Research on the brain asymmetry of qualified athletes using dance sport as an example

Aim: To determine the asymmetry coefficient of qualified dancers. Materials:The study involved 84 dancers of various qualifications of18-35 years of age, who were divided into 2 groups for identifying individual features: 1) highly skilled - 44 athletes (6 - honoured masters of sports; 12 - masters of sports of international class; 26 - masters of sports of Ukraine); 2) athletes of first adult category - 40 athletes. Becausethe study was focusedondance couples, an equal number of men and women wasrepresented in the sample. The study was conducted on the basis of the sport dance club "Supadance" atthe National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport (Kyiv, Ukraine). Results:A strong tendency towards right-hemispheric activity was revealed in both groups of dancers. Theasymmetry coefficient of highly qualified athletes was significantly higher than that of the athletes of first adult category. Conclusions:The importance of a thorough assessment of the lateralization of brain function for the timely identification of sinistrality in sports and professional selectionwas confirmed. This is important because there are many left-handedleading athletes in different sports. Most of them are distinguished by a high level of creativity and abilities for original artistic work. The tendency towards righthemispheric activity was determined. This criterion can be considered as one of the most significant components for the selection of children in dancesport. This tendency indicates the origins of special abilities.