PhD, Associate Professor А.I. Ryabchikov
Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg

Keywords: aerobics, fitness, physical culture, physical education, types of physical culture, sports, general and professional athletic training, aplicada.

Introduction. New terms reflecting changes in the field of physical culture have been actively accumulated for the third decade by now. This is due to the development of new types of physical culture. The old terms are being rethought too. In the middle of the twentieth century the term aerobics meant a jogging system by Kenneth H. Cooper. However, in the 1980s dance aerobic workouts introduced by Jane Fonda gained immense popularity all over the world and appropriated this succinct term.  

The number of types of aerobics has increased so much that just their enumeration takes up almost 5 pages in the dictionary [2]. In the 1990s the term fitness borrowed from the English language began to be widely used in the theory and practice of physical culture in Russia to denote aerobics and other modern types of physical culture, mainly gymnastics. This was due to rapid changes in the preferences of the Russian citizens actively engaged in physical culture.

Objective of the research was to substantiate the changes and additions designed to simplify and systematize the classification of physical culture types.    

Research results and discussion. The term fitness means aptness, preparedness, good training level and health. In the Russian physical education system this term began to be used with reference to modern sports as opposed to conventional ones. In her doctoral dissertation [4] E.G. Saykina defines “fitness as an innovation in the field of physical culture, a significant socio-cultural phenomenon, a purposeful systematic process of training aimed at health improvement, contributing to the physical development of those involved, improving their physical well-being. At the same time it can be positioned as a shaping factor for the cultural values of the new millennium, the freedom of choice, independence, entrepreneurial spirit and tolerance in the society, and substantiation of its scientific and methodological foundations – as one of the promising ways to enhance the efficiency and quality of the preschool and school physical education processes in the context of modernization”.     

The doctoral dissertation also notes that “the term “fitness” is a complex polysemantic lexeme conditioned both by its polyfunctionality and relative novelty. There is ambiguity in the attitude to both the very phenomenon of fitness and the integration of this term into the national concept vocabulary”, and at the same time: “Covering different forms of motor activity, fitness meets the needs of various social groups with regards to physical culture and recreation due to the diversity of fitness programs, their accessibility and emotional aspect of the classes” [4].

Below we specify the numerous characteristics of fitness mentioned above:

• purposefulness and consistency; 
• focus on health promotion and physical development;
• formation of cultural values in the society;
• freedom of choice in terms of tools;
• scientific and methodological validity;
• versatility;
• accessibility,

as well as such characteristics as novelty (“in the context of modernization”) and the economic component (“entrepreneurial spirit”).  

The depth of the definition and the scope of set tasks indicate the commensurability of fitness and physical culture in general. The requirements listed for fitness are nonspecific and should be imposed on both physical culture in general and any of its types to ensure a qualitative physical education process. 

Physical culture is the most general of these concepts; it is defined as a summation of the material and spiritual values of the society being created and used for physical improvement of people, and physical education – as an active side of physical culture subdivided into body conditioning and professional physical training and sport training [1].

The concept of sports covers both the active part (sports training) and the rest of this type of physical culture. Two other types of physical culture have only their active part named – body conditioning and professional physical training [1]. These types of physical culture are habitually referred to as “physical culture”, which is manifested in the phrase “physical culture and sports”. Sports is a part of physical culture, therefore, in terms of terminology, unlike the brand, it would be incorrect to rank these two concepts.

The boundaries of the term “fitness” have not exactly been defined and remain vague to date, while the content is very extensive. We define the scope of the term below:

• variety of types and tools – includes not only different types of aerobics, but also swimming, jogging, body-building using modern gym equipment, etc;
•  no competition in the form of tournaments that does not exclude the competitive method in the process of academic and training activity.  

If we take the phase athletic fitness seriously, then the concept of “fitness” would include almost all the tools of modern physical culture, and fitness would be perceived as a modern part of physical culture. However, in the course of development any area of activity retains previous positive achievements, and this process is continuous. What used to be unconventional, innovative – becomes ordinary and common.

Fitness solves wellness issues, as well as the tasks of development and education, and is aimed at solving the issues of those involved. Sports strive to achieve the maximum possible development aimed at its manifestation while competing with other athletes – both head-to-head and indirectly – to win or set new, better achievements.      

One of the many characteristics of fitness is “a way of life that allows to stay healthy and improve health, balance emotions, enhance physical shape, improve overall well-being and, ultimately, mental efficiency and intellectual level” [3]. This definition positions fitness as an activity that is not fundamentally competitive.

 Given all of the above, it makes sense to define fitness as physical culture focused on health and development – which is called physical culture in a narrow sense of the word opposing it to sports.

Conclusion. Analysis of the content of fitness enables us to use the term fitness which has not been defined to date to describe the most significant part of physical culture and not only its active aspect (body conditioning). For professional physical culture a single-word term aplicada can be used which means applied in Spanish. 

References

1. Ashmarin B.A. Teoriya i metodika fizicheskogo vospitaniya kak nauchnaya i uchebnaya distsiplina [Theory and methods of physical education as scientific and educational discipline]. Teoriya i metodika fizicheskogo vospitaniya. Ucheb. posobie [Theory and Methods of Physical Education. Study guide]. Moscow: Prosveshchenie publ., 1979, pp. 6-16.
2. Ryabchikov A.I., Firileva J.E. Slovar terminov gimnastiki i khoreografii [Dictionary of gymnastics and choreography terms]. St. Petersburg: Detstvo-Press publ., 2009, pp. 44-48.
3. Saykina E.G. Strategicheskaya rol fitnesa v modernizatsii fizkulturnogo obrazovaniya shkolnikov [Strategic role of fitness in modernization of school physical education]. St. Petersburg: Herzen SPUR publ., 2012, 297 p.
4. Saykina E.G. Fitnes v sisteme doshkolnogo i shkolnogo fizkulturnogo obrazovaniya. Avtoref. dis. dokt. ped. nauk [Fitness in preschool and school physical education system. Doctoral diss. abstract]. Herzen SPUR publ., St. Petersburg, 2009, 40 p.

Corresponding author: sandrjabc@yandex.ru

Abstract

The national physical culture theory and practice have seen quite a few new terms and meanings coming up in the last few decades. We consider herein the extensive scope and content of the term fitness. Content analysis of the term made it possible to overview its meanings and definitions and its role in the classification of the physical culture types. We have also made a theoretical analysis to complement, simplify and harmonize the existing classification of the physical culture disciplines with an eye on the way to make it all-inclusive and clear at the same time. We also offered a few terms for the key components of the modern physical culture including fitness to replace the narrow notion of physical culture commonly interpreted as the non-competitive physical practices for health; and offered aplicada as a special term for professional (competitive) physical culture.