The effect of two free weight training programs on selected closed motor skills

The purpose of this study was to determine which of two types of strength training programs more positively affected the performances of untrained female subjects on selected closed motor skills with motor skill components of speed, strength, coordination, and agility. Tv/o experimental groups trained for 8 weeks executing explosive (n = 10) and non-exp1osive (n = 9) training tasks with free weights. The groups were pretested and posttested on the: (a) vertical jump, (b) standing broad jump, (c) standing triple jump, (d) 20 yard dash, and (e) the obstacle run.

The Mann-Whitney U Test indicated that the explosive method of training produced significantly better performances on the change scores of the standing broad jump (p = .002) and less significant results on the change scores on the vertical jump (

p = .08) and on the standing triple jump (p= .08). Change scores indicated that both groups improved almost equally on the 20 yard dash (p = .27). The explosive group did not improve to a significantly greater degree than the non-explosive group on the obstacle run (p = .14), but did improve somewhat more than the non-explosive group, although improvements were not produced to the extent to which they were on the jumping skills.

It was concluded that explosive weight training exercises with free weights improved performances in the jumping skills. Improvements could be attributed to the positive transfer of learning from performance of the explosive weight training tasks to the jumping tasks due to the nature of the similarity of the movement demands between the tasks.