Effect of height on motor coordination in college students participating in a dancesport program.
Athlete screening tools combine measures of physical performance and morphometric parameters unique to each sport. Given the increasing competitiveness of dancesport, we designed the present quasi-experimental study to analyze the relationship between body height and motor coordination in college students.



Six hundred eighty-six students were randomly selected to participate in a dancing sport program that consisted of 16 weeks (32 hrs) of training. The program included an assessment of basic skills (rhythm, movement specificity, intensity, expressive force, and action coherence) and skills related to a doubles dance routine. Male and female students were divided into four single-sex groups based on their heights (each group had a 5-cm range), and the average scores for each performance indicator were analyzed.



A one-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in performance scores for each indicator of basic skills and double routine skills between the different height groups. Male in the 175-179 cm group and female students in the 165-169 cm group had the best performance scores on each indicator, while the shortest students had the worst performance scores.



The height of students participating in sport dancing training had an impact on dancesport performance and motor coordination, counter to the traditional belief that shorter people have better coordination.
Department of Physical Education, China University of Mining and Technology, 221116 Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Tel +86-0516-83591848, fax +86-018012002209. jsxzkd62@163.com.
Xiaoxin
X
Li
Huazhuo
H
Wang
Yaohua
Y
Yang
Chunying
C
Qi
Fei
F
Wang
Man
M
Jin
D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D003615:Dancing / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult