title: Scaling the Equipment and Play Area in Children's Sport to improve Motor Skill Acquisition: A Systematic Review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This review investigated the influence of scaling sports equipment and play area (e.g., field size) on children's motor skill acquisition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peer-reviewed studies published prior to February 2015 were searched using SPORTDiscus and MEDLINE. Studies were included if the research (a) was empirical, (b) involved participants younger than 18 years, (c) assessed the efficacy of scaling in relation to one or more factors affecting skill learning (psychological factors, skill performance and skill acquisition factors, biomechanical factors, cognitive processing factors), and (d) had a sport or movement skills context. Risk of bias was assessed in relation to selection bias, detection bias, attrition bias, reporting bias and other bias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five studies involving 989 children were reviewed. Studies revealed that children preferred using scaled equipment over adult equipment (n = 3), were more engaged in the task (n = 1) and had greater self-efficacy to execute skills (n = 2). Eighteen studies demonstrated that children performed skills better when the equipment and play area were scaled. Children also acquired skills faster in such conditions (n = 2); albeit the practice interventions were relatively short. Five studies showed that scaling led to children adopting more desirable movement patterns, and one study associated scaling with implicit motor learning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the studies reviewed provide evidence in support of equipment and play area scaling. However, the conclusions are limited by the small number of studies that examined learning (n = 5), poor ecological validity and skills tests of few trials.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living/College of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC, 8001, Australia. tim.buszard@vu.edu.au.|Tennis Australia, Private Bag 6060, Richmond, VIC, 3121, Australia. tim.buszard@vu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2987-1075
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buszard
authors.affiliation: Tennis Australia, Private Bag 6060, Richmond, VIC, 3121, Australia.
authors.forename: Machar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Te Oranga School of Human Development and Movement Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Rich
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living/College of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC, 8001, Australia.|Australian Institute of Sport, PO Box 176, Belconnen, ACT, 2617, Australia.
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Farrow
mesh_terms: D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D010988:Play and Playthings; D019876:Sports Equipment; D000067009:Youth Sports / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology