Path Fit: Movement Competency and Training

Learning Objectives:

•Develop an understanding of how to improve your movement competence

•Demonstrate an understanding of skills transferability

•Demonstrate an understanding of the phases of movement skills while participating in a variety of

physical activities

•Apply appropriate movement principles to refine your skills in undertaking a variety of physical
activities

•Demonstrate and apply an understanding of the components of a range of physical activities

•Identify and implement tactical solutions while participating in a variety of physical activities

•Demonstrate an understanding of how applying movement concept, skills, and strategies affect your
competence, confidence, and desire to participate in physical activities

What Influences How We Move?

How we move while performing any physical activity, whether that activity is something we need or
want to do, is influenced by many factors — for example, our motivation, our abilities, and the
environment. Movement is influenced by our characteristics as individuals and by everything around us.
In other words, how we move depends on the context in which we are performing an activity. The
factors that influence our movement patterns can be broadly categorized into three types:

•Personal Factor

•Environmental Factor

•Task or Activity

Movement competencies are essential to participate in physical activity. If movement

competencies are not developed and nurtured from a young age, this can lead to inactivity and the
health and social problems linked to inactivity. The following graphic provides examples of how
movement competencies set a foundation for participation in different activities:
The Seven Key Movement Features
As a first step in improving your movement competence, it is important to know which
features of a movement pattern matter. When performing activities such as jumping for a rebound,
lifting a backpack, or sitting in a chair while studying, which aspects of your movement will
influence your performance, your susceptibility to injury, or your long-term health? Paying
attention to the seven key movement features, which are shown and described in detail on the
following page, can help you build your capacity and enhance your overall quality of life.

Simply becoming aware of these key movement features could change your movement
behaviors, alter your daily movement habits, and improve your enjoyment of life.

The seven key movement features are:

1. Knees in line with the feet and hips

2. Body weight centered over mid-foot
3. Normal low back curvature (avoid rounding and arching
4. Normal low back curvature (avoid bending sideways — the shoulders and hips remain
parallel)
5. Shoulders and hips rotate together
6. Shoulders down and away from the ears
7. Shoulders back (elbow and shoulder move in the same direction)

Fundamental Movement Patterns

•Push: involves moving an external object away from your body or pushing your body
away from an object or surface, as in a push-up.

•Pull: involve pulling an object toward your body, or pull your body toward an object.
Like pushing, pulling is typically used to describe the upper body only.

•Squat: involves lowering your body weight by bending your ankles and knees.

•Lunge: involves one leg extended or bent in front of the body while the other leg is
extended or bent behind the body.

•Hinge: any movement that involves flexion and extension of the hips. Ideally, the spine
will be kept in a neutral position to prevent injury, maximize performance, or improve
quality of life.

•Rotation: movements are the basic twisting exercises, such as twisting to throw a ball.
Movement competencies into specific skills

1. Sending:
Movement to move or send an object away. This can include throwing, kicking, or head
butting.
Example:
If the goal of the game is to hit a target:
It can be thrown underhand or overhand using the hand or kicking

2. Receiving:
Catching or receiving an object.
This include catching, using a foot to stop a ball, trapping an object with their body or
receiving an object with both or one hand.

3. Transporting:
Ways to move around an environment such as walking, running, hopping, skipping, and
jumping. May also include rolling or tumbling.

4. Body Control:
Involves balance and skills that require to move one part of the body while keeping the other
still.

5. Coordinated Movement:
Combines different types of movement skills together in everyday activities or play. This can
include catching a ball while running or navigating an outdoor playground.

Types of Movement Skills

Many movement skills fall into one of three categories: stability (in this context, whole-body
stability), locomotion, and manipulation:

•Stability skills involve the body balancing in one place (static balance; e.g., standing
on a balance beam) or balancing in motion (dynamic balance; e.g., doing a rotation on
the beam).
•Locomotion skills involve the body moving in any direction (e.g., walking, running,
jumping, and hopping).
•Manipulation skills include throwing and catching skills or skills related to striking with
the hands, the feet, or an implement (e.g., kicking, volleying, batting, and dribbling)

The Phases of Performing a Skill

Not all movement skills can be broken down into distinct phases. Riding a bicycle and
brushing your teeth are but two examples. However, breaking a discrete movement skill such
as throwing or kicking into its various phases is a useful way to identify your strengths and
weaknesses with a view to further improvement. Teachers and coaches do this all the time.
A teacher or coach will focus on how a student performs during each phase of a skill, identify
strengths and weaknesses, and offer advice as to what the student can do to execute that
phase more effectively.
The four phases of a movement skill are usually identified as:

• Preparation phase
The preparation phase involves getting a secure footing and a firm grip on the racquet, then
beginning to bring the joints and muscles into action. The quadriceps and gluteal muscles of
the hip and thigh play an important role in generating power on the serve, as does the
swinging of the racquet. “Winding up” is another term for the preparation phase in tennis.

• Force production phase

Power on the tennis serve is produced from the hips, legs, shoulder, elbow, and wrist action
occurring in a well-coordinated sequence. Uncoiling the various positions reached in the
preparation stage and timing them accurately are the keys to a powerful serve.

• Critical instant phase

In a tennis serve, the “critical instant” is when the entire wrist finally snaps into play and the
tennis ball is struck— all the momentum built up in the swing is transferred to the tennis ball at
that point. In a jump shot in basketball, the critical instant is when the ball finally leaves the
fingers. For a slap-shot in hockey, the critical instant is the moment when the hockey stick
makes contact with the puck.

• Recovery and follow-through phase

Typically, experienced tennis players will have both feet off the ground when they finally strike
the ball on the serve. Finishing the serving motion, landing, and then regaining balance are
important aspects of the recovery and follow-though phase. Coaches and teachers will be
alert to this phase, providing advice to ensure that their player is ready for the return shot.

Fundamental Sports Skills

Sport for Life has identified a series of fundamental sports skills that they believe are
important to learn, especially in the early years. The hope is that once a certain level of
competence has been established the following skills become transferable:
• throwing
• catching
• striking
• running
• jumping
• kicking
• agility, balance, and coordination (“ABCs”)

Types of Movement at Joints

The other two movement principles you will learn about involve joint movements. Movements
at joints can be described in terms of the types of actions involved. Some of these terms— for
example, flexion and extension — have become part of our normal English vocabulary. Other
terms are more technical and are used mainly by teachers, coaches, and exercise
professionals.

Some of the more common terms used when describing movement at joints are explained
below:
Flexion/extension
• Flexion is the action of bending at a joint such that the joint angle decreases. An example of
flexion is when you bend your elbow to bring your palm up toward your face.
• Extension is the opposite of flexion. It occurs when you increase the joint angle. When you
straighten your arm from the flexed position, you are extending your arm

Abduction/adduction
• Abduction occurs when you move a body segment to the side and away from your body. An
example of abduction is when you move your arm out to the side and bring it level with your
shoulder.
• Adduction is the opposite of abduction and occurs when you move a body segment toward
your body. You adduct your arm when you bring it back down to your side.
Supination/pronation
• Supination is rotating the wrist such that the palm of your hand is facing forward. When you
catch a softball underhanded with one hand, you must supinate your wrist.
• Pronation occurs in the opposite direction of supination. When you dribble a basketball, you
first have to pronate your wrist.

Dorsiflexion/plantar flexion
• Plantar flexion is also specific to the ankle joint. It occurs when you point your toes.
• Dorsiflexion occurs when you bend at the ankle to bring the top of your foot closer to your
shin. It is essential when walking or jumping.
Inversion/Eversion
• Inversion is a result of standing on the outer edge of your foot. It is normally what happens
when you twist your ankle.
• Eversion also is associated with the ankle joint. Eversion is a result of standing on the inner
edge of your foot.

Internal rotation/external rotation

• External rotation results when you twist or turn a body part outward from the midline, for
example when you turn your toes outward.
• Internal rotation results when you twist or turn a body part inward toward the midline, for
example when you turn your toes inward.

Circumduction
• Circumduction is a combination of flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction all wrapped
up into one movement. An example of this occurs in softball, when a pitcher throws the ball
with a windmill action.
Game and Activity Categories

The first four categories shown below represent games and activities that are similar in
structure. If you learn the rules, basic strategies, and tactical solutions associated with one or
more of these categories, you can participate in a wider range of games, activities, and sports
of your choice. Your knowledge and skills will transfer from one activity to another within a
particular category. For example, learning a tactic such as getting and retaining possession of
an object can transfer to and from lacrosse, soccer, handball, water polo, and wheelchair
basketball.
• In territory activities, participants invade an opponent’s territory to score.
n net/wall activities, a participant propels an object into space and tries to prevent an
opponent from returning it.
• In striking/fielding activities, the participant strikes an object to remove it from defenders in
the field.
• In target activities, a participant propels an object, preferably with a high degree of accuracy,
at a target.
• In individual activities and outdoor activities, participants who are not drawn to team sports
can develop fitness and movement skills related to control of body rhythm, movement
aesthetics, creativity, sequencing, and stability, either individually or with other.
Activities:
Area 1: Games Badminton
Candidates are assessed on the following individual skills and techniques:
• Service: long serve, short serve.
• Overhead Clear: forehand, backhand
• Smash
• Drop shots
• Net shots
• Service return