Volume 19 (2012): Issue 3 (September 2012)

Introduction. In the initial phase of ski lessons, the skier encounters a completely new situation. The maintenance of body stability, which is influenced by various factors, attracts his entire attention. The aim of this study was to define the impact of ankle joint stiffening by ski equipment on the maintenance of body balance. Material and methods. The research was conducted on 13-member group aged 20 to 24. All the subjects were male students at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport in Bia³a Podlaska (graduates of the ski instructor course). Each participant carried out three postural exercises on the KISTLER dynamometric platform. Then the same exercises were performed with ski boots and skis. Two parameters were used for the analysis of body balance, namely the COP path length and the surface area of the stabilogram. Results. It was stated in the study that ankle joint stiffening while standing on both skis did not have a negative impact on the postural stability. In majority of the tested subjects while standing on one ski, a considerable increase in the both analysed parameters occurred in relation to the same exercises performed without ski boots. That being so, it can be inferred that ski equipment causes deterioration of body stability. Moreover, it was noticed as a result of putting on ski boots and skis that body fluctuations increased slightly in relation to the growth of the base of support defined by the ski length and ski width setting. Conclusions. On this basis, it was concluded that ski equipment does not have a negative influence on the maintaining body balance. The growth of body fluctuations during exercises is insignificant in relation to the increase of body base area. It is necessary to find new ways of compensating for body fluctuations in order to maintain body balance with ski equipment on.

Introduction. The aim of the study is to evaluate the metabolic and hormonal response of soccer players to maximum effort (test for determining anaerobic threshold changes - PPA) carried out under field conditions within a training cycle, which included a preparation period of about 7 weeks. Materials and methods. In blood samples of the 20 subjects the concentrations of lactate was determined, (LA) in whole blood, also including cortisol (C), testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH) in blood plasma, during a running exercise performed according to the formula for determination of PPA. The heart rate (HR) was recorded during the running exercise. Threshold speed was determined based on OBLA. The tests were carried out twice: at the beginning and at the end of the seventh week preparatory period. Results. The training increased the threshold speed by an average of 0.4 m/s, lower concentrations of LA during the second test and less severe changes in HR. Endurance of the tested athletes increased at more favourable hormonal response with respect to cortisol nd and GH. The endurance component in the training, in the 2^nd test resulted in lower resting testosterone levels, which did not affect the metabolic balance. The ratio of testosterone to cortisol (T/C), its growth after the period of training, showed a more stable anabolic-catabolic balance, which justifies the validity of the training assumptions in this period. Conclusions. The study confirmed the usefulness of metabolic-endocrine indicators in the monitoring the physiological response of athletes to exercise, as well as beneficial changes in the process of adaptation of bodies of athletes subjected to training.

Introduction. Wrestling is a sport that requires proper physical and mental preparation. The authors present selected psychological resources, emotional intelligence and creative attitude, as factors influencing the broadly defined mastery, both in the area of sport and out of it. These variables guarantee better adaptation to changing conditions and they are also connected with the effectiveness of handling different situations and optimal problem solving. The aim of the study was to diagnose emotional intelligence and creative attitude among young female and male wrestlers. Material and methods. The study included 20 females from the regional team of cadets and juniors and 19 male wrestlers from the sports school. The control group consisted of two deliberately selected groups of untrained students - 20 girls and 19 boys. KANH and INTE questionnaires were used in the study. Results. In the three groups under investigation medium levels of emotional intelligence and creative vs. reproductive attitude were observed. It was only female wrestlers who manifested low levels of emotional intelligence which, similar to the levels of nonconformity, heuristic thinking and creative attitude, were lower than in female students from the control group. The female wrestlers demonstrated higher levels of conformity and reproductive attitude. Female students demonstrated higher levels of emotional intelligence and conformity than male students. No differences between male and female wrestlers were observed. Conclusions. The findings show that it is necessary to conduct longitudinal research on athletes and untrained individuals. Bearing in mind that learning a motoric task depends, inter alia, on intellectual and emotional factors, the authors also recommend another course of research, i.e. the verification of how these variables are related to the effectiveness of learning motoric tasks. The authors' own research results as well as further (planned) investigations will make it possible to profile various educational effects and deliberately strengthen the potential of young wrestlers.

Introduction. Participation in properly organized tourism events based the tourist potential of the region, becomes a creative experience, generating creative attitude, satisfying a number of needs and aspirations [2]. Tourism has the potential to contribute to increased effectiveness of school education. It can affect attitudes and develop appropriate habits in terms of physical activity. However, it must be accompanied by appropriate offer of activities, which is likely to generate a desirable behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of a specific tourism program on region related knowledge on the part of male and female students. Material and methods. The research conducted by way of pedagogical experiment utilizing the technique of parallel groups forms merely a small part of the entire research program carried out at the Department of Tourism of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport in Bia³a Podlaska. The research was carried out in two stages - 2002-2003 and 2009-2010 and involved a total group of 272 subjects. Results and conclusions. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that the proposed specific tourism program does advance the level of region related knowledge, and its impact is greater than the implementation of tasks resulting from the educational process of the contemporary school.

Introduction. The objective of this paper is to investigate the position of tourism in the committee structure of the local councils of Hungarian local governments. Material and methods. The data were sourced from websites of the settlements concerned and all the results obtained statistically evaluated using the method of descriptive statistics. Results. From the data available, we can clearly determine the role of tourism in the committees of local governments, as well as the direction of changes after the 2010 election. The results also clearly identified the factors that determine the role of tourism in local council committees and the sectors that constitute the same committees with tourism. Conclusions. The role of tourism in committees of local councils is fundamentally unfavourable and the situation deteriorated after the 2010 election. The role of tourism in committees of local councils is closely related to the size of the population and the role of tourism in the given settlements.

Introduction. One of the elements of the self-knowledge system is self-esteem. This system is continuously organized into a certain kind of a distinctive structure of ideas and notions. The aims of this paper, is to define the sense of self-esteem among first year physical education students. Material and methods. The method applied in the research was a diagnostic survey accompanied by questionnaire based on Fitts's “The Tennessee Self-concept Scale”, in a simplified term TSCS. The survey was conducted in Academic Year 2008/2009 among 667 respondents in eight state and non-state Polish academies. Results. The conducted survey indicates that there is an obvious tendency for students to have high self-esteem. Such a high level falls within the remit of the majority of aspects: moral-ethical self, family self and personal-self. Moreover, a high level of self-esteem was recognized in students' global sense of self-esteem and in self-esteem concerning personal-self. Crucially, the medium level of self-esteem concerning behaviour was declared by a considerable percentage of the respondents. The high level of global self-esteem was definitely assigned to female students whereas the medium level was noticed among male students. Conclusion. One of the key elements of human personality is the sense of selfesteem which influences both the level of self-acceptance and self-awareness. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to develop these skills and the psychophysical characteristics in the process of upbringing and educating.