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Speed agility is considered as the whole assessment of speed of movement, agility and coordination. The 10x4m test has been broadly used to evaluate physical fitness and overall health in children of developmental ages. A myriad of studies have investigated the ecology of speed agility (SA). However, body dimensions are rarely appraised, and this is a weakness because body shapes are affected by growth. This study aimed to model SA-specific allometric equations, and develop an approach objectively predictive for performance while controlling for maturity through age at peak height velocity (agePHV). A total of 7317 (3627 girls) children aged 8–11 years were SA-tested. Multiplicative models with allometric body-size components, agePHV, and categorical differences, were implemented to evaluate SA performance. Model 1 accounted for body-size and shape only, whereas Model 2 included agePHV and Model 3 considered standing broad jump (SBJ) as a surrogate marker for explosive strength. An ectomorphic dominance was revealed across all the models. The explosive strength resulted in influencing SA per height-to-weight ratio. Further, positive exponent of agePHV suggested that the late maturers were likely to show better SA performances. Predictive equations modelled on developmental factors are fundamental to scrutinise performances as valuable health and fitness outcomes in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perceived school self-efficacy (SE) is an important variable in students’ activities as it affects their motivation and learning. Further, self-efficacy might represent a good predictor of performance, persistence and perseverance. Motor skills and other physical health determinants are extensively debated and linked to cognitive function in children of developmental age. However, inconclusive evidence supports a definitive relationship between perceived school SE and motor skills among schoolchildren. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 6–11-year-old schoolchildren to evaluate the extent by which perceived school SE and physical health determinants were related. Methods: A SE questionnaire and motor performance battery tests were administered to primary school pupils recruited from 154 sampled schools of northwest Italy. Perceived SE at school was assessed via 12 items from the Caprara’s questionnaire. Motor performance scores were obtained from motor skill tests: 4 × 10 m shuttle run test, SRT; standing broad jump, SBJ; six-minute walking test, 6MWT. Results: A total of 3,962 children (M = 2,019; F = 1943) were studied and 68% were normal weight. Overall, a 58% of the sample perceived a high SE, while, as to gender differences, a greater percentage of females perceived high levels of school SE with respect to any other level (χ2 = 38.93, p < 0.0001). Results from multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that: (i) females perceived higher SE compared to males; (ii) children who performed better in SRT and 6MWT showed higher levels of perceived school SE; (iii) no significant effect was registered for the body weight. Alternative strategies are encouraged to enhance SE through physical education: structured interventions might enhance both complex motor skills and high-order cognitive skills, like SE, in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: During manual wheelchair (MWC) skill acquisition, users adapt their propulsion technique through changes in biomechanical parameters. This evolution is assumed to be driven towards a more efficient behavior. However, when no specific training protocol is provided to users, little is known about how they spontaneously adapt during overground MWC locomotion. For that purpose, we investigated this biomechanical spontaneous adaptation within the initial phase of low-intensity uninstructed training. Materials and methods: Eighteen novice able-bodied subjects were enrolled to perform 120 min of uninstructed practice with a field MWC, distributed over 4 weeks. Subjects were tested during the very first minutes of the program, and after completion of the entire training protocol. Spatiotemporal parameters, handrim forces, motor force, rolling resistance and fore-aft stability were investigated using an instrumented field wheelchair. Results: Participants rapidly increased linear velocity of the MWC, thanks to a higher propulsive force. This was achieved thanks to higher handrim forces, combined with an improved fraction of effective force for startup but not for propulsion. Despite changes in mechanical actions exerted by the user on the MWC, rolling resistance remained constant but the stability index was noticeably altered. Conclusion: Even if no indication is given, novice MWC users rapidly change their propulsion technique and increase their linear speed. Such improvements in MWC mobility are allowed by a mastering of the whole range of stability offered by the MWC, which raises the issue of safety on the MWC. The learning process of manual wheelchair locomotion induces adaptations for novice users, who change their propulsion technique to improve their mobility. Several wheelchair biomechanical parameters change during the learning process, especially wheelchair speed, handrim forces, motor force, rolling resistance and fore-aft stability. Fore-aft stability on the wheelchair rapidly reached the tipping limits for users. Technical solutions that preserve stability but do not hinder mobility have to beimplemented, for instance by adding anti-tipping wheels rather than moving the seat forwards with respect to the rear wheels axle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine associations between motor coordination, body mass index (BMI), and sports participation in children 6–11 years old. Methods: 240 primary school children were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, divided into three age groups, each of which was subdivided into four weight classes: underweight (UW), normoweight (NW), overweight (OW), and obese (OB). The UW and NW groups were then compared to the OW and OB groups for differences in motor coordination ability and sports participation. Results: Motor coordination ability was observed to decrease and the proportion of OW/OB children to increase with age. A significant association between BMI and motor coordination ability was noted (p < 0.01), indicating that ability levels were lower in the OW and OB groups than in the UW and NW groups. Sports participation did not seem to depend on BMI status. Furthermore, a reduction of MC in both BMI groups according to the age-class stratification was observed. Conclusion: A significant decrease in motor coordination ability with increasing age, together with an increase in overweight/obesity status become actual. Moreover, a negative influence was observed on coordination skills according to the increment in BMI level. Since BMI status was not seen as a deterrent to physical activity, teachers, physicians, parents, and trainers should encourage children to take up sports and continue participation to better develop their motor coordination abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between motor performance and body fatness among 3- to 5-year-old children. The second aim was to assess whether this relationship works similarly for boys and girls. We also investigated whether socioeconomic status (SES) and geographical area when children are aged 3 years old predicts the motor performance of 4 and 5-yr-old children. Motor performance was assessed through the Preschool Test Battery, while body fatness was estimated through body mass index (BMI). SES and geographical area were assessed via parent proxy-report questionnaires. BMI was negatively associated with standing long jump. The association of BMI and motor performance was not statistically different for boys and girls. Children from low SES performed better than high SES peers in tennis ball throw for distance. Rural children were better performers than urban peers in standing long jump. Rural area at baseline was also predictor of standing long jump and tennis ball throw for distance at time 1 and 2. In conclusion, BMI had a negative association with standing long jump and the relationship of BMI with all motor tests was similar for boys and girls. SES and rural area were predictors of motor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major racket sports include badminton, squash, table tennis and tennis. The growth of sports science and the commercialization of racket sports in recent years have focused attention on improved performance and this has led to a more detailed study and understanding of all aspects of racket sports. The aim here, therefore, is to review recent developments of the application of science to racket sports. The scientific disciplines of sports physiology and nutrition, notational analysis, sports biomechanics, sports medicine, sports engineering, sports psychology and motor skills are briefly considered in turn. It is evident from these reviews that a great deal of scientific endeavour has been applied to racket sports, but this is variable across both the racket sports and the scientific disciplines. A scientific approach has helped to: implement training programmes to improve players' fitness; guide players in nutritional and psychological preparation for play; inform players of the strategy and tactics used by themselves and their opponents; provide insight into the technical performance of skills; understand the effect of equipment on play; and accelerate the recovery from racket-arm injuries. Racket sports have also posed a unique challenge to scientists and have provided vehicles for developing scientific methodology. Racket sports provide a good model for investigating the interplay between aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and the effect of nutrition, heat and fatigue on performance. They have driven the development of mathematical solutions for multi-segment interactions within the racket arm during the performance of shots, which have contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms of both performance and injury. They have provided a unique challenge to sports engineers in relation to equipment performance and interaction with the player. Racket sports have encouraged developments in notational analysis both in terms of analytical procedures and the conceptualization of strategy and tactics. Racket sports have provided a vehicle for investigating fast interceptive actions, hand-eye coordination and perception-action coupling in the field of motor control. In conclusion, science has contributed considerably to our knowledge and understanding of racket sports, and racket sports have contributed to science by providing unique challenges to researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]