Age-related changes in physical fitness in girls involved in beach volleyball in school settings

Aim: the paper aims to identify age-related changes in the quantitative parameters of physical fitness among 9-11-year-old girls involved in beach volleyball in school settings. The data obtained may be considered to be the basis for making adjustments to their training process. Materials and methods. Two groups of primary school students of 15 people each, involved (group A) and not involved (group B) in beach volleyball in school settings, performed a battery of five physical fitness tests: 20 m sprint test, shuttle run 8×5.66 m test, seated overhead ball throw, standing long jump, vertical jump with arm swing. The study lasted for 3 years (2019-2021). Results. Beach volleyball training sessions in school settings three times a week for two hours considerably improved the results of physical fitness tests. A significant difference in physical performance was found between group A and group B (t = 2.18-2.88; P 0.05). The quality of beach volleyball in school settings can be improved by taking into account age-related changes in physical fitness, which allows timely correction (if necessary) and increases the effectiveness of training sessions. Conclusion. The results obtained should be used for university courses, as well as for the advanced training of beach volleyball coaches and PE teachers, who use beach volleyball in their classes.