Professor, PhD T.P. Zav'yalova¹
O.A. Zotova^1
1Institute of Physical Education of Tyumen State University, Tyumen

Keywords: whitewater slalom, slalomist’s priority coordination skills, fitball practices, 9-12 year-old athletes.

Background. Presently whitewater slalom in the Russian Federation is ranked among the fastest developing sport disciplines and enjoys a special support as a summer Olympic sport discipline. In view of the fast progress of many sport disciplines including whitewater slalom, a high priority in the national physical education and sports sector is being given to the children’s training systems, with sport coaches, sport scientists, psychologists and physicians joining their efforts in addressing a variety of sport-specific issues. In this context, special attention is given to modern approaches, technologies, methods and new training tools applicable to junior athletes’ training since the preschool age [2, 3, 5, 7].

Every sport discipline is specific in terms of requirements to the athletes’ qualities and abilities, albeit the sport-specific abilities are based on general athletic qualities, with a special emphasis in the training process being made on coordination ability improvement tools for the reason that they largely contribute to many sport technique mastering processes. Due skills and techniques are very important in any sport discipline, however their goals and applications are variable. In whitewater slalom, for instance, the paddler needs to persistently control and change the course of canoe through the gates with due attention to the right positioning of trunk, hand, legs etc. In view of the whitewhater slalom specifics, the highest priority in the coordination skills development efforts is to be given to the following: orienteering skills, balancing skills and attention switchover skills. Therefore, the sport specialists need to take persistent efforts to offer due tools to improve the above coordination skills for competitive success.

Our analysis of the available study reports on the subject showed that the coordination skills training components within the modern whitewater slalom training systems are dominated by traditional exercises including jumps, rolls, active games etc. albeit may include a variety of unconventional methods like basketball, juggling, balance board and fitball application exercises [1, 6, 8]. At this junction, fitball practices are getting increasingly popular in many slalom competitors’ training systems. However, these practices are still in need of more systemic practical provisions for the slalomists' training process, and this was the prime issue addressed in the present study.

Objective of the study was to explore the benefits of special fitball exercises for the junior whitewhater slalomists' training process.

Methods and structure of the study. An educational experiment under the study was performed at the Children’s and Youth Olympic Reserve Sport School #2 in Tyumen city in the period of October 2014 through May 2016. Subject to the study were 20 first-year athletes evenly split up into a Reference Group and a Study Group. The Study Group was trained using the special methodology including the applied fitball practices, whilst the Reference Group training process was designed and managed as required by the traditional whitewater slalomists' training system.

Study results and discussion. The primary study data are given hereunder in Table 1.

Table 1. Junior athletes’ group average coordination ability test rates of SG versus RG prior to the educational experiment, М±δ

The above primary group average coordination skills test rates show the initial coordination skills of both groups varying at the low level of special fitness (р>0.05) that means that the technical elements of whitewater slalom mastering process may be difficult and unsafe for the children at this stage. This was the reason for us to develop a special methodology to improve the sport-specific coordination skills of potential junior slalomists. With this purpose in mind, a set of special fitball exercises was designed to develop the relevant coordination skills, with the relevant training process planning component included in the slalomists' training system. Special attention in the motor coordination skills development process was given to the practice compliance with the key methodological lines. This means that the motor skill performance experience was based on the innovative coordination skills mastering models with a special emphasis on the habitual actions being performed in unusual conditions. The special fitball practices in different starting positions, in static and dynamic postures, aerial and supported, plus appliance-handling exercises etc. were applied to improve the balance, spatial orienteering and attention switchover skills in the athletes.

The special exercises were designed to keep the annual volume of the training load unchanged. The coordination skills development sessions were scheduled four times per month with every session taking 90 min including 15-20 min of the special fitball practices in the first part of every session. It should be noted that the trainees were highly enthusiastic about the sessions as verified by their attendance rates and high activity in the process. To assess the practical benefits of the new method, we repeatedly tested the SG and RG trainees, with the test rates prior to and after the experiments given hereunder in Table 2.

Table 2. Group average key coordination skills test rates of SG versus RG prior to and after the educational experiment, М±δ

Note: PTE and AE mean prior to and after the experiment, respectively

As verified by the above data, the experiment resulted in the subject skills showing improvements in both of the groups. However, the experimental training method showed its benefits as demonstrated by the SG test rates. The special test rates of the SG versus RG athletes show significant differences (р<0.05). Moreover, benefits of the new method were additionally tested using the kayak roll test (see Table 3).

Table 3. Special skill test rates of the SG versus RG obtained using the kayak roll test

The above data shows the SG special skills in the kayak roll test being significantly better than in the RG that is indicative of the new training method being beneficial for the sport-specific skills mastering process. Therefore, the study demonstrates the special fitball practices being highly efficient at the initial stage of the 9-12 years-old slalomists' training process.

Conclusion

·In the junior whitewate slalomists' training process, top priority sport-specific coordination skills need to be developed in a focused manner.

·The new method offered in the study and designed based on unconventional training tools including, among other things, special fitball practices at the initial stage of the whitewater slalom competitors’ training process was proved beneficial as verified by the group average skill test rates including the balance, attention switchover and orienteering skills test rates.

·The special fitball practices applied in the training system made it possible to improve the sport-specific skills of the junior whitewater slalom competitors as verified by the kayak roll performance quality rates.

References

1. Volodin V.N. Metodika trenirovki grebtsov-slalomistov na etape nachal'noy podgotovki [Training technique in white water slalom at initial training stage]. Vestnik Tyumenskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Sotsial'no-ekonomicheskie i pravovye issledovaniya, 2008, no.5, pp. 90-97.
2. Zavyalova T.P., Starodubtseva I.V., Yakovlev A.S. Problemy i perspektivy fizicheskogo vospitaniya doshkol'nikov goroda Tyumeni [Problems and prospects of physical education of preschoolers in Tyumen]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2013, no. 12, pp. 17-21.
3. Kolunin E.T. Konvergirovanie sredstv gimnastiki v protsesse nachalnoy podgotovki sportivnogo rezerva [Gymnastic means convergence in initial training process of sports reserve]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2015, no. 12, pp. 22-25.
4. Lyakh V.I. Koordinatsionnye sposobnosti: diagnostika i razvitie [Coordination abilities: diagnostics and development]. Moscow: TVT Divizion, 2006, 290 p.
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6. Nazarenko L.D. Sredstva i metody razvitiya dvigatel'nykh koordinatsiy [Means and methods of development of motor coordination]. Moscow: Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2003, 259 p.
7. Solodovnikova E.A., Novikova E.V., Bereznenko E.P. Razvitie koordinatsionnykh sposobnostey u grebtsov-slalomistov [Development of coordination abilities in slalom rowers]. Psikhologiya i pedagogika: sovremennye metodiki i innovatsii, opyt prakticheskogo primeneniya: Sb. mater. VII Mezhdunar. nauch.-prakt. konf. [Psychology and Pedagogics: modern techniques and innovation, practical experience: Proc. VII Intern. res.-pract. conf.]. Lipetsk, 2014, pp. 89-92.
8. Soloshenko N.B., Alekseeva M.V., Makaridin D.N. Mekhanizmy realizatsii upravlencheskikh resheniy po sovershenstvovaniyu uchebno-trenirovochnogo protsessa sportivnykh shkol Tyumeni [Mechanisms for implementation of management decisions to improve training process in Tyumen sport schools]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2015, no.  12, pp. 10-12.

Corresponding author: zavyalova53@mail.ru          

Abstract

The article reports results of the educational experiment to rate benefits of special fitball exercises to improve the priority coordination skills of junior whitewater slalomists in the pre-season training stage. The study included an educational experiment designed on a fact-finding, skill-forming and comparative bases, with the educational progress tests being applied to rate the progress in coordination skills in the junior slalom competitors. The relevant priority coordination ability mean test rates offered by V.I. Lyakh  [4] were used as the key rating criteria under the study. The study demonstrated that the special fitball exercises designed to develop the relevant priority sport-specific coordination abilities help improve the special coordination skill test rates.