Psychophysical training specifics in sport tourism

ˑ: 

Dr. Hab., Professor G.N. Golubeva1
Postgraduate student V.Y. Smorchkov1
PhD, Associate Professor A.I. Golubev2
1Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism, Kazan
2Naberezhnye Chelny Institute Affiliated with Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Naberezhnye Chelny

Keywords: sport tourism, psychophysical training model, tools

Background. Tourist competitions in modern trekking tours in natural environments are always associated with high common and individual risks due to the changing and challenging environments, unexpected situations, high-intensity physical workloads etc. that require high and versatile technical and tactical skills and high physical and mental stress tolerance and fitness for success. These factors are often inevitable and unpredictable, may occur simultaneously and stay for a long time. This is the reason why the modern sport tourist training systems give a special priority to the focused trainings to foster the sport-specific mental and physical qualities and skills.

As provided by V.A. Tajmazov and Y.N. Fedotov [2], most important for success in the modern sport tourism are response rate, alertness, postural control, body balancing, movement relaxing and structuring; attention focusing; technical/ tactical thinking and acting skills; and mental control qualities and skills, with the latter ranked among the top priority psychophysical qualities by the modern tourist sport.

It should be mentioned that the modern tourist training systems are still in need of a Federal standard for tourist sport; and this is the reason why the education and training curricula for the relevant children’s advanced training establishments are still limited and inconsistent; competitions are run on artificial distances; and even the high-skilled tourists are trained on the artificial treks and, hence, are not always competitive enough in the natural environments. In this challenging situation, the children’s advanced training establishments have to face and solve a variety of problems in the training process design and management, with a special priority given to due phasing and quality of the training service in the artificial environments to model as close as possible the natural ones, with an emphasis on intense and efficient psychophysical trainings [1, 3].

Objective of the study was to test benefits of a new psychophysical training model for sports tourism.

Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the new psychophysical training model testing experiment taking one academic year (September 2016 through May 2017) were the 14-17 year-old tourists (n=34) from ‘Prostor’ Children’s Tourism Center in Kazan split up into Experimental (EG) and Reference (RG) Groups of 17 people each. Psychophysical qualities of the sample were tested by NC-PsychoTest system to obtain simple visual motor response test rates; selective response test rates, tapping test rates, attention test rates; stress tolerance rates. In addition, we used the Schulte-Platonov’ red-and-black table tests; and arithmetical calculation tests prior to and after the experiment.

At the fact-finding pre-experimental stage, the sample psychophysical test data included the sensorimotor, mental, tactical/ technical thinking test rates and competitive success rates. At the progress stage of the new psychophysical training model testing experiment, the EG was subject to regular (4 hours per month of 10-15min trainings in every training session) experimental trainings, with the EG versus RG progress tested in the process.

Study findings and discussion. It is traditional for the modern sports tourism training systems to give a special attention to the psychophysical training (PPT) aspects in the technical, tactical and special physical training methods; and our model assigned 4 hours a month (making up 48 hours per year in total) for the combined psychophysical training tools. The new psychophysical training model of our own design includes the goal-setting, training and progress testing modules, as provided by Figure 1 hereunder.

Figure 1. New psychophysical training model for sports tourism

The goal-setting module is designed to formulate the objective and mission of the psychophysical training process and provide the necessary provisions for the training process. The training module of the psychophysical training model includes the psychophysical training tools grouped in the common and special ones, with the process mission and means specified for each of the tools. The training process makes an emphasis on the multifactor treks and distances of our design.

The new psychophysical training model was found beneficial as verified by the EG versus RG significant (p≤0.05) progress in every perceptive/ psychophysical quality tests. The RG was tested with even a significant regress in the selective response rates (t=2.21, p≤0.05) and insignificant progress in the other tests. The EG test rates were converted into the integrated scores on a 3-point scale by summarizing the data arrays generated by the sensorimotor response, mental qualities, technical/ tactical thinking tests plus the competitive success rates.

The comparative analysis of the EG versus RG pre- versus post-experimental psychophysical test rates showed a high significant (p≤0.05) progress of the EG versus insignificant progress in the RG and even its regress the competitive success rate. In the progress scoring terms, the EG made progress was estimated at 34.3% scored by 10.53 points of 12 possible, with the average EG fitness rated ‘high’; versus the RG regress by 8.8% and the total score of 7.445 points, with the RG progress rated as ‘mean’: see Table 1 hereunder. The psychophysical training model was found beneficial as verified by the EG vs. RG progress.

Table 1. EG versus RG pre- versus post-experimental psychophysical qualities test rates

Group

 

 

 

Specific PP test rates

RG

P

T

EG

p

T

Pre-ex.

Post-ex.

Pre-ex.

Post-ex.

Sensorimotor response rated on a 3-point scale

1,89±0,60

1,78±0,67

≥0,05

120

1,56±0,53

2,33±0,71

≤0,05

20

Mental qualities rated on a 3-point scale

1,88±0,83

2,125±0,35

≥0,05

105

1,62±0,74

2,75±0,46

≤0,05

9

Technical/ tactical thinking qualities rated on a 3-point scale

1,88±0,72

1,72±0,71

≥0,05

123

1,81±0,79

2,69±0,52

≤0,05

14

Competitive success rated on a 3-point scale

2,45±0,51

1,82± 0,69

≤0,05

35

1,93± 0,69

2,76± 0,25

≤0,05

16

Total score:

8,1

7,445

-

-

6,92

10,53

-

-

PP fitness class

Mean

Mean

-

-

Mean

High

-

-

 

Note: p rated by the Wilcoxon T-criterion for n=17; T (0.05) = 41

Conclusion. The new psychophysical training model to complement the traditional technical/ tactical and special physical trainings was designed to claim only 10-15min in every training session and was tested highly beneficial as verified by the EG vs. RG significant (p≤0.05 ) progress in the sensorimotor response rates, mental process test rates, technical/ tactical thinking test rates, and competitive success rates; with the integrated EG progress score found to grow on average by 34.3%.

References

  1. Smorchkov V.Y., Golubeva G.N. Teoretiko-empiricheskiy analiz strukturnykh komponentov psikhofizicheskoy podgotovki v sportivnom turizme [Theoretical and empirical analysis of structural components of psychophysical training in sport tourism]. Sovremennye problemy nauki i obrazovaniya, 2015, no. 2-2, pp. 375.
  2. Tajmazov V.A., Fedotov Y.N. Teoriya i metodika sportivnogo turizma. Uchebnik [Theory and methods of sport tourism. Textbook]. Moscow: Sovetskiy sport publ., 2014-424 p.
  3. Smorchkov V.Yu., Golubeva G.N., Volchkova V. I. Psychophysical aspects of athletes preparation in sport tourism. Nauka i sport: sovremennye tendentsii, 2016, no. 11, pp. 96–100.

Corresponding author: golubevagn@mail.ru

Abstract

The study considers the common and special psychophysical training methods applicable in the modern sport tourism with their practical application and management priorities to build up and improve the sport-specific psychophysical qualities and skills for success. The training system offers the methods and tools to improve the response and postural control rates; movement freedom and attention focusing skills by exercises on different apparatuses; plus the Schulte-Platonov’ and Patrick Kelly’s training tools; mountaineering; indoor flushing; ideomotor trainings and practices on trek route models; cross-country tours on case routes etc. Sampled for the new psychophysical training model testing experiment taking one academic year (September 2016 through May 2017) were the 14-17 year-old tourists (n=34) from ‘Prostor’ Children’s Tourism Center in Kazan. The psychophysical training model was found beneficial as verified by the sample progress in the sensorimotor response test; mental process test; technical/ tactical skills test rates; and the competitive success rates.