The Characteristics Of Motor Skills

Decent Essays
The term skill is a generic term and can be used to label a wide selection of skilled actions that we carry out either on a daily basis or whilst playing sport, and in the world of sport there are a large range of activities each requiring a set of skills. Skills have many different characteristics that can change in different circumstances, which makes classifying these skills rather difficult, therefore researchers have classified motor skills by defining features that they share. These features are then divided into a continuum and the skill is rated on each continuum. By using this approach skills can be compared on different continuums which is a much superior approach than comparing all together. This essay will help develop the understanding …show more content…
An individual cannot say that they have acquired a skill until it can be performed or carried out with perfect execution and can be performed constantly without any fault or error.
(Guthrie 1952, pg 136) implies that “Skill consists of the ability to bring about some end result with maximum certainty and minimum outlay of energy, or of time and energy.”
This definition boarders the same description from (McMorris 2005) as it also implies action towards a specific goal or objective, it also implies that performing a certain skill requires the performer to have complete control under the situation in order for them to carry out the perfect execution and to be able to perform the skill constantly just as (McMorris 2005) also stated. For example if a rugby player were to try and perfect the skill of passing a ball, they would need to analysis the skill and piece together step by step every action that is required to perform that skill, and learn to master every step involved within that skill to the best of their ability, instead of trying to master the skill all at
…show more content…
Skill classification systems are constructed on the understanding that motor skills are affected by how precise a movement is, whether the movement has a definite beginning and end and whether the environment affects the performance of the skill. One of the skill classification continuums is the gross and fine motor skills continuum, (Stallings 1973) stated that “Motor skills may be defined according to the level of precision of movements and are thought to be situated on a continuum ranging from gross to fine motor skills.”
(Wolframm 2013, pg 8) explains that “Gross motor skills involve large muscle movements which are generally very precise. Fundamental movement sequences, such as walking, running or jumping are considered examples of gross motor skills”
This description of gross motor skills implies that the major muscle groups of the body are used for these specific skills. The main muscle groups are often used for explosive powerful movements as they can generate the most power and can give an athlete an explosive start, for an example if a sprinter were to explode out of the blocks at the beginning of a race, they would rely on their major muscle groups to generate enough power for an explosive

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