BASIC MOTOR SKILLS: MOST RELEVANT CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The basic motor skills are motor acts that are made naturally and are the basis for the motor actions that human beings develop in the future.

These are skills acquired through learning, to produce a certain result in the shortest possible time and using little energy.

These skills are the ones that will later allow the development of more complex motor actions.

Its appearance and development has to do with the perceptual abilities that humans possess at birth and that evolve together.

What are the basic motor skills?

Basic motor skills are moving, jumping, balancing, throwing, and catching.

So, it is about the skills related to the ability of movement and movement of the human being.

Main features

- Every human being possesses them, at least potentially.

- They are part of the evolution that has allowed human survival.

- They are the prelude to later motor learning.

Top rankings

1- Depending on the body and objects

Movements for body management

Those of locomotion come in here, such as walking or running; and those of balance, like standing or sitting.

Movements for handling objects

In this case, it is about manipulative movements, such as throwing or receiving objects.

2- Depending on the body, objects and space

Locomotives or locomotives

They are the movements used to move: walking, running, jumping, among others.

Not locomotive

Movements to put the body in relation to space: turn, push, hang, dodge, among others.

Manipulative or projection and perception

Movements to manipulate objects: throwing, catching, hitting, among others.

When are basic motor skills developed?

According to Fernando Sánchez Bañuelos and his book Bases for a didactics of physical education and sport (1992), children develop their motor skills in 4 phases.

Phase 1

It ranges from 4 to 6 years of age. At this time the child develops his perceptual abilities. Understand your body and its relationship with the space around you.

It helps you to carry out exploration and discovery activities, as well as tasks aimed at developing laterality.

Phase 2

It occurs between 7 and 9 years of age. It is the golden moment for the development of basic motor skills.

The movements become more complex and work on perfecting them. Playful activities that involve competition help them here.

Phase 3

It occurs between 10 and 13 years of age. There are already established skills in the child and it is time to relate them to the development of sports or expressive activities.

They should work on generic skills, or that can be applied to many sports.

Phase 4

It occurs between 14 and 17 years of age. They are already beginning to develop specific motor skills.

According to this author, basic motor skills are developed and polished at the age when children are usually starting formal schooling.

Why are basic motor skills important?

Basic motor skills are what ensure that specific motor skills can then be acquired. This is critical for someone who wants to play sports.

Most injuries in the training of some sport are related to poor development of basic motor skills.

These skills need to be properly developed, practiced, and honed to target the central nervous system and prepare the body for workouts.

Gray Cook is a student of human movement and has proposed a pyramid system of sports development called the Performance Pyramid. This pyramid places these skills at the bottom.

According to Cook, an athlete must perfectly master the fundamental movements in order to advance and train endurance or strength, and get to the point of sport-specific skills.

This means that the way to progress in a physical training program without injury means that the basic movement patterns are performed correctly.

Otherwise, the body will not be able to cope with the new demands, and it will eventually be injured.

The 2 main components of basic motor skills

In all motor skills there are two basic components: coordination and balance.

1- Coordination

It is the ability to carry out movements in a precise way, even when different parts of the body or some objects intervene in it.

It largely depends on the state of the central nervous system, specifically the cerebral cortex.

When there is good coordination, the movement is done automatically and with very little energy expenditure. There are several types of coordination:

General dynamics

It is the basis of all movements.

Eye-manual

It is a type of coordination necessary for perception and is present in movements that involve touching something.

Segmental

It is present in the development of fine motor skills and laterality.

2- Balance

It is a function related to the cerebellum and the inner ear, which allows to maintain a position for a certain period.

It is a capacity that evolves with age and is perfected from the age of 7, when the child remains in balance with his eyes closed.

Balance is a skill that normally requires the reception of stimuli by hearing and sight.

Likewise, its development depends on the coordination, strength and flexibility that one possesses. The balance can be:

Dynamic

It is the balance that is achieved even while in motion, such as that achieved in a race or during a jump.

Static

It is precisely the one that allows you to maintain a posture for a certain time, such as yoga postures.

There are three mechanisms that operate to bring about balance. The first of these is the kinesthetic, which is a mechanism that depends on the receptors located in the muscles.

The second is the labyrinthine mechanism, which has to do with the information received in the form of stimuli with the middle ear.

Finally, the visual mechanism stands out, which is activated by the stimuli received through the eyes and provides information on shapes and distances.

References

1. Cidoncha, Vanessa (2010). Basic motor skills: coordination and balance. Recovered from: efdeportes.com
2. Esporti (2017). The importance of Basic Motor Skills. Performance pyramid. Recovered from: esportivida.com
3. Icarito (2009). Basic motor skills. Recovered from: icarito.cl
4. Neetescuela (2016). Classification of motor skills. Recovered from: neetescuela.org
5. Sánchez, Fernando (1992). Bases for a didactics of physical education and sport. SL Gymnos, 304 pages. Madrid.
6. Santos, Miryan (2011). Concept of motor ability in physical education: displacements. Recovered from: revista.academiamaestre.es