The early detection and continuous monitoring of children’s motor competence levels and physical fitness is very important. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in motor coordination of children enrolled in soccer and multisport activities. The participants of this study included 147 boys and girls (mean age 7.60 ± 0.85 years). The total sample of subjects was composed of two subgroups: children who were enrolled in organized exercise programs—multisports (n = 77), and children who were engaged in soccer training (n = 70). Motor coordination was evaluated with the Kiphard–Schilling body coordination test (KTK). Physical fitness was assessed with a 20 m shuttle run test, 4 × 10 m shuttle run test, standing long jump, and handgrip strength. The ANCOVA showed significant differences (p < 0.05) with large effect size between groups for tests hopping for height (d = 0.93), total motor quotient (d = 1.31), jumping sideways (d = 1.32), and moving sideways (d = 1.59), after adjusting for age and gender. There were no significant differences between groups in the physical fitness tests. It can be concluded that children enrolled in multisport activities have higher levels of motor coordination than children who are enrolled only in soccer. Therefore, multiple sport training programs should be considered and encouraged by parents, educators, and other training professionals.

Background: This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a 12-week circuit training program in improving local muscular endurance in normal-weighted primary school students. Methods: The study involved a parallel-group randomized trial with 606 primary school boys assigned to an experimental or a control group. The participants underwent a 12-week circuit training program that involved multi-joint, total-body workouts using body weight, resistance bands, and medicine ball exercises. The study measured the participants’ local muscular endurance during sit-ups, dynamic trunk extensions on a Roman bench (DTE), and push-ups. Results: After adjusting for the baseline, the treatment–grade interaction was significant for sit-ups (F = 7.74, p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.04), DTE (F = 6.49, p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.03), and push-ups (F = 9.22, p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.05), where the experimental treatment was more beneficial than the control. The treatment effect seemed to vary depending on the individual’s baseline local muscle endurance capacity. As the baseline local muscular endurance values increased, the treatment and grade effects became less beneficial. Conclusion: A 12-week circuit training program involving body weight, resistance bands, and medicine ball exercises suits school-based programs and can improve local muscular endurance in normal-weighted primary school boys. The experimental treatment was more effective than the control, and the individual baseline muscular endurance should be considered when designing training programs.

Participation in long-distance races such as a marathon, half, and mini-marathon has become increasingly popular in the last few years in Serbia, and the same trend is evident in a number of other countries. Why does an increasing number of people go beyond limits of ordinary recreation and jogging and participate in such a demanding activity? Data from 289 runners (54% male) who had completed at least one endurance running (ER) race, assessing their motivation (MOMS), positive and negative affect, and subjective well-being has been collected. After testing the original theoretical MOMS model using confirmatory factor analysis, recommendations for the scale and its latent structure were given and the relations between that latent structure and mental health outcomes were examined. Our results suggest that ER is more than physical recreation or competition. Coping with negative emotional states represents a significant reason for practicing ER. As such, it could be understood as a strategy for improvement in the emotional well-being domain, which is an essential component of overall mental-health, hence, the main underlying reason why a large number of people participates in such a physically demanding task.

Recent studies have demonstrated that social isolation during the 2020 COVID?19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental and physical health of people worldwide. However, it remains unknown whether physical activity can improve mental health in a state of emergency. The present study aimed to examine the importance of physical exercising and stress management mechanisms (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant) in the context of mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, and nonspecific stress) in conditions of social isolation during COVID?19-induced lockdown in Serbia. The sample consisted of 680 adults (66% female), mean aged 35.91 years (SD = 12.45). The results indicated a significant relation between physical exercising and a reduced stress response and confirmed the usefulness of the already well-known problem-focused strategies. Avoidant and emotionfocused coping were associated with poorer mental health outcomes. However, as a moderator, physical activity lowered anxiety levels in individuals prone to emotion-focused coping.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of resistance training on stable versus unstable surfaces on strength performance in young judokas. Methods: The study included 18 young judokas (age: 13.2 ± 1.2 years) with 4.7 years of training experience assigned to either the URT (unstable resistance training) group or the STG (stable resistance training) group. Both groups performed the bench press and squat exercise for 12 weeks (3 sessions/week, 30–40 min each), with one group performing on the stable surface and the other on the unstable surface. The tests included the 1RM bench press and squat, maximal power output during bench press and squat (Pmax), abdominal strength test (AB60), and the standing long jump (SLJ). Results: Statistical analyses revealed a group × time interaction for AB60 (p < 0.02) in favor of the URT group. Significant main effects of time (p < 0.01) for the 1RM bench press, 1RM squat, bench press power, AB60, and SLJ were found. There were no significant effects for squat maximal power in both groups (p ˃ 0.05). Conclusions: Both unstable and stable resistance training effectively improved maximal strength and performance in adolescent judokas, with unstable training offering additional benefits in abdominal strength.

The aim of this study was twofold. The first aim was to examine the association of anthropometric measures on kinematic characteristic which represent stroke efficiency in young female front crawl swimmers. The second aim was to create a prediction model which could provide help to swimming coaches with the purpose of easier and better selection of female front crawl swimmers by measuring and following basic morphological characteristics. Eighty female competitive swimmers all members of the swimming Clubs in province of Vojvodina, Serbia (age 12.52 ± 08 years, years of training involvement 4.05 ± 1.2 and personal best times over 50 m front crawl 32.79 ± 0.86 s) performed 50 m front crawl race. The 50 m front crawl swimming efficiency expressed through stroke index significantly was related to body height (r = 0.44, p = 0.000), body mass (r = 0.402, p = 0.000), sitting height (r = 0.612, p = 0.000) arm spam (r = 0.576, p = 0.000), biacromial diameter (r = 0.470, p = 0.000), bicrestal diameter (r = 0.348, p = 0.001) and with chest circumference (r = 0.427, p = 0.000). Regression equation for stroke index prediction was defined by following variables: body mass, sitting height, arm span, chest circumference with 43.5% explained variance. Additionally by analyzing obtained model the higher the values of SH, ARSP, CHICR and the lower values of BM in a group of early pubescent female swimmers the higher 50 m front crawl efficiency values will be.