Control and evaluation of sports preparation of 13–16-year-old male competitors in artistic gymnastics

This study was conducted to make changes to improve the system for assessing special physical and technical preparation. These changes applied to competitors aged 13–16 in artistic gymnastics. The age (13–16) covers a very important period in the gymnasts’ many years of sports training. These periods were targeted sports training and a period of sports improvement. Along with age-related development and changes in gymnasts’ psychological characteristics, their training was restructured entirely during these periods. At this age (13-16), the training process moved to a new, higher quality level. This level is characterized by the study of more complex exercises, connections, and entire combinations. Also, profound changes were observed in the training load in terms of volume and intensity as basic indicators of the training load. This implies a high level of physical qualities of gymnasts, which must be monitored and evaluated promptly. All this has also required optimizing the change methods known to date for controlling and assessing competitors’ preparation during these periods. In terms of sports training, according to famous authors, specialized physical and technical training was particularly important. That is why the subject of this study was how to control and successfully evaluate the indices, providing information about the level of technical and physical training at every moment of the gymnasts’ sports preparation. Furthermore, the unified program and methodology for training and practice in artistic gymnastics for men in the Republic of Bulgaria were established in 1987 (Yordanov, D. et al., 1987) and now require updating to address contemporary challenges faced by gymnasts. Purpose of the study . After a long period during which 298 gymnasts were tested, changes were made to the system for the control and assessment of special physical and technical sports preparation by optimizing the existing normative tables (50-grade scale) and changing the indices. Methodology . The research methods used were testing and registering the indices, subsequent statistical analyses, such as variance analysis, and the sigma method. Expected results . The results of the study would help artistic gymnastics specialists in their practical work by enabling the preparation of gymnasts to be qualitatively evaluated and controlled at every moment of sports preparation, as well as enriching their theoretical preparation with upgraded normative tables.