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Copyright of Facta Universitatis: Series Physical Education & Sport is the property of Facta Universitatis, Series Physical Education & Sport and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Basketball is a complex sports game, interrupted by the constant change of defense and offense, and it is a combination of cyclic and most often acyclic movements. Since basketball involves sudden and intense changes in the movement direction, high frequencies of initiating dribbling and movement in posture, stoppings, and physical contact allowed by game rules, there is a link between the abilities needed for successful basketball playing and playing positions. This research aimed to determine the differences in motoric abilities, i.e. the change of direction speed, explosive strength, and running speed of basketball players who compete in different ranks of the competition in relation to the playing positions. The sample of 25 basketball players was divided into two subsamples in relation to the rank of the competition (elite and sub-elite). Eleven motoric ability tests were used in the study (change of direction speed - four tests, explosive strength - four tests, and running speed - three tests). Applying the analysis of variance (ANOVA and MANOVA), differences in motoric abilities were determined between basketball players of different ranks of a competition in relation to the playing positions in the team. Based on the results, a conclusion was reached that the players differ in favor of a higher rank of a competition in the tested abilities, namely those ones who play in the forward position. It can be inferred that a higher rank of a competition requires better quality preparation and players who differ in tactical thinking and better performance of measured abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: How children grow and develop, there are different opportunities for activities that are important for promotion of motor skills, where pre-school and sports environments play an important role. This study aims to determine the level of motor proficiency and possible differences in motor skills of preschool boys according to their participation in organized physical activities. Methods: Eighty-four boys aged 5 to 7 years divided into three groups: the control group, football, and judo-sports school were assessed with MABC-2 test. MANOVA and discriminant analysis were employed to find differences in motor proficiency among groups. Results: Follow up Univariate test found significant differences in favour of football group participants in relation to the control group in aiming & catching F (2,81) = 10.524, p = .001, n² =.204 large effect size, and Total Test Score F (2,81) = 4.923, p = .010, n²=.101 moderate effect size. The discrimination coefficient explained the biggest differences in the capabilities of boys in aiming and catching, with a contribution of 74,4%. No differences have been found in manual dexterity. Although balance did not show significant between groups differences, 50% to 52% of boys from the control and judo-sport school groups scored below the 50th percentile. Conclusion: The children who attended football were significantly more skilful in aiming and catching and had significantly better total test scores than children who did not participate in organized physical activity. This study highlighted that organized physical activity, primarily through sport context, have an positive impact on motor development at preschool age. Further longitudinal research studies are needed to examine influnce of various organized sports activities on development of motor skills in preschool-age children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]