Background: The dynamic nature of physical education (PE) requires careful consideration of lesson planning and delivery in order to promote health and wellbeing and to achieve various learning goals. One such goal is promoting personal and social development to support students to value and lead a healthy and active lifestyle, especially during transition into adolescence. In order to design learning environments that support students’ engagement in PE, it is important to understand how outcomes such as motor competence (MC) influence motivation for PE. There are two approaches to understand MC, actual and perceived MC, and both have implications for healthy lifestyles in childhood and adolescence. Therefore, this study examined associations of actual and perceived MC with young adolescents’ motivation for PE. Method: A sample of 236 students 11–14 years of age (M = 13.01, SD = .72) participated in the study. Assessments included actual MC (Körperkoordinations test for Kinder; KTK), perceived MC (self-administered form of the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence; PMSC) and motivation for PE (Perceived Locus of Causality Scale; PLOC). Polynomial regression with Response Surface Analyses were conducted to examine the influence of actual and perceived MC on motivation for PE. Findings: The results showed weak-to-moderate positive associations of actual and perceived MC with students’ motivation for PE. Perceived MC explained about 12% of the variance of student’s self-determined motivation towards PE. This effect was larger in students with lower levels of perceived MC compared to students with higher levels of perceived MC. Discussion: Taking into account that both actual and perceived MC are synergistically related but only perceived MC explains self-determined motivation, our results suggest that perceived MC is an important factor to consider when attempting to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. Using the developmental model of motor competence [Stodden et al. 2008 Stodden, David F. , Jacqueline D.Goodway, Stephen J.Langendorfer, Mary AnnRoberton, Mary E.Rudisill, ClersidaGarcia, and Luis E.Garcia . 2008. “A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Motor Skill Competence in Physical Activity: An Emergent Relationship.” Quest 60 (2): 290–306. doi:10.1080/00336297.2008.10483582. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] . “A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Motor Skill Competence in Physical Activity: An Emergent Relationship.” Quest 60 (2): 290–306] and self-determination theory [Deci and Ryan 2000 Deci, Edward L. , and Richard R.Ryan . 2000. “The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior.” Psychological Inquiry 11 (4): 227–268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] . “The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior.” Psychological Inquiry 11 (4): 227–268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01], we discuss the findings in relation to the importance of considering perceived MC as an explicit outcome in the PE curriculum. Conclusion: During early adolescence, PE programs should not only focus on teaching movement skills but also fostering perceived MC in order to promote motivation for PE, especially among students with lower levels of self-perception. For this, pedagogical approaches such as need supportive teaching derived from self-determination theory can be used to help students become competent, confident and motivated movers.

The role of neighborhood characteristics in promoting physical activity and sedentary behaviors (SB) has not been extensively studied in university students. The study purpose was to analyze the associations of neighborhood built environment and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) with active commuting, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and SB among university students. This is a cross-sectional study of 308 undergraduate students from two urban universities in Valencia, Spain. Participants’ residential neighborhoods were classified according to walkability and SES levels. Walkability was defined as an index of three built environment attributes (i.e., residential density, land-use mix, and street connectivity) based on geographical information system data. Active commuting to and from university (ACU), active commuting in the neighborhood, LTPA, and SB were evaluated through a questionnaire. Mixed model regression analyses were performed. There were no significant SES–walkability interactions for any of the outcomes analyzed. However, university students living in more walkable areas reported two more ACU trips per week compared to those living in less walkable neighborhoods (p < 0.01). University students living in lower-SES neighborhoods reported more ACU trips per week than those living in higher-SES neighborhoods (p < 0.05). Regarding LTPA, there were no significant SES or walkability main effects. Neighborhood SES was negatively related to active commuting in the neighborhood and to time spent in SB (all p < 0.05). Participants living in lower-SES neighborhoods reported more active commuting per week and had the highest average minutes spent in SB. This study highlights the relevance of assessing university’s residential environment when active transportation and SB are analyzed.

A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds and physical activity (PA). Moreover, the accessibility to parks and playgrounds and its association with active commuting to/from school (ACS) and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. The sample was composed of children aged 6–12 years old from the BEACH (Built Environment and Active CHildren) study in Valencia, Spain. The availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds were calculated at different buffer sizes (250, 500, 1000 and 1250 m) using geographical information system data. PA out of school was assessed using accelerometers. Sociodemographics and ACS were measured with a parent questionnaire. Objectively measured weight and height were used to calculate BMI. Mixed linear regression analyses were conducted for each exposure variable, adjusting for sociodemographics, neighborhood walkability level, and participant clustering. The number of parks and playgrounds were positively associated with moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA (TPA); including light PA and MVPA, during weekdays, in different buffer sizes. A negative relationship between distance to the nearest playground and TPA during weekdays was found. In addition, the number of playgrounds was positively related to ACS in different buffer sizes, whereas park land area was negatively related to the BMI percentile. This study highlights the importance of assessing the availability and proximity to parks and playgrounds in children’s neighborhoods when PA behavior and weight status are analyzed. Study findings may help policymakers when targeting interventions to promote health-enhancing behaviors in children.

The Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA) is a circuit-based measure of motor competence. This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of CAMSA in Spanish children. A sample of 749 children participated voluntarily. Acceptable-to-good internal consistency (α = .54 and G-coefficient = .88) and moderate-to-excellent inter- (ICC: .83 to 1.00), intra-rater (ICC: .99 to 1.00) and test–retest reliability (ICC: .70 to .83) was found in convenience subsamples (n = 84 observers’ reliability; n = 69 test-retest). Concurrent validity was moderate (CAMSA score with Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder: r = .45; n = 90). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-factor model (CFI = .95; RMSEA = .02; SRMR = .02). Boys had higher scores than girls and older-children had higher scores than younger-children. The CAMSA can be used as a valid and reliable instrument for assessing motor competence in Spanish children.

Menescardi, C, Lopez-Lopez, JA, Falco, C, Hernandez-Mendo, A, and Estevan, I. Tactical aspects of a national university taekwondo championship in relation to round and match outcome. J Strength Cond Res 29(2): 466–471, 2015—The aims of this study were to analyze tactical behavior (direct attacks and indirect attacks, in addition to anticipatory, simultaneous, and posterior counterattacks) according to competition round and match, and to compare tactics of competitors (winners and nonwinners) in a university taekwondo championship. The analysis included 334 individual performances from 204 athletes over 169 bouts in the National University Championship. A 2-way repeated measure analysis of variance was conducted with “round” (at 3 levels: first, second, and third) as the within-subject factor and match outcome (at 2 levels: winning and nonwinning) as the between-subject factor. The results of this study show that tactical behavior patterns of winners and nonwinners differ. In addition, these differences vary over the course of a bout (p ≤ 0.05). Winners perform fewer direct and indirect attacks than nonwinners perform, but execute more anticipatory, simultaneous, and posterior counterattacks. In terms of tactics in each round, there are more frequent direct and anticipatory actions in the third round than in earlier rounds (p ≤ 0.05). Therefore, coaches should conduct tactical training for athletes in a variety of counterattacks, especially in the third round.