Study on Improving the Physical Fitness Level of Young Football Players

The current study aimed to enhance the level of physical fitness of young football players aged 12-14 years and to verify whether the implementation of a specific motor programmes has positive effects on the development level of general motor skills. This scientific research was intended to make a contribution to the development and assessment of the level of physical fitness of athletes by promoting a set of methods and means for the improvement of physical training process. The research methods used were: literature review, pedagogical observation, verification experiment, mathematical and statistical method, graphical method. The experiment was conducted in the gym of the Middle School no. 13 in Bucharest on a sample of 14 athletes aged 12-14 years and lasted 6 months. Throughout this period, a series of operational structures for the development of physical fitness level were implemented in the training programme. The operational structures were allocated 35 minutes per training session. The study used tests for the assessment of speed, aerobic endurance, explosive power of the lower limbs and abdominal muscle strength. After processing the research results, statistically significant differences have been found between the initial test and the final test, which highlights the efficiency of the methodology used in the physical fitness training optimisation programme. Experimental validation of the methods and means used in the training of the experimental group represents a contribution to increasing the efficiency of the instructive-educational process.