V.K. Spirin, Ph.D., Dr.Hab.
Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport, Velikie Luki

Keywords: GTO (Ready for Labour and Defence complex), GTO complex requirements, physical culture, sport, physical training, personal approach, rating scale of physical fitness.

Introduction. On September 1, 2015 the examinations on the implementation of the requirements of the GTO (Ready for Labour and Defence) complex are becoming mandatory in all Russian schools, universities and organizations. So, it is necessary to determine the conceptual framework that defines the approaches to the development of the requirements set by the GTO complex for different population groups. There is an objective need for scientific evaluation of the positive and negative experience gained during the implementation of various approaches to the organization of physical activity of children, adolescents and young people, based on different and sometimes opposing theories.

A considerable amount of data received during the recent testing of educational programs allows concluding that the trends of educational content development in the sphere of physical training are relatively negative. There are a lot of examples both in the literature and in the media that substantiate this conclusion, indicating the deterioration of pupils' health, the decrease in the level of their physical fitness, the reluctance of pupils to attend physical education classes and, as a consequence, the psychophysical degradation of children. The absence of the need to systematic active physical exercises among the representatives of younger generation is inherently unnatural, since this need is observed at the period of growth and development of the child's body when physical activity is a natural biological necessity. Paradoxically, but the above-mentioned negative phenomena are typical for comprehensive schools, in which physical training was being actively introduced in the content of the discipline, generally, on the basis of complex program of physical education for 1-11-formers [7, 9]. The educational content of the program is focused primarily on the conformity of pupils' results to age standards of physical fitness. However, in practice, purposeful physical training cannot be realized for quite objective reasons (7, 9, 11).

Conceptual framework of the study. It is advisable to explore one of these reasons in the context of the development of the requirements set by the GTO complex for different population groups. Physical training is the subject of education in this program, and the achievement of specified indicators of physical fitness is the result of mastering of the program. The teacher's task under the program is the maximum improvement of the indicators of physical fitness of pupils until they reach some predetermined level according to a complex of tests which are made up in the course of statistical processing of a large amount of experimental data on the specific age and gender. We are talking about the purposeful developing influence on the motor quality which is most behind the average population standard in the group. It is assumed that such pedagogical effects will provide a complex development of motor skills. However, such organization of pedagogical (coaching) effects will not be correlated with an individual's genetic predisposition to a particular type of muscle activity and therefore casts doubt on the conformity of these effects to nature. It was found that without congenital predisposition to a certain type of motor activity physical load can lead to overexertion, reduction of adaptive capacity and functional reserves of the mechanisms of autonomic regulation of the circulatory system [1, 5, 8, 10], and therefore inevitably alienate some of the pupils from systematic physical training. The increase of the dosage of such load increases the probability of this.

In this case, as an additional argument we can refer to the very mundane example. If we force a cow to run at a gallop it will negatively affect her condition. It is as pointless as to develop the overall endurance of a cat during long walks (on a leash, it is the only way) of low continuous intensity. Coaching motor regimes in both cases don't correlate with the organization of neural processes of these animals and are not conformable to their nature.

The significant differences in the type of organization of neural processes and in genetic predisposition to a particular type of physical activity are peculiar to human. The inherent speed and endurance abilities are the result of the degree of the development of genetically conditioned physiological characteristics and functions of a person, and their significant change through the purposeful pedagogical effects can lead to adverse consequences. Children with expressed predisposition to speed and strength types of muscular activity are in the group of highest risk of predisposition to myocardial hypertrophy when doing endurance sports [1]. The hypothesis of the “absolute” positive impact of mass physical training needs to be comprehensively confirmed. Without the consideration of the predisposition to the development and manifestation of endurance/speed, physical loads can increase the number of functional abnormalities in the cardiovascular system and thereby reduce its adaptation and functional capacity [1, 5, 8, 10].

Obviously, if the regulatory requirements set by the GTO complex for different population groups are based on the standards received from the statistical processing of a large amount of experimental data without regard to personal features, this fact will define the further pedagogical effects. The teacher will try to ensure that the results of most of the pupils will be close to proposed standards. This approach will be dominating among the programs of physical education from kindergarten to university though it is not consistent with some of methodologically sound provisions and conceptual solutions in the sphere of health forming sports activity. So, there is every reason to believe that the GTO complex won't serve as a fundamental, science-based system of sports education for young generation, which can contribute to the massive involvement of various segments of population to the active mastering of the values ​​of physical and sports culture and to the effective integration of the complex into the system of patriotic education of children, adolescents and young people, supported by the government.

Positive trends of the development of sports activity of the younger generation were observed when physical exercises were organized on the basis of individualized scientific technologies which stimulate the development of human physical potential, used in sports and in the training of national team [2, 3, 6, 12]. The individual choice of sport or other form of sports-centered physical education, which correlates with the person's predisposition to the development and manifestation of motor characteristics, is a fundamental methodological condition for the implementation of health forming sports activity. In this case, pedagogical effects correspond to the organization of neural processes of a person and are focused on the most developed physiological functions, what determines the attractiveness of these impacts and the high level of training load can be set in order to get a pronounced effect of stimulated development of physical potential of the pupils. The mechanism of physiological adaptation in this approach to the organization of motor activity provides not only a significant training effect for the dominant motor quality, but also the positive changes in the “underdeveloped” physical qualities [4, 10].

Since the conceptual base of sports-centered physical education promotes the formation of positive trends in the development of foundations of sports activity, its provisions must be used for the elaboration of the requirements of the GTO complex. This approach takes into account the presence of personal value orientations and attitudes related to physical culture, and a system of training effects is arranged depending on person's predisposition to a particular form of training, based on the principle of nature conformity. Its practical implementation can be in the form of rating scale that will help provide an individualized assessment in the course of examinations on the implementation of the GTO regulatory requirements according to the amount of points scored in the test exercises.

The purpose of the study was to develop a rating scale of physical fitness of a person, correlated with the implementation of the health forming approach to sports activity of the Russian people, which directs the process of physical training to achieve an optimal level of athletic performance and serves as a key condition of formation of the interest and motivation to sports activity itself within the GTO (Ready for Labour and Defence) complex.

The approaches to the formulation of the requirements when designing the rating scale to evaluate physical fitness of pupils and define the final grade. Thanks to the statistical processing of a large number of test results for a specific age and gender, the boundary values of the optimal level of athletic performance can be defined for each test in the GTO complex. The scale includes low, average, high and super high levels. The first three levels have upper and lower limits (the range) of the results and the corresponding grade. On the basis of the amount of points scored in the test exercises we can obtain a final personal grade that describes the level of the implementation of the GTO regulatory requirements.

Results and discussion. The number of units between the lower and upper limits of each level of athletic performance should be equal and a linear relationship between changes in the result and in the number of earned points should be maintained. In the test exercise the upper limit of the low level is fixed at 60 points, the average level - at 120 and the high level - at 180 points. If the result is too low - 0 points. The general form of the rating scale for the evaluation of physical fitness of pupils is shown in Fig. 1.

Depending on the particular test exercise the number of earned points changes according to the result's change per unit of measurement: 1 rep, 1 cm, 1 second or 0.1 sec in the 30 m run, 20 m distance in the 6-minute run in each zone. The number of points given for the result's change per unit of measurement is the same for the low, average and high levels, and is two times smaller for the super high level. For example, if the specified level of athletic performance for 16-year-old boys (III level) for standing long jump includes the range of 181-240 cm, the improvement of the result by 1 cm in this test exercise promotes an increase in the number of scored points by 3. The low level includes the range of 181-200 cm and is worth 3 to 60 points, the average level (the range of 201-220 cm) is worth 63-120 points, the high level (the range of 221- 240 cm) - 123-180 points. That is, each centimeter within the low, average and high levels corresponds to 3 points. In the super high level it is worth only 1.5 points.

If the level of athletic performance in 30 meter run for 16-year-old boys includes the range of 5.2 - 4.4 seconds, the increment of the result by 0.1 second is worth 20 points. The low level includes the range of 5.2-5.0 seconds and is worth 20-60 points, the average level (4,9-4,7 seconds) is worth 80-120 points, the high level (4.6-4.4 seconds) is worth 140-180 points. In super high level the increment by 0.1 s is worth 10 points.

Figure 1. The rating scale overview for evaluation of physical fitness

The following conditions are maintained.

Firstly, the dependence between the change in the result and the change in the number of earned points is linear and the limits of each level are fixed at, respectively, 60, 120 and 180 points for each test exercise.

Secondly, the number of changes per unit of measurement within the specific level of athletic performance may vary in different tests, but the number of earned points per unit is the same for each test and the number of changes within each level, except for super high, is equal.

The smaller number of points given in the case of the super high level is due to the fact that it is the zone of optimal athletic performance what provides the health improving function of physical training and high working capacity of a person. Due to physical training mainly focused at the achievement of high results an unreasonable amount of time needs to be spent training up to 18 hours a week. Such time wastes along with trace processes, associated with fatigue due to intensive physical activity and combined with work-related and educational activities of various segments of the population, can be the cause of discomfort, prepathological condition and the emergence of subjective unpleasant sensations from physical exercises. It should be also taken into account, that according to the available literature, from 80% to 95% of pupils have problems with health and 60-70% of the adult population are in the state of pre-existing disease. Sports activity focused on high results is, surely, rather dangerous for health of this category of the population. 

Personal physical fitness can be comprehensively evaluated using points in the rating scale, taking into account the natural predisposition to specific form of motor activity, bad results in some exercise can be balanced with good ones in others. A person gets points in each test exercise in compliance with his/her performance. The comprehensive evaluation is carried out by summing up these points and dividing them by the number of completed test exercises of the GTO complex, then the quantitative indicators are defined, which give the right to reward a person with a badge corresponding to a particular level of the GTO complex. If a person scores 121 points or more, he receives a gold badge, 61-120 points - a silver badge, 61-120 points plus sports category (in any sport) - the gold badge. A bronze badge is given if 31-60 points are scored. The score of 31-60 points plus sports category (in any sport) is worth the silver badge. More than 180 points and one first category or two second categories are needed to get a gold badge with honors.

If the sum of 1-60 points was enough for the bronze badge it would take only to show the result at the low level of athletic performance in one test exercise, which would lead to the devaluation of the bronze badge. Instead the result of 31-60 points for a bronze badge assumes showing an optimal level of athletic performance in most of the tests and the results of some of the tests should exceed the low level of athletic performance.

Conclusion. Thanks to the proposed approach we can compare the physical fitness indicators of persons with motor skills developed in different areas, increase motivation when doing test exercises. Moreover, the teacher does not need to develop a teaching (coaching) system which is not correlated with the principle of nature conformity. When organizing sports activity of the involved ones it should be taken into account that they have their own personal value orientations and attitudes regarding physical education classes, and the system of exercises will be organized in view of the predisposition of trainees to a specific type of conditional training. The technology of complex evaluation of physical fitness depending on the level of development of motor skills of a particular person, his genetic predisposition to a particular type of muscular activity helps settle the following tasks:

- the elaboration of the regulatory requirements of the GTO complex for various population groups taking into account the presence of personal value orientations and attitudes related to physical culture;

- the individualization of the requirements to physical fitness and the advanced creative search for new ways of stimulated development of human physical potential;

- the observation of the dynamics of individual indicators of physical fitness of a person throughout his active life;

- the comparison of physical fitness of people of different gender and age;

- the study of physical fitness of different population groups and tracking the dynamics of the responses to pedagogical influences in terms of physical fitness and further making of necessary decisions;

- the determination of the absolute winner (within a district, a region, etc.) regarding overall physical conditioning.

References

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Corresponding author: spirin_vk@mail.ru