Flexibility Program among Lower Secondary School Students and Physical Fitness Indicators Assessed in the Convention of Health-related Fitness (H-RF)

Abstract

Flexibility is one of the elements – components which support physical fitness and health as well (Howley, Franks, 1997; Bouchard, Shephard, 1994; Skinner, Oja, 1994). The purpose of this paper was to assess the impact of additional flexibility exercises on physical fitness in lower secondary school students, evaluated by means of IPFT (the International Physical Fitness Test). The study was conducted in two experimental groups, where extra flexibility exercises were added to all obligatory PE lessons, and one control group. 1. The decreased standard deviation observed in particular IPFT attempts in the experimental class is the correct tendency showing the favorable influence of flexibility exercises on students’ physical fitness and health. 2. An improvement and considerably better, though statistically insignificant, results were obtained by the students involved in the additional exercises, in all assessed motor skills (strength, speed, endurance and flexibility) and in the scoring reflecting the level of physical fitness.3. After one year of exercises the control group had worse average results in two attempts – 50 m run (to assess speed) and standing forward bend (to measure flexibility). This trend indicates the importance of flexibility exercises as regards speed and agility.

Keywords

• flexibility
• physical fitness
• health
• IPFT (the International Physical Fitness Test)
• students