**9. Discussion**

The subject of this study was selected elements of the free time sports - recreational activity of youth coming from a large and small agglomeration of the Alpine region in Germany.

The author's research has shown that among the free time activities of the German youth, the most important are social gatherings, preferred by the majority of respondents, while practicing sports is in second place, which for boys, turned out to be much more important than for girls. In addition, computer-related activities are significantly more important for boys, while girls appreciate reading and music more. Based on the results of research related to the preferences of leisure activities, it can be stated that boys are more physically active than girls who prefer primarily passive forms of use such as listening to music, meeting friends or watching television, while sports, in fourth place on the list of the most popular free-time activities, play a far-reaching role in their lives. Similar results regarding free time forms of activity of German youth are presented by Henkel [14], Kurz and Tietjens [15], Urbutt [16], Tietjens [17], Maaz and Burrmann, [18]; Sonnenwald [19], Sawicki [20], Sawicki and Suchy [21], Schmidt [22], where the greater preferences of active forms of spending free time among male youth are underlined and greater preferences of physically passive forms of free time activity among the female youth.

Examining the motives for undertaking sports activity, it was shown that the strongest motivating factors for German school students are health, physical fitness and social aspects. Health and esthetics as motives of sports-recreational activity are valued more by girls, while for the studied boys, physical fitness and risk are significantly more important motives for practicing sports. These results are also confirmed by numerous research studies conducted by Steffgen and Schwenkmezger [23], Alfermann [24], Opper [25], Digel [26], Burrmann [27], Opaschowski [28], Sawicki and Suchy [21] and Wezyk et al. [29], which emphasize the dominance of similar motives of sports activity among German school students.

The level of sports-recreational activity is largely determined by the frequency of practicing sports in free time. The results of the author's research confirm the high level of youth involvement in its performance, regardless of sex or environmental conditions (large city, small town). Almost ½ of the respondents declared that they practice sports 1–2 times a week and 1/3 perform it 3 times a week or more often. The results of research by Steffgen and Schwenkmezger [23], Opper [25], Leyk et.al [30], Burrmann and Mutz [31] point to a similar level of sports activity among German school students in previous studies on the subject.

The assessed German school students, and in particular the boys, usually prefer open areas for sports activity. More than ½ of the respondents declare their membership at sports clubs. In addition, another place for practicing sport often visited by the young people under investigation are public sports facilities, enjoying considerably higher popularity among boys. German school students also attend extracurricular sporting activities at schools, attended slightly more often by boys than girls. Comparative results on this matter are also presented by Digel [26], Opper [25], Kurz and Tietjens [15], Brettschneider and Kleine [32], Burrmann [27], Sawicki and Suchy [21] and Mutz [33].

The respondents had the opportunity to comment on the assessment of the possibility for practicing recreational sports at their place of residence. According to ½ of the surveyed youth, these possibilities are large, ¼ of respondents considered them to be average, and only 1/5 of respondents considered them as small, but in the comments, one can notice the tendency of higher assessment of these possibilities for the large agglomeration.

*Selected Aspects of Sports: Recreational Activity of German School Students DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97741*

Among the regularly performed sports, the most popular among boys regardless of environment are football and cycling. Swimming and running are also very popular in both environmental groups. In addition, boys from a small town more often practice skiing/snowboarding than their colleagues from a large agglomeration. Other popular sports played by boys include individual and team sports games. The most popular sports practiced by the examined girls were cycling, swimming and horse-riding. The popularity of ski sports, especially among girls from a small town, deserves to be emphasized, as in the case of boys. In addition, as expected, typically female forms of activity such as aerobics or dance are popular among the surveyed girls. In many research works, the general dominance of football, cycling, swimming, running and other sports games is emphasized in the case of boys, while among girls, dominance regards horse-riding, swimming and gymnastics, dance and music as well as running [12, 20, 21, 29, 33–41].

Positive attitudes towards practicing sports by the examined German school students can be demonstrated by the results of the author's research on their opinions regarding their intended sport activity after finishing school education. The vast majority of respondents (81%) declare their intention to practice sport after finishing school. Taking into account these opinions of the surveyed students, it is possible to positively forecast their participation in sporting activities in the future.
