Influence of Sports on the Control of Static Balance in Physical Education at School

IntroductionThe ability to maintain and control the balance (Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 2001) is the basis for the design and construction of more complex motor skills in the context of sports performance. In basketball, such as physical activity at school (Raiola 2011ab 2012), young athletes are subjected to exercises with a high degree of postural instability, so you need a particular type of workout that stimulates the static and dynamic balance. In swimming instead (Tursi et al. 2013), young athletes are subjected to a limited extent to the effects of gravity, because it uses a type of training that aims at the development of a specific motor coordination of the various techniques and the sense of swimming in the water. A basketball player has more opportunities to hone his kinesthetic sensitivity at the level of antigravity muscles and the sole of the foot; the latter represents the contact surface, from which flows the quality of the movements in the various game situations. Which means the motor control and learning are the basic on the statics (Raiola et al. 2014). It is desirable to expect a different effect on the ability to balance control in relation to the type of sport. Several studies in the literature, agree in saying, that adequate evaluation protocols and programs to enhance physical activity, as well as muscle strength and endurance, even balance, joint mobility and posture (Rose & Clark, 2000; Rose & Hernandez et al 2010). "These activities are also investing aspects of interdependence as the experience, learning, memory and emotion" (Altavilla et al. 2014). Furthermore, in biomechanics the motor control activity is studying without the qualitative aspects of learning process. In a holistic vision it should be investigated with the contribution of mind theories according ecological perspective (Raiola 2014). Material and methodExperimental procedure with test balance in three groups. It has analyzed 45 boys aged between 11 and 13 years old, all male, 15 of which are part of the control group who did not practice a sport at a competitive level. A second and third group, each consisting of 15 boys practicing basketball and swimming at a competitive level. Were first reported anthropometric data: age, height and weight; of these were calculated the average and the standard deviation tab. 1 - 2 - 3. The measured data were subjected to statistical analysis of descriptive type, in order to obtain a quantitative comparison between the 3 groups.The subjects of the study were then subjected to two tests (Fig. 5-6) commonly used in the quantitative assessment of the ability of postural basis, both performed first with eyes open and then with eyes closed on a platform feet-barometric.The first test: erect posture with feet together with arms outstretched at your sides and on both feet for a duration of 30 seconds.The second test: upright posture in single stance limb dominance, for a period of 15 seconds.The postural variation was measured through a footboard feet-barometric able to detect the fluctuations of the center of pressure (CoP) of the support base. From the data it was possible to obtain some useful values for the quantitative assessment of static equilibrium of the subjects examined, namely: the Average Ray (RM); the Average Speed (VM). High values of (RM) indicate high postural instability, while high values of (VM) indicate a significant activity of postural balance.ResultsDiscussionThe tests performed with open eyes arising values (RM) and (VM) are very similar across the three groups; this indicates that the postural control with eyes open does not appear to be influenced by the practice of sports under consideration. In the tests performed with eyes closed, however, there was a different response in relation to the difficulties of the proposed test; In fact, in the test bi-podalic minimal differences were found between the groups examined; while in the test mono-podalic differences are evident and significant. …