Motor Development and Movement Skills
Development and learning are not the same clock
Motor development follows a generally predictable sequence-reflexive, rudimentary, fundamental, and specialized movement phases-but the ages attached to each are ranges, not deadlines. Within the fundamental phase, candidates should distinguish locomotor skills (running, hopping, skipping), stability skills (balancing, weight transfer, landing), and manipulative skills (throwing, catching, striking, dribbling). Development tends to proceed cephalocaudally and proximodistally, and fundamental skills are not maturationally guaranteed: they must be taught, practiced, and refined.
Motor learning theory adds a second layer. Fitts and Posner describe cognitive, associative, and autonomous stages; do not confuse these with the developmental phases. Effective practice depends on the task and learner: massed versus distributed practice, blocked versus random practice, and constant versus variable practice. Random and variable practice often depress performance during practice but improve retention and transfer-a classic question trap. Feedback matters too: knowledge of results describes outcome information, while knowledge of performance describes movement form; intrinsic feedback comes from the performer, extrinsic from the teacher or equipment.
Perceptual-motor concepts-body awareness, spatial awareness, temporal awareness, and effort awareness-support skill learning, as do basic biomechanical ideas such as base of support, center of gravity, force production, and leverage. Growth spurts can produce temporary awkwardness, so a sudden decline is not automatically a disability.
Worked rule: if a student dribbles cleanly in a blocked drill but loses the ball in a small-sided game, add defenders, variable speed, and decision-making-random and variable practice-rather than simply repeating the same drill. Match the practice structure to the performance you want to transfer.