THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN DIAGNOSING ASYMMETRY IN MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND MOTOR CONTROL ACTIVITIES BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF YOUNG HURDLERS

Modern technology has created new possibilities for research in the area of regulation and control of movement. The asymmetry of muscle activity and its somatic and functional effects are rarely diagnosed in physical education and the sports activities of children and young people. The authors of this article analyse the problem of asymmetry on the basis of a representative sample of young hurdlers. Hurdling technique used in 400-m hurdles involves, among others, the necessity of clearing the hurdles with the left and right attacking leg. Differences between the two variants are mainly demonstrated based on analysis of kinematic movement structure focusing on movement of lower limbs. In this paper, the authors present differences in upper limb movement at the moment of clearing the hurdle in different forms of training. The application of EMG (electromyography) with image sequence visualisation and registration system was used to analyse the 400 m hurdling technique of eight hurdlers. The hurdlers were firstclass and champion-class hurdlers. The electromyograms concerned the work of 5 muscles of the upper limbs, symmetrically on both sides of the body (deltoideus, pectoralis major, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, latissimus dorsi). The analysis concerned three forms of hurdle training related to hurdle clearance first with the right and next with the left leg in three intensities: marching, trotting, and running at maximum speed. Muscle work on the right side of the body was analysed when clearing the hurdle with the left lower limb, and vice versa. All examined hurdlers used the left attacking leg better (regarding the specificity of 400-m hurdling). The analysis showed significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) in muscle work of the upper limbs between the right and left side of the body in respective forms of hurdle training. The right upper extremity muscle activity of three repetitions showed high correlation (r=0.89) for each performed movement form. Such relationships were not found on the left side of the body when attacking the hurdle with the right leg. Although asymmetry is inevitable in the process of lateralization of the human body, teachers at the primary stage of education should make every effort to alleviate disorders of muscle activity and dysfunction of the skeletal system. This is particularly significant in the disciplines in which it is possible to use symmetrical exercises, as a stimulus for relaxation and to avoid monotony when training children and adolescents.