Developmental Changes and Individual Stability of Motor Abilities from the Preschool Period to Young Adulthood

There is a generally held belief that children who show better motor performance in early childhood than the majority of their peers continue to be athletically adept in youth and adulthood. Evidence is scarce, however, for the existence of a broad, stable motor ability, especially over longer time frames (cf. Ahnert, 2005; Ahnert, Bös, & Schneider, 2003; Malina, 2001; Matton et al., 2006; Schott, Bös, & Mechling, 1997).