The relationship between fundamental movement pattern and moderate to vigorous physical activity in a “Soccer Kids Program” for preschool children

The purpose of this study was to clarify the number of types and frequencies of fundamental movement patterns (FMP) during Soccer Kids Program (SKP) recommended by the Japan Football Association for preschool children, and to clarify the relationship between FMP and Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA; ≥3 METs). The participants were 12 children (six boys and six girls). The SKP was conducted for 50 minutes with video recording, and researchers counted the number of FMP during SKP by replaying the video. The FMP during SKP was classified into three movement categories: stability (eight types), locomotion (eight types), and manipulation (18 types). The participants wore a triaxial accelerometer (Active Style Pro, OMRON) on their waist during SKP and measured their activity (intensity and step) every ten seconds. Partial correlation analysis was performed on the relationship between MVPA and FMP using age in months and gender as covariates. MVPA during SKP was 24.3±5.0 minutes (48.7%), which was considerably more than in previous studies. Total number of FMP during SKP was 637.8±183.5 (stability: 27.8±12.4, locomotion: 399.7±156.6, manipulation: 210.3±48.4) and the mean number of types of FMP was 14.6±2.0 types. The FMP was confirmed in all three categories. There were significant correlations between MVPA and the total FMP (r = 0.72), the number of stability (r = 0.83), and the types of FMP (r = 0.69). This study suggested that an association between MVPA and FMP (total FMP, total stability, and type of FMP) in SKP.