A.G. Demidov
V.Yu. Lebedinsky, professor, Dr.Med.
National Research Irkutsk State Technical University, Irkutsk
G.K. Khomyakov, associate professor, Ph.D.
Irkutsk State University of Railway Engineering, Irkutsk

Key words: physical education in higher education institutions, boxing, teaching methodology, safety of contingent.

The "boxing" sports specialization in the form of health-improving physical education classes is used in many universities of Russia. So they were included in the educational program of National Research Irkutsk State Technical University (NR IrSTU) on physical education of students.

The traditional methodology of teaching boxing was used when developing the content of classes for beginners. Its essence lies in the two-year long learning of offensive and defensive actions at the long and middle distances of conducting a combat, and one is taught or introduced (as stated in a sample program) to the infighting distance only at the end of the second year of study.

The purpose of the study was to conduct a theoretical analysis of young boxers and training programs and develop on this basis the methodology of teaching for 17-18 year-old students.

Results and discussion. It was during these years when the existing methodology of teaching boxing was studied and analyzed at the university, which helped determine a number of significant discrepancies preventing from speeding up the learning process. The training sessions by the traditional methodology were conducted at IrSTU from September, 2007 up to May, 2010.

 The analysis of the boxing training programs of different authors has revealed that all of them are for Specialized Children’s and Youth Sports Schools, where training process begins at the age of 10-12 years. However, students start practicing boxing at the age of 17-18 years or even later. And these age groups (10-12 and 17-18 years) have some significant differences:

1) psychological: at the age of 17-18 years a person has a more profound mental and psychological stability, and is already conscious of own actions, doings and deeds;

2) regulatory: according to the existing regulatory documents, the age of 17-18 years is a phase of sports skills perfection (senior) (Table 1), while for student-athletes it is just the initial training phase, i.e. the phase of learning the basics of boxing.

3) physiological differences: mostly include sensitive periods of development of physical qualities and load limiting factors at this age. If the age of 10-12 years is the most suitable time for development of agility, flexibility, swiftness and speed-strength qualities, while it is too early to develop strength and endurance, the age of 17-18 years is just the time to develop strength and endurance to the utmost, while the rest of the qualities should already be on the high level by this time.

Table 1. Minimum training of athletes for admission to boxing schools (training phases), years

According to the regulatory documents, the educational program for the initial training groups (lesson plans) is meant for 2 academic years with training sessions held 3 times a week. The distribution of academic hours for technical and tactical training (TTT), and so for teaching the basics of boxing, is represented in Table 2.

20% of the time allowed for TTT of 10-12 year-olds is quite reasonable, since the factors that limit load at this age include: insufficient adaptation to physical loads; age-related peculiarities of physical development; insufficient general range of motor abilities.

Consequently, the system of initial training for older students needs to be reconsidered as for the ratio of physical training methods and TTT, with the increase of the latter. There is no need in prolonging the educational program for 2 years.

Table 2. Ratio of physical and technical and tactical training methods by academic years, %

As follows from the literature analysis, an orderly infighting training system is almost lacking. According to the traditional methodology, a few classes at the end of the second year of education are allowed for introducing to infighting. The sample boxing program (within the study unit “Program material”) implies only one topic for practical training within the timetable of the 4^th unit – “Learning offensive actions in infighting”. It involves mastering of the infighting elements, as well as of the elementary preparatory movements. The infighting tactics is not studied during the second year of education. Around 2 months are allotted for learning its elements, and they comprise 20-30% of the main part of the training sessions. The rest of the time is meant for improvement of the technique and tactics of conducting a combat at long and middle distances. This works for young males aged 10-12 years, however, it is an essential fault in teaching of senior students (17-18 years).

The teaching technique and methodology of the infighting training were thoroughly described by outstanding Soviet boxer E.I. Ogurenkov (1969). His work, which is the main textbook on infighting training, is based on his own sports experience, long-term observations and experimental studies, and includes vast and varied material. However, it conforms to the 69^th of the last century, and the main problem is that boxing sport is being in progress, its rules are changing, as well as the fighting formula and outfit. That is why most types of defensive actions offered by the author are not applicable for modern boxing. For instance, a clinch or a grip of a forearm or a shoulder of an opponent in a boxing ring are treated by a judge as holding, which is violation of the rules, that normally leads to warning up to disqualification of an athlete.

The literature analysis on the tactical training of boxer in infighting has revealed that the most fundamental studies in this sphere were conducted in the 70^th of the last century by merited trainer of the USSR G.O. Dzheroyan (1970). (But still they fit in 2 printed pages, while whole chapters are given to tactical actions at the long and middle distances). The author says: “A beginner boxer does not yet possess essential qualities for prolonged infighting. That is why, first, it is necessary to teach him the basic infighting actions, distance entrance and exit, immobilization of an opponent. It is reasonable to start from teaching strokes, defensive actions and exit from the close distance.” Besides, immobilization of an opponent is forbidden by the rules of modern boxing. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of sufficient scientific studies and methodological work on the technique and tactics of infighting. The sample boxing programs have been reconsidered every year, but no changes have been made regarding the distribution of academic hours or the ratio of the program material and, moreover, in the teaching methodology of infighting actions (offensive, defensive, tactical). The latest elaborations in this sphere were in the 60s of the last century. So, it is necessary to develop new educational and methodological solutions on optimization of the process of teaching the basics of boxing to students aged 17-18 years.

The analysis of the research and methodical literature and personal coaching experience of one of the authors helped treat more rationally the issue of distribution of the hourly load between conditioning (C), special physical training (SPT) and technical and tactical training (TTT) for the whole period of university studies (Table 3), as well as distribute more effectively the educational material on TTT.

Table 3. Ratio of physical and technical and tactical training methods for student-boxers by academic years, %

 Proceeding from the study, we elaborated a teaching methodology for the initial phase of training for student-boxers aged 17-18 years. Implementing it, 1^st-year students can learn the basics of boxing within 1 year during physical education classes (“boxing” sports specialization) twice a week.

 Also, it was taken into account that some students, having mastered the main boxing techniques, do not strive for improvement of their sports skills and continue boxing training at physical education classes in the health-improving mode. A special sports and fitness group (SF) was created for this purpose.

In the 1^st semester the main emphasis is on learning two combat distances. These are offensive and defensive actions in outfighting and infighting of beginners. We developed an innovative methodology of teaching technical and tactical actions in infighting. In the 2^nd semester, after the first competitions among the beginners, we start learning actions at the middle distance, which implies mainly defensive actions with the use of the trunk (parry, going in) and footwork. The process of learning the middle distance combat technique becomes more conscious, since a beginner has already learnt not to turn away, or close his eyes and blink, and has already mastered the defensive actions with the use of the hands, as well as has already acquired a combat experience.

From September, 2010 up to May, 2013, the training sessions in the “boxing” sports specialization were conducted according to the innovative methodology at IrSTU. Thanks to its implementation, the educational process was reduce to 1 year and the safety of the contingent was improved, which resulted in the growth of the number of students who achieved mass grades (Tables 4, 5).

Table 4. Number of students engaged in boxing (by academic years)

Table 5. Qualification training of 1^st-year student-boxers (persons/%)

Conclusion. Taking into account that the stage of theoretical research preceded the practical use of the innovative methodology of teaching students the basics of boxing, we can say with more certainty that the obtained positive changes reflected in the study are not accidental but the methodology itself can be effectively used in physical education classes in non-specialized universities.

References

1. Boxing: sample training program for children's sports schools, specialized children and youth schools of Olympic reserve / Federal Agency for phys. culture and sport. – Moscow: Sovetsky sport, 2009. – 71 P. (In Russian)
2. Demidov, A.G. On training of student-boxers / A.G. Demidov, G.K. Khomyakov // Vestnik IrSTU. – 2012. – № 4(63). – P. 219–222. (In Russian)
3. Dzheroyan, G.O. Boxer's tactical training / G.O. Dzheroyan. – Moscow: Fizkul'tura i sport, 1970. – 110 P. (In Russian)
4. Kachurin, A.I. Boxing in the system of student's physical culture: study guide – Moscow: Fizkul'tura i sport, 2006. – 344 P., illust. (In Russian)
5. Lebedinskiy, V.Yu. Methodical and biomedical support of the training process of student-boxers / V.Yu. Lebedinskiy, G.K. Khomyakov, A.G. Demidov, L.G. Zucker // Vestnik IrSTU. – 2013. – № 1(72). – P. 245–251. (In Russian)
6. Ogurenkov, V.I. Infighting in boxing / V.I. Ogurenkov. – Rev. and suppl. ed. – Moscow: Fizkul'tura i sport, 1969. – 188 P.: illust. (In Russian)
7. Khomyakov, G.K. Qigong gymnastics as a factor of recovery in the speed and power period of training athletes / G.K. Khomyakov, L.V. Kosygin, A.G. Demidov, I.M. Utyasheva // Uch. zapiski un-ta im. P.F. Lesgafta. – 2013. – № 7 (101). – P. 161-169. (In Russian)

Corresponding author: demidoff@list.ru