Study Regarding the Fitness of the Students Enrolled in the Physical and Sportive Education and Physical Therapy and Special Motor Skills Academic Programs, in the Context of Future Professions

Abstract

Background. The development of motor capacity implies a higher level of awareness in the youths, which leads to a fitness that is adapted to the future work place. From the viewpoint of the future professions, both the physical education teachers and the future physical therapists need a high level of motor skills and an increased physical endurance to fatigue. A prime objective of this research was to see how much the vertical spring and and repetition speed can develop in the lower limbs over the course of a semester, and at the same time, how much this is or is not influenced by the subjects' height. Results. The study contained 36 students that were not professional practitioners of a sport (18 from Physical and Sportive Education and 18 from Physical Therapy and Special Motor Skills).  The tests were performed using the MGM-15 Miron Georgescu jumping platform. Two tests were conducted 14 weeks apart, recording the subjects' vertical take-off capacity using both legs, and separately using the right and the left leg, as well as their repetition speed for both legs and separately for the right and the left leg. Conclusions. The recorded and statistically analyzed results have shown that there is a linear correlation between these motor actions, with a Pearson coefficient between 1 and -1. The calculated regression model, with an adjusted r square of .401 indicated that the independent variables (the subjects' height and repetition speed) had an influence of 40.1% on the vertical spring using both legs.