The characteristic impairments of hungarian sitting volleyball players, and its effects to gameplay

Introduction

Able-bodied people and their relation to their impaired fellows varied from time to time through history. While in ancient Sparta impaired children were tossed into the ravine named Taigetosz Apothetai, nowadays doctors are „saving the life" of newborns formerly considered "hopeless" [4]. Widening the human lifespan cannot be an exclusive goal of ours, but rising the standard of the living is and so should be. Participating sports is one contributing factor to joyful life [5]. The main goal through sport is to attain somatic and psychical advances, but this can only be accomplished with full awareness of the locomotor disorders [1]. With our previous investigation, we gave clear instructions on specific issues and guidelines on the indicated or contraindicated aspects of certain disorders for sitting volleyball games. [3]. With this study we have been exploring what makes an individual to choose this spectacular ball-game in Hungary. Furthermore we have been studying how the individuals’ impairment affects their personal choice, performance, and what type of locomotory impairment can perform better in sport situations.

Methods

Self-designed questionnaires were used for all the eight teams participating at the Hungarian Sitting Volleyball Championship (twelve teammates each). We interviewed everyone individually regarding their social, psychomotor, and physiological state. Beyond personal identification, we questioned all players regarding their age, sex, type and level of impairment, years since starting to play, and their achievements in sitting volleyball and all other sports they are involved with. We also looked for specific information about the players’ personal and professional goals in sitting volleyball, their hope for improvement in their status, the reason they chose this sport. We processed the data with basic statistical methods.

Results:

Data analysis is still ongoing due to the slow return rate of the questionnaires. From the processed data we can assume that the average age of Hungarian sitting volleyball players is 40 ± 10,22 years old. Most of the players (90%) are men, and there is no solely women team. In the Hungarian Championship able-bodied are also allowed to participate, so the distribution of impairment characteristics is not astonishing: able-bodied: 35%, amputees: 34%, paralysis: 15%, developmental defect: 8%, other: 8%. None of the players have contraindicated impairment in sitting volleyball. Interestingly, 84% of the players found sitting volleyball a worthy social and sport activity, not only from the point of therapy but also from the point of community. We will report more detailed statistical results in our presentation.

Conclusions

According to our results, sitting volleyball is not only useful as a type of therapy but also as a helping-hand inbuilding up a successful and prosperous team of impaired people[2]. With these results, we can concur that all eight cities in Hungary with sitting volleyball teams could and should make advantages of the popularity of the sport. Unfortunately, this popularity comes from the sportsmen and women doing this sport and very little interest comes from the outside. With our future plans, we hope more able-bodied and impared people will be involved with active participation in the sport.

References

[1]. 1000 Tips für Behinderten. Mehr Spass an sportlicher Freizeit, DLRG
[2]. Benczúr Miklósné. (2000). Sérülésspecifikus mozgásnevelés, mozgáskorlátozottak mozgásterápiája, adaptált
testnevelése és mindennapos tevékenységre nevelése. Budapest, ELTE.
[3]. Kälbli K. & Rigler E. (2003). Azonosságok és különbségek a sportági profilokban.
(Röplabdázás és ülőröplabdázás). Sporttudományi szemle, 3. pp. 22.
[4]. Kálmán Zs. & Könczei Gy. (2002). A Taigetosztól az esélyegyenlőségig. Budapest, Osiris.
[5]. Kosel H. & Ingo F.(1999). Rehabilitations und Behindertensport. Körper- und Sinnesbehinderte. München, Pflaum.