Models and Interaction of Intensive Training and Sport Performance of 14–15-Year-Old Athletes in Rhythmic Gymnastics

Abstract

Research  background  and  hypothesis. The  efficacy  of  athlete’s  sport  performance  depends  on  the  targeted
training in certain periods, organization, management, individual adaptation of an athlete to the loads of training and
competitions.  
Research aim of this work was to determine the impact of intensive training on sport performance of 14–15 year
old athletes in rhythmic gymnastics and their optimization.  
Research methods. The experiment resulted in modeling two different training programs and establishing the
structure of the content of the training programs, as well as athletes’ sports performance. The training loads protocols
registered the time for choreography, element mastering, competitive routines and athletic training in each training
session. The efficacy of the training programs was established registering the realization of competitive activities
under competitive conditions according to the number of points received by the gymnast of each training program
and according to the place won. When we tried to establish if the training sessions and competitive loads matched
the specificity of competitive activities, we registered the changes in the athletes’ heart rate during different training
sessions.
Research  results.  Training  of  athletes  in  two  training  programs  was  different  –  their  training  loads  were  not
significantly different – from 672 to 697 hours a year, as well as the indices of the training days – from 5.4 to 5.6 days a
week, but the training content differed significantly. In most effective training program choreographic training dominated
(30.9%). Statistically significant differences (p  < 0.05) were found in the indices of explosive strength and muscular
power, specific endurance and coordination movement abilities. At the beginning of the season and at the end of it the
realization of the body movement technique performing routines with different tools was not different (p > 0.05).
Discussion and conclusion. Sports performance of 14–15-year-old athletes in rhythmic gymnastics was mostly
influenced  by  the  time  for  mastering  competitive  routines  (r  =  0.836);  however,  the  research  did  not  establish
differences  in  intensifying  training.  Besides  the  importance  of  integral  athletic  fitness,  explosive  strength,  and
strength endurance, the research established the significance of aerobic fitness (r  = 0.704) for sports performance.
Moreover, the significance of body composition indices increased in comparison with previous training years: body
height (r = –0.819), body weight (r = –0.657), and BMI (r = –0.836).

Keywords: rhythmic gymnastics, training, performance, metamodel.