<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<italic><bold>Introduction.</bold></italic> Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are a critical component of success in various sports and lifelong physical activity (PA). This study aimed to evaluate and compare the FMS proficiency levels of 7-9-year-old children from Poland and Latvia, providing insights into the current state of motor competence in these populations.
<italic><bold>Material and Methods.</bold></italic> A cross-sectional study design was utilized, incorporating a sample of 163 boys and girls. The FUS test (Fundamental Motor Skills in Sport), a comprehensive, qualitative, and process-oriented assessment tool was used to assess FMS. The FUS test encompassed a range of movement tasks, including hurdles, jumping rope, forward roll, ball bouncing, ball throwing and catching, and kicking and stopping a ball that allows for a thorough evaluation of FMS proficiency.
<italic><bold>Results.</bold></italic> The study revealed alarmingly low FMS proficiency levels in both countries, with 93.3% of students displaying ‘insufficient FMS proficiency’. The Mann-Whitney U test showed that Latvian boys outperformed their Polish peers in jumping rope and forward roll (p &lt; 0.05), while Polish boys exhibited superior results in kicking and stopping a ball (p &lt; 0.05). In contrast, Polish girls achieved significantly higher scores in hurdles and kicking and stopping a ball (p &lt; 0.05) compared to Latvian girls, who scored higher in jumping rope (p &lt; 0.05).
<italic><bold>Conclusions.</bold></italic> These findings highlight the urgent need for effective, evidence-based interventions to improve motor competence in both countries, emphasizing the importance of incorporating FMS development into physical education curricula and promoting regular PA for children.
</abstract>

Introduction. Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are a critical component of success in various sports and lifelong physical activity (PA). This study aimed to evaluate and compare the FMS proficiency levels of 7-9-year-old children from Poland and Latvia, providing insights into the current state of motor competence in these populations.
Material and Methods. A cross-sectional study design was utilized, incorporating a sample of 163 boys and girls. The FUS test (Fundamental Motor Skills in Sport), a comprehensive, qualitative, and process-oriented assessment tool was used to assess FMS. The FUS test encompassed a range of movement tasks, including hurdles, jumping rope, forward roll, ball bouncing, ball throwing and catching, and kicking and stopping a ball that allows for a thorough evaluation of FMS proficiency.
Results. The study revealed alarmingly low FMS proficiency levels in both countries, with 93.3% of students displaying ‘insufficient FMS proficiency’. The Mann-Whitney U test showed that Latvian boys outperformed their Polish peers in jumping rope and forward roll (p < 0.05), while Polish boys exhibited superior results in kicking and stopping a ball (p < 0.05). In contrast, Polish girls achieved significantly higher scores in hurdles and kicking and stopping a ball (p < 0.05) compared to Latvian girls, who scored higher in jumping rope (p < 0.05).
Conclusions. These findings highlight the urgent need for effective, evidence-based interventions to improve motor competence in both countries, emphasizing the importance of incorporating FMS development into physical education curricula and promoting regular PA for children.

Exploring Cross-Cultural Differences in Fundamental Motor Skills Proficiency Between Polish and Latvian Children

Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw

Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Introduction. Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are a critical component of success in various sports and lifelong physical activity (PA). This study aimed to...

Exploring Cross-Cultural Differences in Fundamental Motor Skills Proficiency Between Polish and Latvian Children

Publié en ligne: 03 oct. 2023

Pages: 12 - 17

Reçu: 02 mai 2023

Accepté: 25 sept. 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2023-0014

Mots clés
fundamental movement skills, motor competence, physical education, FUS test

© 2023 Hubert Makaruk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Exploring Cross-Cultural Differences in Fundamental Motor Skills Proficiency Between Polish and Latvian Children

Publié en ligne: 03 oct. 2023

Pages: 12 - 17

Reçu: 02 mai 2023

Accepté: 25 sept. 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2023-0014

Mots clésfundamental movement skills, motor competence, physical education, FUS test

© 2023 Hubert Makaruk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
fundamental movement skills, motor competence, physical education, FUS test