The influence a 10-week Zulu stick fighting intervention programme has on motor proficiency and health-related physical fitness of prepubescent Zulu males
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a 10-week stick fighting intervention programme on anthropometrical measures, motor proficiency and healthrelated physical fitness parameters such as body composition, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance and muscular strength. Twenty two prepubescent Zulu males (mean age = 9.80 ± 0.64 years, range 8.60-11.10) formed the experimental group and twenty three other Zulu males (mean age = 10.09 ± 0.73, range 8.43-11.70) formed the control group. The experimental group underwent a 10 week stick fighting intervention programme facilitated by two professional stick fighters whilst for the same period, the control group did not receive any intervention programme rather continued with their daily activities. For motor proficiency, data was collected at three intervals: pre, post and post-post intervention. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) was used to assess motor proficiency: fine and gross motor skills. For anthropometrical measures and health-related physical fitness, data was collected at two intervals: pre- and postintervention. The five health-related components of physical fitness were measured by the following: body composition, flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness. The experimental group showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in the postintervention motor proficiency composite mean scores for balance and upper limb dexterity subtests whereas the control group did not exhibit significant improvements in any of their post-intervention composite mean scores. The experimental group also experienced an 11.62% significant improvement (p < 0.05) in their motor proficiency mean scores relative to the control group when the pre-intervention and the post-post intervention scores were compared. The low internal consistency and inter-item correlation of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency suggests that there are challenges with the reliability of the results. Thus, the results should be interpreted with viii caution. The experimental group also recorded significant improvements (p < 0.05) in the body composition, cardiovascular fitness and flexibility after a 10-week Zulu stick fighting intervention programme when post-intervention mean scores are compared adjusted for pre-intervention mean scores whereas no significant improvement in the post-intervention mean scores was recorded for the control group. It appears that the levels of motor proficiency and health-related physical fitness can be positively influenced through participating in traditional Zulu games such as Zulu stick fighting. It would seem the benefits derived from engaging in Zulu stick fighting may be the same as the one derived from doing any king of physical activity. It must be said though that the results of the motor proficiency in the current study can not be declared as useful data.
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