What is a motor skill?
A motor skill is a learned movement with a goal, done with good control and the least wasted effort. "Motor" means movement.
Gross and fine
- Gross: big muscle groups, less precision: running, jumping, swimming.
- Fine: small muscles, high precision: writing, typing, a dart throw, threading a needle.
Other ways to classify
- Open (the surroundings change: a pass in hockey) vs closed (fixed surroundings: a penalty kick, a gymnastics routine).
- Simple (few decisions: a sprint start) vs complex (many decisions: a tennis rally).
- Discrete (clear start and end: a throw), serial (chain of skills: a triple jump), continuous (no clear end: running, cycling).
Locomotor, manipulative and stability skills
- Locomotor: moving the body from one place to another: walk, run, hop, skip, jump, gallop, climb, swim.
- Manipulative (object control): controlling an object with hands, feet or a tool: throw, catch, kick, dribble, strike with a bat or racket.
- Stability (non-locomotor): keeping balance in place or while moving: balance on one leg, twist, turn, bend, land safely, hold a handstand.
These are the fundamental movement skills. Combining them builds sport skills: a layup in basketball = run (locomotor) + jump and balance (stability) + release the ball (manipulative). A wide movement repertoire (many skills) makes it easier to learn new sports, dance or gymnastics.
Perception, decision and action
Movement follows an information-processing loop:
- Input / perception: eyes, ears, touch and body sense (proprioception: knowing where your limbs are) pick up information. You pay attention to what matters (selective attention), for example the ball, not the crowd.
- Decision: the brain compares with memory and chooses a movement.
- Output / action: nerves send signals and muscles move.
- Feedback: you see or feel the result (intrinsic) or a coach tells you (extrinsic), and you correct next time.
Reaction time = time from a signal to the start of a movement. Movement time = time to complete the movement. Response time = reaction time + movement time. More choices make reaction slower; practice and reading the game (anticipation) make it faster.
Perceptual-motor abilities include body awareness, sense of space and direction, timing and rhythm, and hand-eye or foot-eye coordination.
Stages of learning and practice
- Cognitive stage: you try to understand the skill; movements are slow and jerky with many errors; demonstrations and simple instructions help.
- Associative stage: you practise; errors drop; you start to feel what is right; feedback helps you fine-tune.
- Autonomous stage: the skill is automatic and consistent; you can think about tactics while doing it.
Practice types: whole (practise the full skill) or part (break it into pieces); massed (little rest) or distributed (with breaks); fixed (repeat the same) or varied (change conditions, good for open skills). Repeating a movement many times stabilises it.
Motor creativity: finding new or unusual movements to solve a problem, for example in dance, gymnastics or dribbling past a defender, and using the body to express ideas and feelings.
Motor abilities (capacities)
Abilities are qualities you partly inherit and can train; skills are learned on top of them.
- Conditional abilities: speed, strength, endurance, flexibility.
- Coordinative abilities: coordination, balance, agility (changing direction quickly), reaction, rhythm, spatial orientation.
Each sport needs a different mix: a gymnast needs balance and flexibility; a sprinter speed and power; a footballer endurance, agility and coordination. Simple tests measure them: 30 m sprint (speed), standing long jump (power), sit-and-reach (flexibility), stork stand (balance), ruler-drop test (reaction time).
Key formulas and definitions
- [object Object]
- [object Object]
- [object Object]
Worked examples
1. Classify a basketball free throw: gross or fine, open or closed, and which family.
Mostly fine (precise wrist and finger control), closed (the surroundings do not change), manipulative (controlling the ball).
2. A sprinter's reaction time is 0.15 s and movement time to the end of the first stride is 0.35 s. Find the response time.
0.15 + 0.35 = 0.50 s.
3. A learner scores 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 out of 10 over five sessions. Which stage is the learner in at the start and at the end?
Start (30%, many errors): cognitive. Middle: associative. End (90%, consistent): close to autonomous.
4. Break a long jump into locomotor, stability and other parts.
Run-up = locomotor. Take-off and flight = jump (locomotor) with body control. Landing safely and holding balance = stability. No object, so no manipulative part.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up abilities and skills: abilities (like balance) are qualities; skills (like a handstand) are learned movements built on them.
- Thinking open and closed is about indoor and outdoor. It is about whether the surroundings change during the skill.
- Giving a beginner too much information at once: in the cognitive stage keep instructions short and simple.
- Thinking reaction time cannot improve: practice and anticipation make responses faster.