title: Can Perceptuo-Motor Skills Assessment Outcomes in Young Table Tennis Players (7-11 years) Predict Future Competition Participation and Performance? An Observational Prospective Study.
abstract: Forecasting future performance in youth table tennis players based on current performance is complex due to, among other things, differences between youth players in growth, development, maturity, context and table tennis experience. Talent development programmes might benefit from an assessment of underlying perceptuo-motor skills for table tennis, which is hypothesized to determine the players' potential concerning the perceptuo-motor domain. The Dutch perceptuo-motor skills assessment intends to measure the perceptuo-motor potential for table tennis in youth players by assessing the underlying skills crucial for developing technical and tactical qualities. Untrained perceptuo-motor tasks are used as these are suggested to represent a player's future potential better than specific sport skills themselves as the latter depend on exposure to the sport itself. This study evaluated the value of the perceptuo-motor skills assessment for a talent developmental programme by evaluating its predictive validity for competition participation and performance in 48 young table tennis players (7-11 years). Players were tested on their perceptuo-motor skills once during a regional talent day, and the subsequent competition results were recorded half-yearly over a period of 2.5 years. Logistic regression analysis showed that test scores did not predict future competition participation (p >0.05). Yet, the Generalized Estimating Equations analysis, including the test items 'aiming at target', 'throwing a ball', and 'eye-hand coordination' in the best fitting model, revealed that the outcomes of the perceptuo-motor skills assessment were significant predictors for future competition results (R2 = 51%). Since the test age influences the perceptuo-motor skills assessment's outcome, another multivariable model was proposed including test age as a covariate (R2 = 53%). This evaluation demonstrates promising prospects for the perceptuo-motor skills assessment to be included in a talent development programme. Future studies are needed to clarify the predictive value in a larger sample of youth competition players over a longer period in time.
authors: Faculty of Physical Activity and Health, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, The Netherlands.|IQ healthcare, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|International Table Tennis Federation, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors: Irene R
authors: IR
authors: Faber
authors: Institute for Studies in Sports and Exercise, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Centre for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors: Marije T
authors: MT
authors: Elferink-Gemser
authors: International Business School, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Niels R
authors: NR
authors: Faber
authors: Faculty of Physical Activity and Health, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors: Frits G J
authors: FG
authors: Oosterveld
authors: IQ healthcare, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Maria W G
authors: MW
authors: Nijhuis-Van der Sanden
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001076:Aptitude; D056352:Athletes; D002648:Child; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D010465:Perception; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015865:Racquet Sports; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D013177:Sports