Associate Professor, PhD S.S. Plotnikova¹
Associate Professor, PhD T.E. Kovshura²
Associate Professor, PhD A.S. Sidorenko³
Associate Professor, PhD L.V. Yarchikovskaya³
¹ Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University of Health Ministry of Russia, St. Petersburg
² Saint Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University), St. Petersburg
³ Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg

Keywords: academic physical education, middle distance running, speed-strength qualities, tempo-rhythmic pattern.

Background. Physical fitness of the female university entrants is tested regretfully low at present, particularly in the middle distance race tests, and this drawback needs to be addressed in the context of the GTO Complex reinstatement in the national education system, with the 500m and 2000m GTO test races being introduced as compulsory. Our surveys and analyses have found that the poor students’ performance in the middle distance race tests may be due to the insufficient overall and special endurance and special physical fitness rates that give no chance to the female students to acquire more advanced racing skills and techniques. As a result, the students’ running techniques are dominated by a variety of common errors like wrong landing of foot on the ground; low lift of the active leg over the surface; trunk swinging movements; trunk bending forward; postural stiffness etc.

Most of the university teachers presently make a special emphasis on endurance as the key physical quality that needs to be developed in the education and training process, the development being traditionally attained through high running workloads at different intensity levels with little if any attention given to the running technique.

We believe that the academic education and training process in its application to female middle distance races should be complemented by a set of special strength and speed-strength building practices to improve the kinematic rate of the movement sequence [5], with a special emphasis on transition from the “sway” running technique to the active one – which is basically different in the foot landing phase being more active and the aerial phase being increased [1].

Objective of the study was to develop and introduce in the education and training (technical university) curriculum for the first-year female students special strength- and speed-strength-building and overall/ speed-strength endurance development practices.

Methods and structure of the study. To perform an efficiency rating test of the active running technique mastering and the special strength- and speed-strength training method in application to the first-year female students, we designed an educational experiment under the study. The experiment was performed in the academic year of 2014/15 and included the following 64 training sessions: 32 in Semester I; and 32 in Semester II. Subject to the experiment were 24 female students from Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University split up into Study and Reference Groups of 12 people each. The Groups were composed in such a way so as to ensure the average initial 2000m race test results being evenly matched.

The Reference Group was trained under the standard academic Physical Education curriculum, whilst the academic education and training process of the Study Group was complemented by high volumes of special strength- and speed-strength building practices with a focus on that for the leg muscles and the lower limbs movement kinematics optimizing practices (see Table 1). In Semester I, the Study Group training process was basically designed as follows: body conditioning (BC) making up 45%; special physical training (SPT) 45%; and technical training practices 10%. In Semester II, the Study Group training process was notably changed to the following mix: BC: 30%; SPT: 30%; and technical training practices: 40%. In September through November the Study Group was subject to high-intensity strength- and speed-strength building practices combined with evenly-paced races.

Table 1. Physical workloads of both Groups in the experimental period

In the period of December through February, the strength- and speed-strength building practices were drastically scaled down and performed in the form-supporting mode only. In March (Semester II), the strength- and speed-strength building practices were scaled up again. The endurance building system was designed based on 3-5 km mixed aerobic-anaerobic races. The aerobic loads were increased by the stepped cut-downs of the standard distance run time. In April through May, special emphasis was made on the active race tempo-rhythmic pattern mastering process in 5х200m, 2/8х300m, 5х500m, 1000m+500m+500m and 1500m+500m races.

The following progress rating tests were performed under the experiment: 500m and 2000m race; standing long jump; single leg jump and intermittent jump (30m long); race tempo-rhythmic pattern rating; musculus gastrocnemius maximum dynamic strength; and trunk/ femoral extensor muscles maximum dynamic dead-lift strength test. We applied tensiometric (strain-gauge) test method for the explosive muscular strength rating; and radio-telegoniometric method to rate the race tempo-rhythmic pattern.

Study results and discussion. The Study Group versus the Reference Group endurance test rates after the experiment (please note that the rates were virtually the same prior to the experiment) showed statistically significant differences (р <0.05) for the 500m and 2000m races (see Table 2).

Table 2. Test race results of both Groups prior to and after the experiment

The Study Group versus Reference Group speed-strength test rates also show statistically significant differences (р<0.05) after the experiment in every test save for the standing long jump test.

The leg and dorsal muscles maximal dynamic strength test rates are considered important indicators of strength endurance [3]. The flexor muscle high maximum dynamic strength rates allow the thigh being lifted with relatively low efforts and for a longer time [2]. The same applies to the push-up phase of the stride which is performed better and longer when the maximum dynamic strength rate is high enough. Ankle joint in the running sequence performs the following two functions: shock absorption and push-up movement, and this is the reason why a high strength rate of the muscles responsible for these two functions is also very important. It is the high strength of the runner’s trunk extensor muscles that secures the trunk being slightly bent forward and duly harmonized with the leg movements on the run [4].

The Study Group showed the maximal dynamic strength test rates notably higher than those in the Reference Group (see Table 3), with significant differences (Р<0.05) in the musculus gastrocnemius and femoral muscles test rates; however, the relevant dorsal muscles test rates did not show any significant differences.

The statistically processed data of the race tempo-rhythmic pattern in the Study Group versus the Reference Group showed significant differences in the running technique elements execution times.

Table 3. The musculus gastrocnemius, femoral and dorsal muscle maximal dynamic strength test rates for Study Group versus Reference Group

The Study Group running technique, as a result of the experiment, was found to show the following improvements: shorter foot landing time; shorter foot lowering time; and increased pace of the run. Analysis of the race tempo-rhythmic pattern for the “sway” technique versus the “active” running technique showed the following differences in the key elements of the movement sequence: in the “sway” running technique, the maximal correlation path may be broken down as follows: the leg forward-upward movement time vs. the run pace (r = -0.858); the foot landing time vs. the aerial phase time (r =0.853); and the run pace vs. the foot landing time (r =0.632). Consequently, higher leg lifting time promotes lower run pace, and shorter foot landing time - higher pace. In the active running technique, the correlation path may be broken down as follows: the foot landing time vs. the run pace (r=-0.887); the foot lifting time vs. the foot lowering time (r =-0.963); the foot lifting time vs. the foot landing time (r=0.867); and the foot landing time vs. the run pace (r =-0.982). Therefore, the active running sequence may be described as dominated by the foot lowering time as compared to the sway running technique dominated by the leg forward-upward lifting time. Furthermore, the foot landing time vs. the aerial phase time for the active running technique vs. the sway technique is estimated at 0.72 vs. 0.48, respectively.

The above data may be interpreted as indicative of the active running technique being much more beneficial than the sway technique, the benefits including the shorter retarding action in the front push-off phase; and the lower body gravity centre (BGC) trajectory in the aerial phase that decreases the energy demand in the vertical movement shock absorption phase. The shorter amplitude of the upward movement of the free leg, in its turn, shortens the BGC trajectory in the aerial phase and thereby reduces the energy demand in the vertical BGC movement shock absorption at landing. The active foot landing action facilitates the free leg moving forward thereby supporting the reciprocal movement of the legs in the aerial phase that largely contributes to the running sequence being more active and efficient on the whole.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses show that the proposed and tested special strength- and speed-strength-building method including a wide variety of practices with an emphasis on the tempo-rhythmic pattern of advanced active running sequence being mastered in the process is more efficient than the traditional training system in application to the first-year female university students – since it helps the students master, in a timely manner, the advanced active running technique to successfully pass the mandatory 2000m GTO test.

References

1. Alaz Д.А. Upravlenie predsorevnovatel'noy podgotovkoy begunov na srednie distantsii: avtoref. dis. … kand. ped. nauk (Pre-season training management in middle distance running: Abstract of PhD thesis) / D.A. Alaz. – Moscow, 2008. – 24 p.
2. Bernstein N.A. O postroenii dvizheniy (On movement organization) / N.A. Bernstein. – Moscow: Medgiz., 1947. – 255 p.
3. Bladi V.A. Postroenie uchebno-trenirovochnogo protsessa na etape nachal'noy sportivnoy spetsializatsii begunov na vynoslivost': avtoref. dis. … kand. ped. nauk (Design of education and training process of endurance runners at initial sports specialization stage: Abstract of PhD thesis) / V.A. Bladi. – Moscow, 1988. – 24 p.
4.  Zhurbina A.D. Eksperimental'noe issledovanie osobennostey silovoy podgotovki zhenshchin, spetsializiruyushchikhsya v bege na srednie distantsii: avtoref. dis. … kand. ped. nauk (Experimental study of characteristics of strength training of female middle distance runners: Abstract of PhD thesis) / A.D. Zhurbina. – St. Petersburg, 1986. – 22 p.
5. Sidorenko A.S. Obuchenie studentov vuzov begu na korotkie distantsii na osnove metodiki sovershenstvovaniya vnutritsiklovoy struktury begovogo shaga: avtoref. dis. … kand. ped. nauk (Sprint training for university students based on intracyclic running step structure improvement technique: Abstract of PhD thesis) / A.S. Sidorenko. – St. Petersburg,  2004. – 24 p.

Abstract

The study considers the ways to improve the first-year female university athletes’ education and training process methodologies in the middle distance race tests as mandatory GTO Complex tests.

Objective of the study was to explore the effects of the speed-strength practices to optimize the tempo-rhythmic pattern of the race stride. The study found the sets of special strength- and speed-strength-developing practices that may be recommended to improve the strength endurance in the university athletes and build up the maximum dynamic strength of the leg and spinal muscles. The resultant improvements in the speed-strength qualities of the trainees play an important role in the tempo-rhythmic pattern of the race stride being maintained over the whole distance to secure growth of accomplishments in the tests.