Quantitative sex differentations of motor abilities in children aged 11-14

Sex differentiations of motor development in certain time periods of growing in boys and girls are changes provoked by maturity. The aim of this research was to establish sex differentiations in motor abilities on the transversal sample of 1020 subjects, pupils from the fifth to the eighth grade of the elementary school. Sex differentiations are significantly more expressed in puberty than in pre-puberty age, which approves that the development trend of certain motor abilities is different compared to the sex. We established a statistically significant difference between boys and girls in performing applied motor tests in all four age categories. In both younger and older age groups it is evident girls are more superior to boys in flexibility manifested in the bigger range of movement in a certain joint or a set of joints, i.e. in joint movability, as well as in the easiness and gracefulness of movements. In children of younger ages, motor efficiency of boys in relation to girls is manifested in the greater power of the trunk, greater explosive power of jump and sprint type and in coordination. The boys of older age have increased the difference in explosive power, particularly of throw type with better agility, equilibrium and greater static strength of arm and shoulder belt. There has evidently been a greater development of the muscle mass in the male sex compared to the female sex. On the basis of research results it has been concluded that the motor development follows faster, i.e. sooner in girls compared to boys and that puberty peak happens at the age of twelve for girls (6th grade) and at the age of thirteen for boys (7th grade).