Effetti dell'attività fisica e sportiva sulla prestazione motoria

The aim of the study was to analyse the conditional and coordinative motor performances in relation to physical activity and individual sports background in middle-school students. 201 boys and 220 girls students (age 11-12-13 years) from Bologna responded to a questionnaire on the type and volume of physical and sports activities practiced outside the school. The participants also performed a battery of conditional motor tests (standing long jump, seated throw, dash run) and coordinative tests ( balance, rhythm and precision), easy to carry out in a school context. The majority of boys practiced Team Sports (SS ), while girls preferred Individual sports (SI ). In general, students practicing SS showed higher levels of physical and sports activity. The performances of boys in the tests were better than those of girls, with the exception of rhythm and precision tests, in which girls outperformed their peers. Girls practicing SS showed better motor performances than girls practicing SI, while boys practicing SS showed better results than boys practicing SI only in throwing and running. In all the tests, the most active girls (> 160 h/year) showed better performances, compared to the less active ones . It can be concluded that high physical activity and sport volume lead to better physical performance, especially in girls. The more boys M performed better than less active boys only regarding coordination (speed and balance tests). The study confirms the importance of educating motor coordination, using team and individual sports, as well as the importance of engaging students in extracurricular activities, in order to reach the minimum amount of physical activity recommended by the OMS.