Using Social Media: A Breakthrough to Encourage Generation Z Athletes in Independent Training during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mustika Fitri (1), Saepul Anwar (2), Muhamad Hanif Ramadhan (2)

(1) Sport Science Study Program, Faculty of Sport and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
(2) Sport Education School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

The ongoing epidemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a scourge on health matters and caused such a huge panic throughout the world that forcing some countries to enact lockdown. The coronavirus pandemic began to have an impact on sports and athletes following the postponement on some sporting events. The training routines of most athletes around the world are also disrupted. The aim of this research is giving the generation Z athletes the freedom to use social media in the process of physical and mental exercise. Therefore, this study was designed to determine how generation Z athletes are keeping up with their training routines by using social media and also paying attention to their physical and mental concerns. As well as their strategies to overcome the obstacles so that they improve and develop their training in this Covid-19 pandemic. Generation Z athletes who were used as informants for this study were determined by purposive sampling method of 10 generation Z athletes. The result of the research shows that the use of technology for generation Z athletes in improvising the process of physical and mental exercise is flexible, where they have the freedom to use social media so that their training spirit remains consistent. They tend to use ^Instagram^ and ^youtube^ where they can find contents in the form of variations of exercises that are demonstrated by their idols.

Keywords: Covid-19, Generation Z Athletes, Physical Training, Mental Training, Social Media

Topic: Sport Coaching