title: The effects of non-specific and specific concepts on tactical creativity in team ball sports.
abstract: The main aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of various training approaches in team ball sports for the development of tactical creativity. Altogether, 135 children aged about 7 years took part in a 15-month field-based study. They participated either in non-specific treatment groups, a specific handball, soccer or field hockey group, or a control group. General and game-oriented tactical creativity were chosen as outcome measures. Our analysis of treatment-related effects showed that the non-specific groups displayed improvements in general creativity, whereas the specific groups showed improvements in the game-oriented creativity in which they were trained. Furthermore, clear transfer-related effects were observed. The analysis of group-related effects indicated no differences between the approaches. Only the soccer-specific group performed better in nearly all creative values. In conclusion, a non-specific concept appears to be a promising alternative to traditional specific treatments. This is further substantiated by several pedagogical, psychological, and medical arguments.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theory and Practice of Training Movement, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. daniel.memmert@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Memmert
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roth
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003405:Creativity; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006688:Hockey / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*