Physical and motor ability, anthropometrical and growth charateristics of boys in the Northwest Province of South Africa: A sport talent perspective

The objective of the study was to analyse age group differences among and unique to 10 to 15 year old boys of different racial groups living in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa. Boys (N=604) between 10 and 15 years participated in the study. They were a randomized group and a proportional representation of the four different racial groups living in the NWP. The tests included the Australian Talent Search protocol, consisting of 10 parameters (four anthropometrical, one physical and five motor abilities) and four additional physical fitness parameters (abdominal, grip- and upper body strength and flexibility). The analyses were based on cross sectional data and age group comparisons for anthropometric composition, physical and motor abilities of the boys. Analysis of Variance with an age and group effect revealed growth patterns similar to other studies, although unique growth characteristics were also found in the different racial groups, suggesting population variation. Age group differences and tendencies with regard to body dimensions and physical and motor abilities were indicated. In order to achieve a distinct profile of the current and future sporting potential of a boy in his rapid growing years, it is recommended that comparison to peers from a sport talent perspective will provide a more sensitive assessment when regional or national reference data, but also racial specific growth profiles, are used. The results of this study can serve as areference base for future comparisons in order to ensure that the most talented children are identified for sport on the basis of their own growth profile.Key words: Growth; Maturity; Boys; Talent; Physical; Motor.

Prestasieverwante vergelyking van 12- tot 15-jarige seuns in die Noordwes-Provinsie, Suid-Afrika en Australië met betrekking tot die "talent search-program": Thusa Bana-studie

The purpose of this study was to determine how 12 to 15 year old boys from the Northwest province (NW) compare to Australian (AUS) and South African (SA) boys of similar age with regard to the Talent Search-program developed in Australia. A total of 402 boys between the ages of 12 and 15 years were tested. The Australian Talent Search model and norms were used for testing purposes and comparisons of children from AUS, SA (Du Randt, 2000) and from the NW. The Statistica computer processing package was used to process all data. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the means (M) and standard deviations (SD) for each age group in the NW province. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences between groups (NW-SA, NW-AUS, SA-AUS) and the Bonferroni technique (Thomas & Nelson, 1996) was used to determine statistical significance (p < 0.05) of differences between groups. The Australian boys generally achieved statistically significant better values than the NW and SA boys with regard to their anthropometrical characteristics, physical and motor abilities. The motor and physical performance of boys from the NW, when compared to SA boys of the same age was generally significantly poorer although the differences were smaller. The vast majority of boys in the NW province are not exposed to physical activity or sport and come from low socio-economic (SES) conditions which might have contributed to the below average performance of the group. Due to the differences in compared results, it is recommended that the NW province should develop their own set of norms for talent identification purposes. It is further suggested that norms be compiled for each racial group as well as for the entire group when the general sport talent (TID) of boys in the NW province are analysed and that both sets of norms should be applied. Keywords: Boys, Talent, Anthropometry, Physical ability, Motor ability South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol.26(2) 2004: 141-15