Active exercise time for girls at rhythmic gymnastics training

Abstract

Nowadays, children are most often involved in different sports clubs where they can satisfy their need for movement through recreational activities or the practice of sport on a higher level, and obtain benefits brought by regular physical activity. If the program of these activities is well-organized, its contribution is reflected in the fact that in this manner young people can increase their total time of practicing physical activity during the day. The goal of this research was to establish the active exercise time of female gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastics training sessions, with various apparatuses used in the training, as well as exercises without any apparatuses. A method of descriptive analysis was applied in this paper, with the utilization of objectively acquired data in rhythmic gymnastics training sessions. The data was collected by trained observers by applying the "SOFIT" instrument, during November and December of 2022. Twelve training sessions were observed and analyzed, performed in three different gymnastics clubs, and attended by a total of 126 girls, aged 7 to 11. Out of the total number of training sessions, there were three that had exercises without apparatus as their content, three with jump rope exercises, three with ball exercises, and three with hoop exercises. The acquired data was first analysed by the methods of descriptive statistics, after which a comparative analysis of gained results was performed. The application of various forms of apparatuses or exercises without apparatuses influences the active exercise time, as well as coach behaviour in rhythmic gymnastics training.