Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
Basic movements encompass essential motor skills, including locomotion, manipulation, and stable visible actions. Through the refinement and combination of these fundamental movement patterns, complex sports skills are developed. Extensive evidence indicates that motor experiences in physical activities influence numerous facets of both physical and cognitive development. Despite the clear distinction between deliberate practice and purposeful play, there is a notable lack of research investigating their comparative effects on the performance of basic motor skills—specifically locomotion and ball skills—in children aged 7 to 10 years. Consequently, this study aimed to examine the impact of purposeful play versus deliberate practice on the fundamental motor skill performance of boys within this age group.
 
Methods
The study population consisted of all male students aged 7 to 10 years residing in Arak city. Based on power analysis conducted using G*Power software (version 3.1.9.2), the minimum required sample size was calculated to be 39 (13 participants per group), assuming a significance level of 0.05, statistical power of 95%, and an effect size of 0.3 derived from prior related studies. Employing a semi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with a four-week follow-up, 45 male students were randomly selected and randomly assigned into three groups of 15 each: deliberate play, deliberate practice, and control. Inclusion criteria required normal vision (assessed via the Snellen Vision Scale), age between 7 and 10 years, physical health status confirmed by the Health and Physical Activity Questionnaire, absence of injuries or illnesses affecting motor function, and parental consent. Basic motor skills were assessed at baseline using the Ulrich Test of Motor Development–Third Edition (Ulrich-3). During the intervention phase, participants engaged in movement and ball skill training modeled on the Ulrich Motor Development Test 3 framework, applying either deliberate play or deliberate practice protocols over nine weeks (two 60-minute sessions per week). Training sessions were conducted in a dedicated facility equipped with age-appropriate play materials designed to foster skill acquisition. Post-intervention assessments and a four-week follow-up evaluation involved re-administration of the Ulrich-3 test. Hypotheses were tested using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to evaluate the effects of intervention type across measurement time points. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 22, setting the alpha level for significance at 0.05.
 
Descriptive analysis of the participants’ demographic characteristics indicated no significant differences among groups in age, height, or weight, confirming group homogeneity for these variables. The Shapiro-Wilk test results showed that the significance levels for all variables across all groups exceeded 0.05, confirming normal data distribution with 95% confidence. Additionally, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the pre-test stage revealed no significant differences in either locomotion or ball skills among the groups, further supporting baseline equivalence.
The first assumption of the repeated measures analysis—equality of covariance matrices—was met, as indicated by the non-significant Box’s M test (P=0.203). The second assumption, compound symmetry, was confirmed by the non-significance of Mauchly’s test of sphericity (P=0.673), justifying the use of related F indices adjusted for sphericity. Levene’s test confirmed homogeneity of error variances before assessing between-group effects, with non-significant results (P=0.405 pre-test, P=0.110 post-test, P=0.295 follow-up).
The results of the repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) demonstrated significant main effects of measurement time (η²=0.604, P=0.001, F=63.97), group (η²=0.756, P=0.001, F=65.02), and the interaction between measurement time and group (η²=0.521, P=0.001, F=22.87). These findings indicate significant changes over time, differences between groups, and differing temporal patterns among groups. Specifically, purposeful play significantly enhanced locomotion and ball skills in boys aged 7 to 10, with marked improvements observed from pre-test to post-test and maintained at follow-up (P<0.05). Furthermore, participants engaged in deliberate play exhibited significantly superior locomotion and ball skills compared to those in the deliberate practice group (P<0.05).
 Conclusion
This study demonstrates that purposeful play markedly improves locomotion and ball skills in children aged 7 to 10 years, with skill levels significantly increasing from baseline through post-intervention and follow-up assessments. Purposeful play can thus be conceptualized as an intentional sports activity that fosters general cognitive and physiological development while providing a rich environment conducive to sports skill acquisition. Similarly, deliberate practice also positively impacts locomotion and ball skills in this age group, resulting in significant performance gains. Notably, purposeful play yielded greater improvements than deliberate practice, corroborating findings by Fahimi and Qolehaki. These results support the view that purposeful play—serving as an intentional exercise modality—can develop foundational cognitive and physiological skills and effectively complement or partially substitute for deliberate practice.
However, contrasting evidence from Rezaei et al. revealed that speed and agility improved more significantly in the deliberate practice group during mid- and post-test assessments, whereas certain subscales favored the purposeful play group. Overall, this investigation aligns with extant literature underscoring the importance of both purposeful play and deliberate practice in enhancing locomotion and ball skills during childhood. Based on these findings, coaches and educators specializing in children’s physical activity are encouraged to integrate both purposeful play and deliberate practice into training regimens to optimally develop fundamental motor skills in boys aged 7 to 10 years.
Keywords: Deliberate Play, Deliberate Practice, Ball Skills, Movement Skills, Children.
 Article Message
Consistent with prior research in this field, this study emphasizes that purposeful play significantly enhances locomotion and ball skills in boys aged 7 to 10 years. This underscores the essential role of purposeful play and deliberate practice in the development and improvement of fundamental motor skills during childhood. Coaches and children’s physical education specialists should incorporate these methodologies to effectively advance basic movement competencies in this demographic.
Ethical Considerations
All research ethical guidelines were observed. The study received approval from the Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Arak.
Authors’ Contributions

Conceptualization: First author (supervisor) 50%, Second author (student) 50%
Data Collection: First author 15%, Second author 85%
Data Analysis: First author 30%, Second author 70%
Manuscript Writing: First author 50%, Second author 50%
Review and Editing: First author 90%, Second author 10%
Funding: None
Literature Review: First author 50%, Second author 50%
Project Management: First author 90%, Second author 10%
Other Contributions: None

Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge all individuals who supported this research.