Evaluation on the Physical Condition of Football Extracurricular Participants before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: One of the most popular extracurricular activities at school is football. However, extracurricular activities have been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which on the other hand will affect students' physical abilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical condition of students which included speed, endurance, agility, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 15 male students aged 14-15 years with a weight of 51-71± kg and a height of 157-173± cm. Material and method: This study used a quantitative descriptive method with a survey approach. The instruments used include a multistage fitness test, a 30-meter sprint, and a shuttle run. Data were analyzed based on percentage data analysis and the Wilcoxon test. Result: The Wilcoxon test results on the speed test showed sig (2 tailed) 0.826> 0.05, endurance test 0.001 < 0.05, and agility test 0.033 > 0.05. If categorized, the overall percentage results on the physical condition of students have not been included in the "good" category. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that physical condition tests before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, both fall into the "poor" and "very poor" categories. Furthermore, tests carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced a higher percentage decline compared to tests before the COVID-19 pandemic. The research results obtained can thus be used as material for evaluation and improvement for teachers, coaches, and extracurricular football students, especially training related to improving physical condition so that better results can be obtained in the future.