The World Health Organization recommends that children and teenagers aged 5 to 17 should be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day. This should include activities that make them breathe harder, as well as exercises that strengthen muscles and bones. National guidelines in Austria and Germany also highlight the importance of basic movement skills such as endurance, strength, coordination, and balance.

Regular physical activity is important for children's physical and mental health. It can help prevent problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It can also support learning, concentration, and school performance. However, many children do not move enough. In Austria and Germany, only a small number of children and teenagers meet the recommended activity levels.

Because of this, many programs have been created to encourage children to be more active, for example through active breaks, park activities, or sports clubs. These programs often include simple movement games, warm-up exercises, and strengthening exercises such as squats. Balance and coordination exercises are used less often. Also, many programs mainly count how many children take part, but they do not always measure how the programs improve children's movement skills.

This study therefore looks at whether targeted balance and coordination training improves the motor skills of children aged 6 to 11 in school sports. It will compare this training with strength training. Over four weeks, children will take part in one of the two training programs. Their motor skills, such as coordination, strength, flexibility, and endurance, will be tested before and after the program. The study will also look at how the children's general physical activity level influences their motor development.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical activity plays a central role in promoting the health of children and adolescents. It recommends at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity at a moderate to vigorous intensity for 5- to 17-year-olds. In addition, muscle- and bone-strengthening exercises should be performed weekly. These recommendations are also reflected in national guidelines-such as the Austrian HBSC fact sheets or the German inventory on physical activity promotion, which further specify the WHO guidelines and focus on basic motor skills such as endurance, strength, and coordination.

A comprehensive Cochrane review demonstrates the positive effects of physical activity on physical and mental health in childhood and adolescence. Physical activity can not only reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, or cardiovascular problems, but also positively influence cognitive development and academic performance.

Despite this knowledge, physical inactivity is widespread among young people: In Austria, according to the 2018 HBSC study, only 20% of 11- to 15-year-olds meet the recommended daily physical activity guidelines-a downward trend. In Germany, data from the Motor Skills Module (MoMo) show that only 15.3% of children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 17 meet the physical activity recommendations.

Against this backdrop, numerous health promotion programs have been launched. These range from "Active Recess" and "Active in the Park" to sports club-based training concepts. Initial findings, such as those from the MoMo study or the work of Doose et al. 2021, point to a stabilization of activity levels. The problem with many of these programs, however, is that while participation is recorded as an important outcome, there is no data on the specific impact on motor developmen.

The programs mainly include exercises for general mobilization and loosening up (e.g., shoulder circles) as well as various strengthening exercises (e.g., squats), mostly in the form of games. Coordination and balance exercises (e.g., standing on one leg) as well as exercises to improve flexibility (e.g., yoga exercises) are used less frequently.

Based on this fact, the question arises as to what effect targeted coordination/balance training has on the motor performance of children and adolescents aged 6 to 11 years in the context of school sports, compared to strength training. Furthermore, the influence of physical activity levels on the development of motor performance will be investigated.

As part of an extramural prospective 2-arm study, the differences between an additional 4-week balance/coordination training program versus strength training within the context of school physical education on motor skills (measured using the Bruininks-Oseretzky Test Version 2, Jamar Hand Dynamometer, Sit and Reach, and 6-minute endurance run) of students aged 6 to 11, and the influence of physical activity levels (MoMo Questionnaire for Physical Activity) will be analyzed.

Inclusion Criteria:

- primary school children aged 6 to 11 years

Exclusion Criteria:

- Official exemption from physical education in school

Individual participant data will not be shared because the study involves minors, who are considered a particularly vulnerable population and therefore require heightened ethical and data protection safeguards. In addition, the informed consent obtained from parents or legal guardians does not include permission for sharing individual participant data with external researchers.