Fundamental Movement Skills and Sports Skills: Testing a Path Model

TL;DR

This study shows that fundamental movement skills in children improve sport skills over time, not immediately, highlighting the need for long-term follow-up.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a delayed influence of fundamental movement skills on sport-specific skills through a 10-month follow-up.

Findings

FMS and SSS improved immediately after the 10-week intervention.

Significant associations between FMS and SSS emerged 8 to 20 months post-intervention.

Long-term follow-up is essential to observe the influence of FMS on SSS.

Abstract

This study examined the temporal relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMSs) and sport-specific skills (SSSs) in children aged 7 to 10. Based on the premise that FMSs are the basis for sport skills, we implemented a 10-week intervention program targeting two FMSs (running and stationary dribbling) and one SSS (speed dribbling), followed by immediate and long-term assessments. Using a path-modeling approach, we tested two models: one examining whether FMSs were associated with sport skill performance at the same time point and another exploring whether this influence emerged over time. Results revealed significant FMS and SSS improvements immediately after the intervention program. However, significant associations between the FMSs and SSS emerged only at later time points (8 to 20 months post-intervention), suggesting the delayed influence of the FMSs on the SSS. These findings support that while FMSs are essential for developing more complex skills, their effect may not be immediately observable, emphasizing the importance of long-term follow-up. The results also align with theoretical models contending that proficiency in FMS and sustained practice opportunities are key to integrating fundamental and sport-specific motor skills and may represent an important foundation for public health initiatives advocating early FMS interventions as a strategy to promote lifelong physical activity and sustained engagement in sports.

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