Dr. Biol. T.F. Abramova¹
PhD T.M. Nikitina¹
PhD F.A. Iordanskaya¹
Researcher A.V. Polfuntikova¹
D.N. Pukhov^2
1Federal Scientific Center for Physical Culture and Sports (VNIIFK), Moscow
²Saint Petersburg Research Institute of Physical Culture, Saint Petersburg

Corresponding author: atf52@bk.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to test and analyze the morphofunctional development and physical fitness variations in the 6-10 year-old boys with age and physical activity.

Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study a standard physical fitness / morphofunctional development test toolkit applied in preschool establishments and general education schools plus the GTO Complex physical fitness test standards for the 6-10 year-olds [4, 6] including: anthropometric characteristics, caliperometry, physiometry, heart rate / tone tests and educational surveys [1, 4, 5]. The tests were designed to rate the following: body length and mass, body mass index (BMI/ Quetelet index); chest size and excursion; limb sizes; skin fat folds; vital capacity; blood pressure, heart rate; pulse pressure; and carpal strength. The physical fitness tests included 10x3m shuttle sprint, standing long jump and flexibility-rating bench lean tests. The test data were statistically processed by the Pearson group correlation analysis in Statistica 13.0 software toolkit; with the correlations rated on the Chaddock scale [3].

We sampled for the study the 6-10 year-old boys (n=304) in the Moscow and Moscow Oblast kindergartens and schools and split them up into untrained (n=150) and trained (n=108) groups, with the trained group including martial artists (trained at the Olympic Village 80 Sports School and Judo Olympic Reserve Sports School in Moscow) plus gymnasts (n=46) trained at DMIKO in Lyubertsy, with the individual sporting experiences ranging from eight months to six years. The boys were sampled for the tests on the parental and trainers’ consents and with their supervision.

Results and conclusion. In our ranking of the age-specific physical fitness / physical development test rates we would give a special priority to the absolute physical fitness / physical development tests indicative of the growth process including the body length, body mass, absolute muscle mass, vital capacity, carpal strength, dexterity, abdominal muscle strength, arm and shoulder girdle strength test rates. The test rates little correlated with age in the considered age interval are dominated by the morphofunctional ones indicative of the physical stress tolerance (cardiovascular system, chest excursion, relative muscle mass and fat mass tests); plus some physical fitness aspects tests in the sensitive physical development periods (e.g. leg strength and coordination tests). It should be mentioned in this context that the 6-10 year-olds’ trainings should be prudently customized to the individual morphofunctional development test rates, in view of the fact that special role in this period is played by the vegetative organs/ systems regulating mechanisms.

Keywords: 6-10 year-olds, physical fitness, physical development (PD), morphofunctional development, martial artists, gymnasts, untrained males.

Background. Physical fitness as the individual physical qualities summarizing category is indirectly indicative of the child’s developmental harmony with the cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, endocrine-metabolic, psychological system progress aspects; and with the physical fitness tests and analyses critical for the youth health protection systems in the context of physical education service, particularly to the 6-10 year-old preschoolers and primary students [2, 8-9]. The age-specific progress in volitional motor control is generally faster than progress of autonomic organs/ systems regulating mechanism in the ontogenetic development. Motor fitness and physical stress tolerance is known to correlate with the physical development and the cardiovascular/ respiratory system functions in the underage groups, with progress being expressly age-specific and, hence, ratable by sets of the relevant quantitative/ qualitative progress test criteria making it possible to profile the morphofunctional development and physical fitness variations with age [2, 8].

Objective of the study was to test and analyze the morphofunctional development and physical fitness variations in the 6-10 year-old boys with age and physical activity.

Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study a standard physical fitness / morphofunctional development test toolkit applied in preschool establishments and general education schools plus the GTO Complex physical fitness test standards for the 6-10 year-olds [4, 6] including: anthropometric characteristics, caliperometry, physiometry, heart rate / tone tests and educational surveys [1, 4, 5]. The tests were designed to rate the following: body length and mass, body mass index (BMI/ Quetelet index); chest size and excursion; limb sizes; skin fat folds; vital capacity; blood pressure, heart rate; pulse pressure; and carpal strength. The physical fitness tests included 10x3m shuttle sprint, standing long jump and flexibility-rating bench lean tests. The test data were statistically processed by the Pearson group correlation analysis in Statistica 13.0 software toolkit; with the correlations rated on the Chaddock scale [3].

We sampled for the study the 6-10 year-old boys (n=304) in the Moscow and Moscow Oblast kindergartens and schools and split them up into untrained (n=150) and trained (n=108) groups, with the trained group including martial artists (trained at the Olympic Village 80 Sports School and Judo Olympic Reserve Sports School in Moscow) plus gymnasts (n=46) trained at DMIKO in Lyubertsy, with the individual sporting experiences ranging from eight months to six years. The boys were sampled for the tests on the parental and trainers’ consents and with their supervision.

Results and discussion. The test data correlation analysis found the age and physical fitness test rates being differently correlated in the physical activity groups: see Table1 hereunder. The untrained group showed very weak and weak correlations (72.7%) with a small share of high correlations (4.5%). The martial artists group was also tested with dominance of very weak and weak correlations (63.6%) albeit different from the untrained group in the moderate correlations (36.3 versus 22.8%, respectively), whilst high correlations were not found. And the gymnasts group showed a fair share of high correlations (36.3%) and equal contributions of the moderate versus very weak and weak correlations (31.8% and 31.8%, respectively).

Table 1. Age with physical fitness / physical development correlations in the 6-10 year-old untrained (1), martial artists (2) and gymnasts (3) groups

Special role in the age-dependent tests rates with moderate and high correlations in every group is played by the growth test rates including body length, muscle mass and vital capacity plus the physical fitness rating shuttle sprint and carpal strength test rates. In the gymnasts group, a special priority is given to chest size, fat mass (kg) and abdominal muscle strength tests, with the medium correlations of BMI, muscle mass (%), pulse pressure, flexibility and carpal/ arm strength test rates with age. And in the martial artists group the age-specific progresses are tested by the carpal strength, thigh muscle mass and the abdominal muscle strength test rates.

Weak and very weak age-with-physical fitness / physical development correlations in the sample were found for the functionality test rates including the HR, blood pressure, chest excursion, muscle mass and fat mass and the standing long jump test rates. In case of untrained and martial artists groups, the above are complemented by the BMI, muscle mass (%), fat mass (kg), pulse pressure, flexibility and the relative carpal strength test rates – that are collectively indicative of individual progresses with age in many aspects including those in the regulatory mechanism on the whole and autonomic regulation ones in particular.

Benefits of high physical activity are verified by correlations between the relative carpal strength and age: very weak in the unsporting, week in the martial artists and medium in the gymnasts groups; plus moderate correlations of age with the absolute carpal strength in the untrained and martial artists groups, and high correlations in the gymnasts group. The above are complemented by very weak correlations of age with flexibility in the untrained and martial artists groups, and moderate ones in the gymnasts group; weak correlation of age with the arm/ shoulder girdle strength in the untrained and martial artists groups, and moderate correlations in the gymnasts group; low correlation of age with the abdominal muscle strength in the untrained group, moderate in the martial artists group and high in the gymnasts group. These test data and correlations need to be taken into account by the muscle-group-specific strength and flexibility training systems sensitive to age and sporting experiences to secure every bodily system being fit for progress in the strength and movement coordination qualities.

The age-specific growth and progress in different sports trainings may be additionally profiled by: very weak correlations of age with muscle mass (%) in the untrained and martial artists groups with medium correlations in the gymnasts group; weak correlation of age with fat mass (kg) in the untrained and martial artists groups with high correlation in the gymnasts group; and weak correlation of age with pulse pressure in the untrained and martial artists groups with a moderate correlation in the gymnasts group. These intergroup differences are indirectly indicative of the physical activity benefits as demonstrated by the group weekly physical activity ranging from 90min (two 45-min Physical Education classes) per week in the untrained group to four-five 2-3-hour workouts per week in the gymnasts group.

Conclusion. In our ranking of the age-specific physical fitness / physical development test rates we would give a special priority to the absolute physical fitness / physical development tests indicative of the growth process including the body length, body mass, absolute muscle mass, vital capacity, carpal strength, dexterity, abdominal muscle strength, arm and shoulder girdle strength test rates. The test rates little correlated with age in the considered age interval are dominated by the morphofunctional ones indicative of the physical stress tolerance (cardiovascular system, chest excursion, relative muscle mass and fat mass tests); plus some physical fitness aspects tests in the sensitive physical development periods (e.g. leg strength and coordination tests). It should be mentioned in this context that the 6-10 year-olds’ trainings should be prudently customized to the individual morphofunctional development test rates, in view of the fact that special role in this period is played by the vegetative organs/ systems regulating mechanisms.

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