Highly Active Middle School Athletes Demonstrate Poor Motor Skill Proficiency.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2024

Identifier

DOI: 10.1177/19417381231178822

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are critical components to lifelong participation in sports and physical activity. With the rise in early sports specialization, mastery of motor skills may be limited in youth athletes. The purpose of this study was to assess FMS proficiency in highly active middle school athletes and determine whether proficiency differed between specialization levels and sex.

HYPOTHESIS: (1) Most athletes would fail to achieve proficiency in all domains of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), (2) highly specialized athletes would demonstrate lower proficiency in all domains of the TGMD-2, and (3) male athletes would demonstrate higher proficiency than female athletes.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

METHODS: A total of 91 athletes were recruited (44 male, 12.6 ± 0.9 years). Activity level was quantified using the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (Pedi-FABS), specialization level was determined using the Jayanthi Specialization Scale, and the TGMD-2 was used to assess FMS proficiency. Descriptive statistics were used to describe gross motor, locomotor, and object control percentile rank. A 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess differences in percentile rank between low, moderate, and high specialization groups and independent samples

RESULTS: Mean Pedi-FABS score was 23.6 ± 4.9. In total, 24.2%, 38.5%, and 37.4% of athletes classified as low, moderate, and highly specialized, respectively. Mean percentile ranks were 56.2%, 64.7%, and 62.6% for locomotor, object control, and gross motor domains, respectively. No athlete achieved a percentile rank >99% in any domain of the TGMD-2, and there was no significant difference between specialization groups or sex.

CONCLUSION: Despite high activity levels, no athlete demonstrated proficiency in any domain of the TGMD-2, and there was no difference in proficiency between specialization levels or by sex.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Sport participation, regardless of level, does not ensure adequate mastery of FMS.

Journal Title

Sports Health

Volume

16

Issue

4

First Page

527

Last Page

533

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Motor Skills; Male; Female; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adolescent; Child; Sex Factors; Athletic Performance

Keywords

fundamental movement skills; physical literacy; sports specialization

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