Dr. Hab., Professor I.N. Timoshina¹
Dr. Hab., Professor L.D. Nazarenko¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Meshcheryakov^1
1Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I.N. Ulyanov, Ulyanovsk

Keywords: preschool football, physical activity, physical education service, physical fitness.

Backgroundю Modern physical education and sports offer a powerful developmental, educational and cultural resource for progress. Physical education and sports activity associated with a reasonable self-restraint and supported by fitness/ functionality tests includes health-prioritizing leisure-time active games for children and adults. Individual physical culture and sporting lifestyles need to be formed since the early days when the child enjoys physical activity knowing nothing of its developmental and health benefits. This underage need for physical activity driven by emotions is naturally associated with the willingness and fitness for physical progress and active muscle activity.

Objective of the study was to give theoretical grounds for and test physical progress and health benefits of a new preschool football basics mastering model.

Methods and structure of the study. Analysis of the relevant theoretical and practical study reports and our own studies have demonstrated that modern team sports may be ranked among the most efficient physical education and sports tools that may bring high health benefits conditional on habitual practices, good and steady motivations and optimal workloads on a positive psycho-emotional background. Based on the reference literature analysis and our own theoretical and practical experience, we found that the traditional household/ family sports offer the highest promises since it is natural for the family and neighbors to lure children in physical education and sports activity and healthy lifestyles. We also found the sampled preschoolers giving preference to football, apparently because this mass sport discipline leads in terms of popularity and accessibility.

Football may be defined as the health-enhancement anaerobic-aerobic sport discipline facilitating progress of the aerobic mechanisms of special benefits for children. The key football techniques include ball control, passing, tackling, dribbling and repossession [1]. Generally the active outdoor games and trainings with the stepped difficulty levels to spur up progress in physical fitness and qualities naturally developed in the ontogenesis help identify the genetically predetermined gifts, physical resource and potential progress paths and abilities [2, 3].

Prior to the new preschool football basics training model testing experiment, the preschool sample was tested for physical fitness and the basic football skills including ball control, dribbling, repossessions and shots on goal, with the performance rated on a 5-point scale using the following test criteria: ball control distance; size (diameter) of the dribbling spot; total moves in the repossession sequence and its time; and the total shots on goal with a success rate. The performance was scored as follows:

5 points: 5m straight-line ball control by both feet; dribbling within the marked spot; ball repossession by at most 10 precise moves for 1min; 5 accurate shots on goal out of 5;

4 points: 4m straight-line ball control by only one foot; dribbling within 20cm off the marked spot; ball repossession by 12-14 moves for 1min; 4 goals out of 5 attempts;

3 points: 3m straight-line ball control by only one foot; dribbling within 30cm off the marked spot; ball repossession by 15+ moves for 1min; 3 goals out of 5;

2 points: 2m straight-line ball control by only one foot; dribbling within 40cm off the marked spot; unsuccessful ball repossession attempt; 2 goals out of 5; and

1 point: ball control failure; failed dribbling after 3-5 moves; unsuccessful ball repossession attempt; 1 goal out of 5.

Results and discussion. The pre-experimental physical fitness and skills tests found no intergroup differences of the EG and CG (p> 0.05). The CG Physical Education course included hide and seek, tagged, plays with cubes in the sandbox, swings, carousel and moving board, under control of the families. The EG trainings were dominated by football practices, with the dads helping the children master the right kicking techniques, moves and postures, with a special attention to the foot position and angle on the ball, kicking point and ball aiming/ fly specifics, and particularly with encouragements like “well done!”, “clever!”, “very good ! ”,“take your time”, “don't hit so hard!” etc.

In the EG dribbling trainings, the fathers instructed their children that the key point is to wrong-foot the opponent by kicking light when pretending kicking hard, changing the movement line and never letting him guess where you go. The fathers corrected the techniques and offered next tasks as soon as the first signs of attention loss were noted. When mastering the ball repossession techniques, the fathers showed how it is done by the skilled footballers, what moves are critical for success, why hand contact is never allowed etc. The father was required to facilitate the child’s progress by spelling out every move in the technique and praising every success and progress. Shots on goal were trained starting from 3m with a stepped growth of the shooting distance, with a special attention to the right shooting position, foot contact on the ball and the ball movement logics. After the football trainings, the EG was free to go for the favorite pastimes.

Post-experimental tests of the EG and CG were designed to find group progress after a one-year experiment, with account of the age-specific physical development patterns, natural changes in morphology and functionality in the ontogenesis; and the genetically predetermined specifics. The tests found that the systematic focused training of the EG were beneficial for progress in the sport-specific motor skills and coordination qualities with consideration for the natural ontogenetic progress: see the Table hereunder.

Table 1. Pre- versus post-experimental EG versus CG football skills tests, points

Note: CG and EG data in the numerator and denominator, respectively; *p <0.05

The pre- versus post-experimental tests showed benefits of the EG training model as verified by the EG versus CG significant progress in every football skill test. Thus in the ball control test the CG made progress form 2.03 ± 0.15 to 2.22 ± 0.18 points (p> 0.05); versus the EG progress from 2.05 ± 0.18 to 3.64 ± 0.31 points (p <0.05). In the dribbling test, the CG made progress from 2.15 ± 0.16 to 2.48 ± 0.19 points (p> 0.05); versus the EG progress from 2.03 ± 0.13 to 3.32 ± 0.26 points (p <0.05). The other tests showed much the same picture: meaningless progress in the CG versus significant progress in the EG.

We also tested the family assistants in the experiment for physical and functional progress. The tests found insignificant progress in the CG where the families were mostly passive – versus significant progress the EG where fathers had to rehearse every move in the training process and worked hard with the children. Thus the vital capacity (VC) tests in the CG found progress from 2.92 ± 0.26 to 3.01 ± 0.20 L (p> 0.05); versus the EG progress from 2.95 ± 0.19 to 3.39 ± 0.28 L (p <0.05). The resting HR tests in the CG found progress from 75.3 ± 5.9 to 74.6 ± 7.5 bpm; versus the EG progress from 76.0 ± 6.9 to 71.8 ± 10.3 bpm (p <0.05). Much the same progresses were found by the other physical fitness, health and functionality tests.

Conclusion. The preschool football basics mastering model tested by an educational experiment was found beneficial as verified by the EG versus CG progress in the physical development, physical fitness, motor skills and health tests. Systematic football practices of that kind may be recommended with assistance from the children’s families that were also tested with some progress in health standards as a result of the regular outdoor trainings. The age-specific physical trainings should be prudently customized to the actual interests and needs of the preschoolers, their physical fitness levels and developmental specifics. The football basics mastering model for the 5-6 year old preschoolers was also found entertaining and joyful for the children who were happy to train football in combination with the other popular outdoor active games, particularly with the highly authoritative and productive support from their families.

References

1. Andreev S.N. Football - your game. Book for secondary and higher school students. M.: Terra-Sport publ.. 2007. 95 p.
2. Nazarenko L.D. Physical education and sports for physical, spiritual and moral development of schoolchildren and students. Ulyanovsk, 2012. 191 p.
3. Tumusov F. When it is impossible to hide. 3.07.2019. https://echo.msk.ru/blog/kuduktumus/2456823-echo/ Echo.msk.ru

Corresponding author: tin443051@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to theoretically substantiate new directions in the organization of children’s physical education contributing to the improvement of their health.

Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the educational experiment were 16 boys aged 5-6 years and their parents aged 30-36 years, as well as 8 grandparents aged 48-64 years, all living in Ulyanovsk and engaged in the physical education activities in a family and street environment. They were divided into the Control (CG) and Experimental Groups (EG), 8 children and 4 adults each. The study involved the physiometric research methods and motor qualities tests. Among the sports games, mastering of the elements of which ensures the development of motor-coordination qualities and which are accessible to preschool children, football is by all means more preferable. The game elements were mastered by using the football techniques evaluated by the specially developed criteria (according to a 5-point system).

Results of the study. When comparing the growth rates of the indicators of technique of playing football and functional fitness indices in the process of physical education in the family and street environment, it was found that in the EG, the test rates were significantly higher in terms of all the studied technical fitness indicators. The functional indicators in the EG children also improved as opposed to a slight change in the CG.

Conclusion. Introduction of physical education in the family and street environment into the daily life of preschool children was proved to be effective, which was determined by the choice of the most common sports games, for instance, football, which elements had been well mastered by senior family members.