title: Fundamental Movement Skills Are More than Run, Throw and Catch: The Role of Stability Skills.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In motor development literature fundamental movement skills are divided into three constructs: locomotive, object control and stability skills. Most fundamental movement skills research has focused on children's competency in locomotor and object control skills. The first aim of this study was to validate a test battery to assess the construct of stability skills, in children aged 6 to 10 (M age = 8.2, SD = 1.2). Secondly we assessed how the stability skills construct fitted into a model of fundamental movement skill.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Delphi method was used to select the stability skill battery. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess if the skills loaded onto the same construct and a new model of FMS was developed using structural equation modelling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three postural control tasks were selected (the log roll, rock and back support) because they had good face and content validity. These skills also demonstrated good predictive validity with gymnasts scoring significantly better than children without gymnastic training and children from a high SES school performing better than those from a mid and low SES schools and the mid SES children scored better than the low SES children (all p < .05). Inter rater reliability tests were excellent for all three skills (ICC = 0.81, 0.87, 0.87) as was test re-test reliability (ICC 0.87-0.95). CFA provided good construct validity, and structural equation modelling revealed stability skills to be an independent factor in an overall FMS model which included locomotor (r = .88), object control (r = .76) and stability skills (r = .81).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides a rationale for the inclusion of stability skills in FMS assessment. The stability skills could be used alongside other FMS assessment tools to provide a holistic assessment of children's fundamental movement skills.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rudd
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Butson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia; Movement Science, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Farrow
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia; Psychology Department, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Remco C J
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Polman
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills; D009068:Movement