The effect of traditional sports on improving the physical fitness of elementary school students

Introduction. Human resources are generally directed at making people who are tough, skilled, capable, enthusiastic and productive, so that they have the ability to carry out various activities in society. Aim. This study aims to: (1) find out how much influence traditional sports have on improving the physical fitness of elementary school students; and (2) knowing the more effective frequency of traditional sports training to improve physical fitness. Methods. This type of research is a quasi-experimental. Data collection techniques with tests. The instrument used is the Indonesian Physical Freshness Test (TKJI) for children aged 10-12 years to find out the increase in physical fitness of early childhood. The population in the study were all fifth grade students at SD Muhammadiyah Condong Catur Yogyakarta, totaling 160 students. The sampling technique was simple random sampling, the sample in this study were 48 students who were divided into 3 groups namely treatment group A, treatment group B and control group. Each group has 16 students consisting of 8 boys and 8 girls. The data analysis technique in this study used the ANOVA test with the initial prerequisite tests being the normality test and homogeneity test, then to see the differences in each treatment group it can be seen from the results of the simultaneous comparison analysis and the results of the average difference with the Scheffe test. Result. The results of the study seen from the results of the average level of physical fitness for the three groups there is a significant difference. Based on the Scheffe test, the results showed that the best level of physical fitness was in the treatment group A or the group that was given the traditional exercise treatment with a frequency of 4 times a week. The treatment group B had a significant increase compared to the control group which did not experience an increase. Conclusion. From this study it can be concluded that traditional sports can effectively improve the physical fitness of elementary school students. The frequency of exercise 4 times a week is more effective for improving physical fitness compared to the frequency of exercise 3 times a week.