The Relationships Between Army Combat Fitness Test Performance and Functional Motor Competence in Army Reserve...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Military Fitness
• Motor Control

Background:

• Declining youth physical activity and motor competence pose a threat to Army physical military readiness (PMR).
• The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) assesses PMR, but the role of functional motor competence (FMC) in ACFT performance is understudied.
• FMC, developed through physical activity, is crucial for physical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationships between individual Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) events and functional motor competence (FMC) composite scores.
• To determine the association between the overall FMC composite score and total ACFT performance.
• To investigate the predictive power of FMC on ACFT outcomes in Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets.

Main Methods:

• Seventy Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets (21 female, 49 male) participated.
• Cadets completed an FMC test battery including long jump, ball throw/kick, and vertical jump.
• Linear regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between FMC and ACFT performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Functional motor competence (FMC) significantly predicted total Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) scores, explaining 28.2% of the variance.
• FMC accounted for 6.7% to 22.6% of the variance in individual ACFT events.
• A significant relationship was found between the FMC composite score and ACFT performance.

Conclusions:

• Functional motor competence (FMC) is an important, potentially underappreciated, factor in Army physical military readiness (PMR).
• FMC can be assessed early in a cadet's career to identify individuals who may need additional training.
• Neuromuscular training can improve low FMC, thereby enhancing ACFT performance and overall PMR.