TY - JOUR
T1 - Highly Active Middle School Athletes Demonstrate Poor Motor Skill Proficiency
AU - PRiSM Injury Prevention Research Interest Group
AU - Butler, Lauren S.
AU - Sugimoto, Dai
AU - Erdman, Ashley
AU - Yoder, Jason
AU - Greiner, Kayla
AU - Larroque, Cynthia
AU - Latz, Kevin
AU - Loewen, Alex
AU - Wyatt, Charles W.
AU - DeVerna, Amie
AU - Ulman, Sophia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s).
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - 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 t tests were used to compare sexes (α < 0.05). 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.
AB - 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 t tests were used to compare sexes (α < 0.05). 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.
KW - fundamental movement skills
KW - physical literacy
KW - sports specialization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163198709&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85163198709&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/19417381231178822
DO - 10.1177/19417381231178822
M3 - Article
C2 - 37329118
AN - SCOPUS:85163198709
SN - 1941-7381
JO - Sports Health
JF - Sports Health
ER -