KINE1035: Development of Ballistic Skills

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Chapter 6 of KINE1035: Development of Ballistic Skills, including overarm throwing, kicking, punting, sidearm striking, and overarm striking.

Ballistic Skills

Motor skills in which the performer applies force to an object in order to project it (e.g., throwing, kicking, punting, and striking).

Forms of Throwing

Throwing movement patterns categorized into underhand (one- or two-hand), sidearm, and overarm (one- or two-hand).

Product Measures (Throwing Assessment)

Assessment evaluations focused on the outcome of a throw, such as accuracy, distance, and ball velocity.

Process Measures (Throwing Assessment)

Assessment evaluations focused on the movement pattern itself and its developmental sequences.

Early Overarm Throwing

An immature throwing pattern characterized by mostly arm action, an elbow pointed upward, and execution driven by elbow extension alone without significant trunk rotation or stepping.

Proficient Overarm Throwing for Force

An advanced throwing pattern utilizing a preparatory windup (weight shift and backward trunk rotation), a long contralateral step, differentiated trunk rotation, upper arm and forearm lag, and sequential movements to transfer momentum.

Foot Action in Throwing (Developmental Steps)

Developmental progression of the feet during overarm throwing: Step 1 (no step), Step 2 (homolateral step), Step 3 (contralateral short step), and Step 4 (contralateral long step over half the thrower's height).

Trunk Action in Throwing (Developmental Steps)

Developmental sequence of the trunk during overarm throwing: Step 1 (no trunk action or flexion-extension), Step 2 (block or upper trunk rotation), and Step 3 (differentiated rotation where hips lead the trunk).

Backswing Action in Throwing (Developmental Steps)

Developmental sequence of arm preparation in throwing: Step 1 (no backswing), Step 2 (elbow and humeral flexion), Step 3 (circular upward backswing), and Step 4 (circular downward backswing below the waist).

Humerus Action in Throwing (Developmental Steps)

Developmental sequence of the upper arm during forward movement: Step 1 (humerus oblique), Step 2 (humerus aligned but independent), and Step 3 (humerus lags behind the trunk).

Forearm Action in Throwing (Developmental Steps)

Developmental sequence of the forearm during forward rotation: Step 1 (no forearm lag; ball moves steadily forward), Step 2 (forearm lag reached before front-facing), and Step 2 Delayed (delayed forearm lag reached at front-facing).

Developmental Changes in Childhood Throwing

Children do not achieve the highest step for each body component simultaneously, some step combinations are observed more frequently than others, not everyone reaches the highest step in each component, and sex differences emerge.

Developmental Changes in Adult Throwing

Older adults demonstrate moderately advanced developmental steps and moderate ball velocities; age-related changes are slow, involve decline, and relate to control rather than a breakdown in coordination.

Throwing for Accuracy

A task condition in which throwers may regress to or adopt lower developmental steps than those used when throwing for maximal force.

Kicking

A ballistic striking skill where the performer strikes a ball with the foot, requiring eye–foot coordination (striking a moving ball is particularly difficult for children).

Early Kicking

An immature kicking pattern where no step is taken with the non-kicking leg and the kicking leg merely pushes forward against the ball.

Proficient Kicking

An advanced pattern utilizing a preparatory windup (trunk rotated backward, kicking leg cocked, knee bent), forward trunk rotation, sequential movement (thigh rotates forward, then lower leg extends), and arm opposition to legs.

Research Status on Kicking Development

Developmental movement pattern changes in kicking are not well documented, and developmental steps have not yet been fully validated.

Punting

A ballistic skill where the ball is dropped from the hands and struck with the foot before hitting the ground; it is mechanically more difficult for children than kicking.

Early Punting

An immature punting pattern in which the ball is tossed upward rather than dropped, and the punter frequently contacts the ball with the toes rather than the instep.

Proficient Punting

An advanced pattern in which arms extend to drop the ball before the final stride, arms drop and move in opposition to legs, the punter leaps onto the support leg, and the punting leg stays straight with toes pointed.

Ball-Release Arm Action in Punting (Developmental Steps)

Developmental steps for ball release: Step 1 (upward toss), Step 2 (late drop from chest height), Step 3 (late drop from waist height), and Step 4 (early drop from chest height before the support foot touches).

Ball-Contact Arm Action in Punting (Developmental Steps)

Developmental steps for arm action at contact: Step 1 (arms drop to sides), Step 2 (arms abduct sideways together), and Step 3 (arms move in opposition to legs).

Ball-Contact Leg Action in Punting (Developmental Steps)

Developmental steps for leg action: Step 1 (no or short step with flexed ankle), Step 2 (long step with ankle plantarflexed/extended), and Step 3 (leap and hop).

Sidearm Striking

A ballistic skill in which an implement or body part swings in a horizontal plane to strike an object, governed by similar mechanical principles across different striking tasks.

Early Sidearm Striking

An immature striking pattern characterized by a vertical chopping motion with elbow extension, minimal leg and trunk movement, and facing the ball directly.

Proficient Sidearm Striking

An advanced pattern featuring a sideways preparatory stance, a long step, differentiated trunk rotation, a horizontal swing through a large range of motion (arm extended before contact), and sequential movements.

Grip Development in Striking

The developmental transition in racket or bat handling progressing from an immature power grip (a) to an advanced 'shake-hands' grip (b).

Racket/Bat Action in Sidearm Striking (Developmental Steps)

Developmental steps for implement motion: Step 1 (chop), Step 2 (arm swing only), Step 3 (racket lag), and Step 4 (delayed racket lag at the front-facing position).

Overarm Striking

A ballistic skill where the arm moves overhead above shoulder level to project an object, executed either without an implement (e.g., volleyball serve) or with an implement (e.g., tennis serve).

Early Overarm Striking

An immature striking pattern marked by limited trunk rotation, a collapsed elbow swing, and little to no racket lag during the forward swing, closely resembling early throwing.

Proficient Overarm Striking

An advanced striking pattern where lower and upper trunk rotate more than $90^\circ$, the elbow is held between $90^\circ$ and $120^\circ$ at the start of forward motion, the racket lags behind the arm, and movements are sequential.

Elbow Action Angle in Overarm Striking (Contact Phase)

Developmental steps based on elbow angle: Step 1 (very small or very large angle), Step 2 (intermediate angle: $2^\circ\text{ to }89^\circ$), and Step 3 (ideal angle: $90^\circ\text{ to }119^\circ$).

Spinal and Pelvic Range of Motion (Overarm Striking)

Developmental trunk rotation categories: Step 1 (rotation of less than $45^\circ$), Step 2 (rotation of $45^\circ\text{ to }89^\circ$), and Step 3 (rotation of $90^\circ$ or more).

Racket Action in Overarm Striking (Developmental Steps)

Developmental progression of the racket in overarm striking: Step 1 (no racket lag), Step 2 (racket lag), and Step 3 (delayed racket lag).

General Developmental Trends in Ballistic Skills

Universal progression toward proficient mechanical performance characterized by forward stepping, differentiated trunk rotation, sequential movement patterns, and increasing lag in the projecting limb.