Dr.Hab., Professor V.L. Kondakov¹
PhD, Associate Professor Е.N. Kopeikina¹
V.V. Agoshkov¹
PhD V.I. Bocharova^1
1Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod

Keywords: water tempering method, bath procedures, thermoregulation, fitness and health technology.

Background. Nowadays many analysts in the national research community believe that the academic curriculum has become too complicated and challenging for students who need to maintain their mental and physical fitness at reasonable levels to cope with academic loads and make progress in studies. As demonstrated by many studies, the academic learning, living and recreation environments may be seriously detrimental to the student’s working capacity and health. The fast progress in science and technology for the last decade has evoked the growth of the professional knowledgebase and information processed in the academic studies, associated with the increased mental, intellectual and emotional stressors. Due to the growing requirements to the students’ learning, memorizing, thinking and cognitive abilities students may be exposed to the growing physical and mental health risks, with the heavy intellectual burdens often giving rise to functionality disorders [4]. This is the reason why a growing priority has lately been given to the physical education component of the academic class and off-class processes geared to improve work efficiency, health standards, prevent environment- or job-specific diseases and apply the traditional academic sport and physical training toolkits on a more efficient basis [2].

Many national scientists make a special emphasis on the factors of influence on the intellectual and physical working capacity in the academic study period and on the logics of the physical activity models and their effects on the intellectual performance rates [1]. The experimental study data and experience show benefits of a variety of natural factors, including different body tempering procedures, on the human health and working capacity [3, 4], albeit the issues of the intellectual and physical working capacity improvement by traditional and modern water tempering practices are still largely underexplored and need sound theoretical grounds as demonstrated by an analysis of the available literature on the subject. It should also be noted that many studies with concern to healthy lifestyles recommend the water tempering procedures being applied in the academic physical education and health systems [7, 8]. This was the reason for our study geared to provide theoretical grounds for the water tempering method prioritizing physical education and health technology.

Objective of the study was to provide theoretical and experimental grounds for the water tempering method prioritizing physical education and health technology (PEHT).

Methods and structure of the study. The new PEHT piloting experiment took 12 sessions including 8 practical training sessions and 4 functionality test sessions (2 prior to and 2 after the experiment). The PEHT piloting project was designed to include the following 4 stages as required by the valid requirements to the new educational technologies: (1) primary test stage: sessions 1-2; (2) learning stage: sessions 3-6; (3) excellence stage: sessions 7-10; and (4) final test stage: sessions 11-12. The 1-2-year 17-19 year-old BSNTU students (n=72) split up into two gender groups of 36 people each were sampled for the study.

The water tempering method prioritizing physical education and health technology was designed to secure the following: (1) integrated health benefits including improvements in the cardiovascular system and central nervous system functionality indices, blood microcirculation indices and blood pressure; (2) improvements in the physical and intellectual working capacity, performance and rehabilitation indices associated with mitigation of nervous and emotional stresses; (3) high popularity of the practices for the trainees on the one hand; and their variability in terms of physical intensity on the other hand; and (4) high accessibility and safety of the practices.

Basically the new water tempering method prioritizing PEHT includes the following components:

• Health swimming practices as the main water tempering and physical activation tool, with the special training sessions scheduled for these practices;
• Contrast shower at the end of every training session – applied as one more body tempering and post-training rehabilitation tool; and
• Sauna with cold dousing applied in the self-reliant training procedures to improve the physical and intellectual working capacity and immunity to infectious and catarrhal diseases.

Study findings and discussion. The study data and analyses demonstrated the following:

• The water tempering method prioritizing PEHT was beneficial for the physical progress indices as verified by the significant growth of the chest excursion test indices in both of the groups; significant growth of vital capacity and wrist dynamometry indices in the female group; with both indices showing some insignificant growth also in the male group;
• The water tempering method prioritizing PEHT was also beneficial for the physical fitness test indices as verified by the significant growth of the shoulder girdle and abdomen strength test indices, lower limbs static strength indices, explosive strength, speed, flexibility, coordination indices; integrated physicality test rates; and some insignificant growth of the endurance test indices in both of the groups;
• The water tempering method prioritizing PEHT was also beneficial for the functionality of both of the groups as verified by the significant growth of the aerobic capacity test indices, stabilized autonomic system functionality indices, and growth of the physical working capacity and cardio-respiratory system functionality indices. The female group was also tested with a significant fall of the resting HR; and the male group showed reduction of the systolic blood pressure test indices and growth of the hypoxic tolerance test indices; and
• The water tempering method prioritizing PEHT was tested to improve the somatic health rates from the ‘below average to ‘average level in both of the groups.

Conclusion. On the whole, the water tempering method prioritizing physical education and health technology was found beneficial as verified by the significant growth of the key health indices including body functionality, physical progress, physical fitness and general somatic health test indices. The new PEHT may be recommended for application in academic educational environments for its combined positive effects on the students’ health, functionality, mentality and wellbeing.

References

1. Vilenskiy M.Ya., Minaev B.N. Zakonomernosti izmeneniy professionalnoy rabotosposobnosti studentov v usloviyakh optimizatsii rezhima truda, byta, otdykha i dvigatelnoy aktivnosti [Change patterns in students' professional performance under optimization of regimen of work, life, leisure and motor activity]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. Moscow, 1976, no. 7. pp. 53-57.
2. Drogomeretskiy V.V., Kopeikina E.N., Kondakov V.L., Ermakov S.S. Adaptatsiya proby Rufye dlya otsenki rabotosposobnosti serdtsa studentov s otkloneniyami v sostoyanii zdorovya [Adaptation of Ruffier test to estimate cardiac function in students with disabilities]. Pedagogika, psikhologiya i mediko-biologicheskie problemyi fizicheskogo vospitaniya i sporta, 2017, no. 1, pp. 4-10. doi:10.15561/18189172.2017.0101
3. Kondakov V.L., Kopeikina E.N., Balysheva N.V. Fizkulturno-ozdorovitelnaya tekhnologiya profilaktiki narusheniy v sostoyanii dykhatelnoy sistemy [Health and fitness technology to prevent respiratory disorders]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, Moscow, 2016, no. 1, pp. 34-36.
4. Korobkov A.V., Golovin V.A., Maslyakov V.A. Fizicheskoe vospitanie [Physical education]. Moscow: Vysshaya shkola publ., 1983, 278 p.
5. Shaguch A.A. Kompleksnoe ispolzovanie fizicheskikh uprazhneniy i sredstv zakalivaniya na zanyatiyakh fizicheskim vospitaniem v vuze. Dis. kand. ped. nauk [Complex use of physical exercises and hardening techniques in academic physical education. PhD dis.]. Maikop, 1997, 118 p.
6. Kondakov V.L., Voloshina L.N., Kopeikina E.N., Balysheva N.V., Nikulina D.E. Physical and recreational preventing measure technology of disturbances in the cordial and vascular system of students. International journal of advanced biotechnology and research, 2018, 9(1): 990-996. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Chh7YJFGp1zoQ9lxcoowAIZ1qViw9l0a/view
7. Kondakov V.L., Kopeikina E.N., Usatov A.N. On purposefulness of application of physical culture health related technology for prophylaxis of students’ respiratory system disorders. Physical education of students, 2016; 2:4–12. doi: 10.15561/20755279.2016.0201 Available at: http://www.sportedu.org.ua/index.php/PES/article/view/51/38
8. Skurikhina N.V., Kudryavtsev M.D., Kuzmin V.A., Iermakov S. S. Fitness yoga as modern technology of special health groups’ girl students’ psycho-physical condition and psycho-social health strengthening. Physical Education of Students, 2016;20(2):24-31. doi:10.15561/20755279.2016.0204

Corresponding author: kondakov@bsu.edu.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to provide theoretical and experimental grounds for the water tempering method prioritizing physical education and health technology (PEHT). Subject to the study was a sample of the university male (n=36) and female (n=36) students trained by the water tempering method including: health swimming; contrast shower; and sauna with cold dousing. The water tempering method was found beneficial as verified by the Belgorod State National Research University (BSNTU) students’ progress in the key health test indices and general somatic health test indices (generated by the G.L. Apanasenko Tests). Presently the national academic physical education system gives a top priority to the students’ somatic health improvement and physical activation initiatives; due motivations for systemic (including self-reliant) physical practices; and theoretical grounds for the most efficient physical training models of highest demand in the student communities. The proposed physical education and health technology may be considered a promising educational tool as verified by its multisided positive effects on the students’ health.