The effect of skipping exercises on increasing agility and leg muscle power in mentally retarded children

The low level of physical activity in the lives of children with intellectual disabilities may contribute to reduced muscle strength and fitness levels. Therefore, effective interventions are needed to enhance the physical capacity of children with intellectual disabilities to support better mobility and quality of life in the future. This study aims to explore the effects of moderate-intensity skipping exercise on improving agility and lower limb muscle power in children with intellectual disabilities. A total of 15 male children aged 10–12 years with intellectual disabilities were recruited from SDLB-B Tunas Bangsa Educational Foundation (YPTB), Malang City, and underwent a moderate-intensity skipping intervention program for six weeks. Data collection included agility measurements using the hexagon agility test and lower limb muscle power assessed through the vertical jump test. Statistical analysis was performed using a paired-sample t-test. The results revealed a significant improvement in agility from pretest to posttest (38.56 ± 4.86 to 33.65 ± 6.02 seconds; Effect Size (ES): 0.897; p = 0.001). Similarly, vertical jump test results showed a significant increase in leg muscle power between pretest and posttest (17.99 ± 4.29 to 23.61 ± 5.64 cm; ES: 1.121; p = 0.001). These findings suggest that a six-week skipping program can be an effective method to enhance motor abilities in children with intellectual disabilities.