Alternative sports as content for Physical Education in Secondary Education

The aim of this study was to analyze the scientific evidence in the design and development of proposals with alternative sports with Secondary Education students. A systematic review was carried out in which the Dialnet, Pubmed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science databases were consulted. After establishing the eligibility criteria, a total of fifteen articles were examined and treated qualitatively. The results were categorized according to the contribution of alternative sports to the physical-motor, cognitive and social spheres. A small number of investigations with empirical evidence on the use of alternative sports with Secondary Education students (fifteen studies) were found. In these, eight alternative sports modalities were investigated. At a physical-motor level, kin-ball and korfball were the sports that most increased the levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity. At a cognitive level, ultimate and tchoukball contributed to the enjoyment, motivation and satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of the students. At the social level, the findings showed a positive trend and some alternative sports, such as datchball, colpball, korfball, quidditch, tchoukball or ultimate, contributed to the progress of multiple variables, such as leadership, cooperation, empathy or sportsmanship, among others. Despite the rapid consolidation of alternative sports in the design and development of Physical Education classes, more research is required to delve into the impact that these sports can have on Secondary Education students and their implications for Physical Education and school sports.