness tests and anthropometric measurements were obtained twice with one week between the two measurements, Intraclass correlation coefficient indicated satisfactory coefficients above .70 for most tests. The only exception was the plate-tapping test which yielded a low value ( R = .57). Further, the majority of the Eurofit test battery fitted well within the 95% confidence interval, and only three Eurofit motor fitness test items (flamingo balance, plate tapping, and sit-ups) presented a confidence limit below the value of .70, These findings indicated that the Eurofit test battery yielded reliable data for undergraduate students. However, modifications should be considered to improve the reliability of certain test items, for application to undergraduates.