6th International Congress of Physical Education, Sports and Kinetotherapy

Bucharest, 15 - 18 June, 2016

STUDY ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF EXPLOSIVE

STRENGTH IN CHILDREN AGED 10-11 YEARS USING
THE JUMP TRAINING
Camelia BRANEȚ a*
a
National University of Physical Education and Sports, 140 Constantin Noica Street, Bucharest, Romania
* Corresponding author: kmeliaciobanu@yahoo.com

Abstract. The development of explosive strength represents a major objective in the athletic training of children,
from here deriving the jump training impact on the degree of improvement of this motor quality. Some research in
the field proves that the value of strength growth is higher in the tests involving a movement closer to the exercises
used during training. For example, if the training is a typical dynamic one, the strength gain will have better values
in the tests involving the same type of (dynamic) effort than in those involving isometric contractions. The purpose
of our experiment was to highlight the degree of improvement of explosive strength in children aged 10-11 years by
means of the jump training applied for 12 weeks, with a frequency of 2 times/week. The experiment was carried out
within the lessons of physical education at the Middle School no. 133. Analysing the results of this experiment, we
can conclude that the jump training sessions contribute to the development of explosive strength even after a
relatively short training period.
Keywords: motor qualities; children; explosive strength; training.

1. Introduction

Physical education is an essential value for the human being, and motor activity has the most important
social impact, because it represents a way to transmit from one generation to another the cultural
elements, the values, attitudes and beliefs it creates. Therefore, physical education becomes in this
context the bridge between to be and to become, which facilitates the exteriorization of the bio-
psychomotor and social potential of the human being.
In addition to the significant influences it has on the human physical fitness, physical education has
special importance within global education, because the effects of this education are reflected in all the
sides of human personality, such as the intellectual, emotional, volitional, aesthetic, moral ones. All
forms of physical activity are meant to lead to achieving results in competitions of any type.
Physical education bears the imprint of a cross-curricular dimension, due to its contribution to the
plenary development of the autonomous and creative personality of children.
“Multilateral physical development of children represents the foundation of sports training, based on this
general development they being able to improve their sports performance more quickly and better than
when deprived from this foundation” (Bompa, 2002, p. 5).
The concept of “early sports training” aims at observing three tasks:
 to guarantee that the long-term performance training is initiated appropriately and is carried out
multilaterally but specifically, according to the practiced sports branch;
 to discover the talented elements and to promote them;
 to orient the performance objectives according to the characteristics of exercise capacity the children
have at these ages.
The importance of strength training in childhood results from the following grounds:
 According to the statistic made by Dordel (quoted by Weineck, 1997, p. 275), 50-65% of children
have a poorly developed muscle system because of the lack of movement;
 At the age of 6-9 years, postural deficiencies increase by around 70%, that is why an intervention is
justified as regards the muscle strengthening in young children;
 Also in the first school years, the obesity growth rate exceeds 20%, which involves inevitably a
decrease in the motor performance during strength, speed and endurance exercises, from here the
imperative to train the strength of children;
 With the strengthening of muscle system, the motor behaviour is also improved through the increase
of dynamism and precision of movements.
Some research in the field proves that the value of strength growth is higher in the tests involving a
movement closer to the exercises used during training. For example, if the training is a typical dynamic
one, the strength gain will have better values in the tests involving the same type of (dynamic) effort
than in those involving isometric contractions.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of our experiment was to highlight the degree of improvement of explosive strength in
children aged 10-11 years by means of the jump training applied for 12 weeks, with a frequency of 2
times/week.

Hypothesis

The training sessions involving jumps will lead to the improvement of tension release for children
participating in the physical education classes, after a period of 12 weeks.

2. Materials and methods

The experiment was performed on a group of 30 children, participants in the lesson of physical
education and sports within the Middle School no. 133 of Bucharest. The jump training had a length of
20-25 minutes per lesson and consisted of the following types of jumps, performed in 3 series per
lesson:
 Jump rope exercises on both feet for 30 seconds;
 From standing position with the left shoulder towards the gymnastics bench, with the kneed left foot
resting on the bench, jumps with alternating foot change, landing on both sides of the bench, for 30
seconds;
 Semi-squats with hand holding the partner, for 20 seconds.
It was used this type of training (only jumps) because, by its load, it must compensate for the lack of
movement of children, who are not athletes, but mere participants in the physical education and sports
classes; moreover, the rope handling was poor during exercise, which resulted in a low number of jumps
within the 30 seconds; in achieving the programme, it was used the frontal method, which provided
sufficient time to allow the recovery of children’s body after exercise.
The research methods used were:
 Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), t-Test
 Motor tests: vertical jump: the test consists in performing a maximal vertical jump, starting from a
knee flexion position of 900; the subject must jump with the arm lifted, the jump height being
measured between the point marked by arm lifting before the jump and the highest point marked
during the test (jump). Two attempts are allowed and the best result is recorded; the landing place will
be identical to the initial start position, otherwise the test is not considered correct.
Objective: the evaluation of maximal anaerobic alactacid power by measuring the released tension.

3. Results

Table 1 shows the statistically processed results for the initial and final testing, and table 2 shows the
statistical processing for the t-test.
Table 1. Vertical jump – Initial and final testing

Std. Coefficient
TESTING Mean Median deviation Minimum Maximum Amplitude of variation

Initial 25.80 24 5.64 17 40 23 21.8%

Final 28.23 27 6.67 18 45 27 23.6%

Table 2. Dependent t-test for paired samples

INDICATORS DIFFERENCES (Final-Initial)
95% Confidence interval
Sig.
Std. for mean
Mean t df Effect size
deviation Lower Upper
(P)
bound bound
2,43 1,52 1,89 2,98 8,74 29,00 < 0.001 1,60

The vertical jump increased on average by 2.43 cm (9.4%), from a mean value equal to 25.80 cm in the
initial test to 28.23 cm in the final test. In 95% of cases, the difference of averages is comprised within
the confidence range (1.89; 2.98). The increase by 2.43 cm in the final test reached, by significance
threshold, the values p < 0.001 < 0.05 for t = 8.74 and the df = 29. The effect size index (1.60) shows
that this difference is from high to very high. In both tests, the dispersion of data is relatively
homogenous.
The null hypothesis is rejected, and it is accepted the research hypothesis, according to which the
average increase in the vertical jump is statistically significant. The graph of average values
corresponding to the two tests is presented in Figure 1.

Fig. 1. Average vertical jump – Initial and final testing

4. Discussions and conclusions

The study conducted by Keiner et al. (2013) indicates that strength training leads to the improvement of
athletic performance, it also being used for rehabilitation and injury prevention for children aged up to
12 years.
Weltman et al. (1986, quoted by Van Praagh, 2008, p. 83) obtained an increase in the dynamic strength
of 10% in pre-puberty children after a strength training of 14 weeks, and Hakkinen et al. (1989, quoted
by Van Praagh, 2008, p. 83), an increase of 15%, assessed by the vertical jump, in pre-puberty children
after a strength training of 1 year.
Duchateau (1998, quoted by Van Praagh, 2008, p. 83) carried out a survey comparing the effects of a
10-minute jump training, with a frequency of 3 times/week, for 6 weeks, in pre-puberty and post-
puberty children; the author indicated an improved vertical jump, before and after puberty, by 24.9%
and 31.8% in girls, and by 10.5% and 15.1% in boys.
Within our experiment, there were recorded statistically significant differences between tests, in the case
of vertical jump indices.
The novelty of the study is that, even at the pre-pubertal age, it is possible to act for the improvement of
explosive strength, which is statistically confirmed by the obtained results, and the training method
chosen can represent a landmark for the young people joining the branch of sports trainers.
Therefore, we can conclude that an improvement of explosive strength is possible in children of 10-11
years old, if the intervention uses appropriate stimuli, even after a relatively short training period.

References

Bompa, T. O. (2002). Teoria și metodologia antrenamentului. București: Ex Ponto.

Keiner, M., Sander, A., Wirth, K., & Schmidtbleicher, D. (2013). The impact of 2 years of additional athletic
training on the jump performance of young athletes. Science & Sports, 29(4), e39-e46.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0765159713001275
Pauly O., (2007), Musculation pour l`enfant et l`adolescent, Paris: Amphora
Van Praagh, E. (2008). Physiologie du sport. Enfant et adolescent. Bruxelles: De Boeck & Larcier.
Weineck, J. (1997). Manuel d’entraînement. Physiologie de la performance sportive et de son développement dans
l’entraînement de l’enfant et de l’adolescent. Paris: Vigot.