Standard technologies of military physical training

Фотографии: 

ˑ: 

Ph.D., professor V.D. Get'man¹
Dr.Hab, professor R.M. Kadyrov¹
Ph.D., professor A.V. Karavan¹
Ph.D., professor I.I. Mikhail²
¹ Saint-Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, St. Petersburg
² Budyonny Military Academy of Communications, St. Petersburg

 

Keywords: standard technologies, physical fitness, assessment.

Introduction. The military physical fitness rating system has passed an eventful historical path of development. Each period of its formation was accompanied by the elaboration of a variety of concepts intended to substantiate the procedures of selection of testing exercises and determine standards, disclosing the peculiarities of conceptual approaches to the creation of physical training standards (special-focus theory, standards formation methodology, etc.).

Physical fitness testing practice is characterized by the contradiction between the methods of selection of testing exercises and the methods of individual and overall assessment. Due to the necessity of systemizing and converting a variety of testing exercises into efficient technological versions of testing and selection of adequate criteria of pedagogical rating, physical training guidelines should be revised.

In the methodological-theoretical context, there are no researches on differentiation of criteria that are fundamental for the determination of rating standards. Physical fitness criteria, resting on professional success factors, do not provide for the creation of adequate standards for different categories of servicemen.

The technology of making batteries of tests containing diversified exercises is an essential element of the standard physical training system. At present, an extremely fragmentary mechanism is used for selection of the exercises to be used in the test batteries for different categories of servicemen.

Promotion of more impartial assessment of physical fitness of servicemen and of the stimulating function of standards is aimed at creation of a system with optimum pedagogical control over the physical improvement of servicemen.

Materials and methods. A large sample of tested personnel is needed to develop a point rating system. Along with the point rating system, it’s advisable to determine standards for the traditional 4-point system (sigma deviation method).

Sigma deviation method. When a 4-degree system is used the results with the positive and negative deviations from the arithmetic mean by 0.67 sigma are treated as limits for “good” and “satisfactory” ratings. Results with a greater deviation from X are rated “excellent” and “bad”. Using such an approach all results can be divided into 4 equal parts, as 50 % of sample lies in the M±0.67σ interval.

Percentile ranks method implies calculating a particular percentile rank by the following formula:

L – actual bottom interval limit with pn frequency; cum. f – cumulative frequency to L frequency;

f – frequency of scores within interval, with pn score.

Using the percentile ranks method one can directly make a 100-point scale for assessment of physical fitness of servicemen.

A 9-degree scale is common for transition of absolute results into different scales in the theory and practice of physical training. According to mathematical statistics [1] a correlation between 9-degree and 100-point scales can be presented as a table (Table 3):

In presented equations professional success indicators are used as a dependent variable, expressed through 9-degree scale. Thereby, selected basic exercises can be used in a test for assessment of quality of fulfilling the special tasks of a definite military specialty.

Results and discussion. Impartial and adequate assessment of various motor skills of servicemen, most important in training and military activities, stipulated in the objectives for the personnel of each arm or branch, is the principal requirement in the physical fitness examination. Usually the number of special tasks in physical training practice varies from 3 to 5. It is evident, that the degree and quality of fulfillment of the tasks are evaluated using the test exercises that define the crucial motor skills and abilities. Meanwhile, thanks to the opportunity of selecting basic test exercises for personnel of a certain arm or branch one can plan the order of selection of test exercises with regard to the necessity of assessment of crucial motor skills of the serviceman. The physical fitness test system designed by the above mentioned principle provides on the basis of feedback the orientation of the process of physical training toward effective fulfillment of its special tasks. For this purpose a minimum number of the key test exercises should be selected to assess the most important aspects of physical fitness of servicemen, taking into account the outer criterion.

The necessity to illuminate the problem in such a way is stipulated by the fact that homogeneous (correlated) test exercises have some amount of common information. Test exercises with higher exercise equivalence index have more common information. Therefore, every additional exercise selected makes a smaller contribution to the overall effectiveness of assessment and the technology of selection of testing exercises has an essential value for minimization of the number of testing exercises.

So the core testing exercises should be selected using the methods of multivariate correlated analysis followed by solution of a multiple linear regression equation (MLRE).

In this case the method of screening of variables is the most effective and it is used for success prognostication tasks in professional education [1]. It is based on a consecutive building of matrices of a quotient correlation coefficient (QCC) after each MLRE solution.

This method with the use of a correlation matrix provides allocation of the most valuable testing exercise according to the maximum correlation with the criterion. Having allocated the «first» valuable testing exercise a new correlation matrix is built where the «first» test exercise is eliminated. Then, QCCs of the rest exercises of the matrix are calculated. The exercise with the maximum correlation with criterion becomes the «second» (according to its value) test exercise etc. Meanwhile, after selection of each test exercise, a multiple correlation coefficient (MCC) is calculated. As soon as the incrementation of MCC becomes insignificant and the confidence level of QCCs falls down, the selection of exercises for a test can be finished. Then MLRE coefficients are calculated. It must be specially stressed, that such a method provides an optimal balance between variety and selectivity among applied test exercises. Particularly, selectivity is determined by the maximum QCC value, and variety is determined by the aggregate of test sets, meant to assess overall physical fitness level of servicemen.

The results of MLRE solutions are shown in Figures 1 and 2 and Tables 1 and 2. Starting from the 5th exercise, the MCC remains practically unchanged. In order to receive initial data about the character of physical fitness, it is enough to select five exercises from the shown test set, characterizing the level of core physical and special motor skills.

For this purpose several test batteries were developed. The first battery includes the following major exercises: complex exercise with obstacle course (CEOC), consecutive pull-ups and push-ups and turnovers on a horizontal bar, long diving, consecutive pull and turnovers on a horizontal bar, 1 km run (Table 1). All these exercises are necessary for development of crucial physical fitness components. Consecutive pull-ups and push-ups and turnovers on a horizontal bar are used to develop strength and muscular endurance; shuttle run (10x10 m) - speed; CEOC and 1 km run – endurance and long diving develops special motor skills. We believe that such a test battery will reflect the character of physical fitness among servicemen of different military specialties objectively enough.

Another battery includes pull-ups, 100 m swim, 5 km ski race, consecutive pull-ups and push ups on a horizontal bar, complex strength exercise, long jump, 100 m run (Table 2). In this case the battery also includes diversified exercises. Moreover, pull-ups and complex strength exercise make a different in quality contribution to total physical fitness information.

Fig. 1. Diagram of significance of tests

 

Table 1

Test number

Equation

Quotient correlation coefficient

Multiple correlation coefficient

2

у = 14,33 – 0,008 х2 +

+ 0,22 х6 + 0,061 х10 +

+ 0,287 х5 – 0,037 х1 +

+ 0,138 х12

797

797

6

762

920

10

567

947

5

712

974

1

634

984

 

 

 

Fig. 2. Diagram of significance of tests

Table 2

Test number

Equation

Quotient correlation coefficient

Multiple correlation coefficient

13

у = 0,029 + 0,162 х13 =

0,016 х9 – 0,002 х15 +

+ 0,848 х6 + 0,144 х11 +

+ 0,018 х4 – 0,053 х3 – 0,053 х12

 

792

792

9

667

890

15

575

928

6

575

944

11

537

961

4

522

973

3

522

980

12

468

989

 

In presented equations professional success indicators are used as a dependent variable, expressed through 9-degree scale. Thereby, selected basic exercises can be used in a test for assessment of quality of fulfilling the tasks peculiar of specific military specialty.

A 4-point rating system traditionally used for certain exercises caused “concentration” of tested personnel around standard requirements and never promoted higher scores. Therefore, a goal was to find such a rating method which could encourage servicemen to show high performance.

A 9-point scale is common for transition of absolute results into different scales in the theory and practice of physical training. According to mathematical statistics [1] a correlation between the  9-point and the 100-point scales can be presented as a table (Table 3):

Table 3

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

4 %

7 %

12 %

17 %

20 %

17 %

12 %

7 %

4 %

 

A sum of percent located in the bottom row of Table 3 make up 100% or a 100-point scale. Since in NFP-09 is presented only by one score table for all categories of male servicemen, it is reasonable to summarize arithmetic average values as well as standard deviation values with further calculation of the 9-point and 100-point scales. Adequate 9-point and 100-point scales are used to develop standards for servicemen of definite categories. For example: results within the ranges 1.2 and 1.26σ and more would correspond to «unsatisfactory» mark; results laying in the ranges 3.4 and 5-0.25σ – «satisfactory»; 5+0.25σ and 6.7 – «good»; 8.9 – «excellent».

It is to be mentioned that changing to the 100-point scale corresponding with the 9-point one testifies the decline of the percentage between excellent and unsatisfactory marks (11 %) and gives more realistic data about quantity of such marks in inspected units.

Distribution of 3-km run results for all tested categories is shown in Figure 3. Particularly, a histogram (Fig. 3) confirms the hypothesis on the «gaps» available in the studied data set. Besides, experimental data are «deviated» toward higher results. It is proved by the diagram (Fig. 3) where the results are located mostly above the median.

Fig. 3. Distribution histogram and diagram in 3-km run

Cumulative frequency of results in pull-ups is shown in Table 4. It can be used to develop a point scale for strength rating among servicemen. Resting on the data shown in Figure 4 in the table 4 it’s possible to evaluate the normalcy of distribution of pull-ups results.

Fig. 4. Normal distribution curve for 3-km run results

Table 4. Pull-ups (cadets and officers), Х=17,9;σ=5,8

Results

Cumulative frequency

0,00

0,3

3,00

0,7

4,00

1,3

5,00

2,3

6,00

3,9

7,00

5,2

8,00

5,9

9,00

7,2

10,00

8,8

11,00

10,8

12,00

15,7

13,00

20,9

14,00

24,8

15,00

32,4

16,00

40,8

17,00

45,8

18,00

52,3

19,00

65,4

20,00

73,5

21,00

75,2

22,00

81,7

23,00

85,3

24,00

88,9

25,00

91,5

26,00

92,5

27,00

95,4

28,00

96,7

29,00

97,1

30,00

97,4

31,00

98,7

33,00

99,0

35,00

99,3

36,00

99,7

37,00

100,0

 

Conclusion It has been established that the screening method, used to select test exercises, is of general orientation and has a potential for further development of an rating system of physical performance of servicemen. This method provides an optimal balance between variety and selectivity among applied test exercises. Selectivity is determined by the maximum partial coefficient of correlation, and variety is established by the aggregate of batteries of tests, used for overall assessment of physical fitness of servicemen.

It has been proved, that using sigmal deviation and percentile methods the point scale, the minimum threshold and standards can be specified and thus a certain number of points can be correlated with a certain rating. It is reasonable to exclude the category of servicemen aged 55 and older from point scales, because points needed for those age groups presuppose excess expansion of minimum thresholds in standards. Minimum threshold for the 3d-year and senior cadets must be determined at the level of 40 points per exercise. The pull-up standards should be increased up to 40 pull-ups per 100 points. At the same time, the 3-km run standards should be decreased down to 10 m 10 sec per 100 points. It will result in the redistribution of servicemen with maximum score in pull-ups to those engaged in general endurance running.

References

  1. Glass, D. Statisticheskie metody v pedagogike i psikhologii (Statistical methods in pedagogics and psychology) / D. Glass, D. Stanley – Moscow: Progress, 1976. – 465 Р.
  2. Kadyrov, R.M. Kriterii proverki i otsenki fizicheskoy podgotovlennosti voennosluzhashchikh (Fitness testing and rating criteria for military personnel) / R.M. Kadyrov. – Leningrad: VIFK, 1991. – 137 Р.

Corresponding author: grossgep@mail.ru