Although numerous studies have shown that external focus (EF) enhances sports performance more than internal focus (IF) does, some findings suggest that preference (liking and usefulness) and familiarity with instructions can act as moderators. However, little is known regarding the concept of preference or familiarity in the context of motor performance. The present study aimed to understand the participants’ perceptions of familiarity, liking, and usefulness specific to EF/IF. Sixty high school students (M = 15.36 ± 0.63 years) active in sports but with no history of golf chose their most familiar and preferred EF or IF instructions. Additional EF–IF preference questionnaires (liking and usefulness) were given immediately after golf putting with EF and IF and after extended practice trials. We found poor agreement between familiarity, liking, and usefulness, ranging from 45.0% to 63.3%. Their sports type (ball- or body-oriented sport) predicted familiarity (b = 0.74, p = .04) and liking of EF/IF (b = 0.11, p = .04). The duration history of their sport participation, not sport type, predicted usefulness (b = −7.65, p = .04), which changed with time. The results suggested the importance of assessing previous sports experience beyond the task in the experiment.

Purpose: Motor competence (MC) is important for child health and development, yet MC levels are low. Childhood is an important time to develop MC, and primary physical education (PE) provides an ideal setting. MC assessment is integral to targeted teaching and improvement of MC through a targeted approach. Therefore, the aim is to identify (a) the current MC assessment practices of PE teachers, (b) whether qualification and/or teaching experience affected assessment practices, and (c) the facilitators and barriers to assessing MC. Method: A cross-sectional study utilizing an online survey was conducted with Victorian (Australia), primary PE teachers (n = 30). Results: Despite all teachers perceiving MC assessment to be important, over half (57.6%) did not assess MC with any evidence-based tool. Lack of time was reported as the biggest barrier to MC assessment. Conclusion: There is a disconnect between the availability of evidence-based MC assessments and the application of these by teachers in schools. Future research is required to better understand why teachers are not using the available assessments, and teacher-informed solutions need to be sought to overcome barriers.

The usability of sensory substitution devices can be enhanced with practice. However, practice conditions impact the effectiveness of skill acquisition. This study investigates the effect of constant and variable practice conditions on performing a reach and grasp task with a sensory substitution glove. The glove provides vibrotactile information on the index finger or thumb whenever the index finger or thumb points toward the to-be-grasped object. We recruited 44 participants and divided them into two groups of 22 participants each. Both groups performed similar pretests and posttests. One group practiced with constant task conditions in which the object always had the same size and position. The other group encountered variations in object size and position over practice trials. The variable group showed improvements in the constant and variable posttests. The constant group, in contrast, showed improved performance only in the constant posttest. Both practice types led to increased exploration and information detection. Different strategies to perform the task were identified, stressing the importance of individual differences. Taken together, the study emphasizes the importance of incorporating variability of practice to enhance skill acquisition with sensory substitution devices, as well as suggesting that practice leads to improved exploration and information detection.

Introduction: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are categorized into three groups (stability, locomotion, and object control) and are crucial for enabling the practice of physical activity in children with physical disabilities. Their development is influenced by the specific nature of each child’s disability. FMS can be evaluated by process- (movement execution) or product-oriented (movement outcome) assessments. This scoping review explored FMS development in children with physical disabilities and its relationship with physical activity. Method: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews guidelines, the search was conducted across six databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, EMBASE and PsycINFO) and used keywords related to FMS, physical literacy, and physical disabilities. Articles were included if participants had physical disabilities, were aged between 3 and 18 years, and if they explored the relationship between FMS and physical activity and/or physical literacy. Results: Twenty-two studies were included. Both process- and product-oriented assessments reported lower FMS proficiency in children with physical disabilities. Older children demonstrated better proficiency. Most studies highlighted a significant relationship between FMS and physical activity. Conclusion: Enhanced knowledge of effective strategies and evidence-based practices will enable practitioners to create supportive environments, encourage active participation, and track progress, ultimately leading to improved motor skills and overall well-being in children.

Learning a novel motor task involves searching within the joint space to form new movement coordination patterns that achieve the task goal. This search process is characterized by systematic changes in joint angle coordination over time, requiring variability in coordination patterns. Motor learning studies have often highlighted the benefits of practice variability on task performance and have primarily focused on search processes at the task level, neglecting the underlying joint level. This study aims to identify differences due to imposed task variability in search behavior within both the task space and the joint space. Participants were divided into two groups based on their practice schedule (blocked vs. random) and performed a lateral interception task using a novel body–machine interface paradigm with redundant mapping between movement signals and paddle position. The results showed that participants successfully learned the required movement coordination in both practice groups. However, random practice led to increased search behavior at both the task and joint levels. Furthermore, analysis of the search structure revealed that covariation in coordination patterns was higher with random practice. Introducing variability during practice did not affect task performance but significantly influenced the amount and structure of search behavior.

Individuals who focus on self-referenced improvement and effort exhibit greater intrinsic motivation to participate in sport, physical activity, and movement as well as greater retention of learned motor skills. Additionally, participation in settings prioritizing mastery over performance outcomes is associated with better performance and higher intrinsic motivation. The purpose of the current study was to examine the main and interactive effects of the motivational climate and goal orientations on both linear and nonlinear aspects of motor performance. Participants performed a finger force-matching task with a target line on a computer screen. Results showed that a performance climate was more beneficial for improving mean absolute error during adaptation, whereas motivational climate interacted with task orientation to influence mean absolute error retention. For nonlinear outcomes, higher task and ego orientations were associated with greater sample entropy during adaptation, reflecting exploratory motor behavior. Motivational climate further interacted with goal orientations to affect sample entropy retention, with task-oriented individuals showing increased sample entropy in performance climates. These findings highlight how motivational contexts and individual goal orientations jointly shape motor learning processes, emphasizing their differential effects on linear and nonlinear performance metrics in a controlled laboratory setting

The present study compared the age of achievement of 10 early gross motor milestones (lift head, roll back to belly, sit without support, crawl on hands and knees, stand with assistance, stand without support, walk with assistance, walk without support, climb stairs, and walk up/downstairs without support) of 111 school-age individuals diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). This was compared with previous and current expectations for milestones. Children with DCD achieved all milestones later when compared with previous expectations (all p < .05) except for “roll back to belly.” When compared with current expectations, children would have achieved “sit without support,” “stand with assistance,” and “walk without support” significantly earlier, but “lift head” and “walk with assistance” would have been achieved significantly later (all p < .05). The findings indicated that milestones were early indicators of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), for the present sample as the previous expectations were in place during their early development, but at current expectations, the same children would not be flagged for assessment and potential intervention. It is important to find other methods to determine motor delays in infancy and early childhood to support children who are later diagnosed with DCD.

This study investigated skill decay among Brazilian police officers in handcuffing techniques. The aim was to assess whether officers maintained their performance approximately 1 month after retraining and if there were differences between officers on bureaucratic versus regular duties. Twenty-one officers were distributed into two groups (bureaucratic and regular groups) and a retraining session on a standardized handcuffing technique. Participants practiced until achieving a performance threshold, measured by the number of correct steps. The experimenters also registered handcuffing execution times. Results from the retest 4 weeks later showed a decline in correct steps below the threshold for both groups, indicating skill decay. However, between-group differences were not significant, and there was no statistically significant impact on execution times. These findings suggest a failure to retain skills, with similar decay observed among bureaucratic and patrol officers. Possible explanations and implications of these results were discussed.

Physical education (PE) programs are uniquely situated to promote the development of fundamental movement skills (FMS). The aim of this systematic review was to examine the elements of PE-based interventions globally for the development of FMS, as assessed through the test of gross motor development (TGMD). A systematic literature search was conducted. Two reviewers screened studies based on title and abstract, and again by full text, to assess the eligibility of the articles. Nineteen studies met all of the inclusion criteria. All studies reported significant intervention effects, with different approaches to reporting scores in the TGMD. Examination of the articles demonstrated that FMS are a global focus in PE programs and that interventions can take on different lengths and formats and still demonstrate improved FMS proficiency. Observation of TGMD demonstrated a need for future research to complete the entirety of the TGMD subtests and report complete scores. Primary observations of interventions included the duration of the intervention, the delivery of the intervention by teachers with training, and the breadth of interventions that may be useful. PE-based interventions should focus on quality PE rather than quantity, such as teaching strategies and interventions incorporated into the typical PE program, and emphasize FMS concepts.