The Effect of Physical Training and Soccer Skills Intervention on the Fitness and Skills of Children with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract This study aims to determine whether combining physical training with the technical components of dribbling, shooting, and throw-in in five-a-side football positively impacts cardiorespiratory fitness while also improving these technical components in students with intellectual disabilities at SLB N I Bantul. This research employed a pre-experimental design (One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design) involving 30 students with mild intellectual disabilities. The instruments used in this study include the Multistage Fitness Test (MFT) to assess cardiorespiratory fitness and skill tests from the Special Olympics to evaluate dribbling, shooting, and throw-in techniques. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Pretest and posttest scores were compared, with differences analyzed using a t-test. The results indicate a significant effect of the combined physical and technical training model on cardiorespiratory fitness and football skills in children with mild intellectual disabilities. The Multistage Fitness Test yielded a significance value of 0.001 < 0.05, while the significance values for the dribbling, shooting, and throw-in tests were 0.001 < 0.05, 0.000 < 0.05, and 0.01 < 0.05, respectively. These findings suggest that integrating physical and technical training enhances both fitness and technical skills in football. This study implies that combining physical and technical training is needed to create more varied exercises and achieve optimal results. Based on the findings and discussion, it can be concluded that the combination of physical training and technical components, including dribbling, shooting, and throw-in, has a significant impact on cardiorespiratory fitness and soccer skills in children with mild intellectual disabilities at SLB N Bantul. This study is expected to serve as a valuable reference for educators, coaches, and students with intellectual disabilities in designing and implementing training programs that integrate modified physical and technical exercises to enhance both physical activity and soccer performance in children with intellectual disabilities.