The Relationship Between Functional Motor Competence and Performance on the Army Combat Fitness Test in Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadets

Introduction: The development of functional motor competence (FMC; i.e., neuromuscular coordination and control required to meet a wide range of movement goals) is critical to long-term development of health- and performance-related physical capacities (e.g., muscular strength and power, muscular endurance, and aerobic endurance). Secular decline in FMC among U.S. children and adolescents presents current and future challenges for recruiting prospective military personnel to successfully perform the physical demands of military duty. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between FMC and physical military readiness (PMR) in a group of Cadets enrolled in an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Materials and Methods: Ninety Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadets from a southeastern university and a military college in the southeast (females=22; Mage=19.52.5) volunteered for participation in the study. Cadets performed a battery of eight FMC assessments consisting of locomotor, object projection, and functional coordination tasks. To assess PMR, Cadets performed the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Values from all FMC assessments were standardized based on the sample and summed to create a composite FMC score. ACFT scores were assigned to Cadets based upon ACFT scoring standards. We used Pearson correlations to assess the relationships between individual FMC assessment raw scores, FMC composite scores, and total ACFT points. We also evaluated the potential impact of FMC on ACFT in the entire sample and within each gender subgroup using hierarchical linear regression. Finally, we implemented a 3x2 chi-squared analysis to evaluate the predictive utility of FMC level on pass/fail results on the ACFT by categorizing Cadets' composite FMC score into high (>= 75th percentile) moderate (>= 25th percentile and <75th percentile), and low (<25th percentile) based on the percentile ranks within the sample. ACFT pass/fail results were determined using ACFT standards, requiring a minimum of 60 points on each the ACFT subtests. Results: FMC composite scores correlated strongly with total ACFT performance (r=0.762) with individual FMC tests demonstrating weak-to-strong relationships ACFT performance (r=0.200-0.769). FMC uniquely accounted for 15% (95% CI: -0.07 to 0.36) of the variance in ACFT scores in females (R-2=0.516, F-2,F-19=10.11, P<0.001) and 26% (95% CI: 0.09-0.43) in males (R-2=0.385, F-2,F-65=20.37, P<0.001), respectively, above and beyond the impact of age. The 3x2 chi-squared analysis demonstrated 74% of those with low, 28% with moderate, and 17% with high FMC failed the ACFT (chi(2) [1, N=90]=27.717, V=0.555, P<0.001). Conclusion: FMC composite scores are strongly correlated with ACFT scores, and low levels of FMC were a strong predictor of ACFT failure. These data support the hypothesis that the development of sufficient FMC in childhood and adolescence may be a critical antecedent for PMR. Efforts to improve FMC in children and adolescents may increase PMR of future military recruits.