That article aims to present the development of an experimental methodology that improves the speed of kicks in Karate. The rationale behind creating the methodology is the fact that the speed of kicks in Karate is instrumental for overcoming the opponent. In addition, kicks are among the most commonly used techniques in matches. Therefore, our goal was to study the effect of applying the methodology we created onto improving the speed of kicks in Karate. In order to conduct the study, we used a video-computerized system to record and analyze the speed of kicks performed by the participants in the experiment. The results concerning the speeds of kicks were measured in identical ways in order to make sure that the survey was performed under uniform conditions. The input data was processed by means of kinematics analysis software. To prove the credibility of the data registered, we applied the necessary statistical analysis methods. We hope that by applying the methodology that we developed and have presented in this article, more coaches will start using modern tools and methods in order to improve the quality of the training process in Karate.

One of the main purposes of this paper is to perfect sports preparation in artistic gymnastics at the stage of initial sports specialization. This stage coincides with the sensitive period for development of flexibility. This manuscript deals with the issue of flexibility being one of the most significant motor qualities. High level of flexibility development guarantees the successful performance with maximum amplitude of a great number of exercises in artistic gymnastics. The aim of the research was updating the system for tracing the improvement and evaluation of young male gymnasts’ flexibility. The main tasks of the survey were selecting suitable tests for evaluation of the quality flexibility as well as carrying out testing with competitors of all age groups. In the end, a 50-grade scale for evaluation of flexibility was designed along the different indexes (tests). The research was done among 38 male 10-12-year old gymnasts with the help of 8 tests. On this basis specification tables were designed for each test with the use of a 50-grade (point) scale. The specification tables allowed for the quick evaluation of competitors along a certain test right after their measurement. On the basis of the conducted research, testing, collected information and specification tables made, it will be possible to improve the evaluation of the temporary state of competitors’ flexibility at each stage of the preparation. We will also be able to evaluate (notice) the smallest changes (increase) in the indexes during the preparation both in positive and negative aspect.

Introduction: The relaxation is a psychophysiological state of a person and in particular of athletes. On the basis of the literature sources, two main types of relaxation can be defined – physical and mental. Physical relaxation can be employed to reduce muscular tension and to improve coordination during the performance. It can be suggested that this psychophysiological state creates appropriate conditions for the development of flexibility, speed and all psychomotor qualities. That’s why an alternative new means with relaxing effect in this study will be investigated. Aim: The aim of the study is to prove that the slow-dynamic gymnastic exercises practice leads to reduction of muscular tension. According to the hypothesis of the research, the application of the mentioned exercises will increase the performers’ sense of relaxation. The object of the study is a specialized set of gymnastic exercises which includes dynamic gymnastic exercises performed with slow movements and holding of static poses. Methods: The assessment of the relaxation degree was made through physiological and psychological parameters. The collected physiological data included heart rate, breathing frequency, blood pressure, and finger skin temperature measurement. The psychological data were assessed with Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory and four-point Likert type scale for self-rated relaxation. The measurements were made before and after the execution of the exercises. Results: Statistically significant changes were found for all variables studied, except systolic blood pressure. The comparison of the collected data from the two measurements showed the greatest differences in three indicators after the application of slow-dynamic gymnastic exercises – a decrease in the Spielberger Inventory results (-7.3 points, p<0.05), a decrease in the heart rate (-6 bpm, p<0.05) and an increase in the finger skin temperature of both hands (left: 3.5°, right: 3.8°, p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the established results confirm the hypothesis of the study and prove the relaxing effect of the slow-dynamic gymnastic exercises.

Several attempts have been made in the past years to create adequate tests in order to determinate the fitness level of the athletes in the gymnastics disciplines. Considering the highintensity movements and the total routine time, we hypostatized that anaerobic metabolism is a determinant for rhythmic gymnastics performance. Based on the physiological indicators of a competitive routine the aim of this study was to create a reliable and valid specific field test to measure the fitness level (specific endurance) of the rhythmic gymnasts competing at national and international level. 12 high level gymnasts aged 15.7 ± 2.1 were involved in this study. The testing was done twice – once in the preparatory and second time in the competitive period. Two tests were performed in the field – the specific anaerobic test and a competitive routine. The heart rate and the blood lactate were recorded during and after the load. Specific endurance gymnastics field test is a simple routine including specific but very basic rhythmic gymnastics exercises from each body group – steps; waves; balances; pivots; leaps and acrobatic elements with very low level of difficulties. The maximal blood lactate concentration levels recorded in both tests and periods did not show any significant difference and varied between 7.2 to 8.4 mmol/l. All of the heart rate values after the loads indicated high work intensity – above 185 bpm. There were significant differences in both exercises (specific test & routine) between the preparatory and the competitive routine. The heart rate clearly showed adaptation of the cardiovascular system towards the load when tapering into the peak performance period. The suggested test is a standard field test suitable for active, mid to high level rhythmic gymnasts aged above 12 years which can measure the current specific endurance of a gymnast and compare it with her previous testing or gymnasts.

Young gymnasts should not have excessive body mass because that might lead to under-performance. Therefore, children practicing gymnastics should consume a balanced diet, which will promote their physical abilities and optimal body mass. The aim of this study was to compare the nutrient intake of young Bulgarian artistic gymnasts to matched groups from the National Nutrition Survey in Bulgaria (NNSB2003). The study consisted of 76 artistic gymnasts (5 to 14 years of age) from four cities in Bulgaria, and the participants were divided into three groups in accordance with the age and gender categories applied in the NNSB2003. Anthropometric measurements were taken and a food frequency questionnaire was applied in order to assess the body composition and nutrient intake of the gymnasts. The percentile scores in the height and %Fat of the gymnasts were significantly lower than the 50th percentile of the international norms. The energy intake of the gymnasts did not differ significantly from those reported in the NNSB2003, whilst the protein intake, relative protein intake, and energy contribution of proteins were significantly higher than those in the same survey. The energy contribution of fats was above the recommended norms (15-30%), as provided by the WHO. The fat intake was slightly higher, and the carbohydrate intake was slightly lower than the recommended values in the literature, and, therefore, the former should be reduced and the latter increased in their food.

Physical activity is an important element and criterium for a healthy lifestyle. The level of physical ability determines the degree to which an organism adapts to its environment and therefore the development and condition of all the other personal qualities depends greatly on it. One of the elements of physical ability and fitness is the main motor qualities – speed, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility, balance, coordination of movements. The aim of that study is to reveal the major factors of physical ability of 13-14-year-old pupils, as well as to determine to what extent gender differences influence the level of physical ability between boys and girls of one age group. We used variation, factor and comparative analyses when we processed the results. According to the general conclusions, for both boys and girls there are three major factors with a very high percentage to the initial dispersion of the surveyed phenomenon. We can sum up that in this age group the established gender differ­ences have a very big impact on the physical ability of the pupils, and these differences regard mostly the explosive power of the lower limbs, the speed abilities and the endurance of the kids, the advantage being totally in favor of the boys.

Changes in socio-economic life are related to new challenges affecting the growing children as well. Reduced motor activity as a consequence of the ubiquitous presence of new technolo­gies, urbanization and social changes, increasing of schooling activity and others, lead to deg­radation of the physical health, changes in the physical development and fitness of the younger generation.The purpose of the study is to establish whether there is a difference in the manifestation of motor coordination abilities of 9-10-year-old boys from different regions of Bulgaria classified by population.Backwards ball throw test, Low jump test and Orientation shuttle run test were used for measurement of the motor coordination abilities of 9-10-year-old-boys.The demographic factor was determined forming 5 groups depending on the population.The results provide clear evidence that thereare statistically significant differences in mani­festation of the motor coordination abilities of 9-10 years-old boys depending on the number of townpopulation.The most significant practical difference was observed for Orientation shuttle run test or for kinesthetic ability of the low limbs. Multiple comparisons showed that for the first test - Backwards ball throw test there were not statistical differences between small cities and Sofia city. Probably the pupils from the small cities are as talented to perform the coordination exercises as those in Sofia city. For the second test – Low jump test results showed statistically significant differences for almost all compared pairs. The same conclusion is valid also for Orientation shuttle run test. This means that the number of the population can be a differentiating factor for the manifestation of various motor skills, including motor coordination abilities.

The functional evaluation of athletes is the sports physiotherapist’s initial opportunity to iden­tify dysfunctions and muscle imbalance. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between basketball players’ shortening hip adductors with Patrick’s Test and their balance and coordination with the Shark Skill Test.Methods: We tested 65 healthy active basketball players in Basketball Club “Rilski sportist” – Samokov and the National Bulgarian Basketball Team. The athletes were divided into 2 groups: 22 players in the first Control Group with average 20.9 years and 21 youth players in the second Group with average 15.6 years. They were observed voluntarily in 2016.The 2 tests were applied at least 12 hours after the training. The shortness of hip adductors was assessed with Patrick’s Test and balance and coordination skills - with Shark Skill Test.Results: The results from the Shark Skill Test on the left and on the right lower limb demon­strated statistically significant better time and fewer mistakes among 1G basketball players (aver­age 20.9 years) with shorter left and right adductors than these with normal adductors’ elasticity. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences among the youth athletes.Conclusion: Summarizing the results, it is clear that the basketball play causes the shortening of the hip adductors of men and teenagers. In this aspect, it is important that the asymmetry of the adductor elasticity in both groups does not lead to statistically significant differences in the dura­tion and mistakes during performance of the Shark skill test.In our opinion, it is necessary to expand the study by applying physiotherapy for the short­ened hip adductors and track changes in the implementation of the Shark Skill Test before and after treatment.

Modern athletics is developing with incredible dynamics. In sports science and practice there are a number of proven methodological approaches that are related to the diagnosis of the training effects. One of the tasks of functional diagnostics in sports is researching and tracing the body changes related to energy supply in a certain training activity. The aim of the research is to increase the effectiveness of the mid-distance training exercise through the creation of criteria for assessing the adaptation effects of the workloads. The subject of the study is the adaptation changes in the level of HR, VO2max and La in the conditions of the training activity. The research was done among 27 male middle distance competitors. The test was performed on the athletics track with the use of a special K4 set which recorded the pulse frequency and oxygen consumption dynamics. The concentration of lactate in capillary blood was recorded immediately after the run. The results show that the speed of recovery of the pulse frequency in the phases of the short­ened rest is the correct adaptation marker for the determination of the individual tolerance in running loads and the level of athletes’ training. The recommended quantitative values of the respiratory and metabolic adaptation markers and their associated running speed are as follows: aerobic threshold - 2 mmol/l at a running speed of less than 4.10 m/sec. and a heart rate up to 157 HR.; anaerobic threshold - 4 mmol/l at a running speed between 4.10 and 5.13 m/s and a pulse limit of 157-178 HR - an effective aerobic zone (economic zone); over 178 HR and the running speed over 5.13 m/s.

Speed-strength qualities are significant for obtaining high power, especially in sports such as rowing. There are few surveys quoted in literature on multi-joint movements with increasing load in the training and competitive range of intensity where the speed-strength qualities are traced. In our research, we aim to make a comparative analysis of speed-strength qualities with increasing load in two multi-joint exercises: rowing on rowing ergometer and the clean pull strength exercise. The research was conducted among rowers (n=7; age - 16.28 ± 1.11 years; weight - 73.12 ± 7.63 kg; height - 186.27 ± 7.20 cm). The test on a rowing ergometer was per­formed with Concept II Model C, and the data were processed with the system BioRowTech. The data from the strength exercise were recorded and processed with the system GymAwareCloud. Regression equations were worked out for the speed-strength qualities: in clean pull exercise – peak force R2=0.52 and average force R2=0.76; in rowing on ergometer – peak force R2=0.72 and average force R2=0.56. We found out that in both exercises the mean power reached was almost identical (in rowing = 692.28 W, in clean pull = 609.42 W), but in rowing it is on account of higher velocity and less force.

The focus of the research is the motion characteristics of the teams which participated in the World cup 2018 in Russia. For the purpose of the research we collected the data from all the matches in the knock out phase of the tournament. We divided the results for every position during the halves and calculated the total distance covered. This way we could get an idea of the intensity and the profile of elite soccer players. In the analyses we included 273 players that played in the knock out phase. As a result of the research, we found that the goalkeeper had total distance covered of 4061,59 met?rs; defenders had a 9352 met?rs; midfielders had a 10708 met?rs and strikers had a 9731 met?rs. It is interesting that the total distance covered during the second half is greater than in the first one. Conclusion of the research is that the total distance covered is different for all of the researched positions which is a predisposition for disclosing the motor profile of the players. From the study of motor activity in football at world championships we can draw the following conclusions:1) The results are confirmation that even at a World Cup the performance characteristics are greatly influenced by position of play; 2) The higher total distance covered during the second half suggests extremely high aero­bic capabilities of elite football players.

Motor Competence (MC) is the ability to perform a wide range of motor activities, relying on adequate levels of motor coordination and physical capacity to achieve.The aim of this study was to assess the development of basic motor competence indicators among students with hearing impairment aged 7 to 11 years.The research was done among a total of 91 children aged 7 to 11 years, of whom 42 children with hearing impairment (14 girls, 28 boys) and 49 – with non-impaired hearing (26 girls, 23 boys). For the purpose of the study, the Kiphard and Schilling battery test – Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder (KTK, 1974) was used. It consists of 4 tests that were measured once. Based on these, four motor quotients were formed, which in turn formed the so-called “Gross Motor Quotient”. The results were processed statistically through variation and correlation analysis with the SPSS program.The results showed significantly lower development of motor competence among students with hearing impairment. The standardized motor quotients of the 4 tests (for boys - all 4; for girls - 3) and the total motor quotient were significantly lower than those of their hearing peers. The lack of significant differences in the mean values of the MQ3 in girls can be explained by the lower performance of the hearing girls compared to the KTK norms. As a conclusion, the motor competence of children with hearing impairment, assessed by both the overall motor quotient and the individual quotients obtained from the four tests is sig­nificantly lower than that of children with non-impaired hearing in primary school age.

Sports is a large industry with vibrant leagues running in many countries. Some of the most popular sports are soccer, rugby, cricket and netball. To meet the demand for better performance of athletes and sustain this growing industry, coaches and trainers have depended on the manip­ulation of factors such as physical and physiological parameters, nutrition, tactics, techniques and psychological factors to try and improve the performance of athletes. These have been referred to as the environmental or nurture constraints. The quest for better performance contin­ues hence microtechnology such as accelerometers, heart rate monitors and global positioning systems are also being used to gather data to determine some of the physical and physiological demands of games. Evidence from studies with twins revealed that there are performance traits which are genetically determined. Research also shows that more than 60% of performance in sport and exercise is genetically determined. The unraveling of the human genome and advances in molecular biological studies resulted in the quest for knowledge relating to the influence of genes at the molecular level on performance in exercise and sport. The human genome project established approximately 20 000 genes in humans. To date, the gene map for performance and health-related fitness phenotypes has identified more than 200 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with some performance and fitness linked traits. Among the most studied gene polymorphisms are the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene, the human a- actinin-3 (ACTN3) gene and the adenosine monophosphate deaminase (AMPD1) gene, as they relate mostly to anerobic and aerobic related activities. The use of hematological and biochemical indicators to identify injuries and exercise stress calls for exploration of association between gene polymorphisms and indicators such as C-reactive protein, uric acid and blood parameters such as red blood cells and sub-components of leukocytes.

Sleep is essential for everyone and is important for the normal human functioning. Lack of sleep, called sleep deprivation, is a condition leading to poor sports training and achievements. Different factors contribute to sleep deprivation among athletes. Respiratory sleep disorders such as Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are factors that rebound most to sleep deprivation for certain groups of athletes such as wrestlers, judokas and sumo wrestlers.The present study investigates the UARS and OSA occurrence in the above mentioned groups of athletes using Pulse Transit Time (PTT) as an early noninvasive indicator of respiratory effort and sympathetic nervous system activity.Sixty-seven elite athletes, practicing wrestling, sumo wrestling and judo were screened by enquiry for sleep breathing disturbances. The study involved the most suspicious ten cases for sleep-disordered breathing symptoms. They underwent full standard polysomnographic (PSG) examination using Alice 5 System Philips - Respironics Inc. with the registration of PTT.Among all athletes, regardless of the presence of changes in hemoglobin saturation or ap­nea-hypopnea index changes (AHI), a significant drop in the PTT value with more than 8-15 ms for sleep stages N1 and N2 (p<0.005) was observed, as well as with more than 6-8 ms for sleep stage N3 (p<0.005). We found bigger dependence of PTT by Arousal Index (ArI) than AHI and Desaturation Index (DI). Therefore, PTT can be used as a good indicator of sleep fragmentation before the development of the clinical picture of UARS and OSA.As a good indicator for inspiratory effort and sympathetic changes in UARS and OSA, PTT gives an opportunity for early diagnosis of respiratory sleep disorders among athletes. Prevention, timely detection and appropriate treatment of sleep disorders before the development of their full clinical picture will improve the processes of recovery and performance in sports practice.

This text covers theoretical and practical problems of the sport’s editor work in the conditions of media convergence. It provides analysis of issues, such as the trustworthiness of journalistic sources, the use of the social networks, the editor’s new functions and responsibilities. Another approach is the tendency for emphasizing more on the visualization as a message, which reveals completely new influence over the perception of the information and its influence for mind shaping among the society. The methods of research are based on content analyses, comparative analyses and historical review. The main researched objects are the technology of editing and framing the information in the modern media. The text combines theoretical knowledge and description of typical practical solutions, which editors may wish to apply in their day-to-day work.The main importance is given to presenting the rules and practices which combine the jour­nalistic principles and the requirements of the technologies, which are challenging the personal­ity of the journalists to have a wider and deeper all round preparation both in the humanitarian area and in the specific aspects of sport competition, and second – the operation skills, taking into consideration the modern aesthetical and technological tendencies in the media based on Internet communications.The research is based on the keys of media journalism in Bulgaria and selected media from Europe and USA from the recent years.It is the first investigation in the field of online editing in the sports media in Bulgaria and will serve as a guideline for further scientific research. It is also considered to be informative for the methodical practical preparation of sports journalists.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prediction of the General Health from Burnout Syndrome’s (BS) dimensions, and from the employment status of the private health and fitness center employees. We used a stratified random sampling method, and a sample of 205 private health and fitness centers employees completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Gen­eral Survey (MBI–GS), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and the Demographic Questionnaire. The statistical analysis showed that gender and employment status do not predict decrease in General Health (GH) levels, while exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions of BS create the background for emergence of the GH levels’ decrease.