Investigation of the effects of swimming exercises on motor skills and respiratory functions i̇n 10-12 age group swimmers and the relationship between these features

This thesis study aims to examine the effects of swimming exercises on motor skills and respiratory functions in 10-12 age group students who do regular swimming exercises and the relationship between these features. A total of 40 students, 20 of whom did regular swimming exercises and 20 of whom were sedentary students, participated in the study voluntarily. Anthropometric measurements, various motor performance tests (sit-reach, 20 m sprint, Illinois agility, vertical jump, 6-minute walk, push-ups, sit-ups, flamingo balance) and pulmonary function tests using a spirometer were performed. IBM SPSS program was used to analyze the data, Mann Whitney U test was used for comparisons between groups due to the non-normality of the distribution of the data, and correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables. As a result of the research, when motor skills and respiratory function measurements are compared, it is shown that there is a statistically significant difference in favor of students who do swimming exercises (p <0.05). Significant differences were found in favor of students who did swimming exercises, especially in flexibility, agility, speed, endurance and balance tests. In addition, significant relationships were found between motor skills and respiratory functions that differed according to gender and group type. The results obtained show that regular swimming exercises have positive effects on both motor development and respiratory functions in children. In line with these findings, it is recommended that swimming should be encouraged as a basic physical activity in child development.