Introduction . Professional training in acrobatic gymnastics carries a high risk of injury. The use of appropriate tests allows for the detection of abnormalities in the biomechanical chain of the athletes, identification of a predisposition to injury, and the introduction of appropriate corrective exercises. One of the tools used for comprehensive functional assessment is the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). The aim of the study was to assess movement patterns using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) in girls aged 11-14 who practise acrobatic gymnastics, and to compare the results with a control group of peers who do not participate in organised physical activity. Material and Methods . The study was conducted on a group of 148 girls. The study group consisted of 110 female acrobatic gymnasts. The control group consisted of 38 girls who reported no participation in any organised physical activity. Functional assessment was carried out using the Functional Movement Screen. Results . The athletes in the study achieved significantly higher scores across all FMS tests. The highest scores were recorded among the acrobats in the ASLR right test (2.901 ± 0.316; p < 0.001) and ASLR left test (2.891 ± 0.388; p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found only in the shoulder mobility test. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were observed between the gymnasts’ age groups in any of the individual FMS tests. Conclusions . The greatest differences in the results obtained between the study groups were observed in the ASLR test. No significant differences between the study groups were found for the shoulder girdle mobility test. The findings confirm the need to incorporate exercises into the training programme aimed at improving neuromuscular control and mobility, particularly in terms of shoulder girdle mobility, which may reduce the risk of injury and improve training effectiveness.

Falls are among the leading causes of injury, hospitalization, disability, and loss of independence in older adults. Traditional fall-prevention programs primarily focus on reducing fall risk through improvements in balance, muscle strength, and functional performance, while less attention is paid to mitigating the consequences of unavoidable falls. This narrative review aimed to evaluate the potential of martial arts-derived exercise and safe-fall training as complementary approaches to fall and injury prevention in older adults. Publications published between January 2000 and March 2026 were identified using combinations of keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) related to safe falling, fall prevention, injury prevention, older adults, martial arts, balance training, and physical activity. Evidence from interventions incorporating elements of boxing, judo, aikido, tai chi, and self-defence training was analysed, with particular attention to balance, postural control, mobility, dual-task performance, protective responses, and fall preparedness. Current evidence suggests that appropriately adapted martial arts-based interventions may improve several factors associated with fall risk and injury mitigation, including postural stability, functional capacity, coordination, reaction time, and cognitive-motor performance. Emerging evidence also indicates potential benefits of safe-fall training in developing protective movement strategies during loss-of-balance situations. The INNOAGON (Innovative Agonology) model is discussed as a framework integrating motor, cognitive, and behavioural components across multiple levels of prevention. However, most available studies have evaluated functional, behavioural, and biomechanical outcomes rather than clinically meaningful endpoints. Consequently, direct evidence demonstrating reductions in fall incidence, fractures, fall-related injuries, hospitalizations, or long-term disability remains limited. Martial arts-derived exercise may therefore be considered a promising complementary component of multifactorial healthy ageing and fall-prevention programmes. Further large-scale prospective studies and randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether observed improvements in functional outcomes translate into meaningful clinical benefits in real-world settings.

Background and Study Aim. Maintaining postural stability is a component of motor fitness and a prerequisite for the safe and effective performance of military tasks. Various forms of military training are used to develop physical preparedness and functional performance in cadets. However, their effectiveness in improving postural control and static balance ability during long-term standardized training remains a subject of practical interest. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a six-month standardized military training programme on selected parameters of postural stability in cadets at a military academy. Materials and Methods. The study included 38 cadets from the Military University of Technology (Poland). Postural stability was assessed twice at a six-month interval using the Romberg test performed on the FreeSTEP STANDARD stabilometric platform. Measurements included double-leg stance (eyes open/eyes closed) and single-leg stance on both limbs. Analyzed center of pressure (CoP) parameters comprised total path length (PL), confidence ellipse area (CEA), mean velocity (MV), and root mean square sway amplitudes in the mediolateral (X-RMS) and anteroposterior (Y-RMS) directions. Due to the non-normal data distribution, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and effect size coefficient r were used. Results. No statistically significant changes were observed in any parameter during double-leg stance. Conversely, single-leg tests showed significant differences between eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions (p < .005), confirming the strong contribution of visual input to balance control. However, the six-month training period did not yield consistent improvements in single-leg stability. Partial enhancements were observed for the right leg, particularly under EC conditions. However, these changes were selective and not uniform across parameters or limbs. Conclusions. Standardized military training did not lead to systematic improvements in postural control among cadets. Single-leg stance tests demonstrated greater sensitivity to balance changes than double-leg stance. The findings suggest that enhancing postural stability in future soldiers may require the incorporation of targeted proprioceptive and sensorimotor exercises into the existing military training curriculum.

Falls are among the most common causes of injury, hospitalization, disability, and loss of independence in older adults. Traditional prevention programs focus primarily on reducing fall risk by improving balance, muscle strength, and functional ability, significantly reducing the health consequences of unavoidable falls. The aim of this narrative review is to assess the potential of exercises derived from sports and martial arts as a modern tool for supporting the prevention of falls and injuries in older adults. Available reports on programs incorporating elements of boxing, judo, aikido, tai chi, and self-defence exercises were analysed, with a particular emphasis on dynamic balance training, postural control, cognitive-motor skills, and fall safety education. Current evidence indicates that appropriately modified interventions inspired by martial arts can positively impact postural stability, functional ability, coordination, reaction time, and dual-task performance, which are significant risk factors for falls in older adults. Particular attention was paid to the concept of teaching safe falling, which aims to develop movement patterns that reduce susceptibility to injury during contact with the ground. The INNOAGON (Innovative Agonology) model was also discussed as a concept integrating primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention through motor, cognitive, and behavioural interventions. The results of the analyses suggest that physical activity based on appropriately adapted elements of combat sports can be a valuable complement to contemporary healthy aging programs. Simultaneously, there is a need for multicentre randomized trials and long-term follow-up to assess the impact of such interventions on the incidence of falls, injuries, hospitalizations, and loss of functional independence.

Postural stability is an important component of functional health in older adults; however, longitudinal observations from routine community physical activity programs remain limited. This exploratory secondary observational analysis compared changes in postural stability between two archival cohorts of University of the Third Age participants assessed over different observation periods. The dataset comprised 48 paired assessment records representing 43 unique participants. Five individuals appeared in both historical datasets; therefore, the primary independent comparison included 24 participants in the longer-observation cohort and 19 in the shorter-observation cohort. The respective intervals between baseline and follow-up assessments were 408–568 and 21–76 days. The cohorts corresponded to programs offering 77 and eight scheduled physical activity sessions, respectively, although individual attendance was not documented. Postural stability was assessed using the HUMAC Balance System under two 30-s firm-surface conditions with eyes open and eyes closed. Ten outcomes were evaluated using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for within-cohort changes and Mann–Whitney U tests for between-cohort differences in change scores, with Holm adjustment for multiple comparisons. No outcome changed significantly in the longer-observation cohort after adjustment. In the shorter-observation cohort, the eyes-closed sway index and eyes-closed stability score (ECSS) changed in a less favorable direction (Holm-adjusted p = 0.043 and p = 0.048, respectively). Between-cohort differences in change were significant for both outcomes (Holm-adjusted p = 0.019 for each; rank-biserial correlations −0.553 and 0.557, respectively). Sensitivity analyses using alternative strategies to exclude overlapping records retained the statistical significance of these findings. The results demonstrate differences in selected eyes-closed postural stability measurements between archival cohorts; however, scheduled activity exposure and follow-up duration were inseparable. Consequently, the findings do not establish an independent effect of exercise duration or preservation of postural control attributable to physical activity. Prospective studies with comparable observation intervals and verified individual exercise exposure are required to determine their clinical significance.