<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE root>
<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="review-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Bulletin of Rehabilitation Medicine</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Bulletin of Rehabilitation Medicine</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Вестник восстановительной медицины</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">2078-1962</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2713-2625</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">National Medical Research Center for Rehabilitation and Balneology</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">680141</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.38025/2078-1962-2026-25-2-99-108</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Статьи</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Review Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">Fartlek training as a dynamic approach to improving skill-related fitness in athletes: a review</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Тренировка по методу Фартлек как динамичный подход к улучшению физической формы спортсменов, связанной с навыками: обзор</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Kotadiya</surname><given-names>Nidhi</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Котадия</surname><given-names>Н.</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="IN">India</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Research Officer, Scholar of Sports Physiotherapy, College of Physiotherapy</p></bio><email>drsarfraznawaz.cop@sumandeepvidyapeethdu.edu.in</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6988-6310</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Shah</surname><given-names>Sarfraznawaz F.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Шах</surname><given-names>С. Ф.</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="IN">India</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Professor, Head of the Department of Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapy, College of Physiotherapy</p></bio><email>drsarfraznawaz.cop@sumandeepvidyapeethdu.edu.in</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Sumandeep Vidyapeeth deemed to be University</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Университет Сумандипа Видьяпитха</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2026-04-23" publication-format="electronic"><day>23</day><month>04</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>25</volume><issue>2</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en"/><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>99</fpage><lpage>108</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2025-05-22"><day>22</day><month>05</month><year>2025</year></date><date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2026-03-06"><day>06</day><month>03</month><year>2026</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2026, Kotadiya N., Shah S.F.</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2026, Котадия Н., Шах С.Ф.</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2026</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Kotadiya N., Shah S.F.</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Котадия Н., Шах С.Ф.</copyright-holder><ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://journals.eco-vector.com/2078-1962/article/view/680141">https://journals.eco-vector.com/2078-1962/article/view/680141</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p><bold>INTRODUCTION. </bold>Sports involve organized, competitive physical activities, with results reliant on athletes’ abilities. Intense, consistent training is vital for fitness and performance improvement. Training is structured to enhance athletes’ skills and fitness through systematic exercises. Fartlek training, also called “speed play”, integrates varied intervals to boost muscular force, aerobic capacity, and pacing skills, aiding athletes in adjusting to different intensity levels and improving performance through personalized, disciplined training.</p> <p><bold>AIM. </bold>The effectiveness of fartlek training for endurance is well studied, but its effect on skill development remains unclear. This review evaluated existing evidence and identified future directions to establish its efficacy in skill development.</p> <p><bold>MATERIALS AND METHODS. </bold>The searching had been limited to human studies only. Search engines used for this review are Google scholar, PubMed, SCOPUS, PEDro, MEDLINE, Research gate, etc. Thorough research was performed to gather relevant articles from January 2014 to December 2024. The review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies that involved athletes undergoing Fartlek training.</p> <p><bold>RESULTS. </bold>Total 145 articles were received through multiple databases from which 23 studies were selected after removing duplication and as per inclusion criteria. The studies varied in design (mostly RCTs) and included athlete populations from sports like soccer, hockey, and badminton, with intervention periods ranging from 4 to 12 weeks This review shows effectiveness of fartlek training in enhancing a broad spectrum of physical and physiological attributes crucial for athletic process.</p> <p><bold>DISCUSSION. </bold>Fartlek training shows consistent benefits for speed, agility, endurance, and coordination across varied athletic groups. Despite these positive effects, differences in study designs and protocols limit direct comparison of findings. Evidence suggests that longer durations and higher-intensity intervals yield greater improvements, supporting the need for individualized training plans. Overall, fartlek training is effective, but more standardized and long-term research is required to strengthen its applicability.</p> <p><bold>CONCLUSION. </bold>Review is showing positive impact of fartlek training on skill related physical fitness among athletes. Fartlek training is a valuable and comprehensive tool for enhancing athletic performance by improving cardiovascular endurance, speed, agility, and coordination.</p> <p><bold>REGISTRATION: </bold>Clinical Trial Registry India No. CTRI/2023/12/060531, registered December 19, 2023.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p><bold>ВВЕДЕНИЕ. </bold>Спорт предполагает организованные соревновательные физические нагрузки, результаты которых зависят от способностей спортсменов. Интенсивные последовательные тренировки жизненно важны для улучшения физической формы и результатов. Тренировки структурированы таким образом, чтобы улучшить навыки и физическую форму спортсменов с помощью систематических упражнений. Тренировка по методу Фартлек, также называемая игрой на скорость, включает различные интервалы для повышения мышечной силы, аэробных возможностей и навыков ритмики, помогая спортсменам адаптироваться к различным уровням интенсивности и улучшать результаты благодаря индивидуальным дисциплинированным тренировкам.</p> <p><bold>ЦЕЛЬ.</bold> Эффективность тренировки Фартлек на выносливость хорошо изучена, но ее влияние на развитие навыков остается неясным. В этом обзоре были оценены существующие фактические данные и определены будущие направления для установления их эффективности в развитии навыков.</p> <p><bold>МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ.</bold> Поиск ограничивался только исследованиями с участием людей. Для этого обзора использовались поисковые системы Google Scholar, PubMed, SCOPUS, PEDro, MEDLINE, Research Gate и др. Было проведено тщательное исследование для сбора релевантных статей с января 2014 г. по декабрь 2024 г. В обзор были включены рандомизированные контролируемые исследования и квазиэкспериментальные исследования, в которых спортсмены проходили тренировки по методу Фартлек в течение как минимум 3 недель.</p> <p><bold>РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ.</bold> Всего было получено 145 статей из различных баз данных, из которых после удаления дубликатов и в соответствии с критериями включения было отобрано 23 исследования. Исследования различались по дизайну (в основном рандомизированные контролируемые исследования) и включали популяции спортсменов из таких видов спорта, как футбол, хоккей и бадминтон, с периодами вмешательства от 4 до 12 недель. Данный обзор демонстрирует эффективность тренировок по методу Фартлек в улучшении широкого спектра физических и физиологических качеств, имеющих решающее значение для спортивного процесса.</p> <p><bold>ОБСУЖДЕНИЕ.</bold> Тренировки по методу Фартлек показывают устойчивые преимущества для скорости, ловкости, выносливости и координации в различных группах спортсменов. Несмотря на эти положительные эффекты, различия в дизайне и протоколах исследований ограничивают прямое сравнение результатов. Имеющиеся данные свидетельствуют о том, что более длительные интервалы и более высокая интенсивность приводят к большему улучшению, что подтверждает необходимость индивидуальных тренировочных планов. В целом тренировки по методу Фартлек эффективны, но для повышения их применимости необходимы более стандартизированные и долгосрочные исследования.</p> <p><bold>ЗАКЛЮЧЕНИЕ. </bold>Обзор показывает положительное влияние тренировок по методу Фартлек на физическую подготовку спортсменов, связанную с навыками. Фартлек-тренировки — ценный и комплексный инструмент для повышения спортивных результатов за счет улучшения сердечно-сосудистой выносливости, скорости, ловкости и координации.</p> <p><bold>РЕГИСТРАЦИЯ:</bold> Реестр клинических испытаний Индии № CTRI/2023/12/060531. Зарегистрировано 19.12.2023.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>Fartlek training</kwd><kwd>agility</kwd><kwd>speed</kwd><kwd>endurance</kwd><kwd>physical fitness</kwd><kwd>athletes</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>тренировка по методу Фартлек</kwd><kwd>ловкость</kwd><kwd>скорость</kwd><kwd>выносливость</kwd><kwd>физическая подготовка</kwd><kwd>спортсмены</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>Gnanavel N.S. Effect of fartlek training and core muscle training on selected physical fitness and physiological variables among men kho-kho players. International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education. 2021; 6(1): 432–434.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B2"><label>2.</label><mixed-citation>Hazar K., Hazar S. The effect of continuous running and fartlek training on maximal oxygen consumption capacity. Nigde University Journal of Physical Education and Sport Sciences 2016; 3(10): 351–356.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B3"><label>3.</label><mixed-citation>Eleckuvan M.R. Effectiveness of fartlek training on maximum oxygen consumption and resting pulse rate. International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports. 2014; 3(1): 85–88.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B4"><label>4.</label><mixed-citation>Kumar R., Lehri A., Singh S., Sharma S. 12-week training induced effects on selected fitness parameters among field hockey players. International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education. 2019; 4(1): 1715–1718.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B5"><label>5.</label><mixed-citation>Sendhil R. Hockey playing ability with relation to selected physical fitness physiological and skill variables. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health. 2015; 1(4): 95–99.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B6"><label>6.</label><mixed-citation>Ramajayam M. Individualised combined effects of brisk walking fartlek training on Hdl and total cholesterol on untrained college men. 2020; 1(10): 8.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B7"><label>7.</label><mixed-citation>Sudiadharma A.R., Ichsani A.R.B. The effect of fartlek training on increasing VO2max of badminton athletes. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis. 2023; 6, 2260–2264.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B8"><label>8.</label><mixed-citation>Aneja O.P. Impact of fartlek and plyometric training on agility performance of male football players. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health. 2023; 10(1): 347–349.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B9"><label>9.</label><mixed-citation>Chaudhari D.N. Effect of fartlek training on speed and cardio-respiratory endurance of university men students. International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education. 2017; 2(1): 273–275.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B10"><label>10.</label><mixed-citation>Muryadi A.D., Rahayu T., Setijono H., Rahayu S. November. Effect of circuit training and fartlek training on cardiorespiratory endurance football school athletes. In 6th International Conference on Science, Education and Technology (ISET 2020). Atlantis Press. 2021: 467–471.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B11"><label>11.</label><mixed-citation>Salgaonkar A., Kulkarni P., Katke S., Shaikh A. Effects of fartleks training to improving endurance ability in male kho-kho players. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health. 2020; 7(2): 254–259.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B12"><label>12.</label><mixed-citation>Shingala M., Shukla Y. Effectiveness of fartlek training on cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular endurance in young adults: a randomized control trial. 2019; 13(2): 86.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B13"><label>13.</label><mixed-citation>Bashir S., Hajam B.A. The effect of fartlek training on speed and endurance of physical education students of Annamalai University. International Journal of Academic Research and Development. 2017; 2(5): 142–145.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B14"><label>14.</label><mixed-citation>Sahu D.P. The effect of different training program on cardiovascular endurance of long distances runner. International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education. 2016; 1(2): 98–100.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B15"><label>15.</label><mixed-citation>Kumar P. Effect of fartlek training for developing endurance ability among athletes. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health. 2015; 2(2): 291–293.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B16"><label>16.</label><mixed-citation>Pasodi M.S. Effect of fartlek training on cardio respiratory endurance among men athletes. Editorial Board. 2014; 3(3): 305.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B17"><label>17.</label><mixed-citation>Mande S.B., Raju G., Suseelamma T., Kumar P.P. Training on muscular endurance among male soccer player. 2014; 364.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B18"><label>18.</label><mixed-citation>Velmurugan R., Kalimuthu M., Karthikeyan P. Effects of purcourse and fartlek trainings on selected endurance parameters. Journal of Physical Education Sports &amp; Allied Disciplines. 2012; 3(1): 21–25.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B19"><label>19.</label><mixed-citation>Jan A.A., Hurrah K.A. Effect of fartlek training on selected skill performance fitness component among Kho-Kho players. International Journal of Yogic, Human Movement and Sports Sciences. 2019; 4(1): 1509–1511.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B20"><label>20.</label><mixed-citation>Muniyappan R., Vallimurugan V. Effects of fartlek training on selected fitness and performance parameters of male hockey players. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Education and Research 2019; 4(2): 46–47.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B21"><label>21.</label><mixed-citation>Prasanna T.A., Vaithianathan K. The combined effect of continuous run, alternate pace run and fartlek training on selected physiological variable among male athletes. Executive Editor, 2019; 10(3): 246.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B22"><label>22.</label><mixed-citation>Mande S.B. Effect of continuous running fartlek training and interval training on selected skill related performance variables among male football players. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health. 2016; 3(2): 8–10.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B23"><label>23.</label><mixed-citation>Ramesh K.A. Effects of Fartlek training on sele physiological variables among co. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Yogic Sciences. 2013; 2(2): 33–36.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B24"><label>24.</label><mixed-citation>Bahtra R., Zelino R., Bafirman H.P.F., et al. Enhancing VO2max: contrasting effects of fartlek training and small-sided games. Journal of Physical Education &amp; Sport. 2024; 24(2).</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B25"><label>25.</label><mixed-citation>Festiawan R., Hoi L.B., Siswantoyo N., et al. High-intensity interval training, fartlek training &amp; oregon circuit training: what are the best exercises to increase VO2max. Annals of Tropical Medicine &amp; Public Health. 2021; 24(03): 1–10.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B26"><label>26.</label><mixed-citation>Sarmid S. Effect of fartlek training to the improvement of VO2max on athletes runners of 800 meters. In International Seminar on Public Health and Education 2018 (ISPHE 2018). Atlantis Press. 2018: 96–98.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B27"><label>27.</label><mixed-citation>Pratama L., Kushartanti W. December. The effects of circuit and fartlek exercise method and peak expiratory flow on VO2max. In 2nd Yogyakarta International Seminar on Health, Physical Education, and Sport Science (YISHPESS 2018) and 1st Conference on Interdisciplinary Approach in Sports (CoIS 2018). Atlantis Press. 2018: 310–315.</mixed-citation></ref></ref-list></back></article>
