Physical Fitness Profile of Junior Secondary School Students Participating in Extracurricular Football: A Cross-Sectional survey

Abstract

Objectives: This study described the overall and component-specific physical fitness profiles of students participating in an extracurricular football program at SMP Negeri 1 Sindue Tombusabora, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Materials and Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted with all 15 male students aged 13–15 years who regularly participated in the school football program. Total sampling was used. Physical fitness was assessed with the Indonesian Physical Fitness Test (Tes Kebugaran Jasmani Indonesia, TKJI) for boys aged 13–15 years, comprising a 50-m sprint, 60-s pull-ups, 60-s sit-ups, vertical jump, and 1,000-m run. Raw performances were converted to the official five-point TKJI scores and summed to classify overall fitness. Data were summarized using means, standard deviations, ranges, frequencies, and percentages.

Results: Overall fitness was predominantly moderate: nine students (60.00%) were classified as moderate, five (33.33%) as poor, and one (6.67%) as good; no student was classified as very good or very poor. Mean performances were 7.07 ± 1.00 s for the 50-m sprint, 2.73 ± 2.25 repetitions for pull-ups, 34.40 ± 7.65 repetitions for sit-ups, 40.80 ± 5.12 cm for the vertical jump, and 302.60 ± 68.70 s for the 1,000-m run. Speed and abdominal muscular endurance were the strongest components, whereas upper-body muscular endurance and aerobic endurance showed the largest deficits.

Conclusions: Participation in extracurricular football alone did not correspond to uniformly high physical fitness in this small school cohort. The results support a periodized, component-specific program emphasizing progressive upper-body strength and aerobic conditioning while maintaining speed, core endurance, and lower-limb power. Periodic reassessment is recommended to guide training and monitor individual progress.