Influence of Gymnastics on Physical Fitness and Adaptive Capabilities of Cardiovascular System of 7-8 Years Old Boys

The purpose of the study was to determine the features of interconnections between the physical fitness and functional capabilities indicators of young gymnasts of 7-8 years old to compare with tests of the same age boys who are not engaged in any sport sections. Material and methods. To achieve the objectives we used the following methods: analysis of scientific and methodical literature, pedagogical methods of testing and mathematical statistics. The research was conducted in two groups (12 boys in each group). The average age of participants was 7.8 ± 0.24 years. The research was conducted in December 2017; the criteria for selecting participants were age, satisfactory state of health according to the survey of the medical staff of the school, belonging to the common group of physical culture. The boys of the first group (G1) were additionally engaged in the sports section of the School of high sports mastery "Pioner" 2-3 times a week, while the second group (G2) was attending only lessons of physical education at the school (during the school year 2-3 times a week) and did not attend additional sport sections. Results and discussion. The common physical abilities, namely: strength, speed strength, flexibility, endurance were developed significantly better in G1 than G2 (p <0,001). G1 boys had a significantly better adaptive potential of the cardiovascular system than their peers from G2 (1.71 ± 0.07 and 1.94 ± 0.04, respectively, p <0.05). At the same time, only 1 person (0.8 ± 0.8 %) from G1 and 2 pupils (1,6 ± 1,1 %) from G2 had an adaptation tension, while other boys were in a state of satisfactory adaptation. That is, the level of physical fitness in all tests and the functional state of the cardiovascular system were better in the group of boys who were involved in gymnastics (p <0,05). Additionally 12 correlation connections between tests in group G1 (8 – between indicators of physical fitness, 2 – between functional measures, 2 – between the two groups of indicators) were determined. There were only 2 correlation connections among measures of G2 children. Conclusions. The presence of a significant number of interactions between functional and motor performance of young gymnasts indicates a stable level of their functional systems work and confirms the effectiveness of extra-curricular activities to maintain a high level of adaptation of the boys. Analysis of the correlation structures of functional indicators and motor tests showed the possibility of their use for assessing of the effectiveness of physical education at school. The use of adaptive potential for determining the "physiological price" of adaptation to physical activity is discursive, and it requires further research.