The impact of motor competence on energy expenditure during object control skill performance in children and young adults

Abstract

BACKGROUND: An understanding of how motor skill performance levels relate to energy expenditure (EE) is an important, yet relatively unexplored topic that may better inform physical activity interventions. AIM: This study examined the impact of motor competence (MC) on EE during the performance of object control skills in children and young adults. METHOD: Forty-two children (Mage 8.1 years) and 40 young adults (Mage = 23.4 years) completed sessions of throwing and kicking at varying intensity intervals. Polynomial regressions with response surface analysis were conducted to analyze the impact of process- and product-oriented MC levels on EE. RESULTS: Moderate positive associations among process-oriented motor competence levels and EE were demonstrated in all trial interval conditions with stronger associations shown for shorter trial intervals. CONCLUSION: Individuals’ movement quality (process) demonstrated greater associations with EE than performance product (speed), especially with higher intensity skill practice. These results provide additional evidence of the positive impact that MC has on the health benefits of physical activity, specifically during participation in activities that inherently require repeated performance of object control skills.

Impact of Motor Competence Profiles on Adolescents’ Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness across Four Years

“…Most physical activities that children engage in, require competence in a variety of movement skills (i.e., physical education, structured games, sports). Thus, higher levels of skill facilitate successful and continued participation in multiple types of activities over time and would impact physical activity and CRF both directly and indirectly (5,11,48). The differences in MC levels across profiles suggest that, indeed, skill levels were developed prior to age 11 in this study.…”

“…It is crucial to understand that the physical activity environment impacts not only the learning of MC skills, but also the amount and intensity (e.g., light, moderate, vigorous) of physical activity, which impacts CRF (5). Thus, although all physical activities are beneficial, exploring and learning a wide variety of movement skills and being able to transfer those skills to higher-level movement applications provides a diversified foundation for both directly (via greater neuromuscular demand) (11) and indirectly (via sustained activities associated with practice, gameplay, and performance) enhancing CRF (12). Better CRF allows children to continue physical activities for longer periods of time and thus provides more opportunities for motor development and physical activity accumulation (5,7).…”

Exploring Recommendations for Child and Adolescent Fundamental Movement Skills Development: A Narrative Review

“…The consistent associations found between FMS and PA indicate that a high level of motor competence can contribute to long-term PA engagement [ 67 ]. Minimal research, however, exists pertaining to the intensity of activity accrued during the performance of FMS activities [ 68 ] or the associated quality of skill execution.…”

“…Recent studies with populations of children and adolescents have examined energy expenditure during the performance of object-control skills (kick, throw, strike) [ 68 , 69 ]. The Sacko et al (2019) study ( n = 42; 22 males; mean age = 8.1 ± 0.8 years) reported that the practice of kicking, throwing, and striking at a rate of two maximal-effort attempts per minute appears to meet the threshold for moderate-intensity PA as it surpasses the 4.0 metabolic equivalent (METs) [ 69 ].…”

“…As such, a singular definitive recommendation regarding which intensity to utilise in a physically active setting to develop FMS is not advisable from the current evidence presented. Instead, Physical Education teachers, sport pedagogues, coaches, and researchers should acknowledge and justify their selections of individual activities and combinations of activities within a session/lesson plan so as to meet learners’ PA and skill development needs [ 68 , 69 ].…”