Sit-ups, push-ups, long jump and beep test run — these athletic disciplines were used by the Czech School Inspectorate to measure the physical fitness of schoolchildren across the country. Compared to the same tests carried out 30 years ago, the results have shown a dramatic drop in children’s endurance.
Tests to ascertain the physical fitness level of Czech schoolchildren were carried out last autumn among pupils from 3rd and 7th grades of primary schools, and among students in the 2nd year of secondary schools.
The results showed that compared to their peers from other countries, Czech children do quite well in the long jump discipline. However, when it came the 20 metre shuttle run test, which is commonly used to measure maximum running aerobic fitness, they performed significantly worse than their peers abroad.
However, children’s endurance has also dramatically declined when compared to that of the same age group 30 years ago. Interestingly in the long jump and sit-ups, the children’s results have remained more or less unchanged for decades.
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Authors: Eva Mikulka Šelepová, Ruth Fraňková