Physical Fitness of Soldiers in the Armed Forces of Slovakia

Jan Papay; Jaromir Simonek

doi:10.14429/dlsj.2.9795

Jan Papay Armed Forces Academy, Liptovsky Mikulas
Jaromir Simonek Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Education,Constantinethe Philosopher University, Nitra

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dlsj.2.9795

Keywords: Physical preparation, Physical fitness, Aerobic endurance, Professional soldiers, Armed forces

Abstract

The paper deals with physical preparation of professional soldiers. It is focused on the development of aerobic endurance within practical physical preparation lessons at military units. In order to fulfil the goals of the research, the authors organised a natural pedagogical experiment to find out which of the 7 typical aerobic activities implemented in the experimental and reference couples (n=28) during the 6-week-long experimental period have the most effective impact on the development of aerobic endurance in professional soldiers in the Slovak Armed Forces. The results showed that the most effective means for the development of endurance were found obstacle track, terrain running in combination with fast road marches, various types of shuttle runs and jumping and acrobatic exercises. Swimming, cycling, ski running and sport games can be recommended as suitable complementary activities. From the point of view of methodology, the most effective organisation pattern represented the one in which exercises were organised in 4 training sessions during 20 minutes each, performed for 6 weeks in a row. Statistically significant changes in the level of aerobic endurance proved the hypothesis that physical fitness and psychic resistibility of professional soldiers can be improved by the selected most effective means also in shorter time period of physical preparation.

Author Biographies

Jan Papay, Armed Forces Academy, Liptovsky Mikulas

Dr Jan Papay, PhD, is the head of Department of Physical Education & Sport at the Academy of Armed Forces in Liptovsky Mikulas. He is an instructor of special physical preparation of the Slovak Armed Forces. His research focuses on optimisation of physical fitness regimes of soldiers.

Jaromir Simonek, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Education,Constantinethe Philosopher University, Nitra

Prof. Jaromir Simonek, PhD, is a profesor of kinanthropology at the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia. He is a former physical education teacher, now responsible for the teaching practice of students at the Faculty of Education. He gives lectures on didactics of physical education and didactics of sport. He also received numerous grants to conduct research in different sport clubs, including army sport clubs. His main field is conditioning in sports.