Physical education classes often fail to include sufficient exercise intensity to induce changes in body tissue composition and physical fitness. Short-term high-intensity interval training protocols incorporated into physical education lessons are one possible solution to this problem. Existing studies have not examined how individuals differing in body mass index (e.g., normal-weight, underweight) respond to high-intensity interval training exercises. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of a Tabata protocol on body composition measurements, aerobic capacity, and motor performance in underweight and overweight adolescents (the experimental groups) vs normal-weight adolescents (here regarded as the control group). The sample included 58 adolescents (28 boys, mean age = 16.2 years; 30 girls, mean age = 16.2 years) who completed the high-intensity interval training and the following set of measurements pre- and post- intervention: height, weight, body fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio, physical efficiency index (based on the Harvard Step Test), agility (in 4 × 10 shuttle run test), and lower-limb muscle power in vertical jump. The results showed that high-intensity interval training was effective in reducing body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage only in overweight individuals. Improvement in aerobic capacity was found only in underweight and overweight boys. Further research should focus on the development of customized exercise protocols and their adaptation to girls and assess the sustainability of the changes induced.

An increasing number of studies are evidencing relationships between physical activity (PA) and the mathematical performance of early school students. This is not surprising due to the fact that children grow in all areas simultaneously and their motor and intellectual developments determine each other. Nevertheless, such an approach of combining mathematics education with physical exercises, in addition through play, which is the basis of children’s activity and the preferred way of spending time, is still rare at schools. In response to this problem, “Eduball” has been created, which is an educational ball with printed letters, numbers, and other signs used for team mini-games. Surprisingly, despite the studies on general usefulness of Eduball in preschool and early-school education and the effects of physical exercise classes carried out using these balls, still little is known about their impact on mathematical development. Here, we investigate the relationships between the use of Eduball and the acquisition of mathematical knowledge and skills by children. We used a quantitative approach in the form of an experiment in natural settings in which 7-year-old students (first grade) took part (N = 25). For the purposes of this experiment, we created scenarios of physical exercise classes integrated with mathematical contents that used Eduball. Mathematical knowledge and skills were assessed by one of the commonly used tests. The results were compared with the data from the control group of traditional physical education classes (N = 22). As assumed, after a 1-year experiment, students from both groups improved their results, but we found a greater progress in terms of mathematical knowledge and skills in the experimental class compared to the control one. Eduball particularly affected competences related to such mathematical categories as: sets and their elements, multiplication and division, geometric shapes and measuring length, and measuring volume and mass. In sum, our results show that physical exercise classes that used Eduball stimulate the acquisition of mathematical competences by students and, consequently, confirm that there is a strong relation of physical and mathematical development. Therefore, there is a need to review children’s educational models, as well as primary school curricula, to combine physical and cognitive activities.

Assessing the physical ability of players to perform change of direction and the cognitive and motor abilities revealed in reactive agility (RA) is necessary to understand the physical requirements and capabilities of professional players in handball and basketball. The main aim of this study was to determine the differences between professional female basketball and handball players in terms of anthropometric features, change of direction speed (CODS), and the RA task. Moreover, the relationships among anthropometric features, agility, and parameters of perception were determined. Two scenarios of the Five-Time Shuttle Run to Gates test (planned and unplanned) were used to evaluate the CODS and RA. The response time (RT) was also measured in the unplanned scenario. Additionally, the index of reactivity (REAC-INDEX) was specified as the difference between the RA test result and the measurement of CODS. There was a significant difference found in terms of body height, with basketball players being taller than handball players (p = 0.032). Professional female handball players achieved better results than professional female basketball players with regard to RA tasks (p = 0.01) and CODS (p = 0.041). Significant simple correlations between each anthropometric feature (body height, body mass) and values for CODS and RA were observed (r = 0.49–0.53). Applying partial correlation allowed for the assessment of actual relationships among CODS, RA, RT, and REAC-INDEX, without a confounding variable. Detaching the anthropometric parameters from the rest of the relationships resulted in maintenance or changes in r-values and an increased significance in the relationships between each pair: RA vs. RT, RA vs. REAC-INDEX, and RT vs. REAC-INDEX. The strongest associations were related to RT vs. REAC-INDEX (r = 0.97 at detaching body height or body mass, p < 0.001) and CODS vs. RA (r = 0.66 at detaching body height and r = −0.67 at detaching body mass, p < 0.001). It is recommended to use partial correlations in subsequent studies, as simple correlations are not reliable and may not reveal the apparent relationships between the variables. In addition, when determining the CODS and RA, it is suggested to take anthropometric and perception variables into account, such as reaction time or REAC-INDEX.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the BRAINballs program on second graders’ gross motor skills in a primary school in Vietnam. A total of 55 students (23 boys and 32 girls) aged seven years participated in the study. The research used the method of a pedagogical experiment and parallel group technique (experimental and control group) with pre- and post-testing. The study was conducted in the school year 2019/2020. The gross motor skills performance was assessed by the Test of Gross Motor Development—2nd Edition. The BRAINballs program was conducted twice a week and combined physical activity with subject-related contents by means of a set of 100 balls with painted letters, numbers, and signs. The results showed that the experimental and control groups improved their motor skills after one school year (p < 0.001). However, the analysis of covariance demonstrated that students from the experimental group, compared to students from the control group, showed significantly better scores in both subtests: locomotor (p = 0.0000) and object control skills (p = 0.0000). The findings of this study show that the BRAINballs program had a positive effect on children’s motor performances and may help to better understand the development of basic motor skills of seven-year-old students in Vietnam.

Studies suggest that incorporating core academic subjects into physical education (PE) stimulates the development of both motor and cognitive skills in primary school students. For example, several experiments show that children’s participation in Eduball, i.e., a method that uses educational balls with printed letters, numbers, and other signs, improves their physical fitness while simultaneously developing their mathematical and language skills. However, the question of who should conduct such classes to make them most effective (regular classroom teachers, physical education teachers, or maybe both in cooperation?) remains unanswered. Here, we replicated a previous Eduball experiment, but now, instead of one experimental group, there were three. In the first, Eduball-classes were conducted by the classroom teacher, in the second, by the physical education teacher, and in the third, collaboratively. After one year intervention, all experimental groups significantly improved both their cognitive (mathematical, reading, and writing) and gross motor (locomotor and object control) skills, and these effects were larger than in the control group participating in traditional PE. Importantly, there were no differences in progression between the Eduball-groups. Thus, our study demonstrates that methods linking PE with cognitive tasks can be effectively used by both PE specialists and general classroom teachers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the estimated body composition of elite female and male Polish handball players during a five-week preseason training camp. Height and weight were measured, while body composition was estimated with bioelectrical impedance in 18 male and 17 female handball players before and after the five-week training protocol. Components of body composition included total body water (TBW), fat-free mass (FFM), muscle mass (MM), and absolute and relative fat mass (FM). Weight and body mass index (BMI) did not change in males, but declined in females after five weeks of training. FM and %FM declined, while estimated TBW, FFM, and MM increased significantly after training in both males and females. In contrast, comparisons of log transformed ratios for changes in weight, the BMI and body composition in males and females, respectively, suggested that estimated TBW, FFM, and MM increased relatively more in females than in males, while FM and %FM decline relatively more in males than females. Overall, the five-week preseason training program modified the body composition of male and female handball players. FM and %FM decreased, while estimated TBW, FFM, and MM increased, in both males and females after the preseason training program. Comparisons of log transformed ratios for changes in body composition in males and females suggested sexual dimorphism in response to intensive preseason training.