Clarifying Differences in the Manifestation of Young Men’s Motor Fitness Components in the Absence of Compulsory Physical Activity

Background. The current trend in the modernization of university physical education involves the development of a personal educational trajectory for each student. Objectives. The study aimed to determine the peculiarities in the development of young male students’ motor fitness components, taking into consideration their somatotypes and the absence of compulsory physical activity at the university. Materials and methods. The study involved 39 young men aged 17.6±0.5 years who had just started studying at the university, belonged to different somatotypes and had no restrictions in the use of different physical activity parameters. The somatotype was determined using the modified Stefko-Ostrovsky method. The 11 main components of motor fitness were examined, using motor tests recommended by researchers, appropriate testing methods and instruments. Each test met the requirements of reliability, informativeness and allowed to evaluate speed, frequency of movements, ability to balance, power, explosive strength of arms and legs, abdominal muscle strength, arm strength, flexibility, agility and aerobic endurance. The parameters of these components were determined in each available somatotype, and each parameter was compared with different somatotypes. Testing was conducted at the beginning (January) and at the end (May-June) of the academic semester, but during one academic year. Results. At the beginning and at the end of the study, it was noted that there were differences in the development of motor fitness components among the various somatotypes when compared with each other (p at the level from 0.05 to 0.000). The volumes and conditions of physical activity realization used during the study contributed to the change of young men’s results in some components. However, these alterations varied across different somatotypes. Conclusions. The information about peculiarities of the development of motor fitness components among individuals with different somatotypes is important for increasing the efficiency of university physical education based on the personalization of content and differentiation of normative bases of this process. Keywords: motor fitness, somatotypes, personalization, university physical education, physical activity, COVID-19.