Sport Management Technology In Armed Forces Given Military Personnel’s Physical Training Interests

Theoretical analysis and generalization of literature and documents

Literature sources have been studied to evaluate the problem, to set research objectives and search for ways to achieve them. Theoretical analysis and generalization were used at all stages of the study and included: system historical, system material and system functional analysis of different concepts and trends in developing physical, mental qualities and their impact on the level of professional development of military personnel; goals and objectives of the research were formulated.

Observation

Pedagogic observation was carried out to study the organization, content and methodology of physical training in the Armed Forces and universities of the RF Ministry of Defense in order to search for efficient ways to contribute to higher quality of professional military education. During pedagogical observation there was a direct control of actions of the test subjects, which allowed introducing the necessary corrections in the organization and methodology of sport work.

Pedagogical experiment

To achieve the objectives set, the following types of experiments were run: comparative and natural. Depending on the goals, they were summative or formative with the latter ones having a comparative trend. Most of the experiments were planned with selecting control and experimental groups based on TOE units, which allowed making the groups, regime and conditions of military service homogeneous. The following groups of techniques were used in the experiments: examination of physical development level; physical fitness testing (method of test exercises); study of mental qualities and psychomotor functions development level; study of professional training level of the military personnel. The list of research techniques with the examined characteristics is presented in Table 1 .

Statistical analysis of research materials

In order to process the research materials there were used common mathematical statistical methods implemented in bundled software for different classes of computer systems. Above all, the obtained results were checked for normalcy of distribution with further calculation of the following statistical characteristics: mean of sample (х); mean square deviation (s); error in mean (m); variation coefficient (v). The degree of difference reliability between samples was evaluated by Student’s test (t). In all calculations, reliability level was considered significant at р <0.05.

The degree of interconnection between indicators was defined by the value and mark of the calculated correlation coefficients (r). Statistical analysis of the materials was performed with the use of application software.

Analysis of the officers’ physical training commitment that we conducted allowed us to identify motives behind the officers’ attitude to sport. As a result, subjective features of their physical and sport preferences and interests were revealed. We involved 203 officers in the research of physical training commitment and motivation.

In the end, all the sample of the tested subjects spread according to 4 typological groups.

Group A included 28.0% of the respondents with high degree of involvement in physical and sport activities (high physical training commitment):

• three to four workouts per week;

• practice of three and more sports;

• workout duration 2 hours and more;

• three or more forms of physical training.

Group B comprised 22.2% of the respondents. Their physical training commitment corresponded to a medium degree of involvement in physical and sport activities:

• two workouts per week;

• practice of two sports;

• workout duration from 30 to 50 minutes;

• two forms of physical training.

Group C comprised 32.7% of the respondents for whom low degree of involvement in physical and sport activities was common:

• one or less workout per week;

• practice of one sport;

• workout duration from 15 to 30 minutes;

• one form of physical training as a rule.

Group D included the officers (16.1%) who, according to the survey, had not been practicing any sports for a long time and whose physical training commitment was practically zero.

The degree of the officers’ physical commitment is identified in every typological group depending on their professional military activity and position. In the high and average physical commitment group there are mostly people at the age of 25-30 years (60.9% and 58.3% correspondingly), in the low commitment group there are people aged 30-40 years (64.7%), in group D there are people aged 40-45 and above (83%). Physical commitment of the officers is preconditioned subjectively by the development level of their physical training needs as a major activity motive (Table 2 ). In their practical manifestation, physical training needs characterize the impulsive trends of the officers for doing sports.

Table 2 shows that group A representatives have a large range of physical training needs, which reflect the necessity for physical, social, esthetic and mental improvement with orientation on the requirements of their professional military activities.

For the group B and C representatives, the main content of needs is health promotion, experience of positive emotions, and physical qualities development.

It has been identified that the range and content of the officers’ physical training interests depend, to a certain extent, on the degree of their physical training commitment and development of their physical training needs. Thus, the officers with high physical training commitment prefer swimming (44.2%), volleyball (30.3%), football (16.7%), hitch-hiking (21.8%), basketball (12.6%), running (13.9%), and athletics (8.2%). The most attractive forms of training are group workouts (i.e. by interests) 69.7% and training in groups of general physical education – 21.3%. For the people who prefer moderate physical training commitment, the most popular trends are swimming (23.2%), hitch-hiking (21.7%), skiing (20.1%), running (12.3%), athletics (12.3%). Their preferred workouts are those in general physical education groups (37.1%). Officers with low physical training commitment are more inclined to swimming (31.2%) and running (14.1%) and prefer such forms of workout as “health groups” (51.6%), “acclimation training groups” (21.7%), group jogging classes (7.6%) and hitch-hiking (20.1%).

We have revealed that the foundation of the passive attitude to physical training on the part of a big proportion of the officers includes a number of subjective and objective reasons.

The first ones comprise, as shown above, negative motives to physical and sport activities as a whole and health deterioration (54.3%). The second ones appear due to the lack of individual approach to physical training programs (93.7%), absence of the relevant sport base (77.3%), lack and misery of sport facilities (49.7%).

The analysis of the officers’ physical training motivation aspects that we have carried out says that the importance of physical exercise for maintaining and recovering the required functional condition and performance efficiency is understood by just 30-40% of the military. The degree of the officers’ involvement in physical training is regulated with a totality of physical training needs and interests that they have and the measure of significance of these interests in the general hierarchical structure of motivational and value orientations. Three types of the officers’ physical training commitment can be distinguished: sportive (group A), recreational and health promotional (groups B and C).

Comparative analysis of the military personnel’s physical training interests is presented in Table 3 .

Table 3 shows that physical training interests are different for various categories of the military.

Thus, it can be concluded that efficiency of military sport work management depends a lot on their interest to doing one or another sport. This allowed developing a consistent sport work management technology (Table 4 ).