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Pupils in the Fulda district have better motor skills than the national average – this is the result of the Fulda Talent and Movement Check, which started its 16th edition at the end of February.
Fulda – Since Saturday at the end of February, 2,225 children from 65 primary schools in the city and district of Fulda have been tested for their motor performance over four weeks. The district announced this in a press release.
At the official launch event to the talent and movement check, which has been taking place in the city and district of Fulda since 2010second graders from the Bonifatiusschule Fulda showed what they were made of. Full of enthusiasm, they completed a total of eleven stations with disciplines such as long throws, push-ups and standing long jumps. In addition to speed, strength and coordination, responsiveness and endurance were also tested.
2225 children take part in the 16th physical activity check in the Fulda district
According to those responsible, a standardized test procedure developed by sports scientists is used. It not only provides information about special sporting talents, but also makes it clear where children with weaker motor skills should be specifically supported.
After completing the check, all children receive a certificate with their test results and an individual recommendation for five different sports that suit them particularly well based on their performance. “The children benefit greatly from the checks,” emphasized first district councilor Frederik Schmitt. The recommendations made opened doors to sports that may not have been on the children's radar before.
As the sports scientist Dr. Maximilian Siener explained that the proposed sports are also based on the existing offerings of the local clubs. He accompanies the project scientifically. Feedback from parents can repeatedly confirm that the sporting path a child has chosen based on the recommendations turns out to be the right one in retrospect.
More than 30,000 children have been tested for physical activity since 2010
The talent and movement check has been carried out annually since 2010 with the second grades of primary schools in the city and district of Fulda. A total of over 30,000 children have already been tested. Prof. Dr. Andreas Hohmann, who helped develop the sports science test procedure, pointed out that students in the Fulda district have more motor skills than the national average. Whether this is due to the quality of the landscape, which invites too much outdoor exercise, or to the good infrastructure and variety of clubs, one can only speculate.
“In any case, we have successfully overcome the Corona crisis. There is no longer any detectable general motor decline,” explained Hohmann. According to Hohmann, additional long-term studies also showed that children who were already strong in sports in the second grade maintained this level of performance in the seventh and twelfth grades.
