Pradani,A.
Awanis,A.
& Ariyanti,A Fisiomu.
Vol 7.
:8-13 DOI : https://10.
23917/fisiomu.
The Effects of Engklek and Egrang Batok Games on Dynamic Balance in Children Aged 9Ae10 Aliffia Aura Putri Pradani1.
Almas Awanis2*.
Lilik Ariyanti3
1,2,3
Program Studi D-IV Fisioterapi.
Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Nasional.
Indonesia Email: physio.
almas@stikesnas.
Submition : 2025-06-24.
Accepted : 2025-12-17.
Published : 2026-01-01
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Dynamic balance is a crucial ability in children's motor development, especially at the elementary school age.
Traditional games such as engklek .
, egrang batok kelapa .
oconut shell stilt.
are believed to provide effective stimuli for enhancing children's balance function.
To determine the difference in effects between the traditional games engklek and egrang batok kelapa on improving dynamic balance in children aged 9Ae10 years.
Methods: This study is a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest twogroup design.
The population consisted of 70 students, and the sample included 41 students from SDN Kuwonharjo.
Magetan, aged 9Ae10 years, divided into two groups: a control group with standard training dosage and an intervention group with modified training dosage.
Measurements were conducted using the Balance Beam Test (BBT) before and after the intervention.
Results: There was a significant improvement in dynamic balance in both groups .
< 0.
However, the difference test showed no significant difference between the two groups .
= 0.
, indicating relatively similar effectiveness between engklek and egrang batok kelapa.
Conclusion: Both traditional games, engklek and egrang batok kelapa, are equally effective in improving dynamic balance in children aged 9Ae10 years.
These games can serve as enjoyable, practical physiotherapy alternatives in school settings.
Keywords: Dynamic balance.
Elementary school children.
Hopscotch.
Stilt
ISSN 2722 Ae 9610
E AeISSN 2722 - 9629
INTRODUCTION
Childhood is a phase of rapid physical Significant growth occurs at the age of 9Ae10 years in girls and 11Ae12 years in boys.
this stage, it is essential to train physical components such as strength, endurance, agility, and balance(Agun et al.
Balance is divided into two types: static .
aintaining a stationary positio.
and dynamic .
aintaining stability while movin.
Dynamic balance is particularly important for children aged 9Ae10 years as it supports neural adaptation, muscle strength, flexibility, and injury prevention(Hastuti et al.
Balance is influenced by several factors, including the Center of Gravity (COG).
Line of Gravity (LOG), and Base of Support (BOS).
Other contributing factors include flatfoot, leg length discrepancy, and foot structure abnormalities such as valgus and varus One of the tools commonly used to assess dynamic balance is the Balance Beam Test (BBT).
Elementary school-aged children often experience dynamic balance issues.
Studies show that the risk of falls in children ranges from 25% to 44%, increasing the potential for injury (Meliniawati et al.
Optimal balance is achieved when the bodyAos center of mass is aligned over the base of support(Budiman 2.
For children, stable posture during movement can be improved through traditional games such as engklek and egrang batok kelapa, which are appropriate for their age and developmental stage(Meliniawati et al.
Play plays a vital role in stimulating children's growth and development through physical activities such as running, jumping, and movement (Hastuti et al.
These activities support physical, motor, emotional, social, and cognitive development (Awanis et al.
FISIO MU: Physiotherapy Evidences ISSN 2722 Ae 9610 E AeISSN 2722 - 9629 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.
0 International License.
Pradani,A.
Awanis,A.
& Ariyanti,A Fisiomu.
Vol 7.
:8-13 DOI : https://10.
23917/fisiomu.
Traditional games like engklek help train balance, dexterity, speed, and agility through onelegged hopping movements(Indriyani et al.
Meanwhile, egrang batok kelapa trains the leg and arm muscles, as well as body balance and flexibility, through coordinated movement on an unstable medium (Awalunisah et al.
Both games are effective in enhancing children's balance and motor coordination.
Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used if the sample size was more than 50.
The data were considered normally distributed if the p-value was greater 05 and not normally distributed if the pvalue was less than 0.
A comparative test was used to determine the differences in one or more variables between two or more different samples.
The comparative test used to analyze the effect of the Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa games on dynamic balance among students at SDN Kuwonharjo.
Takeran District.
Magetan in both intervention and control groups was the paired sample t-test, if the data were normally The independent t-test was used to compare the difference in effects of the two traditional games on dynamic balance between the intervention and control groups, if the data were normally distributed.
METHODS
This study used a Pretest-Posttest Two two-group design with an experimental research The study involved two groups that received modified doses of the intervention using traditional games Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa.
The research was conducted from January 10, 2025 to February 9, 2025.
The study was conducted at SDN Kuwonharjo.
Takeran District.
Magetan.
The population in this study consisted of children aged 9Ae10 years at SDN Kuwonharjo.
Takeran District.
Magetan, totaling 70 students.
Number Ethical Clearance 152/EC/KEPK/1/2025.
The sample in this study included 41 children from SDN Kuwonharjo who met the inclusion criteria.
Meanwhile, 25 children were excluded based on exclusion criteria, and 4 dropped out after passing the inclusion stage and during the study.
This study used a purposive sampling The inclusion criteria were children with no history of disorders related to the musculoskeletal system .
uch as post-operative lower limb fracture.
and children who were willing to participate as research subjects.
The exclusion criteria included flat feet, leg length discrepancies, and foot deformities .
algus or The dropout criteria were children who missed one training session or who took the pretest but did not take the posttest.
The research procedure consisted of three stages: the preparation phase from January to November 2024, the implementation phase from December 2024 to February 2025, and the reporting phase from March to April 2025.
For the data analysis technique, a prerequisite test was conducted before analyzing the data using a normality test.
The Shapiro-Wilk test was used if the sample size was fewer than 50 participants, while the RESULTS This research is a quasi-experimental study using a two-groups pre-test post-test design, aimed at determining the effect of balance training doses given to the samples before and after the intervention.
Two types of exercises were used in the study: Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa.
The total number of samples in this study Table 1.
Description of the Sample Studied Number Percentage Description .
(%) Total Population Sample Studied Excluded Sample Dropout Sample Based on the description of the sample studied .
, it can be seen that from the total students at SDN Kuwonharjo.
Takeran District.
Magetan, 100% of the population consisted of 70 children, and 58% of them amounting to 41 children were included in the study sample.
Respondent Characteristics.
This general data includes the childrenAos age, gender, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
The description of the respondents' data will be presented in the table FISIO MU: Physiotherapy Evidences ISSN 2722 Ae 9610 E AeISSN 2722 - 9629 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.
0 International License.
Pradani,A.
Awanis,A.
& Ariyanti,A Fisiomu.
Vol 7.
:8-13 DOI : https://10.
23917/fisiomu.
Table 2.
Characteristic Sample by Age in the Group Intervention Control Variable Group Group 9 Years 3 .
10 Years 20 .
TOTAL
Source: Primary Data, 2025 Based on the research description in the table 2, it can be seen that the majority of the samples were from the 10-year-old age group, totaling 20 children or 87.
5% in the intervention group involving Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa games.
Meanwhile, the control group was dominated by the 9-year-old age group, totaling 18 children or 100% of the sample in the control group using the same traditional games at SDN Kuwonharjo.
Takeran District.
Magetan.
Based on the research description in the table 4, it can be seen that the intervention group was mostly categorized as underweight, with 15 children .
%).
Likewise, in the control group, the majority were also underweight, totaling 13 children .
%).
Table 5.
Balance Status Mean A Standard Deviation PrePostGroup Difference Test Test Intervention 8 A 4 A Control Source: Primary Data, 2025 Based on the table 5, the average difference between the two groups intervention and control 1, which indicates that both groups had a similar effect on improving balance.
Table 3.
Characteristic Sample by Gender in the Group Intervention Control Variable Group Group Female 10 .
%) 6 .
%) Male
TOTAL
Source: Primary Data, 2025 Based on the research description in the table 3, it can be seen that in the intervention group, the percentage of male respondents was higher, totaling 13 children or 57%.
In the control group, male respondents also dominated, with 12 children or 33%.
Table 6.
Results in the Intervention Group of Paired Sample T-Test Std.
Pair Mean Sig.
Deviation Pre3.
Post4.
Source: Primary Data, 2025 * = 95% Significance level The table 6 shows that the intervention group, which received balance training through Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa games, experienced an improvement in balance scores.
This improvement is evident from the post-test average score of 4.
3, with a significance value of 003, indicating a statistically significant difference between the initial .
re-tes.
and final .
ost-tes.
Table 4.
Characteristic Sample by Body Mass Index in the Group Intervention Control Variable Group Group Underweight (<18.
5 k.
Normal .
9 k.
Overweight Ae29.
9 k.
Obese (>30 k.
TOTAL
Source: Primary Data, 2025 Table 7.
Results in the Control Group of Paired Sample T-Test Std.
Pair Mean N Sig.
Deviation Pre-test Post4.
FISIO MU: Physiotherapy Evidences ISSN 2722 Ae 9610 E AeISSN 2722 - 9629 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.
0 International License.
Pradani,A.
Awanis,A.
& Ariyanti,A Fisiomu.
Vol 7.
:8-13 DOI : https://10.
23917/fisiomu.
Source: Primary Data, 2025 * = 95% Significance level Based on Table 7 the control group, which also received balance training using Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa games, showed an improvement in balance scores.
This is evident from the increased post-test average score of 4.
with a significance value of 0.
001, indicating a significant difference between the initial and final experiencing balance difficulties.
This aligns with earlier studies indicating that reduced muscle strength in underweight children compromises postural stability (Irsyada et al.
The effect of engklek on balance.
In the traditional game Engklek, children play using only one foot, which helps to intensify the use of one side of the body, allowing the child to focus more on jumping (Indriyani et al.
The mechanism of Engklek involves coordination between the muscles and the brain to produce The gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles play a role in propulsion and stability during jumping and landing, while the core and gluteal muscles help maintain posture and balance.
In the brain, the cerebellum regulates movement coordination, the vestibular system detects body position, and the frontal lobe plans movement.
Visual perception assists with visual focus when throwing the gaco .
and determining the jumping position (Maria et al.
Beyond physical benefits.
Engklek fosters concentration, emotional regulation, and cooperative play, thereby contributing to holistic child development (Maudina and Khasanah 2.
The Effect of Egrang Batok Kelapa on Balance.
In this game, children stand on coconut shells with their feet gripping the ropes while holding the ropes with their hands for support (Awalunisah et al.
This game requires twofoot balance on an unstable surface .
oconut shell.
, helping to maintain overall coordination and stability.
The Egrang Batok Kelapa game serves as an exercise that stimulates the mechanoreceptors, thereby enhancing rapid muscle recruitment.
This stimulation affects muscle contraction and kinesthetic awareness, and also triggers facilitation, inhibition, and modulation of both agonist and antagonist muscle This process supports the enhancement of neuromuscular function and overall functional body strength.
The game requires coordinated activation of agonist and antagonist muscles, promoting functional strength and balance (Mujtahidin and Anita Rachman 2.
The comparative analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between the Table 8.
Results of the Comparative Analysis Between Group by Independent Sample T-Test Group Mean Std.
Deviation Control Group Intervention Group Sig.
Source: Primary Data, 2025 * = 95% Significance level Based on table 8 the results are derived from the difference in pre-test and post-test scores in each group.
The significance value obtained is 14 (> 0.
, which indicates that there is no significant difference between the control and intervention groups.
This suggests that both the original and modified training doses were equally effective in improving balance.
DISCUSSION
In this study involved 41 children aged 9Ae 10 years, a developmental stage characterized by ongoing maturation of motor coordination, trunk rotation, and pelvic stability.
These factors influence dynamic balance during activities such as walking in a straight line, hopping, or maintaining single-leg stance (Mani et al.
Furthermore, the study found that based on gender, a greater number of boysAi25 childrenAi experienced balance impairments compared to 16 This is supported by previous research indicating that girls tend to have better balance than boys, and their balance abilities improve progressively with age (Li et al.
Body Mass Index (BMI) also emerged as a relevant factor, with underweight children more frequently FISIO MU: Physiotherapy Evidences ISSN 2722 Ae 9610 E AeISSN 2722 - 9629 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.
0 International License.
Pradani,A.
Awanis,A.
& Ariyanti,A Fisiomu.
Vol 7.
:8-13 DOI : https://10.
23917/fisiomu.
intervention and control groups .
= 0.
This suggests that both Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa provide comparable benefits for dynamic balance enhancement.
Several factors may explain this outcome:
Functional Similarity of Activities Both games involve physical movements that stimulate the vestibular and proprioceptive systems, as well as core muscle activation.
Despite differences in movement patterns hopping versus balancing on unstable surfaces each activity effectively trains balance-related neuromuscular pathways.
Firstly, traditional games such as Engklek and Egrang Batok Kelapa are generally functional physical activities that train body balance.
This is achieved through movements such as hopping on one foot, walking on unstable surfaces .
ike coconut shell.
, and maintaining posture while shifting position.
Such activities stimulate the vestibular and proprioceptive systems, as well as core muscles that play a role in body stabilization.
Therefore, despite differences in implementation schedules, both groups still received significant benefits from the activities (Sudaryanti et al.
Physiological Adaptation Children require sufficient time for physiological adaptation to training stimuli.
Although the intervention group received a modified dosage, the cumulative training volume remained within an effective range, resulting in similar outcomes across groups (Aldapit et al.
Motivation and Engagement Traditional games are inherently enjoyable and socially interactive, fostering high levels of participation and effort.
This intrinsic motivation likely contributed to consistent improvements in both groups, regardless of dosage variations.
adjusted, remained within effective limits and produced similar effects to the original dosage.
This indicates that minor changes in dosage do not significantly affect the outcome, as long as the given dosage is sufficient to achieve the desired maximum effect.
REFERENCES