Challenges in adapting gymnastics for individuals with physical-motor disabilities

Lima Ramos, Ivna Liana (author), Nabanete dos Reis-Furtado, Lorena (author), Thais de Sousa, Carla (author), Oliveira Dantas, Francisco de (author), Moura Simim, Mário Antônio de (author)

Participation in gymnastics activities by individuals with disabilities provides benefits in physical, motor, and psychological aspects. This study aims to identify the knowledge that gymnastics coaches possess to manage people with physical disabilities (PD). Six rhythmic and artistic gymnastics coaches completed an online questionnaire concerning disability conditions, adaptations, and teaching methodologies. The majority of participants (n = 5; 83%) rated themselves as poorly prepared to work with people with PD. Additionally, the main challenges identified by the coaches relate to specific knowledge about disabilities, individualisation, and adaptation of teaching methods. The adaptations and strategies suggested by the group of participants with experience coaching gymnasts with PD (n = 2; 33.3%) were superficial, but still more applicable than those suggested by the majority of participants without such experience (n = 3; 50%). The findings of this research indicate that gymnastics coaches have insufficient knowledge to work with people with PD, particularly regarding specific disability knowledge and the development of adaptations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sport, caoches, physical-motor disability, gymnastics
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 385-395, 508
• Numbering: Vol. 17, iss. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183720
• UDC: 796.41
• ISSN on article: 1855-7171
• DOI: 10.52165/sgj.17.3.385-395
• COBISS.SI-ID: 273067779

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY-SA 4.0 je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 19. 6. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 19.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Science of gymnastics journal
• Publisher: University of Ljubljana Press, Slovenia (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
• ISSN: 1855-7171
• COBISS.SI-ID: 246418176

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Izzivi pri prilagajanju telovadbe za osebe z gibalno oviranostjo

Abstract

Sodelovanje oseb z gibalno oviranostjo pri telovadbi prinaša koristi na telesnem, gibalnem in psihološkem področju. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kakšna znanja imajo telovadni vaditelji za delo z osebami z gibalnimi ovirami (ang. Physical-motor disabilities – PMD). Na spletni vprašalnik o značilnostih ovir, prilagoditvah in načinih poučevanja je odgovorilo šest vaditeljev ritmike in orodne telovadbe. Večina udeležencev (n = 5; 83 %) se je ocenila kot slabo pripravljena za delo z osebami s PMD. Glavni izzivi vaditeljev so bili povezani s posebnimi znanji o oviri, z vadbo prilagojeno posamezniku in s prilagoditvijo poučevanja. Prilagoditve in pristopi, ki jih je predlagala skupina udeležencev z izkušnjami pri delu s telovadci s PMD (n = 2; 33,3 %), so bili sicer površni, a vseeno bolj uporabni kot predlogi večine udeležencev brez takih izkušenj (n = 3; 50 %). Sklep raziskave je, da vaditelji nimajo dovolj znanja za delo z osebami s PMD, posebej na področju posebnih znanj o ovirah in razvijanja prilagoditev.

• Keywords: šport, gimnastika, telovadba, vaditelji, telesno-gibalne ovire

Projects

• Funder: SNPAR - Brasil, Federal Government, Ministério do Esporte, Secretaria Nacional do Paradesporto
• Funding programme: Programa Paradesporto Brasil em Rede