The Comparison of Turkish Folk Dancers with Sedentary People in Terms of Some Physical Fitness Parameters

The aim of this study was to compare Turkish folk dancers with sedentary people in terms of some physical fitness parameters. 12 women and 14 men from Turkish folk dances team, which took part in a contest in 2013 and 12 sedentary women and 14 sedentary men from Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, totally 52 volunteers, participated in this study. Height, weight, strength, flexibility, vertical jump and anaerobic power of subjects were measured with measuring tools. Descriptive and Mann-Whitney U tests in SPSS 16.0 were used to analyze data. When physical fitness parameters of men Turkish folk dances athletes and sedentary men were compared, while statistically significant difference was found between the right-hand grip strength, the left-hand grip strength and vertical jump (p<0.05), there was no statistical difference found between other variables (p>0.05). When physical fitness parameters of women Turkish folk dances athletes and sedentary women were compared, while statistically significant difference was found between the right-hand grip strength, the left-hand grip strength, vertical jump and anaerobic power (p<0.05), there was no statistical difference found between other variables (p>0.05). Consequently, it was found that the right and left handgrip strength and vertical jump values of women and men Turkish folk dances athletes were higher than sedentary. It can be said that these differences result from that they usually do exercises for development of these parameters because of the nature of this sport branch.