It is well documented that whole body-vibration training has effects on muscle strength and flexibility, blood circulation, decreases pain perception and strengthens bone and tendon. Although whole body-vibration has benefits in athletes’ flexibility, we are not sure what its actual effects are in artistic gymnastics (since they already have stunning flexibility). Hence, the aim of this study was to analyse the studies on whole-body vibration in artistic gymnastics and to present the effects on flexibility. The search and analysis were carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The databases search (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, EBSCOhost and Science Direct) yielded 18,057 potential studies. By the given inclusion criteria (studies from 2005 to 2022; full-text published in English; the study included male and female gymnasts as samples, and that participants were tested for evaluation of flexibility by whole-body vibration method), a total of 9 full-text studies were included, with a total of 210 participants, both male and female. As far as the measured flexibility tests conducted, front split, sit and reach and bridge were evaluated, while obtained results were 9.1–39.1%, 2.79–6.7%, 6.43–7.45%, respectively. All studies have conducted same vibration frequency (30 Hz) with same amplitude of displacements (2 mm), except for the one study who did not show the information of implemented amplitude. After analysing the obtained results, it can be concluded that the usage of whole-body vibration platform shows flexibility improvements in artistic gymnasts, both male and female. In addition, a combination of whole-body vibration and traditional static stretching may enhance the flexibility in artistic gymnasts. However, these results should be taken with caution. Since this review did not reveal the optimal vibrational protocol, it is necessary to invest time during the implementation of various vibrational experimental protocols, so future research is required.

(1) Background: This study aimed to examine whether an experimental acrobatics curriculum, conducted three times a week, could lead to greater improvements in specific components of motor fitness—coordination, balance, agility, and speed—compared to the standard physical education program; (2) Methods: The research was conducted over a 16-week period and included 50 seventh-grade students, divided into an experimental group (EG, n = 25) and a control group (CG, n = 25). The experimental group participated in a program of acrobatics and skipping twice a week, while the control group followed the standard physical education curriculum. Motor skills tests were administered before and after the intervention using standardized methods; (3) Results: Results from the ANCOVA analysis showed significant improvements in flexibility, coordination, balance, and agility in the experimental group, with large effect sizes, confirming the effectiveness of the acrobatics and skipping program. However, the impact on speed was variable, indicating the need for specific exercises to improve this ability; (4) Conclusions: The findings are consistent with previous research, highlighting the superiority of specialized acrobatic exercises in enhancing overall motor performance in adolescents. Further research is needed to optimize acrobatics and skipping programs for maximum benefits in the development of motor skills and physical education.

Physical education in younger school age is very important. But in practice, this subject is not carried out regularly or is not performed by pedagogues of physical culture. Problem of the research was to determine whether the developmental gymnastics program had an effect on development of explosive strength with younger school age girls. The sample of respondents for experimental group consisted of 59 girls and for control group 45 girls aged 9 to 11 years. To determine the level of explosive strength three tests were used. Data processing was performed by the statistical program SPSS v. 20. For all data, the parameters of descriptive statistics were calculated. To determine the differences between the groups, a t-test for independent samples was used with calculation of significance of the size of difference (Cohen's d). The research has shown the effects of the developmental gymnastics program on the development of explosive strength with girls aged 9 to 11 years. Differences in explosive strength were identified in favor of the experimental group in two out of the three variables. The results obtained accurately indicate that respondents included in the development gymnastics program have a significantly higher level of explosive strength than respondents who only attended physical education class.

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of absolute and relative strength of the muscles of the legs, upper arms and shoulder girdle on the success of performing vault with gymnasts aged 13 to 16 who have been training gymnastics from five to 12 years. The Japanese digital dynamometer IMADAZ2H-1100 with WinWedge 3.4 software was used to estimate the absolute strength of the leg, upper arm and shoulder girdle muscles. The values shown on the digital meter represented the absolute value of the maximum force, and when the absolute value of the force was divided by the weight of the participant, the value of the relative force was obtained. Regression analysis was used to determine the influence of absolute and relative strength of leg muscles, upper arm and shoulder girdle on the success of performing vault. The results showed that although there is an influence of the above muscles, it is not statistically significant. Specifically, for a successful performance on the vault, the muscles of the shoulder girdle have the greatest influence (without statistical significance). The reason for the results obtained in this way lies in the fact that the phase of flight and landing depends on the support phase and the repulsion from the vault. As there are few research studies on the subject of this paper, regardless of the obtained results, this research represents a good foundation and basis for some future research of absolute and relative strength in artistic gymnastics.

This study examined how land-based strength and flexibility relate to 50 m sprint performance in 12 competitive swimmers. Cadet swimmers (n = 7) averaged 13.3 ± 0.49 years of age, 167.0 ± 5.19 cm in height, and 58.7 ± 16.5 kg in body mass; junior swimmers (n = 5) averaged 15.4 ± 0.55 years, 176.0 ± 7.33 cm, 64.2 ± 5.81 kg, and 8.20 ± 1.64 years of training. Pearson correlations revealed that sprint time was moderately negatively associated with push-ups (r = -.38), sit-ups (r = -.63), and long jump (r = -.62), less so with shoulder flexibility (r = -.31), and essentially unrelated to sit and reach (r = -.03). Because long jump and shoulder flexibility were highly collinear (r = .78; VIFs > 7), shoulder flexibility was excluded from regression. An AIC-based stepwise model retained only age-group and sit-up performance, explaining 50% of variance in sprint time, F(2, 9) = 4.50, p = .044. Although the overall model was significant, neither predictor reached individual significance. These results underscore the multifactorial nature of swim speed and suggest that composite land-based assessments, rather than isolated field tests, offer more stable, interpretable sprint performance indices. Future research should employ larger, longitudinal designs and integrate water-based biomechanical measures.