Children and Women in Sports
This domain has two halves: motor development and postural deformities in children, and the physiological and social factors that shape women's participation in sport.
Motor development
Gross motor skills use large muscle groups (running, jumping, throwing); fine motor skills use small muscles (catching a small ball, writing). Development follows a sequence - head to foot (cephalocaudal) and centre to periphery (proximodistal). It is influenced by heredity, nutrition, environment, practice, illness and gender.
Postural deformities
- Kyphosis: increased backward curve of the thoracic spine, a round upper back.
- Lordosis: excessive inward curve of the lumbar spine.
- Scoliosis: sideways or lateral curve of the spine.
- Knock knees: knees touch while the ankles stay apart. Bow legs are the opposite.
- Flat foot: loss of the arch. Round shoulders: shoulders drawn forward. Correction means stretching the tight side, strengthening the weak side and correcting the habit that caused it.
Women in sport
Women average more body fat, less muscle mass, lower VO2max and lower bone mineral density than men, yet adapt to training in the same way. The female athlete triad links low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction and low bone density. Social constraints include fewer facilities, safety concerns, family expectations and limited media coverage.
Worked example
A 12-year-old girl shows a rounded upper back and forward-drawn shoulders, blamed on a heavy school bag and poor desk posture. There is no lateral deviation, so this is kyphosis with round shoulders, not scoliosis. Correction: postural education, a lighter bag, chest stretches and back-extension work such as bhujangasana.
Traps that cost marks
- Swapping knock knees and bow legs.
- Calling scoliosis a front-to-back curve.
- Presenting lower female VO2max as a reason to train less.