EFFECTIVENESS OF USING SPORTS AND GAMES AS A MEANS OF OPTIMIZING THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

In today’s reality, the stage of development of our country’s higher education system is characterized by a significant increase in the requirements for the level of intellectual activity of students, which is often accompanied by an increase in the effectiveness of the educational process, an increase in psycho-emotional stress, and physical inactivity. This imbalance between physical activity and mental activity negatively affects the overall physical condition of young people, reduces their resistance to stressful situations, impairs their ability to adapt, and thus negatively affects their performance. In view of the above, physical education specialists in higher education institutions are faced with the need to modernize the educational process, which requires the search for innovative and flexible teaching methods that would be able to effectively counteract negative trends and ensure the comprehensive development of the body. The article examines the impact of sports and games on the physical condition of higher education students. The main approaches to organizing the educational process using game methods are analyzed, and their impact on indicators of endurance, strength, coordination, and, especially, on the psycho-emotional state of young people is determined. The authors believe that sports and game activities have unrealized potential, combining such important components as physical activity, emotional involvement, and the opportunity to develop socially important skills for all participants in the educational process. The researchers substantiated the theoretical aspects of introducing sports and game activities into physical education, developed a methodology for integrating game elements into the educational process, and conducted an educational experiment to assess the dynamics of the impact on the development of basic physical qualities and the motivational sphere of higher education students. The practical value of this publication lies in the development of specific, scientifically based methodological recommendations that physical education specialists can integrate into the educational process in order to ensure a personality-oriented approach to physical education for young people in higher education institutions, which, in turn, will optimize the content, forms, and methods of physical education, making it more relevant to individual needs.