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Background : The Test of Gross Motor Development–3 (TGMD-3) is used to assess locomotor (LOCS) and ball (BS) skills in children. This test provides relevant information for evaluating learning and determining teaching efficacy. However, conducting and coding the test is time consuming. A screening form may improve its usage in specific settings and populations. Purpose: This study aimed to develop a screening form for the TGMD-3-SF and examine its validity and reliability. Method: We assessed 1,192 3-to-10-year-old children; 772 children completed the TGMD-3 and 420 the TGMD-3-SF; 114 children were retested for temporal stability and 300 for criterion validity. Results: We found appropriate results for the two-factors model, LOCS (gallop, hop, and skip) and BS (one-hand strike, kick, and overhand throw), RMSEA = .025, comparative-fit index = .99, and Tukey–Lewis index = .99; internal consistency (LOCS, α = .60; BS, α = .71); item validity (LOCS, r = .43, p < .001; BS, r = .47, p < .001); interrater (ICC = .86–.99), intrarater (ICC = .61–.92), test–retest (LOCS, ICC = .87; BS, ICC = .78) reliability, and concurrent validity (LOCS, r = .89, p < .01; BS, r = .90, p < .001). Conclusions: The TGMD-3-SF is valid and reliable for assessing children’s gross motor development.

Contemporary learning and development models have identified parkour-style training as a vehicle for athlete enrichment. However, perceptions of team-sport coaches and their receptiveness to such models of athlete enrichment have not been investigated and remain unclear. To explore how parkour-style training could be integrated into athlete development programs in team sports, we interviewed sport practitioners to explore their preexisting knowledge of parkour and their perceptions on its potential applications. Experienced talent development (n = 10) and strength and conditioning coaches (n = 10) were interviewed using an open-ended, semistructured approach with a two-stage thematic analysis being conducted to identify themes. Three dimensions were identified: coaches’ general perceptions of parkour, potential applications of parkour, and feasibility of integrating parkour into athlete development programs. Participant perceptions revealed that: (a) parkour activities were viewed as supplementary activities to enrich sport-specific training routines, including use of obstacle courses and/or tag elements; (b) parkour-style obstacle environments needed to be scalable to allow individual athletes and coaches to manipulate object orientation and tasks using soft play and traditional gym equipment; and (c) the implementation of continued professional development opportunities, athlete-centered approaches to learning designs in sport, and coach–parent forums were recommended to support the integration of parkour-style training.

This study aims to investigate the effect of age and urban and rural living environments on children’s actual and perceived motor competence. To that end, 320 female students aged 8–12 years were selected through random cluster sampling. The perceived motor competence of the participants was assessed using Marsh’s Physical Self-Description Questionnaire, and their actual motor competence was measured by the Test of Gross Motor Development-3. The results showed significant differences between urban and rural girls in perceived and actual motor competence (p < .05). However, age did not make any significant difference in motor competence (p > .05). The most significant differences in actual and perceived motor competence between urban and rural girls were observed in girls aged 8 and 10 (p < .05). The findings also indicated that rural children performed better in actual motor skills, especially ball skills. Therefore, based on the findings, it was concluded that the rural environment could have a greater impact on actual motor competence.

Understanding the mechanisms associated with engaging in physical activity (PA) is crucial for its promotion. The aim was to analyze the relationship between motor competence (MC) and PA and the role of physical fitness (PF). Participants were N = 1,064 children of both sexes (n = 530 girls) and 7.87 ± 1.17 years of age. MC was assessed with KörperkoordinationTest für Kinder. PF was assessed with 50-yard dash, 1-mile run/walk, and standing long jump. PA was assessed with a questionnaire. Mediation and moderation were determined according to Baron and Kenny using Sobel test for indirect effect and using PROCESS (version 3.4). Mediation results showed perfect mediation in girls but not in boys and not when all participants were included in the analysis. The linear moderation was significant for all participants and for boys and girls apart. However, the results of conditional effects of MC at the 16th, 50th, and 84th percentile of the PF, which became significant at the 50th percentile for all participants and for boys, were not significant in girls. In conclusion, perfect mediation seems to exist in girls but not in boys. In boys, the relationship between MC and PA seems conditioned by the PF levels.

Background: Roberton’s movement components are used to assess fundamental motor skills as segmental developmental sequences. In 1991, Haywood, Williams and VanSant determined that original developmental sequences proposed for the backswing levels of the overarm throw did not encompass all ages. Their study of older throwers identified two new qualitatively different levels, with half the participants categorized at two new levels. This investigation extended the initial validation across a wider age range. Method: Two hundred and twenty-eight primary, high school, university students, and adults were instructed to make five throws for maximum force using their dominant hand. Throws were recorded with side and rear cameras synchronized for analysis. Prelongitudinal screening was used to analyze the Haywood et al. revisions of the Langendorfer developmental sequence. Results: Five of the six levels of Haywood’s sequence were suitable for assessing throwers 8 years of age through to adulthood. More study is needed of one less advanced pattern. Lower level throws corresponded to lower velocities; higher level throws were faster, suggesting the sequence was properly ordered. More males than females were classified at higher levels, demonstrating typical gender differences. Discussion: The categories hypothesized for the backswing action of the overarm throw were valid descriptors of differences observed across ages, from childhood to adulthood. Additional study of Levels 3 and 4 is warranted to clarify their order.

The present study examined the test–retest reliability of the Ghent University dribbling test and short dribble test in a pediatric population. Fifty-four boys aged 9–14 years (mean ± SD = 11 ± 2 years) undertook the Ghent University and dribbling tests on two occasions separated by 2 weeks. Intraclass correlation coefficients, coefficient of variation, and 95% limits of agreement were conducted for each test. Intraclass correlation coefficients and coefficient of variation indicated good to excellent reliability, and relatively small variability for both dribbling tests. The 95% limits of agreement indicated relatively little bias Ghent University dribbling test for both running alone and running with the ball components, and the Bangsbo and Mohr short dribble test. The results of the present study suggest both dribbling tests examined in the present study demonstrate good reliability and low levels of systematic bias.

This review addresses the question of a possible specificity of motor development of preterm children with no diagnosis of neurological impairment or major cerebral lesion. With that goal, we proceed with a narrative review on the basis of nine studies. All the studies used standardized assessments of motor abilities with a comparison methodology of preterm and full-term groups aged between 3 and 8 years. The review stresses three major findings in the preterm groups as compared with the full-term groups: (a) inferior fine motor abilities; (b) heterogeneity in motor skills; and (c) differences in efficiency of cognitive, perceptual, and mobilization of perceptual motor processes, which do not necessarily result in lower scores in global performances. These findings suggest the need of long-term medical follow-up for all preterm children whether or not they are at risk for neurodevelopmental disorder. Focusing attention on the use of sensory information for motor control in preterm children could also lead to more precise evaluations of motor abilities, which will then provide more detailed parameters for improved learning and rehabilitation programs.

The purpose of this study was to examine the distance of varying focus of attention for experienced and novice golfers on a golf putting task. Forty-eight experienced and 48 novice golfers were randomized into four attentional focus conditions: control (no instruction), internal (i.e., focus on the arm movement), external proximal (i.e., focus on the golf club), and external distal (i.e., focus on the target) conditions. Performance outcomes (the perceived level of confidence and number of golf putts made) were recorded. Experienced golfers had better performance outcomes than novice golfers. The external proximal focus was specifically beneficial for novice golfers, while experienced golfers had an advantage in both external focus instructions. The external proximal focus might enable a perception-action process for novice golfers to compare the relationship between action planning and the surrounding environment. In addition, the transition to expertise might result in no difference between both external focus instructions for experienced golfers.

Adults (N = 54, 80.78 ± 6.08 years) who reported falling during the previous 12 months participated in a 12-week wobble board training program with internal focus or external focus (EF) instructions. Verbal manipulation checks were performed after training sessions as a self-report of the attentional foci used. The percentage of sessions in which participants reported using an EF (EF_SR) was subsequently calculated. Mean velocity and mean power frequency in the anterior–posterior (MVELO_AP and MPF_AP) and medial–lateral (MVELO_ML and MPF_ML) direction were assessed during a 35-s wobble board task at Weeks 0, 6, 12, 13, 16, and 20, with the latter three as retention tests. Piecewise linear growth models estimated treatment effects on individual growth trajectories of MVELO_{AP and ML} and MPF_{AP and ML} during intervention and retention periods. Regardless of condition, MVELO_ML significantly decreased (π = −.0019, p = .005) and MPF_ML increased (π = .025, p < .02) during the intervention period. In analyses including interaction terms, participants in the EF group who reported greater EF_SR had superior progression of MPF_AP during the intervention (π = .0013, p = .025). Verbal manipulation checks suggest a preference for and advantage of EF for facilitating postural control performance and automaticity.