OPTIMIZATION OF ADOLESCENTS’ MOTOR ACTIVITY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF PHYSICAL RECREATION THROUGH ORIENTEERING

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of optimizing adolescents’ motor activity within the framework of physical recreation through orienteering. It is established that the decline in physical activity among school-aged youth is a persistent trend associated with the growth of sedentary leisure forms and academic overload. A theoretical analysis of scientific sources has shown that orienteering serves as an effective tool for integrating the physical, cognitive, and emotional development of adolescents. Engaging students in orienteering activities promotes endurance, spatial thinking, attention, and logical reasoning, as well as fosters positive motivation toward physical exercise. The review of relevant literature revealed that most studies confirm the positive impact of orienteering on adolescents’ physical fitness, psycho-emotional well-being, and social adaptation. However, a lack of comprehensive long-term studies assessing the effectiveness of recreation-oriented programs was identified. Insufficient attention has been given to methodological support for different levels of preparedness, differentiation of training loads, and the use of digital technologies for monitoring motor activity. It was determined that a promising direction involves developing an integrated model for optimizing adolescents’ motor activity through orienteering that considers physical, cognitive, and motivational aspects of development. The obtained findings highlight the significant potential of orienteering as a means of physical recreation that contributes to health enhancement and the formation of a stable need for physical self-improvement. Future research should focus on the practical implementation of adapted programs in extracurricular school activities and on evaluating their effectiveness based on physical, psycho-emotional, and cognitive indicators.