I. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Teacher Responsibilities
• Monitor growth and development
• Select objectives based on knowledge of growth and development.
Definitions
• Growth: Change in body size--more cells
• Development: Change in child’s level of functioning
• Maturation: Rate of progress toward a mature state
• Experience: External, environmental variables that may alter the child’s G & D.
Age Periods
• Infancy: Birth to 1 Yr.
• Childhood: 1 Yr to adolescence (11-13)
• Adolescence: Sexual Maturity--onset of secondary sex characteristics– boys: age 10-22, Usually 13-14– girls: age 8-19, Usually 11-12
Body Size
• Standard height and weight
• Hydrostatic skinfold measurements
• Body Size is a better indicator of performance than gender. Boys though, are socialized for activity already at a very young age
Somatotypes
• Endomorph=Round, excessive fat....
• Mesomorph=Prominent and sharp contours, mostly muscle, bone, and connective tissue.
• Ectomorph=lean, thin, little muscle.
• All need to develop motor skills and physical fitness.
Body Proportions
• Girls: relatively wider hips to shoulders during childhood.
• Boys: exactly opposite....mechanical advantage for throwing. This does not mean that girls cannot throw.
• After puberty, boys develop longer legs relative to their trunk compared to girls.
Overall Development
• Optimal periods: Most gain for the least effort
• When rapid development and organization are taking place in the brain and nervous system.
• Trying to speed up maturation is difficult because it is genetically controlled.
Children and Exercise
• Introduction:
• Muscles in action use fuel (glycogen and oxygen) and produce heat.
• Children should drink freely during exercise and activity.
Cardiovascular Response to Exercise
• Heart Rate:– Age 6: 87b/m– Age 13: boys: 66 girls: 70
• Maximum Heart Rate = 220 minus age. • Exercise lowers resting heart rate.• Blood Pressure:
– Increases slightly during childhood and adolescence (110/75)– Girls will be slightly lower than boys– Exercise lowers blood pressure
• Maximal Aerobic Power:– VO2 Max--avg person uses 40-50 ml/kg body weight/min– Maximal aerobic power is 80% determined by genetics.
• Children have lower hemoglobin concentration in their blood than adults and therefore tire more easily.
• Response to Exercise: – Heart Rate increases with intensity of exercise.– Systolic pressure goes up.– Change from steady to rapid respiration = anaerobic threshold– The body cannot keep up with the oxygen demands or waste buildup.
• FIT– F requency: 3 times / week– I ntensity: (220-age)*0.7– T ime: 20 minutes in the target range
– Recently just 90 minutes of vigorous physical activity for children (9 x 10 minute blocks.
• Test with a distance run or step test.
Muscular Strength and Endurance
• Muscles are made up of muscle fibers:– Fast twitch: work quickly and briefly without oxygen
(anaerobic metabolism)– Slow twitch: Work longer and more slowly with
oxygen (aerobic metabolism)
• Proportion of musculature is genetically determined
• Proportion of muscles before puberty is same for boys and girls.
• After puberty, muscle size increases more for boys than for girls
Strength
• Definition: Maximum force applied in one effort
• Affected by neuromuscular coordination
• Training:– Before Puberty, testosterone is in limited supply so strength
training will have little benefit (except for a VERY weak child)– F: 3x / week– I: 5-10 repetitions--overload principle– T: 3x—some literature says once is efficient
• Tested with chin- ups
Endurance
• Definition: Performing a movement numerous times at less than maximum contraction.
• Tested with sit-ups
Flexibility
• Definition: Range of motion at a joint
• Joint specific
• Important to warm-up, then stretch, then do activity
• Stretch slowly, relaxed, and hold for 30 seconds– don’t bounce– watch knees, back, neck
• Tested with sit-and-reach
Other Points
• Exercise has a positive affect on body composition and bone composition
• Injuries– When skeleton is developing avoid overuse of
certain joints and unnecessary roughness. (ie. too much tennis and baseball will cause calcium deposits at the elbow)
– Break of the epiphysis (growth plate) needs to be properly treated.
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