Improving motor and functional qualities through individualized training programs for student skiers

Abstract

Enhancing the means and methods of physical education for student youth is essential for maintaining and improving their physical health. Purpose: This study aims to perform a comparative analysis of motor skill development and the condition of the cardiovascular and muscular systems among students engaged in academic physical training in the gym versus those in a group of student skiers who transition to ski training during the winter months. Materials and Methods: The study involved 96 male students aged 17–19 years from the University of the Siberian Federal District. They were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). Physical education classes for students in CG were aimed at developing the main motor skills of a person using the means and methods of academic physical training in the gym. In EG, ski training was used in the snowy period of the year in the amount of 56 hours. Testing of the main motor skills and functional indicators of the body was conducted. Results. It was found that inclusion of skiing in the physical training program contributes to the improvement of endurance, which was more than 25% higher than in the control group. Higher values of motor coordination and agility indicators, as well as muscle strength, were established compared to the results of young men, where physical education classes were held in the gym. At the end of the experiment, students in the EG had a significantly lower resting heart rate, recovery time after a test load of 20 squats in 30 secs, Robinson index and optimal blood pressure. In this group of young men, higher values of strength indicators were recorded in motor tests and dynamometry of muscle strength of both hands compared to the results of students in the CG. Young men who were engaged in physical education only in the gym had better speed qualities, flexibility and speed-strength abilities compared to the experimental group. Conclusions. The results of the research project demonstrate the importance of individualization of educational programs depending on the goals and needs of each student, as well as the possibility of using various types of physical activity for the harmonious development of physical and functional qualities. Ski training can be more effective for the formation of physical, mental, somatic health and a healthy lifestyle in students compared to physical education classes in a gym.