The aim of the study was to identify the level of isokinetic strength and power of lower limbs in 13-year-old untrained boys (n=22, height: 158.5±8.0 cm, mass: 49.1±12.6 kg), to determine bilateral deficit between the limbs in the tests and examine their mutual relationship. Maximum peak muscle torque of knee extensors (PTQ) and flexors (PTH) on dominant (DL) and non-dominant leg (NL) were measured by isokinetic dynamometer. Three types of a vertical jump: countermovement jump with (CMJFA) and without arms (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) were performed on two force platforms.We found the significant effect (p<.01) of independent variables (knee extensors, flexors, AV) and their interaction on PT. AV did not indicate any significant effect on bilateral ratio of knee extensors (F4,84=.74, p>.05, ηp2=0.03), however a significant effect of AV was found in knee flexors (F4,84=2.70, p<.05, ηp2=.114). The type of jump had no effect on the difference between force exerted by DL and NL (F1,21=.102, p>.05, ηp2=.01). Bilateral deficit (Q:Q, H:H) did not significantly correlate with bilateral deficit in jumps (p>.05).Despite the possibility of identifying muscle asymmetries in the sense of strength imbalances, their mutual relationship with results in isokinetic dynamometry and power jump tests is still unclear.

MALA, L.; MALY, T.; CABELL, L.; CECH, P; HANK, M.; COUFALOVA, K. & ZAHALKA, F. Body composition and morphological limbs asymmetry in competitors in six martial arts. Int. J. Morphol., 37(2):568-575, 2019. SUMMARY:The aim of this study was to compare body composition (BC) and morphological symmetry differences among elite athletes (n = 132) in six martial arts (judo, karate, fencing, wrestling, taekwondo, kickboxing). Multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVA) was used to compare the following variables: absolute (FFM) and relative (FFM rel ) value of fat free mass, percentage of fat mass (FMp), bone mass, protein mass, basal metabolic rate, absolute (TBW) and percentual (TBWp) value of total body water, segmental proportion of muscle mass, phase angle, and percent-age differences between the upper and lower limbs. MANOVA revealed significant differences in BC among the groups (λ = 0.01, F 104,256 = 10.01, p< 0.01, ηp 2 = 0.67). No significant differences were observed for FM p , FFM rel , and TBW p (p>0.05). In all other BC variables, significant differences were detected (p<0.05). The comparison of paired differences between limbs revealed significantly greater fluid volume in the preferred arm compared to the non-preferred arm in karate and fencing athletes. Significant differences (p<0.05) in favour of the preferred leg in all combat athletes were detected. This study revealed morphological differences among practitioners of different martial arts and between paired limbs.

The purpose of the study was to assess the level of aerobic fitness in U17 Slovak elite soccer players throughout the annual training cycle according to their playing position. The participants were 14 soccer players who played for the 1st league U17 soccer team. To assess their levels of aerobic fitness, players performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IRTL1) during four different phases of the annual training cycle. The results showed that the greatest distance covered by a player was 2,476 m during the final testing session after the regular season. Therefore, we may conclude that according to the total distance covered in Yo-Yo IRTL1 players showed test results at the level of international players.

BackgroundPhysical development can be considered as an indicator of the overall health status of the youth population. Currently, it appears that the increasing trend of the prevalence of obesity among children and youths has stopped in a number of countries worldwide. Studies point to the fact that adolescence is a critical period for the development of obesity. Body mass index (BMI) seems to be an orientation parameter in the assessment of prevalence of obesity which is not sufficient for more accurate identification of at risk individuals.The purpose of this study was to evaluate association between BMI percentile zones as health-risk for being overweight and obese and body composition indicators in high-school students from the Prešov (Slovakia) region.MethodsA non-randomized cross-sectional study in high school students from the Prešov (Slovakia) region was conducted. The research sample consisted of 1014 participants (boys n = 466, girls n = 549). Body composition was measured using direct segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (DSM-BIA). To examine the association between obesity and selected body composition indicators, Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Eta2 were used. The relationship between selected body composition indicators and percentile BMI zones was determined using the Kendall tau correlation.ResultsIn groups with different BMI percentile zones (normal weight, overweight, obese), ANOVA showed significant differences for girls and boys (p ˂.05) with high effect size (η2 ˂.26) in body weight, body fat mass index, body fat percentage, fat free mass index, fat-free mass percentage, visceral fat area, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, protein mass and mineral mass. The highest degree of correlation among boys was between BMI values indicating overweight and obesity and fat free mass index and waist circumference, respectively (τ = .71, τ = .70, respectively). In girls, the highest correlation was found between classification of BMI percentile zones and waist circumference (t = .78).ConclusionThe characteristics of body composition are very useful determinants of health and nutrition status. Our data revealed a direct association between BMI value and chosen body composition indicators. The most accurate indicator of overweight and obesity in our study appears to be waist circumference for both male and female population.

Purpose. Increasing energy intake and decreasing movement performance are among the greatest population issues of mankind. Risk elimination consists in returning to physically active way of life. The aim of the paper was to analyse the physical activity of female in selected secondary schools in the Presov district region, Slovakia, from the point of view of physical activity recommendations fulfilment. Methods. The research group consisted of 353 female students from 14 selected secondary schools in the Presov district region. The students were distributed in four groups according to age (15-18 years).Results. More than half of the studied females did not perform movement activity of medium or high intensity. The highest percentage of success rate in the criteria fulfilment was achieved by females of all age categories in walking 5 times per week for the minimum of 30 minutes (W 5 × 30). Only 44.3% of the students aged 15 years and up to 70.8% of those at the age of 18 met at least one criterion of the physical activity recommendations. Conclusions. As for physical activity recommendations fulfilment, the most successful criterion was performing physical activity regardless of its intensity. Physical activity recommendations seem to be very hard to implement in this age category, especially those concerning intense physical activity. Key words: physical activity intensity, IPAQ, adolescents, health Citation: Junger J, Kačúr P, Tlučáková L, Čech P, bebčáková V. Physical activity of female students in secondary schools in the context of physical activity recommendations fulfilment, Hum Mov.

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Purpose: Change of direction speed (CODS) and reactive agility (RAG) are important qual-ities in futsal, but studies rarely examined the predictors of these conditioning capacities in players of advanced level. This study aimed to evaluate predictive validity of certain an-thropometric and conditioning capacities in evaluation of futsal specific CODS and RAG in top-level players. Methods: The sample comprised 54 male players from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, members of teams competing at the highest national rank, including national champions for the 2017–2018 competitive season in both countries. The variables comprised set of pre-dictors (body mass, body height, triceps skinfold, reactive strength index [RSI], sprint 10 m [S10M], and broad jump [BJ]; and four criteria: futsal specific CODS and RAG, performed with and without dribbling (CODS_D, CODS_WD, RAG_D, RAG_WD). To identify the asso-ciation between variables Pearson’s correlation and multiple regressions were calculated. Results: Observed predictors explained statistically significant (p < 0.05) percentage of vari-ance for all four criteria (Rsq: 0.28, 0.30, 0.23 and 0.25, for CODS_WD, CODS_D, RAG_WD, RAG_D, respectively). Body mass was significant predictor for all criteria (Beta: 0.35–0.51), with poorer performances in heavier players. In both performances which involved dribbling, significant predictors was RSI (Beta: −0.27 and −0.31 for CODS_D and RAG_D, respective-ly), with superior performances in players with better RSI. The S10M and BJ were not identi-fied as being significantly correlated to studied RAG and CODS performances. Conclusion: Study confirmed specific influence of studied predictors of futsal specific CODS and RAG with consistent negative influence of body mass on studied performances. Almost certainly this can be explained by specifics of RAG and CODS execution. Specifically, tests are performed over relatively small distances, with several changes of direction, which clear-ly mimic the futsal specific performances. Although sprint performance is often observed as important determinant of CODS and RAG, herein we did not confirm its predictive validity in explanation of futsal specific CODS and RAG. Future studies should evaluate other poten-tially important predictors of these capacities in futsal.