CC BY
10
DOI: 10.14526/2070-4798-2021-16-1-148-154
Extreme youth sport: "for" or "cons"
Elina V. Bulanova'*, Aleksey V. Danilov1, Tatyana V. Kurova T.V.2
1Tver State Medical University Tver, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0003-2336-3835, elina.bulanova@mail.ru* ORCID: 0000-0001-9292-3045, daniloff.aleksey@yandex.ru 2Tver State Agricultural Academy Tver, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0002-5169-9523, KurovaTV@bk.ru
Abstract: Maintaining optimal physical activity is an essential factor in determining the health of young people. It is noticed that in recent years, the interest of modern youth in extreme sports is significantly increased. There is no single point of view among scientists on the issue of admissibility of youth practicing extreme sports. Materials. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the research results on the issues of youth engaging in extreme sports, carried out on the basis of the scientific literature study. Research methods. Scientific literature analysis and summarizing, comparative analysis of literature data. Results. In society there are multidirectional attitudes towards youth practicing extreme sports. A number of scientists classify extreme sports as deviant forms of behavior, other scientists, on the contrary, consider extreme sports as a way of preventing deviant behavior in young people. Psychological studies made it possible to establish a more balanced type of psyche with a high resistance to stress in persons involved in extreme sports. People who go in for extreme sports are characterized by high creative potential, the ability to react quickly in extreme situations, good physical fitness, and a high level of health.
Keywords: youth, extreme sports, physical activity, psychology of extremeness, passionate energy.
For citation: Elina V. Bulanova*, Aleksey V. Danilov, Tatyana V. Kurova T.V. Extreme youth sport: "for" or "cons". Russian Journal of Physical Education and Sport. 2021; 16(1): 117-121. DOI: 10.14526/20704798-2021-16-1-148-154.
INTRODUCTION
Young people are the main social age group that has a fundamental impact on the development and formation of the state. In this regard, special attention is paid to the issues of socialization, intellectual development and health formation in this age group of the country's population. An essential factor determining the state of young people health is the maintenance of optimal physical activity [1]. It is noticed that in recent years the interest of modern youth in various new sports, especially extreme sports, significantly increased. However, a number of researchers attribute extreme sports to the types of deviant behavior [2]. Deviation is known to be a deviation from the norm.
The purpose of our work: based on the study of scientific literature, to analyze the current state of the problem of youth engaging in extreme sports.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
To carry out this study, we used the following methods: analysis and systematization of scientific and methodological literature; generalization of advanced teaching experience.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Extreme types of sports leisure among young people are usually regarded by society as risky, the main thing in them is the desire of a young person to overcome life-threatening situations, as well as the search and experience of thrills. O. A. Akhverdova and N. N. Voloskova designate extreme sports as a generalized name for various sports associated with height, depth, speed, initially associated with various dangers, serious risk, injury [3]. As a rule, the authors indicate the following reasons for engaging in extreme sports: getting extreme thrills, balancing on the brink of life and death; the ability
to constantly maintain a heightened sense of life; manifestation of auto-aggression (activity aimed at harming oneself in the physical and mental spheres); the release of the hormone adrenaline into the bloodstream. It leads to a feeling of euphoria. A number of scientists explain the risky behavior of adolescents and young people by the biological nature, metabolic and hormonal characteristics of the body. G.A. Tsukerman and B.M. Masters believe that in some systems of the brain, "adventurers" have a strong reaction to new stimuli at an initially low level of norepinephrine. According to scientists, these people are more likely than others to experience boredom and live in constant search for dangerous situations. Their condition improves only with the active production of norepinephrine. These young people initially "have a low level of cortical arousal and risky behavior allows them to achieve the lack of arousal" [4]. A.V. Lakreeva believes that the reasons for risky behavior are hidden in the psychophysiological characteristics of this age: impulsivity, extraversion, emotional instability, the desire to expand the boundaries of what is permitted. As a result of the low threshold of risk perception, they commit socially and personally dangerous actions, offenses, use psychoactive substances [5]. It was found that only 10% of young people have an "internal prohibition" on any form of risk, but as they grow older, the craving for thrills decreases. Young people quickly develop a socio-psychological dependence (an obsessive need to use habitual stimuli) on risky behaviors, accompanied by an increase in tolerance and pronounced physiological and psychological symptoms. An increase in tolerance is an addiction to an ever-increasing value of a stimulus. In order to search for thrills and a desire to get themselves out of the state of boredom caused by the conditions of a comfortable environment, young people, as if desocializing and degrading, go in search of more and more complex and life-threatening ways to achieve pleasure, resort to extreme sports. Usually, as addiction deepens, old proven methods fail to meet the growing needs of young people and the taste for danger increases. Experts (physiologists, psychologists, sociologists) explain this by the existence of a certain extreme gene, with which, under certain conditions, a craving
for risky deviant behavior is formed, expanding the boundaries and forcing one to overcome fear. The mastered element or trick, which is a component of extreme sports, passes into the category of experience and skill and ceases to bring young people a feeling of novelty and sharpness. It makes them strive for a more difficult, risky element [6]. Scientists dealing with the problem of extreme sports leisure found that the ratings of the desire for acute, hedonistic sensations, especially on the auxiliary scale of the desire for exciting impressions and risky adventures, are higher among young people who choose risky leisure activities than among those who prefer to spend their leisure time otherwise [7]. This is consistent with the psychological characteristics of modern young people generation, whom the researchers attribute to the generation "U" [8]. Most of them practically do not doubt their own uniqueness and exclusivity. Their level of narcissism is off the charts, they live in a mode of constant expectation of praise and confirmation of their own uniqueness. They are characterized by optimism, persistence and tolerance. They are calmer about crises and global problems. In modern reality, there is a decrease in social activity among the younger generation, avoidance of an active life position, lack of empathy, and, as a consequence, the establishment of an asocial personality orientation. The orientation of young people towards material wealth, inactivity, the desire to have fun more often, less often to learn and to be inactive lead to the formation of erroneous values in them [9]. Most likely, it is these characteristics of modern youth that contributed to the fact that extreme sports gained such popularity in the 21st century. The modern needs of young people and the desire to differ from the main group of peers lead to the fact that young people begin to realize themselves by engaging in extreme sports. Research by American psychologist Lawrence Steinberg shows that young people are twice as likely to take risks in the presence of their peers. Steinberg associates this feature with the immaturity of the neural network responsible for the process of assessing and analyzing the situation. Minors are unable to make reasonable decisions, to give an adequate assessment of the danger in the circle of friends. Their ostentatious actions are
performed "at their own peril and risk" in order to gain public recognition [5].
However, it should be noted that extreme sports require a high level of physical fitness. Extreme sports activity is a difficult coordination type, characterized by a high degree of danger to life and health, the presence of acrobatic elements, and implies a serious painstaking multifaceted work of specialists in the organization of physical culture and sports activities and events, and trainers-teachers to provide pedagogical influence on the athlete -extreme [10]. Extreme sports are a risk, so you need to be prepared for difficulties, including psychological ones. An extreme athlete must have a quick reaction and in difficult situations be able to quickly navigate and solve a problem. In his research N.A. Pavlenko showed that people involved in extreme sports have a certain temperament [11]. Extreme sports are predominantly fond of people with the type of temperament - sanguine. They are characterized by high mental activity, energy, efficiency, quickness and liveliness of movements, variety and richness of facial expressions, fast speech rate, striving for frequent change of impressions. They easily and quickly respond to surrounding events, easily and quickly experience setbacks. They are characterized by positive emotions that arise quickly and are quickly replaced. Extremists are psychologically more stable than soldiers and firefighters. Young people involved in extreme sports do not tend to worry about injuries - their "post-traumatic disorder" is only 10-20% of the post-traumatic stress of soldiers and firefighters. Only three percent of climbers suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Among firefighters this figure reaches 20% [2].
According to experts, the main causes of injuries when practicing extreme sports are: health status, insufficient physical fitness, non-observance of safety precautions, mistakes in movement technique [12]. From this we can conclude that with properly organized medical and pedagogical supervision, many injuries can be avoided, and a correct pedagogical approach to organizing the training process will help to realize such a component of a healthy lifestyle as full-fledged physical activity, taking into account the psychological aspirations
of modern youth. It is known that extreme athletes with a higher level of consistency in training and competition situations assess their capabilities more adequately (which avoids unnecessary risk), take into account more factors (equipment, safety precautions) and act more deliberately, thereby reducing the likelihood of injury [13].
The training process plays a priority role in the formation of a young person personality, the development of physical and moral-volitional qualities, coordination abilities, health promotion. Many authors highlight the positive effects of intense physical activity on mental health and well-being [14]. In a study by E. Brymer and R. Schweitrer it is shown that practicing extreme sports helps to find a "sense of freedom". The authors identified 6 elements of freedom: restriction of movement, lack of control over movement, lack of fear, being alone with oneself, choice and responsibility [15].
At the heart of all extreme sports is the ability to control one's own body and its constant test of strength, training of flexibility, coordination, speed-strength abilities. The analysis of sociological surveys of young people involved in extreme sports shows that the basis for achieving success in their classes is the denial of all kinds of "show", the desire to work for the "public", resistance to turning oneself into a kind of advertised brand. Performing tricks is based on using own body exclusively. No special technical devices to facilitate the performance of the trick are allowed. The necessary components of extreme sports are, first of all, inner harmony, the union of one's own body and spirit, overcoming fears and shortcomings, as well as proper and balanced nutrition. At the heart of getting pleasure from extreme activities is a fundamental qualitative expansion of the possibilities boundaries, the discovery of new forms of overcoming and free movement in space. In a sense, for young people involved in extreme sports, the goal of classes is self-development. The pleasure received in the process of these activities is partly akin to the pleasure of flying, light soaring in the air - an old and unrealizable dream of a person. It is the enjoyment of flight and the conquest of heights that dominates the basis of all extreme activities that lie on the borderline between active rest and trick sports [16,17,18].
So, comparing the features of practicing extreme sports and the psychological and pedagogical characteristics of modern youth, we can make a conclusion about the need to develop this direction in the physical culture of educational organizations and in sports, as one of the forms of organizing the motor activity of students.
The active development of extreme sports helps to solve such an important social problem as the release of aggressive drives and states. Aggressive behavior in modern society is widespread. People work at a frantic pace, huge physical and psychological stress, noise, environmental problems and an increased level of urbanization - all this negatively affects a person. Under these conditions, alcohol and drugs are often common recovery methods. It is extremely important to note that extreme sports are a real alternative to such methods.
On the other hand, modern society is characterized by the freedom of acquiring knowledge, movement, the possibility of creating and fulfilling any desires and thoughts, an increased flow of migrants, a large number of contacts, a series of rapidly changing events and their assessments, the need for prompt decision-making in a variety of, including non-standard and even in extreme situations. In such difficult conditions, extremeness encourages a person to show maximum activity in finding optimal ways out of any situations. It contributes to self-development. "Extremity as the maximum manifestation of human activity, a necessary and important condition for his existence in the modern world. Thanks to extrema, a person is able to develop" [17]. The lack of the possibility of realization in such conditions of internal activity leads to the accumulation of internal energy, which manifests itself in aggressiveness. Adolescents and young people have a huge potential for such energy (it is usually called passionary energy). Persons with high passionate energy, as a rule, have a very rigid system of value preferences and limited personal attachments, for them there are no semitones: there is black and white, truth and lies, their own and others. The regulation of passionate energy, primarily of youth, has always been carried out by society. So, in the USSR, uninhabited spaces
and territories were developed, for example, the raising of virgin lands, large-scale construction was carried out, the so-called "construction projects of the century." Participating in these projects, getting a Komsomol ticket was the cherished dream of active young people. It was here, in difficult, but full of romance, extreme conditions of life and everyday life. They could self-actualize and assert themselves. Here new heroes of labor, records were born, life, passions were in full swing here, and passionate energy was regulated on a national scale [18]. Another direction of the passionary energy regulation is its replacement by such forms as risky activities: extreme sports; extreme games, incl. with elements of imitation of hostilities; extreme tourism; cognitive and developmental: virtual games, youth participation in social activities, etc. [18].
From this it follows that extreme sports act as a control over the extremeness of young people through the regulation of passionate energy and are effective methods for reducing various deviations.
CONCLUSION
Thus, on the basis of the conducted research, the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. In society, there are multidirectional attitudes towards youth practicing extreme sports. A number of scientists classify extreme sports as deviant forms of behavior, other scientists, on the contrary, consider extreme sports as a way of preventing deviant behavior among young people.
2. Psychological research made it possible to establish a more balanced type of psyche with a high resistance to stress in persons involved in extreme sports.
3. Individuals who go in for extreme sports are characterized by high creative potential, ability to react quickly in extreme situations, good physical fitness, and a high level of health.
4. Based on the psychological and pedagogical characteristics of the modern generation of young people, the state faces the task of developing methodological support for practicing extreme sports, creating a material base in educational organizations and training coaching and pedagogical personnel.
REFERENCES
1. Danilov A.V., Bulanova E.V., Skorb M.V. Analysis of the influence of a training session in the volleyball section on mental performance and the level of anxiety of students of a medical university. Pedagogiko-psihologicheskie I medico-biologicheskie problemy fizicheskoj kul'tury I sporta = Russian Journal of Physical Education and Sport. 2020; 15(2): 108-114. DOI: 10.14526 / 2070-4798-2020-15-2-108-114 [In Russ., In Engl.].
2. Timofeev A.I., Kuznetsova V.V. Extreme sports: the problem of criteria. Uchenye zapiski Universiteta imeni P.F. Lesgafta. 2015; 7(125): 220-224 [In Russ.].
3. Akhverdova O.A., Voloskova N.N. Extreme sports as a manifestation of dependent behavior in a teenager. Nauka. Innovacii. Tehnologii. 2012; 79(2). URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/journaVn/ nauka-innovatsii-tehnologii?i=859425 [In Russ.].
4. Tsukerman G.A., Masters B.M. P) sihologiya samorazvitiya: monografiya [Psychology of self-development: monograph]. Moscow: Interpraks. 1995: 288 [In Russ.].
5. Lakreeva A.V., Varukha L.V. Risk inclination as a factor of deviant behavior in adolescents. Nauchno-metodicheskij elektronnyj zhurnal "Koncept". 2016; 24: 141-146 [In Russ.].
6. Vakula I.M., Zagutin D.S. Extreme sports leisure and transport deviations as a manifestation of addictive behavior in the environment of modern Russian youth. Jurist-Pravoved. 2018; 3(86): 32-37 [IN Russ.].
7. Volkov Yu.Yu., Krotov D.V., Rachipa A.V., Zagutin D.S., Zhapuev Z.A. Definition of the subjectivity of financial capital in sociological science. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. 2016; 9(5): 1-9.
8. Shamis E., Antipov A. Theory of generations. Marketing. Menezhment. 2007; 6. URL: http://old.executive.ru/publications/ specialization/newfolder8086/articl [In Russ.]
9. Ivanushkina E.V. The Millennial Generation. Portrait in the context of education. Teoriya I praktika vospitaniya: pedagogika I psihologiya: materialy Mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii, posvyachennoj 120-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya L.S. Vygotskogo (Moskva, 7-8 iyunya 2016 goda) [Theory and
Submitted: 20.02.2021
practice of education: pedagogy and psychology: materials of the International scientific-practical conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of L. S. Vygotsky (Moscow, June 7-8, 2016)]. M.: Publishing house of the Moscow Psychological and Social University. 2016: 357-360 [In Russ.].
10. Ivanov V.A. On the intensification of extreme sports in the youth environment of the country and the need for qualified specialists. Uchenye zapiski Universiteta imeni P.F. Lesgafta. 2016; 9(139): 73-77 [In Russ.].
11. Pavlenko N.A. Temperament and enthusiasm for extreme sports. Vestnik KGU imeni NA.Nekrasova. 2008; 14(5): 153-156 [In Russ.].
12. Laver L., Pengas I., Mei-Dan O. Injuries in extreme sports. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. 2017; 12: 2-8. DOI: 10.1186/s13018-017-0560-9.
13. Lovyagina A.E., Khvatskaya E.E., Volkov D.N. Indicators of sports injuries in representatives of extreme sports with different characteristics of mental self-regulation. Chelovek. Sport. Medicina. 2019; 19(1): 117-123 [In Russ.].
14. Astalos M., Wijndaele K., Bourdeaudhuij I. De, Philippaerts R., Matton L., Duvigneaud N., Thomis M., Lefevre J., Cardon G. Sport participation and stress among women and men. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2012; 13: 466 - 483.
15. Sopov V.F. Psihicheskie sostoyaniya v napryazhennoj professional'noj deyatelnosti [Mental states in intense professional activity]. M. Acad. Prospect: Tricsta. 2005: 128.
16. Borodovskaya M.A. Passion for extremeness. NAUCHNYE VEDOMOSTI. Seriya Filosofiya. Sociologiya. Pravo. 2012; 14(133) Issue 21:173-177 [In Russ.].
17. Ostroukhova L.F. Extremism and extremeness. Extremizm I sredstva massovoj informacii. Materialy Vserossijskoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii [Extremism and the Mass Media. Materials of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference]. SPb., "Asterion". 2006: 39 [In Russ.].
18. Zavyalova N.V. Essential characteristics of extremality. Istoricheskaya I social'no-obrazovatel'naya mysl'. 2013; 6(22): 114-120 [In Russ.].
Author's information:
Elina V. Bulanova - Senior Lecturer, Tver State Medical University, 170000, Russia, Tver, Sovetskaya str., House 4, e-mail: elina.bulanova@mail.ru
Aleksey V. Danilov - Senior Lecturer, Tver State Medical University, 170000, Russia, Tver, Sovetskaya str., House 4, e-mail: daniloff.aleksey@yandex.ru
Tatyana V. Kurova - Candidate of Pedagogics, Associate Professor, Tver State Agricultural Academy, 170904, Russia, Tver, Marshala Vasilevskogo str. (Saharavo), House 7, e-mail: KurovaTV@bk.ru
