PhD T.E. Simina¹
E.G. Mikhalchenko¹
PhD, Associate Professor M. Kuzmin¹
E.Y. Sysoeva^1
1Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow

Keywords: students, finswimming, swimming training, swimming skills.

Background. Academic youth is viewed as a core human resource of the nation, and it is the national education system that bears responsibility for the graduates being physical healthy, highly fit for their job responsibilities, determined and active. Analysis of the available literature on the subject shows that presently the students’ health tends to deteriorate for the academic study period. By the fourth academic year, as reported by medical statistics, growing numbers of students are diagnosed with cardiovascular, chronic gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal system and ophthalmological diseases [1, 3]. Swimming practices are recommended in this context as a unique low-intensity physical tool of high life quality improvement value as they are very effective in the body tempering, health improvement and therapeutic aspects [2, 6]; and have a great potential for the students’ health and overall physical fitness improvement if prudently applied in the regular academic physical education process.

Analysis of the current academic swimming programs shows that the swimming sessions are normally designed as required by the traditional training model with parallel and sequential stroke and backstroke mastering procedures. However, stroke technique is not recommended for the people diagnosed with musculoskeletal diseases. Generally, the existing academic swimming models make little if any consideration for age- and gender-specifics, interests, motivations, needs, individual traits and preferences of the trainees in the physical education domain. In addition, the modular academic training system applied at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics is designed for a short-term course of swimming basics. Therefore, the education system is in need of new, more efficient and focused training models for swimming basics mastering, health improvement and disease prevention.

Objective of the study was to profile benefits of different swimming models for the first-year male students willing to master swimming basics and improve their overall physical fitness.

Methods and structure of the study. According to = the prior questionnaire survey, 28 first-year male students could not swim at all or could swim no more than 25m. These students were split up into Experimental and Reference Groups of 14 people each. Each group was then trained twice a week in 45-minute training sessions within two education modules, each module including 16 training sessions. The primary swimming basics mastering in the RG (Module 1 of 16 sessions) was designed as required by the traditional parallel and sequential stroke and backstroke mastering method. The swimming technique excelling stage in the RG (Module 2 of 16 sessions) was designed to advance swimming skills by special aquatic and ground exercises including the core physical qualities development ones.

The primary swimming basics mastering in the EG (Module 1 of 16 sessions) was designed for mastering upper-limb swimming movements with/ without lower limb actions with/ without fins; with the training focused on the simplified and individualised swimming techniques (competitive and amateur). The swimming technique excelling stage in the EG was designed to advance the swimming skills by special aquatic and ground exercises. The individualised primary-stage skills made it possible for the EG trainees find the most convenient individual swimming techniques to cover large distances, and thereby notably speed up the swimming skills mastering stage. In addition, a wide range of respiratory exercises was applied to help the trainees effectively recover the body functionality after the high-intensity swimming practices [4, p. 195; 5, p. 250].

Study results and discussion. The trainees’ progress was rated by the relevant swimming tests in sessions 5, 10 and 15 of Module 1. It was found that by session 5 the shares of non-swimmers in the EG and RG were reduced to 29% and 42%, respectively; by session 10 – to 7% and 21%, respectively; and by session 15 every EG and RG student could swim and cover 25+m distances; albeit the EG students showed faster progress and could swim longer distances versus the RG using simplified, amateur and standard competitive swimming techniques and varying techniques on the distance. Moreover, the EG training technology was customised to the individual traits and preferences of the students in the swimming techniques. The swimming skills were rated by the distances the subjects could cover in a non-stop manner. The covered distances by the end of Module 1 were significantly higher in the EG versus the RG (157.2m versus 108.4m, respectively). In Module 2, both of the groups were tested to rate their key physical qualities including speed tests (25m stroke), speed-strength tests (50m freestyle) and endurance test (distance covered per 6min).

Table 1. First-year students swimming skills test rates,  ± σ

Note: mean arithmetic value; σ mean square deviation; *significant difference (р<0.05)

The study data showed that by the end of Module 2 the RG and EG students’ speed qualities grew by 5.0 and 6.5 s; the speed-strength qualities by 10.4 и 11.1 s; and the distances covered by 16.2m and 30.9m, respectively; with the latter rate growth being significant for the SG.

Conclusion. The experimental swimming model applied to the first-year students was found to help them master the swimming basics faster and better, increase the distance covered, improve fitness and develop the core physical qualities in the trainees on the whole and endurance in particular.

References

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Corresponding author: besputa3@mail.ru

Abstract

The article considers theoretical and practical basics of the accelerated academic swimming training model. Modern study reports show the students’ health being deteriorated for the academic education period, with the fourth-year students being diagnosed with a variety of cardiovascular, chronic gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal system and ophthalmological diseases. Swimming practices are recommended as a unique low-intensity physical tool of high quality improvement value. Objective of the study was to profile benefits of different swimming styles and models for first-year male students. The Reference Group mastered stroke and backstroke as required by the traditional training model. The Study Group was trained to master all finswimming styles. It was found that the experimental swimming model helps master the swimming basics faster and better, increase the distance, improve fitness and develop the core physical qualities in the trainees.