African Journals OnLine
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, 
Recreation and Dance (AJPHERD) 

THE MULTI-FACETED DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATHLETE-STUDENT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

Cora Burnett

The aim of this paper is to explore the social worlds of African athletes who participated at the 7^th All Africa Games in Johannesburg, South Africa.  By reporting and interpreting data collected from 410 athletes from 22 African counties, of whom 343 completed questionnaires and 67 were interviewed, insight is created into their lived realities and the context of elite sport. Structured interviews were conducted with eight leaders of delegations (chef de mission), 11 managers and 17 coaches. The political aspects in terms of nationhood and the commercial-media axis of professional sport presented the context for the socialization process of athletes.  The life and competitive realities, socio-political and economic forces that impact on the lives of African athletes pose unique challenges for all stakeholders to facilitate the multi-faceted development of athletes to equip for international sport competitions and for an occupation once their playing days are over.

EFFECTS OF VISUAL SKILLS TRAINING, VISION COACHING AND SPORTS VISION DYNAMICS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A SPORT SKILL

Elizabeth S. Bressan

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of three different approaches to improving sports performance through improvements in “sports vision:” (1) a visual skills training programme, (2) traditional vision coaching sessions, and (3) a multi-disciplinary approach identified as sports vision dynamics. Seventy women (ages of 19-24) were matched on the basis of their netball passing skills and their performance on visual skills tests, in order to form four groups of similar abilities. The intervention programmes were conducted in 30-minute sessions, twice a week for five consecutive weeks.  Group 1 received vision dynamics; Group 2 received vision coaching; Group 3 received visual skills training; and Group 4 was the control group. All three groups receiving vision enhancement interventions achieved a significant increase in their netball passing speed.  Subjects receiving vision dynamics and visual skills training also achieved a significant increase in their passing accuracy. The percentage of improvement in both speed and accuracy gains indicated that the vision dynamics programme produced much greater gains than either of the other two treatment programmes.  These results indicate that sports vision dynamics appear to be the most effective approach to helping players maximise their use of vision during sport performance.

LEG POWER AMONG MALAYSIAN NETBALL PLAYERS

Soh Kim Geok¹ , Mohd. Nor’ Che Noh², Ruby Husainv² and Zaliha Omar²

¹University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

²University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to compare the leg power among Malaysian national netball players according to their age and playing position. The Vertical Jump Test was chosen to measure the leg power by using “Digital Indication Jump Meter” device.  The results of the Vertical Jump Test were used to compare the leg power among the subjects in this study and other studies.  The subjects in this study were fifty-two (52) Malaysian national netball players who had been chosen to participate in phases one and two training sessions for the 1998 Milo Malaysia-Singapore Games (Mean age=19.12 + 3.29 years old, mean for height=166.74 + 6.43cm, and mean body mass=58.29 + 6.87kg).  The subjects were divided into two groups.  The first group consisted of players who were under 17, 19, 21, and above 21-years of age.  All the subjects in the above 21-years old category were selected to represent Malaysia at the 11^th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. The second group was formed according to the subjects’ playing positions, i.e. attacking, center, and defending positions. The Malaysian Netball Association approved this study and written consent was obtained from all the players prior to the testing.  The results showed significant difference in leg power among Malaysian national netball players in the different age groups F=(2,49)=6.14, p<0.01.  Overall, the above 21-year old netball players had the highest leg power score, followed by those under 17, 21, and 19 years, respectively.  The finding for the leg power test showed that there was no significant difference in the leg power of Malaysian national netball players in different playing positions. The defensive players had the highest leg power, followed by the attacking and center players. The overall result showed that the Malaysian national netball players had higher leg power compared to other netball players as indicated by Hooper et al., (1995), and Schweigert (1996). However, due to the height limitation of the Malaysian national netball players, they could not jump higher than these netball players who were much taller.

THE EFFECT OF PROPHYLACTIC KNEE BRACING ON SELECTED PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS

Theodore H. Kruger, Marius F. Coetsee and Simeon E.H. Davies

Department of Human Movement Science, University of Zululand, Private Bag X1001, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa

The objective of this study was to determine if the wearing of a prophylactic knee brace by uninjured rugby players affected the following performance based parameters: speed, agility, strength, proprioception and economy of running. Thirty rugby players were subjected to a selected number of carefully monitored performance tests, with and without the wearing of a prophylactic knee brace.  Testing took place on the rugby field at Mick Kelly Park, Empangeni and in the Biokinetics laboratory at the University of Zululand. Performance in speed, agility (which includes other rugby skills) and economy of running were all significantly (p<0.05) affected by the wearing of a prophylactic knee brace. Strength was unaffected.  Proprioception as a measure of sensory feedback enhancing action-reaction stability of the lower limbs was significantly (p<0.01) improved by brace wearing, but this did not translate to rugby performance skills.  The results of this study do not support the use of a prophylactic knee brace because of the negative effect it has on performance.

ANTHROPOMETRIC, PHYSICAL AND MOTOR FITNESS PROFILES OF 10- TO 15- YEAR OLD GIRLS IN THE NORTH WEST PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA: IMPLICATIONS FOR SPORT TALENT IDENTIFICATION

Maria M. Van Gent, Anita E. Pienaar and Dawie D.J. Malan

School for Biokinetics, Recreation and Sport Science, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to gain knowledge as to how girls in the North West Province (South Africa) develop with regard to some of their anthropometrical, physical and motor fitness characteristics from the age of 10- to 15- years.  The subjects were part of the THUSA BANA research project (project number OOM-10), which was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education.  A total of 556 girls between the ages of 10- and 15- years were tested. The sample was stratified for region, type of school and predominant ethnic group. The tests consisted of four anthropometrical measurements, six physical fitness tests and five motor fitness tests.  Data analyses were performed using the Statistica for Windows computer package.  Descriptive statistics were used to determine mean and standard deviation.  The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey-test (Thomas & Nelson, 1996) were applied for significance. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. All anthropometrical measurements increased with age, except for the relative sitting height.  Regarding the physical fitness parameters, only target throwing for accuracy and basketball throw demonstrated significant improvement with increasing age.  Grip strength was the only physical fitness parameter that improved significantly with an increase in age.  The white girls demonstrated the most superior results with regard to explosive strength (power), strength and speed.  Black girls performed the best in flexibility, while the Indian girls had the strongest abdominal muscles. Coloured girls had the best results in aerobic endurance and agility.  The differences found between racial groups also emphasise the need for growth-specific talent identification guidelines to ensure that these girls are allocated to the sport best suited for them.

ANTHROPOMETRIC PROFILE OF TOP NATIONAL TRACK ATHLETES

L.O Amusa¹, A.L Toriola² and A.P Agbonjinmi¹

¹Centre for Biokinetics, Recreation and Sport Science, University of Venda for Science and Technology Private Bag X5050 Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa.

² Department of Sport and Physical Rehabilitation Sciences, Technikon Pretoria, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.

Sport requires specific morphology for success.  Individual sports have their own unique set of required physical characteristics. At the top-level of performance, certain physiques are found more often in some sports than in others (Carter & Ackland, 1994).  Anthropometric studies of top national athletes provide insight into the biomedical and physiological ramifications of modern training methods and the optimum physique for successful participation. Several investigations have examined these relationships in international athletes.  However, there are large gaps in our knowledge of the athletes in Africa (De Ridder & Amusa, 1997). There is therefore need for a description of the physical structure of top national athletes. The purpose of this study was to describe the body composition and somatotypes of Botswana top national sprint events athletes. A total of 13 athletes were measured.  The anthropometric variables and techniques selected were essentially those described in Carter and Ackland (1994) and included stature, body weight, skinfolds, breadths, girths, bone lengths and heights, arm span, and chest depth.  Based on these measurements, the athletes’ body composition as well as absolute and relative body size, were determined.  Heath – Carter anthropometric somatotypes were calculated to the nearest 0.1 unit for each component using the equations of Carter and Heath (1990).  Data were analysed descriptively.  The athletes’ mean age, stature, body mass, lean body weight (LBW), body density, percent body fat (% fat) and body mass index (BMI) were 24.3+2.8 yrs, 174+8.1cm, 65.3+9.2 kg, 1.08643+3.9gm/cc, 5.6+1.6% and 21.5+2.7, respectively. The athletes’ mean somatotypes (Endomorphy: 1.36+0.6; Mesomorphy: 3.81+1.4; Ectomorphy: 3.21+1.3) describe them as ectomesomorphs. Based on these results, the athletes’ physique values were judged to reflect those reported for sprint athletes. 

THE PREVALENCE OF HEALTH RISK BEHAVIOURS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE NORTH WEST PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Mercia Coetzee

This study investigated the health risk behaviours of adolescents from selected schools in Potchefstroom in the North West Province of South Africa. The Youth Risk Behaviour Survey (YRBS) was administered to 323 high school pupils (141 boys and 182 girls), between the ages of 13 and 18 years. The ethnic variation was 32% black, 30% white, 27% Coloured and 11% Indian students. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) monitors six categories of priority risk behaviours among youth and young adults: behaviours that contribute to unintentional and intentional injuries, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviours, dietary behaviours and physical activity. Results of this study indicated that there are many high school students in Potchefstroom who practise behaviours that place them at risk of serious health problems. The health risk behaviours that showed the highest prevalence rates were: carrying of weapons, fighting, smoking, alcohol abuse and physical inactivity.

AGE-related differences in anaerobic power of female University students

Danladi I. Musa, Sadiq Ismaila and Rabiu Mohammed

ABSTRACT

Differences in anaerobic capabilities according to chronological age were examined in 32 university female students in Kano City, Nigeria.  Participants were classified into three age groups (<24 years, 25-29 years and >29 years). Three anaerobic power tests: WAnT, 50 m dash and vertical jump were administered to the participants. One- way ANOVA was used to determine significant differences among the groups. The results revealed that age differences existed in WAnT (anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity) and speed run (p<0.05) but not in the jumping performance (p>0.05).  Where significant differences were noted, it was between the youngest and the oldest age groups. Zero-order correlation coefficients among the variables indicated significant (p<0.01) and strong relationship between sprint run and jump performance, the two variables sharing a variance of 64%. The relationship between sprint run and anaerobic power and capacity was moderate but significant (p<0.05), but there were no significant (p>0.05) relationships between vertical jump performance and anaerobic power and capacity. Results also indicated that age and weight correlated significantly with all the three power tests, with the correlation between anthropometric variables and WAnT indices being the highest. Since vertical jump performance accounted for such a reasonable performance variance in speed run, and because of its simplicity, vertical jump could be used as a field test of anaerobic power in young females.  But when facilities are available, the WAnT should be the test of choice because it provides more quantitative and reliable measures than the other power tests used in this study.

ROLE OF SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP IN PROMOTING SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION IN GHANA

Samuel Adu-Mireku

ABSTRACT

This paper evaluated the level of collaboration and involvement of families, parent-teacher association (PTA), other community organizations, and public agencies in Ghana’s school health education programme at the district level. Previous research studies have noted that effective collaboration and involvement of parents, community organizations, and other public agencies are critical to the overall success of a country’s school health education programme. Data were collected from the country’s 110 district school health education coordinators (55% males, 45% females) using a modified version of the health education district questionnaire (HEDQ), a self-administered instrument developed by the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC). The response rate was 80%. The results indicate that, overall, the level of collaboration was mixed. While collaboration between schools, district health agencies, and parent organizations was high, low collaboration was found between schools, social welfare staff, and local businesses. The findings suggest the need for better strategies to integrate school and community resources in order to enhance ongoing efforts aimed at promoting school health education in the country.  

PERCEPTIONS OF TUBERCULOSIS AND AIDS AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS IN THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

Karl Peltzer

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to assess perceptions about tuberculosis and AIDS among civil servants in South Africa. The sample included 151 female and 74 male subjects, with a mean age of 29.2 years (SD=91.) in the age range of 20 to 54 years. Results indicate that participants knew about the infectious nature of tuberculosis (TB) and that it was curable, however, four problematic areas for beliefs were: hospitalisation, treatment time, isolation and TB patients’ attributes. Fear was significantly correlated with prejudice towards People With Tuberculosis (PWT), while transmission beliefs and curability of TB were not. Regarding HIV/AIDS participates reported a moderately positive attitude. Pearson correlation coefficient did not find any relationship between stigmatization of PWT and HIV or persons with AIDS. Findings have implications for health education on TB and HIV/AIDS among civil servants.

THAT AFRICAN TEENAGERS MAY NOT DIE YOUNG: A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR CURTAILING THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS AMONG AFRICAN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Kayode Alao

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a psycho-educational model in terms of a forthright reproductive health–education policy for the sole purpose of curtailing the spread of HIV/AIDS among African secondary school students. The scourge of HIV/AIDS is perhaps the most endemic health problem confronting human race in recent times. The African “edition” of this problem, especially the rate of infection among African youths deserves an urgent and decisive attention. This paper perhaps represents such an urgent and decisive approach. The paper is premised on the assumption that the seemingly uncontrollable scourge of the spread of HIV/AIDS among youths is mainly due to ignorance and lack of reproductive health education on the part of sexually active African teenagers. Thus the problem could be best handled via the introduction of effective psycho-educational and reproductive health–training programmes in African secondary schools. This paper proposes a psycho-educational approach for the control of the spread of HIV/AIDS among African school-going youths.

AN ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL WORK CAPACITY, SERUM LIPID RATIOS AND INFLUENCE OF CIGARETTE SMOKING IN SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN AGED 35-64 YEARS

C.C. Van Niekerk¹, G.L. Strydom¹, C.J. Wilders¹ and H.S. Steyn²

¹School of Biokinetics, Recreation and Sports Science, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520.

²Department of Statistical Consultation Services, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.

Women experience many changes during menopause. However, by participating in physical exercise, a woman can improve her quality of life and cardiorespiratory fitness, reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, and prevent osteoporosis. Establishing exercise guidelines for post-menopausal women can help them to tolerate the physical and emotional changes associated with this life cycle. Data were gathered from 250 pre-menopausal (35-49 years) and 107 post-menopausal women (50-64 years) who formed part of a comprehensive community health study. The purpose of this study was to analyse the association between physical work capacity/fitness, the TC/HDL-ratio and the LDL/HDL-ratio. Secondly, the effects of smoking were examined on the above-mentioned associations. Physical work capacity was expressed as sub-maximal power output (watt.kg^-1) achieved during a progressive cycle ergometer test. The associations found between the physical work capacity and the serum lipid ratios for the two groups were not significant. Significant associations concerning both ratios did, however, occur between the smokers and the non-smokers, in pre-menopausal women.

PREVALENCE OF DEVELOPMENTAL CO-ORDINATION DISORDER AND INFLUENCES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS AND BODY COMPOSITION ON THE CHILDREN OF FARM WORKERS: FLAGH-STUDY

A. Prinsloo and Anita E. Pienaar

The occurrence of DCD is influenced by various factors, including environment, race, gender and activity levels. The purpose of this article is firstly, to determine the extent of DCD (Development Co-ordination Disorder) among the children of farm workers and secondly, to determine whether growth and levels of physical activity demonstrate possible connections with the prevalence of DCD. The research population, living on a farm in North West Province, consists of thirty children (16 girls and 14 boys), between the ages of 4 and 12, who have been evaluated by the MABC-test (Henderson & Sugden, 1992), as well as the PDPAR (previous day physical activity recall questionnaire, Trost et al., 1999), completed over a week and one weekend day (for only the 9 to 12 years group). Data were analysed by means of the Statistica computer program. From the results it appears that the rural environment where the children grew up has indeed had an effect on their motor development. The occurrence of DCD and the physical activity levels are slightly higher when compared with other children of the same age group and in the same province. With regard to motor development, problems with manual dexterity showed the greatest deviation, whilst the occurrence of DCD was fairly evenly spread among the sexes. The conclusion is made that the extent of DCD is not influenced by the level of physical activity, but that nutritional status might be an influential factor.

EXPERIENCING INJURY IN RECREATIONAL SPORT: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Lourens Human¹ and Jeanette Bosman²

¹ Counselling Psychologist, Department of Psychology, University of Pretoria

Pretoria

²Counselling Psychologist, Student Support, Student Affairs, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.

ABSTRACT

Sport, including recreational sport, has become an integral part of the modern lifestyle as more and more people of all ages and abilities are appreciating the benefits of participation. These benefits are not only health-related but include the sense of well being and the sense of fun that comes with participation. However, if a participant suffers a sports injury, participation may be hampered and may mean that the broader life experience may also be affected. This research project therefore aimed at providing some understanding of the sports injury experience, specifically in terms of recreational sport. In this research project a qualitative research design was used and the research was done from a phenomenological perspective. Three subjects were interviewed by means of semi-structured interviews and the data form the interviews were analysed according to the method of Giorgi (1985).

“WINNING” AND “GROWING” AS METAPHORS IN SPORT

Lourens Human¹ and Monja Muller²

¹ Counselling Psychologist, Department of Psychology, University of Pretoria

Pretoria, South Africa.

²Counselling Psychologist, National Health Service, 50 Hawkwell Chase, Hockley, Essex SS5 4NG, United Kingdom.

We live in a society where people often have the opinion that sport is all about winning. Many parents, coaches, administrators and sportspeople want to “win the game” at any cost and sometimes in very unethical ways. The aim of this study was to try and understand what role netball, as a sport, plays in the lives of adolescent girls. This research was done within a qualitative research approach, and more specifically from a phenomenological perspective. Seven adolescent girls of an U/15A netball team at a high school in Pretoria, South Africa, participated in the study. The participants were asked to create a human model, which entailed creating a visual person (visual protocol) from any material and writing a life history (written protocol) for the created person. The written life histories were primarily used for data analysis, which was done according the method of Giorgi (1985). The themes that emerged from the study were: physical appearance, physical boundaries, identity formation, career choice, peer group relationships, as well as parent-adolescent relationships. These themes were then discussed with the participants as a team, in order to contextualize them within the sport of netball. From the results it became clear that “winning” is not the only role sport has to play in the lives of these netball players. To these seven adolescent netball players, netball also provided a “growing” space for them as people.

LOW BACK PAIN AS A COMMON HYPOKINETIC PROBLEM

M.D.S. Masipa

ABSTRACT

A high percentage of middle- and old-age low back problems are related to lifestyle.  While most of the problems are caused by improper posture, inactivity may result in weak muscles and inadequate flexibility, both of which are necessary to hold the spine in its correct position.  The paper seeks to address some of the causes of back pain and suggests a few ways in which the condition may be prevented.  The paper further highlights some of the possible ways to manage an already existing condition. The approach used in the paper is not prescriptive but intends to raise awareness of a condition which when ignored may cause mechanical problems that may lead to severe clinical complications.