Assessing Socio-Motor Creativity in Team Sports: An Ecological Framework for Identifying Creative Potential

Abstract

Creativity is increasingly recognized as a key factor in team sport performance. While physical, technical, and tactical skills remain central in player evaluation, they do not fully account for athletes’ ability to make relevant motor decisions in complex, uncertain situations. This article introduces a methodological framework for assessing socio-motor creativity, defined as the capacity to generate novel and appropriate motor behaviors during dynamic interactions with teammates and opponents. Grounded in the concept of praxical communication, the framework identifies three indicators of divergent creativity—fluency, flexibility, and originality—alongside a complementary convergence score based on expert judgment. These indicators are measured through an ecological video-based observation protocol using a validated system for coding praxemes. Results from several studies reveal strong correlations between divergence and convergence scores, supporting their joint relevance for identifying creative potential. The article emphasizes the importance of in situ assessment and outlines future research directions involving conative and emotional factors in creative behavior.