Effects of a traditional Thai games program on motor fitness and functional movement quality in male adolescents aged 13–15 years

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Background and Study Aim. Traditional games offer opportunities to incorporate varied movement activities into school settings. Although traditional games are used to provide varied movement experiences, their relative effectiveness in improving motor fitness and functional movement quality in early adolescents remains of practical interest. This study examined the effects of a six-week Traditional Thai Games (TTG) program on these outcomes in male adolescents aged 13–15 years. Materials and Methods. This quasi-experimental study included 96 healthy male adolescents aged 13–15 years from one school in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor, allocated without randomization to TTG or usual-activity control groups (48 per group). Both groups had one scheduled 50-minute physical education lesson per week covering volleyball and basketball; TTG participants additionally completed two 60-minute sessions weekly for six weeks. Eight motor fitness outcomes and the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) composite score were assessed before and after the intervention. Baseline-adjusted ANCOVA models included group, the corresponding mean-centered baseline score, and their interaction. Adjusted between-group differences were reported with HC3 robust 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Holm adjustment addressed nine outcome comparisons; all analyses were exploratory. Results. Complete paired data were available for all 96 participants. None of the nine baseline-adjusted between-group contrasts was statistically significant (unadjusted p = 0.069–0.828; Holm-adjusted p = 0.618–1.000), and all 95% CIs included zero. The adjusted FMS difference (TTG minus control) was −0.19 points (95% CI −0.81 to 0.43; p = 0.546). Corresponding differences were 0.66 repetitions for chin-ups (95% CI −0.05 to 1.36) and −4.11 cm for standing long jump (95% CI −9.37 to 1.16). Quadratic baseline models and bootstrap intervals did not change the overall interpretation. Conclusions. Baseline-adjusted analyses did not provide clear evidence of an average additional benefit of the six-week TTG program over usual activity for motor fitness or FMS composite scores in this sample. The findings do not establish equivalence or exclude potentially meaningful effects. Nonrandom allocation, uncertain training exposure, and limited precision warrant cautious interpretation.

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Related topics: Physical education and sports games research · Children's Physical and Motor Development · Child Development and Education