This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week gymnastics curriculum on children's movement competence and their physical self-concept. There were 113 children (46% girls, 49% intervention) with a mean age of 9.4 years (SD = 1.8) that participated. Intervention children underwent 8 weeks of gymnastics and the comparison group continued with…

Physical activity during preschool age promotes sports learning and the acquisition of fundamental and complex movement skills. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of three different four-month physical and/or pre-sport activity programmes on preschool children's motor proficiency. Twenty-five girls, aged between four and six years,…

Object control (OC) skills are a part of fundamental motor skills and basic functional skills, which work as a prerequisite to becoming a skilled performer in many sports. Of various OC skills, striking is one of the most difficult to master due to a variety of interrelated movement components. A form of vertical or underarm striking is a more…

The overhand throw is a complex whole-body motor skill that is fundamental to many sports and activities. When throwing properly, the momentum generated to complete the movement begins in the lower body and transfers through the trunk to the throwing arm. This proof-of-concept study's primary purpose was to evaluate the impact of the nonthrowing…

Title IX legislated, among other things, equal educational opportunities for boys and girls in physical education. Although there are many practices which discriminate against girls' sports, and it is important to correct these, Title IX really calls for a fundamental change in all physical education programs to give each individual child the best…