The categories of exercises which develop physical skills

The categories of exercises which develop physical skills

  • Strength-developing exercises
  • With the help of strength exercises we overcome significant external resistance, and we resist external effects with the exertion of muscle force. The size of effort depends upon muscle contractility.
  • Division, characterization

The types of contractions activated by external force, during efforts:

a) Isometric contraction (static)

The effort is done without shortening. The external force and the muscle force are in balance.

b) Anisometric contractions

Stretching with a lengthening of the muscle.

- Isotonic /anisotonic eccentric, dynamic/:

The external force is smaller, the muscle shortens.

- Plyometric /anisometric eccentric/:

The external force is greater, the muscle lengthens, but the lengthening is restrained by the active effort of the muscle.

Maximum effort occurs rarely in gymnastic exercises. The greatest part of muscle activity comes from endurance or speed effort with dynamic muscle activity. A smaller part comes from static muscle activity.

Exercises:

a) Natural exercises:

These exercises are performed in circumstances which force us to a greater effort than usual.

The use of unusual, more difficult circumstances or the increase of the load coming from your own body means an extra effort. For example: running with dumbbells, throwing from various body positions, pull-up, drop jumps, skipping on stairs. 

b) Definite basic form exercises:

These exercises should be used in the way as described in the division of definite basic form exercises, for example: bending, lifting, descending.

Methodological aspects:

  • The strength building of agonistic and antagonistic muscles should take place in parallel, and in a gradual way.
  • An unplanned strengthening might lead to the shortening of the muscles and the decreasing of the movement range of the joints.
  • The muscle force improvement and the muscle stretching should be done parallel with each other, thus it is possible to develop both skills in parallel.
  • Proceed from the general shaping of the body towards the strengthening of specific muscle groups.
  • From small loads proceed towards heavy loads, from little to a lot, from the simple to the complex.
  • Perform mainly dynamic exercises, and possibly connect the strengthening exercises with the technical basis of a sport.
  • Strength improvement should be done after proper warm-up, speed and skill exercises, but possibly before the endurance work.
  • From time to time the development of the students needs to be assessed, and the new loads should be determined on the basis of the development.