Structure of Talent and Individual Sports Profiles in Late Childhood

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine individual profiles of sports preconditions in 6- and 7-year-old children and recommend sports according to test scores and individual sports profiles. Data were collected from 1st graders at elementary schools. The children participated in organized sports practice in sports clubs. The sample included 42 boys and 3 girls. Of these, 16 children engaged in soccer practice and 29 children engaged in ice hockey practice. Children performed 10 motor tests (Měkota & Blahuš, 1983; Šimonek, 2015): repeated routing with a stick, flexed arm hang, standing long jump, shuttle run agility test, 20-meter sprint, endurance shuttle run, sit-ups, sit-and-reach test, and rollingof-three-balls test. To assess decision-making processes, children played a flag chasing game. The results of the correlation analysis showed that correlations among tests were similar for both groups. The individual sports profiles that were applied to determine the appropriateness of sports preconditions for particular sports showed that sports children played and sports for which children showed talent differed considerably.