Alessandro Hervaldo Nicolai Ré

Motor competence and health related physical fitness in youth: a systematic review

OBJECTIVESnThis study aimed to review the scientific evidence on associations between motor competence (MC) and components of health related physical fitness (HRPF), in children and adolescents.nnnDESIGNnSystematic review.nnnMETHODSnSystematic search of Academic Search Premier, ERIC, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, SportDiscus, and Web of Science databases was undertaken between October 2012 and December 2013. Studies examining associations between MC and HRPF components (body weight status, cardiorespiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitness and flexibility) in healthy children and adolescents, published between 1990 and 2013, were included. Risk of bias within studies was assessed using CONSORT and STROBE guidelines. The origin, design, sample, measure of MC, measure of the HRPF, main results and statistics of the studies were analyzed and a narrative synthesis was conducted.nnnRESULTSnForty-four studies matched all criteria; 16 were classified as low risk of bias and 28 as medium risk. There is strong scientific evidence supporting an inverse association between MC and body weight status (27 out of 33 studies) and a positive association between MC and cardiorespiratory fitness (12 out of 12 studies) and musculoskeletal fitness (7 out of 11 studies). The relationship between MC and flexibility was uncertain.nnnCONCLUSIONSnConsidering the noted associations between various assessments of MC and with multiple aspects of HRPF, the development of MC in childhood may both directly and indirectly augment HRPF and may serve to enhance the development of long-term health outcomes in children and adolescents.

Indicadores de aptidão física de escolares da região centro-oeste da cidade de São Paulo

The objectives of this study were: a) to evaluate indicators of physical fitness in children and adolescents according to chronological age and gender; b) to classify their performance using the PROESP-BR normative tables. A total of 3145 randomly selected school children (1590 boys and 1555 girls), ranging in age from 7 to 16 years, were submitted to the following tests: distance covered in a 9-minute run, standing long jump test, medicine-ball throw, and 60-s situp test to measure abdominal muscle endurance. Significant differences were observed between genders at all chronological ages and also between boys of different chronological ages. In girls, no significant differences were observed between chronological ages, with performance tending to stabilize at 11/12 years of age. Classification of the participants according to the PROESP-BR normative tables showed that more than 50% of all subjects were below the 40th percentile in all tests, especially girls. The same tendency was observed when compared to other Brazilian studies. Considering mean values, it can be concluded that the school children studied, especially girls,presented a low level of physical fitness, thus indicating the need for health promotion programs in the midwest region of Sao Paulo City addressing physical activity.Os objetivos deste estudo foram: a) mensurar indicadores de aptidao fisica em criancas e adolescentes, de acordo com a idade cronologica e o sexo; b) classificar seu desempenho por meio das tabelas normativas do PROESP-BR. Participaram do estudo 3145 escolares selecionados aleatoriamente (1590 meninos e 1555 meninas), com idades entre 7 e 16 anos, que realizaram os seguintes testes: distância percorrida em 9 minutos de corrida, salto horizontal, arremesso de medicine-ball e flexao abdominal em 1 minuto. Foram verificadas diferencas estatisticamente significantes entre os sexos em todas as idades cronologicas, bem como nas comparacoes entre os jovens do sexo masculino de diferentes idades cronologicas. No sexo feminino, nao houve diferencas significantes no fator idade cronologica, existindo, ainda, uma tendencia de estabilizacao do desempenho a partir dos 11/12 anos de idade. Classificando-se os jovens nas tabelas normativas do PROESP-BR, observaram-se valores elevados, em geral, superiores a 50%, para a classificacao ruim (abaixo do percentil 40) em todos os testes para ambos os sexos, principalmente, no feminino; essa mesma tendencia foi observada na comparacao com outros estudos brasileiros. Considerando os valores medios obtidos, concluiu-se que os jovens, principalmente, do sexo feminino, apresentam um baixo nivel de aptidao fisica, fato que justifica a necessidade de programas de promocao de saude na regiao centro oeste de Sao Paulo, especialmente, voltados a pratica de atividades fisicas.

Relações entre crescimento, desempenho motor, maturação biológica e idade cronológica em jovens do sexo masculino

Os objetivos desse estudo foram: a) comparar o desempenho motor e caracteristicas antropometricas de jovens em diferentes estagios maturacionais em faixas etarias especificas (10-11, 12, 13, 14, 15-16 anos de idade); b) na faixa etaria de 10 a 16 anos, verificar a contribuicao relativa conjunta de caracter isticas antropometricas, das idades cronologica e biologica (estagio de pilosidade) e de medidas de desempenho motor, nos resultados dos testes de SEMO (agilidade), salto horizontal e corrida de 30 m (velocidade). A amostra foi composta por 268 jovens do sexo masculino entre 10 e 16 anos de idade(M = 13,6; DP = 1,5) frequentadores de um programa de iniciacao esportiva. O conhecimento do estagio maturacional em que o jovem se encontrava nao contribuiu na explicacao da variabilidade dos resultados em nenhuma das medidas de desempenho motor realizadas. Concluiu-se que, em jovens de faixa etaria semelhante, aqueles em estagios maturacionais mais adiantados tenderam a apresentar uma maior massa corporal e estatura, mas nao apresentaram diferencas significantes na maioria das compara coes entre as variaveis de desempenho motor nos diferentes grupos considerados.

Anthropometric Characteristics and Motor Skills in Talent Selection and Development in Indoor Soccer

Kick performance, anthropometric characteristics, slalom, and linear running were assessed in 49 (24 elite, 25 nonelite) postpubertal indoor soccer players in order to (a) verify whether anthropometric characteristics and physical and technical capacities can distinguish players of different competitive levels, (b) compare the kicking kinematics of these groups, with and without a defined target, and (c) compare results on the assessments and coaches subjective rankings of the players. Thigh circumference and specific technical capacities differentiated the players by level of play; cluster analysis correctly classified 77.5% of the players. The correlation between players standardized measures and the coaches rankings was 0.29. Anthropometric characteristics and physical capacities do not necessarily differentiate players at post-pubertal stages and should not be overvalued during early development. Considering the coaches rankings, performance measures outside the specific game conditions may not be useful in identification of talented players.

Anthropometric characteristics, field test scores and match-related technical performance in youth indoor soccer players with different playing status

This study compared anthropometric characteristics, field test scores and match-related technical performance of elite youth indoor soccer players from different playing status and examined the relationship between these variables. Sixty elite adolescent players (age 14.0 ± 0.93 years) were selected for the study and grouped as starters (n=21), non-starters (n=21) and substitutes without participation in the games (n=18). The participants underwent measurements for anthropometry (height, body mass, sum of three skinfolds), field tests that simulated training drills (linear and zigzag running and kicking, passing and dribbling abilities) and match-related technical performance of twenty competitive games (passing, dribbling, kicking and disarms and interceptions). ANOVA showed no statistically significant differences between groups and, in general, the measures obtained outside of the games did not correlate with performance in the games. Thus, in elite adolescent players, anthropometric characteristics and isolated skills do not predict match-related technical performance and should be used with caution for talent identification or training purposes. Many part-practice drills commonly used to train technique in stable and predictable conditions may not be useful to improve technical performance in real matches, particularly in players who have already mastered the basic fundamentals of soccer.

Association between sports participation, motor competence and weight status: A longitudinal study

OBJECTIVESnThe aim of this study was to investigate if baseline motor competence, weight status and sports participation in early childhood predict sports participation two years later.nnnDESIGNnlongitudinal study.nnnMETHODSnIn 2010, motor competence (object control and locomotor skills), weight status and sports participation were assessed in 292 children between three and five years-of-age. In 2012, sports participation was re-evaluated in 206 of the original 292 children. Logistic regression was implemented to examine if initial sports participation, motor competence and weight status would predict sports participation two years later.nnnRESULTSnIn the final model, sports participation in 2010 (OR=9.68, CI: 3.46 to 27.13) and locomotor skills (OR=1.21, CI: 1.01 to 1.46) significantly predicted sports participation after two years.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThese results suggest that initial sports participation and more advanced locomotor skills in preschool years may be important to promote continued participation in sports across childhood.

Participation in sports practice and motor competence in preschoolers

Abstract —Recent theoretical model suggests that motor competence during early childhood is related to one’s current and future health status and that practicing sports seems to be playing a special role in creating such competence. This study aimed to compare performance in gross motor skills among preschoolers participating in regular sports practice (SP) and those not participating (NSP), including comparisons by gender. The study uses secondary data from a popu-lation-based study of performance regarding the locomotor and object control skills of preschoolers (3 to 5 years old). Preschoolers were assigned to groups SP or NSP, paired by age and sex according to skills: locomotor ( n = 54; 30 boys) or object control ( n = 37; 17 boys). Analysis of variance showed that the SP group outperformed the NSP one, and there were gender differences only within SP group. Starting to practice sports during early childhood helps to build motor competence and benefits both genders.Keywords: psychomotor performance, children, sports, physical activity

Questionable use of performance testing to predict success in soccer players: comment on Ljach, et al. (2012).

This commentary addresses a prior article by Ljach, et al. (2012) on the topic of talent identification and development in soccer. Despite the potential usefulness of their findings to organize training processes, the predictability of performance testing in talent identification for soccer remains unclear.

Comparison of motor competence levels on two assessments across childhood.

ABSTRACT This study compared performances and motor delay classifications for the Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd edition (TGMD-2) and the Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK) in a sample of 424 healthy children (47% girls) between 5 and 10 years of age. Low-to-moderate correlations (r range = 0.34–0.52) were found between assessments across age. In general, both boys and girls demonstrated higher raw scores across age groups. However, percentile scores indicated younger children outperformed older children, denoting a normative percentile-based decrease in motor competence (MC) in the older age groups. In total, the TGMD-2 and KTK classified 39.4% and 18.4% children, respectively, as demonstrating very low MC (percentile ≤5). In conclusion, the TGMD-2 classified significantly more children with motor delays than the KTK and the differences between children’s motor skill classification levels by these assessments became greater as the age groups increased. Therefore, the TGMD-2 may demonstrate more susceptibility to sociocultural influences and be more influenced by cumulative motor experiences throughout childhood. Low-to-moderate correlations between assessments also suggest the TGMD-2 and KTK may measure different aspects of MC. As such, it may be important to use multiple assessments to comprehensively assess motor competence.

Physical characteristics that predict involvement with the ball in recreational youth soccer.

ABSTRACT This study examined the relative contribution of age, stage of puberty, anthropometric characteristics, health-related fitness, soccer-specific tests and match-related technical performance to variance in involvements with the ball during recreational 5-a-side small-sided (32 × 15 m) soccer matches. Using a cross-sectional design, 80 healthy male students (14.6 ± 0.5 years of age; range 13.6–15.4) who played soccer recreationally were randomly divided into 10 teams and played against each other. Measurements included height, body mass, pubertal status, health-related fitness (12-min walk/run test, standing long jump, 15-m sprint and sit-ups in 30 s), soccer-specific tests (kicking for speed, passing for accuracy and agility run with and without a ball), match-related technical performance (kicks, passes and dribbles) and involvements with the ball during matches. Forward multiple regression analysis revealed that cardiorespiratory fitness (12-min walk/run test) accounted for 36% of the variance in involvements with the ball. When agility with the ball (zigzag running) and power (standing long jump) were included among the predictors, the total explained variance increased to 62%. In conclusion, recreational adolescent players, regardless of their soccer-specific skills, may increase participation in soccer matches most through physical activities that promote improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle power and agility.