The aim of this paper is to carry out a theoretical transposition of the principles of the ecological dynamic approach in the field of physical and sports education, aimed at defining educational approaches capable of promoting an effective acquisition of cognitive skills, through the practice of physical activity and sport. Physical education, according to an ecological dynamics perspective, considers the performer a complex adaptive system, which interacts with the environments in a functionally integrated way, underlining the interrelationship between motor processes, cognitive and perceptive functions. The cognitive area of Life Skills (Cognitive Life Skills, CLS), divided by the WHO, into decision making, problem solving, creative thinking and critical thinking processes, can be framed as an intrinsic part of goal-directed behaviour influenced by functional constraints determined by individual-environment interaction. Therefore, physical and sport activity practiced according to the principles of the ecological dynamic approach can be configured as an elective tool to promote the development of cognitive skills. In this article, the relevant theories of ecological dynamics are discussed and recent empirical data on the perceptual-cognitive processes which are activated through the practice of physical education and sport are described to underline the potential of such practices for the development of cognitive skills. The development of this specific theoretical transposition represents a starting point for the definition and experimentation of ecological dynamic interventions designed with the aim of investigating the effects of physical and sporting activity on the development of cognitive skills for life.

The aim of this study was to analyze the training regimens of top level rhythmic gymnasts and their state of health. The research also focused on the information provided to the athletes about the relationship between sport and health. The sample consisted of fourteen high-level Italian gymnasts aged thirteen to eighteen. The instrument used was a structured medical history interview conducted by a doctor and a graduate student in physical education. A descriptive approach was used for the data analysis. The distribution of the variables collected in the group of athletes was studied. The results showed that, on average, throughout the year the athletes do from three to five hours of training five days a week, and travel from two to sixteen days a year for competitions. Given the age of the gymnasts in particular ten to fourteen who are under fifteen years old, it is a major undertaking. Gymnasts complained some non-specific symptoms, such as weakness and dizziness, with frequencies among more than half of the sample interviewed, especially close to competition dates. This finding suggests a reaction to stress, although the simple detection is insufficient for a correct interpretation. The data collected regarding the information provided to athletes on the risks associated with strenuous and demanding exercise shows that female athletes were not informed enough about the consequences. Self-assessment of health status is within the range of 6 to 10 (mean 7.7), despite the fact that they were not undergoing any kind of treatment at the time of the assessment and the medical history did not reveal any indication of disease or injury. In conclusion, based on the results obtained in this study it can be stated that: the young athletes need an approach to education / teaching that would enable them to deal consciously and adequately the competitive commitments, which are demanding in relation to the resources of preteens; the critical aspects regarding the non-specific signs and symptoms of health problems that emerged from the self-report and from the perception of health status scale need to be studied in further depth; the scientific debate on the problematic aspects with regards to the protection and promotion of the health of young athletes may provide those elements of knowledge, health education and support to growth, which can improve the overall management and self-awareness of the athlete without compromising the performance.

Recent research suggests that variability enhances motor control, learning, and adaptation by improving the system's response to environmental demands. It also develops the cognitive and executive functions of athletes. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the variability of the split leap in rhythmic gymnastics, performed with and without ribbon handling, analysing in which of the two techniques there is greater variability. The sample consists of six competitive gymnasts with an average age of 15.1 years (±0.94). The acquisitions were carried out with the BTS Bioengineering integrated multifactorial optoelectronic system, using fifteen passive markers, six BTS Smart-DX cameras, two cameras for video support and seven BTS-6000 force platforms. The results show that the coefficient of variation (CV%) in trials performed with ribbon is higher than those without the apparatus. Cohen's Effect Size revealed a small effect size between trials with ribbon and those without. Despite being minimal, this difference emphasizes the presence of variability in jumps executed with ribbon in comparison to free body trials. In conclusion, this study explored both intrinsic (CV%) and extrinsic (task complexity, technical experience) factors of jump performance, highlighting the utility of gold standard motion analysis systems for researching executive variability in rhythmic gymnastics jumps.

The present study aims to investigate the influence of structured physical activity (SPA) and unstructured physical activity (UPA) environments on the development of locomotor skills in primary school children. The sample consisted of 148 pupils (mean age = 8.7 ± 0.7 years; 77 girls and 71 boys) attending the third and fourth grades of a primary school located in a rural municipality in southern Italy. Motor skills were assessed by means of the locomotion subtest of the Test of Gross Motor Development – Third Edition (TGMD-3). The results show that 86.5 % of the participants (n = 128) engage in UPA during their leisure time. The mean scaled score for the entire sample was 8.23 points (± 2.68), with 64.2 % of the pupils falling within the “Average” level. Children who participate in SPA obtained significantly higher scores than their peers who do not practise structured activity: 8.64 (± 2.74) vs 7.73 (± 2.53) points; p = .038; Cohen’s d = 0.34. Multifactorial analysis confirmed a positive main effect of SPA but did not reveal significant interactions between SPA and UPA. Although the data confirm the influence of structured activity on locomotion test outcomes, the non-significance of UPA may be attributable to the characteristics of the subtest items, as these tasks are widespread in sporting practice. The findings highlight the role of rural contexts in promoting unstructured physical activity among school-age children and the contribution of structured physical activity to the development of motor skills. Future research should consider enlarging the sample, including the object-control subtest of the TGMD-3, and further exploring the qualitative relationships between SPA, UPA, and motor development.

The World Health Organization identifies creative thinking as a key life skill essential for health promotion, personal development, and well-being. In line with recent perspectives on motor learning within the ecological dynamics approach, this study highlights the importance of self-organization, free initiative, and divergent thinking as processes that are deeply connected to individual emotional, experiential, and bodily engagement within dynamic environments. With this quasi-experimental study, conducted in Italy, we aimed to examine the impact of a physical education program, designed according to the principles of ecological dynamics, on the development of creative thinking in children. The sample included 107 primary school students (58 girls, 49 boys; mean age = 7.51 ± 0.50 years) who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 57) or a control group (n = 50). Creative thinking was assessed before and after the intervention using the WCR test. The WCR (Widening, Connecting, and Reorganizing) test assesses three core components of creative thinking through age-appropriate visual and verbal tasks. The results showed that there was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in cognitive widening for the experimental group compared with the control group. The findings of this study suggest that physical education grounded in the ecological dynamics framework promotes the generation of ideas, cognitive flexibility, and motor adaptability, allowing children to explore original and self-determined movement solutions. Such programs may play a crucial role in supporting creativity and holistic development in educational contexts.