Children ‘are so idle they can’t even catch a ball’

CHILDREN as young as 12 are unable to throw, catch or even hit sports balls properly due to inactivity, a report has found.

Their motor skills are so poor they are unable to perform simple movements that, in the past, an average six-year-old could, the study said.

Initial findings from a study of 3,000 primary school children shows that up to one-third of children cannot catch a ball with two hands.

Barely a quarter of girls could throw overhand and less than half of boys could strike a ball with a hurl of bat, said the Moving Well Being Well study by Dublin City University and the GAA.

DCU academic Dr Johann Issartel said: ‘It’s a potential catastrophe for public health because the inability to perform fundamental movement skills leads to an aversion to sports and exercise later in life.

‘Reasons why our children are so inactive are so complex, from advances and overuse of electronic devices, overly cautious parents and lack of school or sports resources. Gone is the tradition of learning these skills in schools.

‘Twelve-year-olds have not even mastered these skills which would in the past be normal for a six-year-old.’

The all-Ireland study, which took place from March to June this year, involved more than 30 types of exercises and tests carried out in schools in 12 different counties.

Dr Issartel said the findings were ‘very worrying as children can’t use basic skills of throwing a ball, running or even jumping properly’.

‘Although it doesn’t seem to be viewed as a problem now by schools or parents, it will create problems as they enter their 20s and 30s upwards,’ he said. ‘There not only will be medical issues, but it will also hamper their psychological abilities, and create mental health issues.’