Matthieu Lenoir

Talent identification and development programmes in sport : current models and future directions.

Many children strive to attain excellence in sport. However, although talent identification and development programmes have gained popularity in recent decades, there remains a lack of consensus in relation to how talent should be defined or identified and there is no uniformly accepted theoretical framework to guide current practice. The success rates of talent identification and development programmes have rarely been assessed and the validity of the models applied remains highly debated. This article provides an overview of current knowledge in this area with special focus on problems associated with the identification of gifted adolescents. There is a growing agreement that traditional cross-sectional talent identification models are likely to exclude many, especially late maturing, ‘promising’ children from development programmes due to the dynamic and multidimensional nature of sport talent. A conceptual framework that acknowledges both genetic and environmental influences and considers the dynamic and multidimensional nature of sport talent is presented. The relevance of this model is highlighted and recommendations for future work provided. It is advocated that talent identification and development programmes should be dynamic and interconnected taking into consideration maturity status and the potential to develop rather than to exclude children at an early age. Finally, more representative realworld tasks should be developed and employed in a multidimensional design to increase the efficacy of talent identification and development programmes.

Gross motor coordination in relation to weight status and age in 5- to 12-year-old boys and girls: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in gross motor coordination in healthy-weight, overweight, and obese children of different ages. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected in 954 Flemish primary school children (500 girls, 454 boys) stratified in consecutive age groups (5-7 years, 8-9 years, 10-12 years). Weight status (healthy-weight, overweight, obese) was defined according to the International Obesity Task Force body mass index (BMI) cut-off points for children. Gross motor coordination was assessed by means of the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK). RESULTS Childhood overweight and particularly obesity were found to result in poorer KTK performances (p < 0.001), with the most apparent effect of BMI on items requiring physical properties next to dynamic body coordination. Expressed as an age-related Motor Quotient (MQ), overall KTK performance was featured by a BMI × AGE interaction (p < 0.01). Healthy-weight children displayed similar MQs across age groups (p = 0.999). Overweight and obese children in the 10-12-year-old group showed significantly poorer motor coordination performance compared with the corresponding 5-7-year-old group (p < 0.01). Less than 20% of the healthy-weight participants was identified as being motor impaired, while that proportion increased to 43.3% and up to 70.8% in children with overweight and obesity, respectively. CONCLUSION Results indicate that BMI-related differences in gross motor coordination were more pronounced as children belonged to an older age group. Although this outcome needs to be confirmed in future longitudinal research, it emphasizes the need of an early focus on motor skill improvement to encourage overweight and obese children to be physically active.

A longitudinal analysis of gross motor coordination in overweight and obese children versus normal-weight peers

Background:The relationship of childhood overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) with motor skill and coordination is gaining due attention; however, longitudinal evidence is currently lacking.Objective:The dual purpose of this study was (1) to investigate the short-term evolution in the level of gross motor coordination according to childrens weight status, and (2) to identify those factors predicting their gross motor coordination performance over a 2-year interval.Subjects:Participants were 50 children with OW, including 8 with OB (aged 6–10 years at baseline, with 52% boys), and 50 with normal-weight (NW) matched for gender and age.Measurements:Anthropometrics (body height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), %body fat) and level of gross motor coordination (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder, KTK) were assessed in 2007 (baseline) and 2 years later in 2009 (follow-up). At baseline, participants completed a survey based on the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire (FPAQ) to obtain socio-demographic information and to determine physical activity levels in diverse domains.Results:The evolution in the level of gross motor coordination over time was strongly related to childrens weight status. Participants in the NW group showed more progress than their OW/OB peers, who demonstrated significantly poorer performances. Accordingly, between-group differences in KTK outcomes (that is, raw item scores and total motor quotient) became more evident over time. Multiple linear regression analysis further indicated that, in addition to BMI per se (negative predictor), participation in organized sports within a sports club (positive predictor) determines gross motor coordination performance(s) 2 years later.Conclusion:Our results provide conclusive evidence for an increasingly widening gap of OW/OB childrens gross motor coordination relative to NW peers across developmental time in the absence of targeted initiatives. Special attention is thus needed for OW/OB children, especially for those not practicing sports in a club environment, in terms of motor skill improvement to promote regular participation in physical activity.

Anthropometric and performance measures for the development of a talent detection and identification model in youth handball

Abstract The first part of this study examined in which basic morphological and fitness measures Under-14 (n = 34) and Under-16 (n = 47) male youth handball players differ from reference samples of the same age (n = 430 and n = 570, respectively). To help develop a talent identification model, the second part of the study investigated which specific morphological and performance measures describe differences between elite (n = 18) and non-elite (n = 29) Under-16 youth handball players. The results showed that Under-16 handball players were significantly taller than the reference group; this was not the case in the Under-14 age group. Physical fitness in handball players was significantly better than in the reference groups. Multivariate analysis of covariance (maturation and chronological age as covariates) showed that the Under-16 elite players were heavier and had greater muscle circumferences than their non-elite peers. Elite players scored significantly better on strength, speed and agility, and cardiorespiratory endurance but not on balance, upper limb speed, flexibility or upper body muscular endurance. Maturation was a significant covariate in anthropometric measures but not in physical performance. Discriminant analysis between elite and non-elite players revealed that height, running speed, and agility are important parameters for talent identification. Specific anthropometric measures, in addition to some performance measures, are useful for talent identification in youth handball.

Childhood obesity affects fine motor skill performance under different postural constraints.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate fine motor control in obese and overweight children compared to normal-weight peers under different postural constraints. Peg placing performance of normal-weight (n=273), overweight (n=202) and obese (n=65) children (aged 5.0-12.8 years) was evaluated in two different postural conditions: sitting and standing in tandem stance on a balance beam (BB). Being overweight or obese was detrimental for fine motor skill performance in the standing on BB condition, which confirms the postural control difficulties observed in overweight and obese children. Remarkably, obese participants also produced lower scores in the sitting condition, i.e. when the complexity of postural organization was restricted to a minimum. Although this could result from the mechanical demands related to the movement of the arm itself, it also leads to the tentative suggestion that obese children might suffer from underlying perceptual-motor coordination difficulties.

The KorperkoordinationsTest fur Kinder: reference values and suitability for 6-12-year-old children in Flanders

An adequate coordination level in children is important for their general development, but also for health, psychosocial, academic and well‐being‐related reasons. In this study, the suitability of the KörperkoordinationsTest für Kinder (KTK) as an assessment instrument for the gross motor coordination was evaluated in 2470 children from 26 elementary schools for general education spread over the Flemish and Brussels‐capital region. All children performed four subtests: walking backwards (WB), moving sideways (MS), hopping for height (HH) and jumping sideways (JS). Age and gender‐specific values were established for the Flemish children anno 2008. Overall, the current sample scored significantly worse than their 1974 German counterparts (P<0.001). Score distribution showed 21% of the children being placed in the problematic range of gross motor coordination level. A decline in coordination was observed especially in those tasks relying primarily on coordinative capacities (WB and MS), while improvements or status quo in those tasks relying on strength and speed (JS and HH) were explained by secular trends. We suggest that the KTK is a valuable instrument for the assessment of the gross motor coordination of Flemish children and efforts should be made in order to face the decline in coordination.

Differences in physical fitness and gross motor coordination in boys aged 6-12 years specializing in one versus sampling more than one sport.

Abstract The Developmental Model of Sports Participation proposes two pathways towards expertise in sports between 6 and 12 years of age: early specialization and early diversification. This study investigated the effect of sampling various sports and of spending many or few hours in sports on fitness and gross motor coordination. Altogether, 735 boys in three age groups (6–8, 8–10, and 10–12 years) were profiled using a fitness test battery. A computerized physical activity questionnaire was used to obtain data on sports participation. In the eldest group, (M)ANCOVA showed a positive effect of sampling various sports on strength, speed, endurance, and gross motor coordination (P < 0.05). A positive effect of many hours per week spent in sports was apparent in every age group. These data suggest an acute positive effect of many hours in sports and a latent positive effect of early sampling on fitness and gross motor coordination. Multiple comparisons revealed that boys aged 10–12 years, who spent many hours in various sports, performed better on standing broad jump (P < 0.05) and gross motor coordination (P < 0.05) than boys specializing in a single sport. Therefore, our results highlight the importance of spending many hours in sports and sampling various sports in the development of fitness and gross motor coordination.

Biological maturation, morphology, fitness, and motor coordination as part of a selection strategy in the search for international youth soccer players (age 15–16 years)

Abstract We report the morphology (height, weight, body fat, body mass index), fitness (strength, speed, agility, flexibility), and soccer-specific (dribbling) and non-specific motor coordination skills (Körper KoordinationsTest für Kinder; KTK) of 78 Belgian international youth soccer players aged 15–16 years with varying biological maturity status. The more mature players (U16 and U17) possessed higher morphological measures and outperformed their later maturing peers (U16 Futures and U17 Futures) on almost all fitness tests. However, soccer-specific and non-specific motor coordination tests did not distinguish the more mature players from the later maturing players in both age groups. When adjusted for the confounder (age at peak height velocity), multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that several morphology- and fitness-related parameters did not differ between selection groups, again in both age groups. These findings indicate that biological maturation affects morphology and fitness more so than motor coordination skills. In conclusion, to prevent the dropout of promising late maturing players, we suggest avoiding one-dimensional approaches and to include measures of biological maturity status as well as maturity independent performance tests during the talent identification and selection process.

The contribution of stereo vision to one-handed catching.

Participants with normal (StereoN) and weak (StereoW) stereopsis caught tennis balls under monocular and binocular viewing at three different speed conditions. Monocular or binocular viewing did not affect catching performance in catchers with weak stereopsis, while the StereoN group caught more balls under binocular vision as compared with the monocular condition. These effects were more pronounced with increasing ball speed. Kinematic analysis of the catch partially corroborated these findings. These results indicate that StereoW catchers have not developed a compensatory strategy for information pick-up, and that negative effects of a lack of stereopsis grow larger as temporal constraints become more severe. These findings also support the notion that several monocular and/or binocular information sources can be used in the control of interceptive action.

Relationship between sports participation and the level of motor coordination in childhood: A longitudinal approach

OBJECTIVES This study examined the stability of motor coordination and the relationship between motor coordination and organized sports participation over time. DESIGN Longitudinal design. METHODS A total of 371 children between six and nine years of age at initial testing completed a test battery measuring motor coordination in three consecutive years and a questionnaire on their club sports participation in year 1 and year 3 of testing. RESULTS Correlation coefficients revealed the motor coordination of children to be a highly stable factor, ranging from 0.662 (6-8 years) to 0.873 (7-9 years). Results of the Repeated Measures ANOVA indicated that children who consistently practiced sports in a club environment over the three years of testing displayed better coordination levels than children who only partially participated or did not participate in a club environment at all. Moreover, stability was further indicated as consistent sports participation over time and changes or lack thereof did not substantially influence the development of motor coordination over time. In addition, the basic level of motor coordination and the amount of club sports participation significantly predicted sports participation two years later. CONCLUSION The importance of the stability of motor coordination levels in childhood and its role in determining organized sports participation may have implications for talent identification purposes as well as potential health-related benefits in childhood and throughout the lifespan.