(2016) Science and education, 8, 132-137. Odessa.

Leonid Podrihalo,
Doctor of Medicine, professor,
head of the Department of Health and Human Physiology,
Olha Rovna,
PhD (Candidate of Biological Sciences), associate professor,
Department of Health and Human Physiology,
Kostiantyn Sokol,
PhD (Candidate of Medical Sciences), professor,
Department of Social Medicine,
Olha Maksechko,
student,
Kharkov State Academy of Physical Culture,
99, Klochkivska Str., Kharkiv, Ukraine,
Kharkov National Medical University,
Nauki Avenue, 4, Kharkiv, Ukraine 

STUDYING THE PECULIARITIES OF PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONAL STATE OF FEMALE ATHLETES ENGAGED IN SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING FOR EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OPTIMIZATION 

 Modern sport is becoming younger, that is why it is necessary to study young athletes’ growing and developing peculiarities, as well as their adaptive capacity. The article is aimed at examining the characteristics of physical devel￾opment and functional state of female athletes engaged in synchronized swimming, which reflect the above mentioned indicators. The study involved 30 schoolgirls (the average age was12,00 ± 0,22 years), who were divided into two groups. The first group involved 15 female athletes engaged in synchronized swimming, with the 1st category skill level (Candidate Masters of Sports). The second group involved 15 schoolgirls. The following indices have been examined: anthropometric measures, hypoxic samples, indices of physical development. The research results have shown that most of the surveyed have the medium level of physical development. It should be noted that disharmony is gradually in￾creasing with ageing (among female athletes due to weight deficit, and among schoolgirls – due to overweight). It demonstrates the positive impact of synchronized swimming on human organism. The examination of physical devel￾opment makes it possible to predict the delayed puberty of female athletes. It has been also revealed that there is a lack of water in female athletes’ organisms. The functional state of female athletes’ respiratory system is better as well, which is explained by the increase of the muscles involved in breathing. Female athletes’ results of hypoxic testing were also better, which means higher resistance to hypoxia. It has been determined that physical loads leas to the de￾crease of adipose tissue due to the decrease of the amount of water in a body. This fact is considered to be negative because it may lead to sexual maturation disorders. Though female athletes are characterized by the higher adaptive capacity of the respiratory system compared to schoolgirls from the second group.

 synchronized swimming, physical development, functional state, schoolgirls.

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