Development of coordination abilities in 8-9-year-old karate practitioners through exercises with a tennis ball

The article examines the process of developing coordination abilities in young karate practitioners through exercises with a tennis ball. The purpose of the study is to improve the coordination skills of 8-9-year-old karate practitioners through exercises with a tennis ball. Research methods and organization. The following methods were used: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, observation, experiment, control testing, and mathematical data processing. During the educational and training sessions with 8- to 9-year-old karate practitioners, exercises with a tennis ball were tested to develop coordination skills. Research results and conclusions. It has been established that the use of exercise complexes with a tennis ball (individual exercises, exercises with two balls, in pairs, stationary and in motion) during training sessions, taking into account age-specific characteristics and in accordance with the principles of systematicity and consistency, with gradual increases in task complexity, the number of balls, exercise execution speed, performed under varied conditions with different body or body part positions, contributes to the improvement of movement coordination skills in young athletes, which, in turn, leads to an increased level of development of coordination abilities. Analysis of the obtained data indicates that the use of additional tools in the training of young karate practitioners positively influences the development of their coordination.