Training & Testing 591 Vandorpe B et al. Factors Discriminating Gymnasts by Competitive … Int J Sports Med 2011; 32: 591–597 accepted after revision February 18, 2011 Bibliography DOI http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1055/s-0031-1275300 Published online: May 11, 2011 Int J Sports Med 2011; 32: 591–597 © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York ISSN 0172-4622 Correspondence Barbara Vandorpe Ghent University Department of Movement and Sports Sciences Watersportlaan 2 9000 Ghent Belgium Tel.: + 32/926/494 41 Fax: + 32/926/464 84 barbara.vandorpe@UGent.be Key words ● ▶ talent identification ● ▶ gymnastics ● ▶ anthropometry ● ▶ physical performance ● ▶ motor coordination Factors Discriminating Gymnasts by Competitive Level identification should occur around 6 years of age [32], which is also the case in reality [2, 3, 24]. However, knowledge about the characteristics that best identify gifted performers in gymnas- tics from the early age of 6 is limited. Selection of gymnasts is often based upon the coaches’ ‘gut feeling’ [32] and previous gymnas- tics studies have usually focused on a single per- formance measure to identify talent. For instance, the importance of an appropriate physique in gymnastics for both aesthetic reasons and bio- mechanical advantages is well known [4, 11, 12, 27]. The physical characteristics of elite gym- nasts have been related to competitive perform- ance as well [7]. Unfortunately, most studies compared physical performance measures of gymnasts with other athletic populations [5, 24]. For TID purposes however, there is a need for studies comparing performance differences between gymnasts with elite- and sub-elite-level potential to better identify gifted performers within a relatively homogeneous group. TID entails the recognition and determination of potential talent predictors by measuring anthro- Introduction ▼ Woman’s artistic gymnastics is 1 of the most popular, though demanding sports of the Olym- pic program, with only 24 gymnasts reaching the Olympic all-around final. At the elite level, gym- nasts require a unique combination of flexibility, strength, speed, anaerobic endurance, coordina- tion, grace, and a distinct anthropometric profile [10]. Given the multidimensional nature of the sport, talent identification (TID) in gymnastics is dicult. Systematic identification of gifted athletes is important for sports federations [6], especially in countries with a relatively small talent pool. Moreover, it is believed that in sports such as gymnastics, a large amount of intense prepara- tion, over approximately 10 years, is needed to attain success in the international arena [18]. This is especially dicult to achieve in woman’s gymnastics as peak performance may be achieved by the age of 16 years. Therefore, if talented indi- viduals are to be granted the training time neces- sary to gain international success, detection and Authors B. Vandorpe 1 , J. Vandendriessche 1 , R. Vaeyens 1 , J. Pion 1 , J. Lefevre 2 , R. Philippaerts 1 , M. Lenoir 1 Affiliations 1 Ghent University, Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent, Belgium 2 Department of Biomedical Kinesiology, K.U. Leuven, Belgium Abstract ▼ This study examined the relationship between the performance level as evaluated by expert coaches and the results on a multidimensional test battery in female gymnastics. 4 coaches assigned 168 female gymnasts aged 6–8 years into 2 groups (Elite-level potential, n = 103 and Sub-elite-level potential, n = 65) based upon their technical evaluation of the gymnastics abili- ties on the 4 apparatus. Moreover, anthropo- metric, physical and coordinative characteristics were assessed. ANOVA with age as fixed fac- tor revealed that results on all aforementioned characteristics, except body fat %, sit-and-reach, rope climbing and a motor coordination test, sig- nificantly improved with increasing age. MAN- COVA with competitive level as fixed factor and age and maturity as covariates indicated that all gymnasts portrayed a similar athletic built (Wilks’ lambda = 0.95, F = 2.20, p = 0.071), but the elite-level potential gymnasts outperformed the less gifted gymnasts on all physical (Wilks’ lambda = 0.65, F = 8.00, p < 0.001) and coordina- tive variables (Wilks’ lambda = 0.79, F = 22.10, p < 0.001). Discriminant analysis revealed motor coordination to be the most important factor in discriminating between young female elite and sub-elite gymnasts. A test battery measuring multidimensional performance characteristics is valuable in addition to the coaches’ technical judgment in the search of young gifted female gymnasts.