Analytical research on the scientific selection of young gymnasts

Analytical research on the scientific selection of young gymnasts

Paper abstract: The comprehensive confrontation of physical fitness, technology, quality and will has become the key to winning or losing gymnastics competitions. How to cultivate an excellent athlete, athlete selection is a very key factor. This article systematically analyzes and discusses the selection of young gymnasts from several aspects such as gymnasts' body shape, physiological functions, physical quality, and psychological quality.

Paper keywords: scientific selection; gymnastics; young athletes

1. Introduction

Difficulty, novelty, beauty and stability are the development direction of today's gymnastics. The comprehensive confrontation of physical fitness, technology, quality and will has become the key to winning or losing the competition. Therefore, it is very important to identify talents early and apply scientific methods to cultivate athletes. Gymnastics is no exception. Having correct "scientific talent selection and training concepts" should be an indispensable professional knowledge for grassroots coaches. The sports powers in the modern world have also invested considerable efforts in the theory and scientific research of athlete selection due to the needs of practical trends. In order to implement athlete selection and training concepts, we must start from early childhood. Choosing good talents is half the success of training. The selection should be comprehensively evaluated from the aspects of age, body shape, physiological function, psychological quality, sports performance, sports skills, etc.

"Sports selection" is based on the current technical level and physical condition of young athletes to predict whether young athletes can successfully complete the reserve strength training of the selected sports, so that they can successfully receive advanced competitive training in the next step. Sports selection science is also a science that studies the scientific selection methods and rules of athletes. It reveals the future competitive ability of children, teenagers and young people in one or certain sports through a system of organizations and methods.

The key to selecting gymnasts is prediction, especially future technical level and ability level. With the rapid development of modern science and technology, the gap between training conditions and methods in various countries has narrowed, and the innate conditions of athletes have become more important. Since the age at which athletes can create results is earlier, it is necessary to select those with sports potential from children and adolescents as early as possible to implement planned and targeted implementation. The cultivation of students is of greater significance to improving their level.

The selection of young athletes should start from aspects such as body shape, physiological function, physical fitness, sports technology, and psychological quality. The test indicators for gymnasts include comprehensive evaluation of body shape, physiological function, athletic quality, psychological quality and sports technology.

2. Body shape selection

Body shape mainly refers to height, weight, limb length and the proportional relationship between various body parts. The measurement should include: height, weight, distance between hands and feet, distance between hands, upper limb length, lower limb length; calf length, upper arm circumference, forearm circumference, thigh circumference, quadriceps circumference, calf circumference, chest circumference, waist circumference, knee circumference, ankle circumference around. The requirements for a gymnast's form are a uniform body shape, a pointed head, a slightly longer neck, slender limbs, longer legs, long fingers that can be fully opened, long toes, high arches, and small ankle joints. , The Achilles tendon is clear and long (the distance from the lower edge of the gastrocnemius muscle belly to the highest point behind the heel femur should account for more than half of the length of the calf). The femoral pelvis is small, the gluteal muscles are tightened upward, the trunk is long and thin, the fat layer under the fat layer is thin, and the muscle lines are clear.

According to literature reports and research results, the factors most closely related to athlete selection are mainly genetics and skeletal development. The content is: genetic factors, skeletal development, head shape, and certain body shape development characteristics have a certain relationship with height. Some indicators reflecting body length are more meaningful than width indicators. Among length indicators, the length of shoulders, arms, lower limbs, or calf plus foot height are of special significance. Among its research subjects, the vast majority of tall athletes have the characteristics of having shoulders and arms longer than their height, calves plus feet, and a height index greater than that of the average person.

The contents are discussed separately below:

(1) Finger distance-height: Finger distance is a positive indicator that reflects the length of the upper limbs, and is very critical for the stability of the grip of the instrument.

(2) Lower limb length A/height × 100: Height largely depends on the length of the lower limbs. The larger the lower limb length ratio in children and adolescents, the better. It is also one of the important indicators for predicting body shape.

(3) Achilles tendon length/calf plus foot height × 100: Gymnastics has higher requirements for jumping ability. The tendon length contracts faster and has good explosive power. The size of this ratio can reflect the working ability of the calf muscles.

(4) Pelvic width/hip width × 100: The smaller this value is, the more unfavorable it is for gymnastics, especially for female athletes.

3. Physiological functions

In the physiological aspects of selection during childhood, genetic factors also play a very important role in the selection of gymnasts. A person's shape, physiological functions, physical factors, psychological factors and intelligence level are indeed largely determined by genetic factors, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 70-80%. If the previous generation has excellent athletic ability, 50% of their descendants will have excellent athletic ability, and may even surpass their predecessors.

The selection of physiological functions includes: resting heartbeat, resting blood pressure, and step-climbing test. In addition, gymnastics requires athletes to have rapid visual and auditory response, strong spatial and temporal perception, and the ability to sense external stimuli, especially visual, proprioceptive and positional receptors. The representative index of physiological function is the vital capacity/body weight ratio, which is the relative quality of vital capacity per kilogram of body weight and is a simple indicator of lung function. According to the development trend of gymnastics, competitions are becoming more and more intense and the time is getting longer and longer. Therefore, it is believed that greater stability of cardiopulmonary function will be the basis for ensuring the ability to work for a long time. Cardiopulmonary function is largely influenced by genetics. Indicators such as heart rate, respiratory rate, maximum inspiratory volume, pulmonary ventilation, and pulse are relatively stable starting from the age of 11. Therefore, the final level in adulthood can be predicted based on the cardiopulmonary function indicators measured at the age of 11 years.

IV. Physical fitness

In the selection of gymnasts, the test items related to physical fitness should be based on jumping ability, speed, agility and reaction, etc. Specialized qualities are the main focus. Volleyball players emphasize the required physical fitness, which must be based on the characteristics of gymnastics, paying special attention to abilities such as jumping ability, reaction speed, arm swing speed and movement speed. The physical fitness requirements of volleyball are: strong shoulder extension, elbow extension, and strong grip (conducive to spiking, serving, and saving the ball); strong knee extension (conducive to take-off movements); and quick reaction times. , high frequency, high vertical jump height (short kicking time, high strength, and strong explosive power). As for the selection of basic test items, it should include: jumping ability, arm swing speed, reaction initiation and movement speed, coordination ability, flexibility, quick response, explosive power, endurance, muscle strength, etc. It is believed that these are what volleyball players need most quality. In addition to the above special qualities, gymnasts must also be flexible with coordinated movements, quick thinking, and quick reactions.

5. Psychological quality

The physiological aspect of "selection" is nothing more than focusing on body shape, body function, athletic ability, and genetic characteristics. However, the psychological selection focuses on willpower, emotion, intelligence, personality traits, interest motivation, sensory ability, etc. The passive reaction test is an important indicator of reflecting this quality. It is pointed out that the following factors should be considered:

(1) Psychological factors mainly consider the psychological process and personal characteristics of the team members, which are specifically reflected in aspects such as nerve type and will and personality. The process of human psychological activities is affected by the person's nervous system. Governed by type characteristics, people with different neurological types also have different performances during the training process.

(2) According to the characteristics of gymnastics, people with explosive power and agility should choose people with flexible and excitable nerves instead of inhibited and slow people.

(3) In terms of personality, choose people who are cheerful, motivated, and able to endure hardships and stand hard work, rather than those who are dull, withdrawn, and proud.