Exploration Of Children Flexibility Test Methods

Research purposesflexibility refered to exercise capacity of the human body each joint in different directions as well as stretching ability of muscle and ligament. At present, pliable and tough quality test method for Chinese children and adolescents is sit and reach test. But recent studies had shown that, sit and reach test had two shortcomings:on the one hand,it was low effective and unable to accurately evaluate student body flexibility level; on the other hand, it was poor secure, and the testing process can cause extrusion on the spine and damage lumbar intervertebral disc. The Japanese sit and reach test and America sit and reach test were two kinds of methods which were currently used by most countries, this study attempted to compare, analysize and discuss effectiveness and safety among Chinese, Japan, American sit and reach test is, and provided scientific basis for reform of physical test method in our country.Research methodsThe objects of study were from Minhang District center primary school, middle school and senior middle school, covering a total of 12 grades from the first grade of primary school to the third grade of senior school, each grade selected 3 classes as valid objects, a total of 1039 people, age covering 7-18 year old, basically reaching respectively 50 men and women in each age, all of study objects were health and not sports injured.he Chinese, Japan and USA three sit and reach test were tested, in order to compare three test methods more scientificly, the upper extremity length, body height, sitting height and trunk length of the subjects were measured. Using the multi-functional joint activity test table, the curvature degree of the spine in theprocess of three sit and reach test were measured. the advantages and disadvantages of three kinds of methods were compared and disussed using correlation analysis and difference test.Results(1) obtained by the test of correlation, the correlation between leg length and China sit and reach test were most negative correlation, and 5 age groups appeared significant correlation, all is -0.298,-0.616,-0.390,-0.308,0.436, p<0.05, but other physical indexes and Chinese sit and reach test in each age had no more uniform correlation.(2) the mean values of correlation between the zero fixed sit and reach test and leg length are -0.195(boy) and -0.164(girl),the mean values of correlation between the zero non-fixed sit and reach test and leg length are 0.133(boy) and 0.193(girl).(3) in this study,11 to 15 years old boy, the correlation between legs type sit and reach test and curvature degree of the spine for boys of each age were in the following order:0.686,0.559**,0.737,0.666,0.796, p<0.01,the correlation between single leg sit and reach test and spine bending angle were 0.686,0.726,0.689,0.698,0.768 p<0.01. correlation legs type sit and reach test with the spine the bending angle was lower than that of the single leg sit and reach test and curvature of the spine angle, and the girl’s data also showed the same results.11 to 15 years old boy, the spine curvatured degree of legs type sit and reach test were in the following order:45.45°, 42.29°,43.05°,50.34°,48.24°,the spine curvatured degree of single leg type sit and reach test were in the following order:44.07°,38.62°,35.96°,47.66°,47.48°,the spine curvatured degree of legs type sit and reach test was higher than the spine curvatured degree of single leg type sit and reach test.Conclusions(1) the lower limb length and China sit and reach test at all ages had more uniform negative correlation, other physical indexes and Chinese sit and reach test in each age had no correlation.(2) compared with zero fixed sit and reach test, non- fixed sit and reach test can eliminate the effect of physical factors on the zero fixed sit and reach test in a certain extent, and could effectively evaluate flexibility level of children and adolescents.(3) single leg type sit and reach test had higher validity than legs type sit and reach test, and the safety of single leg type sit and reach test was higher than the legs type sit and reach test.