Assessing motor competence in kicking in individuals with Down syndrome through wearable motion sensors.
Adults with Down syndrome kick poorly because their trunk turns too slowly—train core rotation speed, not just leg strength.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers used small motion sensors to watch adults with Down syndrome kick a ball.
They compared the kicks to adults without disabilities.
The sensors tracked how fast the trunk and lower leg turned during the kick.
What they found
The Down syndrome group kicked with less skill and slower trunk rotation.
Their shank also moved more slowly through the kick.
Overall motor competence for kicking was markedly lower.
How this fits with other research
Klotzbier et al. (2020) saw kids with Down syndrome walk slower only when they had to think while walking.
That study looked positive, but the kids were much younger.
The gap between kids and adults shows motor problems may widen with age.
Sugimoto et al. (2016) and Iglesias-Díaz et al. (2025) both show strength training helps younger people with Down syndrome get stronger.
Those reviews did not test kicking form, so adding trunk-focused drills could build on their strength gains.
Why it matters
You now know the weak link is trunk speed, not just leg strength.
Start sessions with short, fast trunk-turn games before any kick task.
Use a simple verbal count or clap to set the tempo so the client learns to rotate the pelvis quicker.
This small tweak targets the exact delay the sensors caught.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Kicking a ball is a very frequent action in sport and leisure time activities and a low proficiency in this skill could limit the participation in recreational sport activities. This issue is emphasised in individuals with Down syndrome (IDS) for which data about motor competence in kicking are limited to children. Here, we aim at evaluating the kicking competence of IDS combining a qualitative and a quantitative method. METHODS: Twenty-three adult IDS and 21 typically developed individuals (ITD) volunteered to participate in the study. Peak-to-peak 3D linear acceleration and angular velocity were recorded at 200 samples/s using two inertial measurement units placed on the lower back and lateral malleolus of the dominant limb during kicking. Motor competence in kicking was assessed according to the criteria proposed in the test of gross motor development version 3 (TGMD-3). RESULTS: Individuals with Down syndrome showed lower motor competence (ITD: 5.9 ± 1.2; IDS: 3.2 ± 2.0) and lower angular velocities about the cranio-caudal (ITD: 3.0 ± 1.8; IDS: 2.1 ± 1.1 rad/s) and medio-lateral axes (ITD: 4.5 ± 1.5; IDS: 3.0 ± 1.1 rad/s) of the trunk compared with ITD. Shank angular velocity about the medio-lateral axis was lower in IDS (ITD: 14.3.6 ± 4.0; IDS: 9.9 ± 2.8 rad/s). CONCLUSIONS: The lower trunk angular velocity in IDS may limit the possibility to rely on the proximal-to-distal sequencing commonly observed in kicking and generate high shank angular velocity upon ball impact. The lower trunk angular velocity may result from orthopaedic features of the pelvic girdle and possibly from a poorer neuromuscular control of core muscles.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2022 · doi:10.1111/jir.12914