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Purpose: The aim of this study is to measure the concurrent validity of the Athletic Skills Track (AST) by examining whether its outcome score correlates with the holistic judgments of experts about the quality of movement. Method: Video recordings of children performing the AST were shown to physical education teachers who independently gave a holistic rating of the movement quality of each child. Results: Both intra- and interrater reliability of the teachers' ratings were moderate to good. The holistic judgments on movement quality were significantly correlated with AST time, showing that higher ratings were associated with less time required to complete the track. Next, hierarchical stepwise regression indicated that in addition to the holistic rating, also age, but not gender, explained part of the variance in AST time. Conclusion: The findings show that the AST has good concurrent validity and provides a fast, indirect indication for quality of movement.

This study's purpose was to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and motor competence (MC) in 540 children, adolescents, and young adults. Using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSEIT), participants were divided in three groups of high, average, and low EI. The short form of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test for Motor Proficiency -- 2 (BOTMP-2SF) evaluated MC. Within each age and sex group, associations between MC and a) EI as a global construct and b) the four subdomains of EI were overall significant (with p < 0.01 for 85 out of 90 correlations) and very strong (with 66 correlations > 0.60). A 3 (EI groups) x 3 (age groups) x 2 (sex) ANOVA on standardized overall MC scores revealed that in all age groups, participants with higher EI outperformed their peers with average and low EI with respect to MC (p < 0.001). Additionally, boys scored higher on MC tests compared to girls (p < 0.001). A third-order interaction effect (p < 0.001) revealed that boys' superiority in MC generally decreased from childhood to adulthood, especially in the low EI group. The outcomes of this study show a robust relationship between EI and MC from childhood through early adulthood, suggesting a novel MC correlate throughout the lifespan.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of an obstacle course based physical education program, designed according to contemporary insights on motor learning, on motor competence (MC) of 6- to 7-year-old Flemish children. Method: Pupils from 16 primary schools were randomly allocated to either control (n = 173, 50.3% boys) or intervention group (n = 182, 54.9% boys). MC, assessed with the Körperkoordinationtest für Kinder (KTK), was analyzed with a 2 (Gender, girls vs. boys) x 2 (Group: INT vs. CON) x 3 (Time: pre vs. inter vs. post) Repeated Measures ANOVA. Results: The MC in the intervention group improved more compared with the control group (Time x Group interaction, p < 0.001). Moreover, a shift to a more favorable MC classification is seen for all children in intervention group. Conclusion: The results underline the potential value of an obstacle course based PE program based and provide a gateway for optimization of the current PE programs.

Purpose: To study the relationship between actual motor competence (AMC) and perceived motor competence (PMC) in a large sample of 6- to 12-year-old children. Method: The AMC and PMC were measured (N = 1,669, 55% boys) with the Athletic Skills Track and the Physical Self-Confidence Scale, respectively. A variable-centered approach was applied to examine the AMC-PMC association by means of correlation coefficients and Fisher's "z" tests. Cluster analyses were used to identify profiles of children from a person-centered perspective. Results: The AMC-PMC correlation strengthened with increasing age (r = 0.084 in 6- to 7-year-olds to r = 0.416 in 10- to 11-year-olds). The person-centered approach revealed two profiles with corresponding levels of AMC and PMC, and two profiles with divergent levels. Discussion: In addition to clarifying the age-related increase in the association between AMC and PMC, the profiles from the person-centered approach result in new gateways for tailoring interventions to the needs of children with different AMC-PMC profiles.

For lifeguards, recognizing a swimmer in trouble is a key factor in the rescue process. Although reports show that lifeguards outperform non-lifeguards in their surveillance task, it is unclear to what extent this difference is reflected in gaze behaviour. In the current study, gaze behaviour of nine novice and seven experienced beach lifeguards was recorded for 45 min while they were on active duty. Results showed that fixation duration of experienced lifeguards was longer and more variable than that of novice lifeguards, and that these differences were more pronounced when looking at the task-relevant region (i.e., swimming zone). Compared to experienced lifeguards, novices were found to be more distracted by the task-irrelevant regions when there were more people swimming. These findings suggest that experienced lifeguards use a more flexible and task-related gaze strategy, and that there might be differences in visual information processing between novice and experienced beach lifeguards.

Sports are characterized by unique rules, environments, and tasks, but also share fundamental similarities with each other sport. Such between-sports parallels can be vital for optimizing talent transfer processes. This study aimed to explore similarities between sports to provide an objective basis for clustering sports into families by means of machine learning. An online survey was conducted, garnering responses from 1,247 coaches across 36 countries and 34 sports. The survey gauged the importance (0 = not important 10 = important) of 18 characteristics related to the sport and the athlete performing in that sport. These traits formed the basis for the categorization of a sport by means of machine learning, particularly unsupervised clustering, and the LIME feature explainer. Analysis grouped 34 sports into five clusters based on shared features. A similarity matrix illustrated the degree of overlap among sports. The application of unsupervised clustering emphasized the lack of a single overarching attribute across sports, marking a shift away from traditional clustering approaches that rely on a limited set of characteristics for talent transfer. The results highlight the importance of identifying common sports for talent transfer, which could prove advantageous in guiding athletes towards new sporting directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A person-centred approach was used to examine whether children with various actual and perceived motor competence (AMC and PMC) profiles differ in (enjoyment of) physical fitness (PF). The strength of the relationship between AMC and PMC was also assessed through aligned assessment tools. A sample of 287 7–11-year-old children (47.40% boys, Mage = 8.92 ±.78 years) was assessed on AMC with the KörperkoordinationsTest für Kinder (KTK3), and on PF with six validated fitness tests. Animated videos fully aligned with the AMC- and PF-tests were used to assess children's PMC and enjoyment of PF, respectively. Cluster analyses identified one convergent (i.e. high AMC-high PMC) and three partially convergent AMC-PMC profiles (i.e. low AMC-high PMC). Furthermore, children with relatively high AMC (i.e. high-average profile) reported higher PF (F = 30.99, p <.001), while children with relatively high PMC (i.e. average-high profile) reported higher enjoyment of PF (F = 9.02, p <.001). The correlation between AMC and PMC was significant but weak (r =.16). Overall, it seems important to invest in both children's AMC and PMC as they may support a higher (enjoyment of) PF, potentially leading to higher PA-levels. Highlights: When it comes to physical fitness, actual motor competence rather than perceived motor competence seemed to play the biggest role. As extra high perceived motor competence did not add additional benefits in terms of physical fitness, there might have been a ceiling effect of perceived motor competence. When looking at enjoyment of physical fitness, perceived motor competence seemed to be a more important factor than actual motor competence. However, profile analyses revealed that a relatively high perceived motor competence score may not fully compensate the loss of enjoyment in physical fitness when children's actual motor competence is relatively low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the predictive value of a (non-)sport-specific test battery on the future success of young cyclists, test scores were compared with competition performances 2–3 years later. Methods: Three motor coordination, 5 physical performance, and 2 cycling-specific measurements were collected in 111 U15 (13.0–14.9 y) and 67 U17 (15.0–16.9 y) male road cyclists. In addition, maturity status, relative age, and competition history were assessed. National and provincial competition results 2–3 years later, in the U17year2 and U19year2 categories, were submitted to 2 separate 4-stage hierarchical regressions. Results: The results of the model of the U15 group revealed that maturity, relative age, competition history, motor coordination, physical performance, and cycling-specific performance accounted for 22.6% of the variance in competitive success. For the U15 category, only maturity and motor coordination were significant predictors of competitive success in the U17year2 category. Maturity and motor coordination each uniquely explained ±5% of the variance. However, for the U17 group—neither motor coordination, physical performance, nor cycling-specific performance could predict competitive success in the U19year2 category. Conclusions: The current study underlines the importance of general motor coordination as a building block necessary for optimal development in youth cycling. However, considering the lack of predictive value from the U17 category onward, other features may determine further development of youth athletes. Nevertheless, it is questioned why athletes need to possess a minimum level of all physical, motor coordination, and cycling-specific characteristics to experience success and enjoyment in their sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is some, albeit inconsistent, evidence supporting sex differences in preschoolers' motor competence (MC), with these observations not uniform when analyzed by age, and cultural groups. Thus, this study examined sex differences across ages in 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children's MC. A cross‐country pooled sample of 6241 children aged 3–5 years (49.6% girls) was assessed for MC using the Test of Gross Motor Development—2nd/3rd edition, and children were categorized into groups of age in months. Multiple linear regression models and predictive margins were calculated to explore how sex and age in months affect scores of MC (i.e., locomotor and ball skills), with adjustments for country and BMI. The Chow's Test was used to test for the presence of a structural break in the data. Significant differences in favor of girls were seen at 57–59 and 66–68 months of age for locomotor skills; boys performed better in ball skills in all age periods, except for 42–44 and 45–47 months of age. The higher marginal effects were observed for the period between 45–47 and 48–50 months for locomotor skills (F = 30.21; and F = 25.90 for girls and boys, respectively), and ball skills (F = 19.01; and F = 42.11 for girls and boys, respectively). A significantly positive break point was seen at 45–47 months, highlighting the age interval where children's MC drastically improved. The identification of this breakpoint provides an evidence‐based metric for when we might expect MC to rapidly increase, and an indicator of early delay when change does not occur at that age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]