A quarter of primary school children across the country can't run properly, according to new research.
It's one of the findings of a new Dublin City University (DCU) all-Ireland study, which also shows one in two cannot kick a ball properly.
Less than one in every five, meanwhile, can throw a ball correctly.
According to the researchers, children's fundamental running skills such as running, jumping, catching and kicking plateau and stop progressing at the age of ten.
They also found there were notable differences between boys and girls in certain skills.
Boys showed a greater proficiency in ball skills such as throwing and catching.
Girls scored higher than boys in skills such as balance and skipping, which require control of the body.
The team behind the research suggested the findings highlight the poor levels of basic skills in Irish children - and that focusing on such skills could help tackle concerns about childhood obesity and low participation rates in sports.
'Physical literacy'
Dr Stephen Behan from the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, DCU and DCU School of Health and Human Performance spoke to Newstalk Breakfast about the findings.
He explained: "If we don't master these [skills] at an early age, we might find it hard to take part in more sports-specific skills.
"If you take someone taking a high ball in the middle of Croke Park, they first have to be able to jump, run and catch."
He added: "What we're looking to do is to produce physically-literate kids.
"Physical literacy is not just the fundamental movement skills that we're talking about... [it's also to] develop that motivation and confidence for them to be active, not just in any sport but in life.
"If they're not able to throw - that basic skill - how do we expect them to take part in an activity that involves throwing, like rounders or baseball or whatever it might be?
"What we want to do is just to get kids' teachers, parents and coaches to focus on these basic skills, develop them at a young age, and push them forward."
The researchers surveyed 2,098 primary children (47% female and 53% male) aged between the ages of 5-12, with participants from 44 schools across 12 counties.
