Introduction to Kinesiology (Chapter 1)
Chapter Objectives
Appreciate the pervasiveness and diversity of physical activity in human life.
Introduce ways of defining and thinking about physical activity.
Discuss the discipline of kinesiology and its relationship to physical activity.
Familiarize yourself with the types of knowledge about physical activity that are acquired through physical activity experience, scholarly study, and professional experience.
Gain a preliminary understanding of what a profession is and the career possibilities centering on physical activity.
Acknowledgment: The authors acknowledge the contributions of original authors Shirl J. Hoffman and Janet C. Harris to this chapter.
The Discipline of Kinesiology and the Focus of Physical Activity
The esports business is booming; computer gaming can be viewed as a sport when considering the skill, strategy, teamwork, and physical activity through perception and fine motor control (e.g., in Overwatch or League of Legends).
Virtual reality, esports, and fantasy sports raise questions about future popularity and respect relative to traditional real-world sports.
The wide variety of expressions of physical activity implies many career opportunities for kinesiology professionals and many research opportunities for kinesiology scholars.
The scholarly discipline of kinesiology focuses on creating a body of knowledge about physical activity, defined as voluntary human movement performed intentionally to achieve a goal.
Steph Curry and Yo-Yo Ma are used as examples of extraordinary performance resulting from intense practice and motivation; similarly, a pilot landing on a carrier under challenging conditions illustrates skilled performance.
This chapter discusses physical activity in general terms and clarifies its relation to the discipline of kinesiology, which is a discipline or body of knowledge focused on physical activity (Newell, 1990a; National Academy of Kinesiology, 2020).
In summary, the chapter emphasizes the pervasiveness of physical activity in daily life and the central aim of kinesiology to study and organize knowledge about physical activity.
The Three Sources of Knowledge in Kinesiology
Three interrelated sources of knowledge constitute kinesiology:
physical activity experience (participating in and watching physical activity),
scholarship of physical activity (research, reading, discussion, modeling, experiments, reporting, peer review), and
professional experience in physical activity (designing and implementing activity programs for clients).
These three sources form the organizational structure of the book: Part I (knowledge from physical activity experience), Part II (seven subdisciplines of the scholarship of physical activity), and Part III (professional experience in physical activity).
KEY POINT: The three sources of knowledge that constitute the discipline of kinesiology are physical activity experience, scholarship of physical activity, and professional experience in physical activity.
What Is Physical Activity?
Definitions of physical activity vary across the discipline; while common language includes many muscular actions, the kinesiology definition must be more precise.
The CDC’s definition (2015) is influential but considered too narrow for kinesiology:
\text{physical activity} = \text{any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that increases energy expenditure above a basal level}
The CDC specifies this subset as the health-enhancing portion.
Critiques of the CDC definition:
It restricts to voluntary movements and energy expenditure, excluding many movements involved in health and learning (e.g., motor control tasks, fine motor skills, rehabilitation, daily living activities with low energy expenditure).
It excludes movements not tied to sport/exercise but relevant to health, safety, daily functioning, and rehabilitation.
Therefore, kinesiology scholars argue for a broader technical definition of physical activity beyond sport and exercise.
The field acknowledges that movement is a necessary but not sufficient condition for physical activity; intentionality and goal-directedness are essential.
Newell’s formulation (1990): physical activity is defined as "intentional, voluntary movement directed toward achieving an identifiable goal." Three key aspects:
The definition does not specify energy requirements; small-scale actions (typing, handwriting, surgery) can be physical activity.
The setting of the movement is irrelevant; physical activity occurs in diverse contexts (basketball vs. tossing paper, pole vaulting vs. jumping a fence).
Movement alone is not physical activity; it must be directed toward a purposeful end. Movements like reflexes, peristalsis, or goal-less fidgeting do not meet the technical definition.
KEY POINT: Physical activity consists of human movement that is intentional, voluntary, and directed toward achieving an identifiable goal; movements performed aimlessly or without a specific purpose do not qualify.
Physical Activity and Doing (contextual reflection):
Sir Charles Sherrington’s quote highlights the centrality of movement to human activity and its links to thought and doing.
The chapter invites reflection on how thinking and movement interrelate and how dictionary definitions of doing relate to physical activity.
Defining Physical Activity
It is useful to ask students to draft their own definitions and then compare with peers, recognizing variation across disciplines.
The CDC’s definition is helpful for public health promotion but is narrow for kinesiology, which also studies high-skill movements, fine motor control, and everyday activities with low energy expenditure.
The field recognizes that limiting physical activity to sport/exercise would ignore many important activities (postural control, repetitive work tasks, infant reach/grasp development, daily life activities in older adults, etc.).
Context-Based Definitions
Some definitions are highly context-specific, reflecting the priorities of the field (physiologists and public health in CDC’s case) or the needs of coaches, therapists, or dance teachers.
The question remains: how should physical activity be defined to accommodate diverse professional perspectives while maintaining a coherent discipline?
What Is Kinesiology?
Departments of kinesiology are the primary academic units whose mission is the study of physical activity.
The American Kinesiology Association (AKA) defines kinesiology as "an academic discipline which involves the study of physical activity and its impact on health, society, and quality of life" (2021).
Kinesiology draws on three knowledge sources: personal/experience, professional practice, and scholarly study.
Although scholarship is central, the discipline is informed by and defined by the other two knowledge sources as well.
The uniqueness of kinesiology stems from its interdisciplinary integration of physical activity’s biological, medical, health-related aspects with psychological, social-humanistic, and professional perspectives.
Interdisciplinary synthesis (referenced by Harris 1993; Knudson 2020; Zeigler 1990) describes kinesiology as interdisciplinary.
Department names vary across institutions, reflecting mission and organizational structure, but the field’s comprehensive identity is best captured by the term kinesiology.
Potential sources of confusion include terms like academic kinesiology vs. clinical kinesiology and various uses of the word kinesiology in alternative practices (e.g., applied kinesiology in chiropractic, dental kinesiology, behavioral kinesiology, spiritual kinesiology).
The AKA clarifies that the academic discipline of kinesiology is distinct from these non-scientific uses of the term.
Allied fields historically connected to kinesiology (public health education, dance, recreation) have grown into their own specializations; HPERD (Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance) historically united them but has since diversified into separate fields and organizations (SHAPE America, PHE Canada, etc.).
KEY POINT: Kinesiology is a discipline that embraces a holistic and interdisciplinary study of physical activity, linking biological/health aspects with psychological, social, philosophical, and professional perspectives.
Focuses of Physical Activity in Kinesiology
Kinesiology studies a variety of physical activities, including: dance, exercise, fundamental movements, sport, and therapy.
Dance: expressive movement, often coordinated with music, conveying messages and artistic values; studied for intrinsic value and performance value.
Exercise: programmed activity aimed at improving movement function, appearance, performance, or health; can be broken into subcategories:
Training: exercise performed to improve athletic, military, work-related, or recreational performance; relevant for strength and conditioning professionals and CSCS certification (NSCA).
Health-related exercise: exercise to develop or maintain a sound body and reduce disease risk for healthy longevity; primary focus for fitness leaders and personal trainers.
Cosmetic exercise: training to reshape the body for aesthetic reasons; relevant to bodybuilders, models, and weight management; practitioners should understand motivations and challenges, as motivating clients can be as important as the best exercise/diet plan.
Fundamental Movements: building blocks of movement (large-muscle, general-purpose patterns) such as carrying, catching, jumping, kicking, running, throwing, walking; studied to understand mechanisms of skill development and to help clients (e.g., teachers helping children learn skipping, throwing, hopping; therapists helping restore daily living movements).
Sport: skilled movement organized in game contexts with goals, governed by rules, often competitive; four essential elements:
Skill: movements performed efficiently and effectively.
Rules: provide a level playing field and organize play.
Competition: performance against others or personal bests.
Energy use: not required to use a specific number of muscle groups or energy expenditure.
Therapy: therapeutic exercise involves individualized exercise to restore or develop capacities lost due to injury, disease, behavioral patterns, or aging; professionals include athletic trainers, physical therapists, occupational therapists; includes prehabilitation (wellness/pain reduction) in addition to rehabilitation.
Kinesiology as a Career: opens doors to various careers (fitness leadership, teaching, coaching, rehabilitation, sport management, strength and conditioning, public health, medicine, etc.); graduate study often required for advanced professional roles (MS/EdD/PhD in kinesiology; many allied health professions require a master’s degree; as of 2023, master’s degrees are increasingly the minimum for certification in athletic training).
Figure 1.3 (described): outlines undergraduate pathways to diverse careers and subsequent graduate study options.
Surging Support for Kinesiology
The AKA identifies more than 170 kinesiology departments in U.S. colleges and universities; kinesiology is the most common department name in prestigious universities.
The National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) and the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) have supported kinesiology’s standing; organizational name changes reflect growing acceptance of kinesiology as the field’s broad discipline.
Canadian kinesiology has likewise gained professional standing (Kinesiology in Canada, with partnerships to health care). Note: department names may differ, but the field’s core knowledge remains kinesiology.
Some universities house kinesiology alongside nutrition, food, and movement sciences; department naming varies by institutional mission.
The field’s growth is not just in departments but in its recognition as a profession with a broad health-promotion mission and interdisciplinary research agenda.
Potential Sources of Confusion About Kinesiology
Distinctions between academic kinesiology (the discipline studied in colleges/universities) and other uses of the term kinesiology exist.
Academic kinesiology is distinguished from Applied Kinesiology and other fields that use the term in dental, spiritual, holistic, or bio-spiritual contexts; these often lack grounding in the scientific study of physical activity.
The AKA emphasizes the difference between the academic discipline and other practices that mislabel themselves as kinesiology.
Allied Fields
Kinesiology shares historical ties with public health education, dance, and recreation but these fields have since specialized.
HPERD (Health and Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) historically united these fields; SHAPE America and PHE Canada now focus on professional education and health promotion more specifically.
Health problems arising from inactivity interest both kinesiology professionals and public health professionals, but public health also covers broader issues (diseases, smoking cessation, sanitation, etc.).
Recreation specialists view physical activity as a leisure pursuit; dance professionals focus on expressive/arts movement; these fields now operate with separate professional organizations and journals.
The integration of these historically related fields contributes to the holistic nature of kinesiology, even as they evolve into distinct specialties.
Holistic Nature of Kinesiology
Holism in kinesiology refers to the interdependence of mind, emotion, body, and spirit; kinesiology acknowledges the cognitive, emotional, social-humanistic, and spiritual dimensions of physical activity, not just the bodily/biomechanical aspects.
Kinesiology programs study anatomy and physiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, sport and exercise psychology, and motor behavior; courses may include philosophy of physical activity to explore meaning and ethics.
The discipline emphasizes that humans are holistic, multidimensional beings, and that physical activity is a nexus of cognition, emotion, body, and soul.
The three-dimensional knowledge framework (experience, scholarship, and professional practice) helps students organize thinking about kinesiology and guides coursework and career planning.
Think about the last time you went for a run, a brisk walk, or a bike ride
Activities may seem straightforward but involve complex physiological and psychological components; studying kinesiology reveals the mechanisms behind performance, health, and experience.
The field encourages ongoing curiosity about how the body functions and how physical activity relates to learning, health, and human development.
Kinesiology and Evidence-Based Practice
Many professions require licensure or certification; evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates three kinds of evidence to serve clients: scientific research, professional/clinical experience, and client values.
EBP models originated from evidence-based medicine at Oxford (Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, 2021).
Kinesiology education emphasizes evaluating the quality of scientific studies and integrating findings with experiential knowledge; aligns with the three-dimensional knowledge framework.
The book includes boxes illustrating how kinesiology research informs evidence-based practice across professions; later chapters (10-15) discuss professionalism and EB principles in depth.
Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology
RugbySmart (New Zealand) is a national-scale example of evidence-based practice reducing injury rates in rugby.
Researchers Patria Hume and colleagues proposed a 10-point strategy to reduce serious spinal injuries; with cross-sector support, the program substantially reduced injury rates and led to spin-offs for other sports (Quarrie et al., 2007, 2020).
Professional Issues in Kinesiology
Ethical responsibilities include equality, evidence-based practice, and expertise; chapters illustrate how knowledge informs professional decisions in these areas.
The book emphasizes that all three sources of knowledge should inform professional practice and that the appropriate citation styles vary across subdisciplines (APA vs AMA).
Guidance is provided for writing and referencing in kinesiology-related contexts (APA and AMA styles).
Wrap-Up
The introductory chapter establishes that kinesiology is the study of physical activity with a technical definition that differs from common usage.
Expressions of physical activity are diverse, and so are the related careers.
The discipline is organized around three main knowledge sources: physical activity experience, scholarly study of physical activity, and professional experience in physical activity; these align with evidence-based practice.
The chapter provides a framework to understand physical activity and the professions centered on it, setting the stage for deeper study.
More Information on Kinesiology
Organizations to know:
American Kinesiology Association (AKA)
American Kinesiotherapy Association
International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport, and Dance (ICHPER-SD)
National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK)
National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE)
PHE Canada (Physical and Health Education Canada)
SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators)
Journals to know:
Clinical Kinesiology
ICHPER-SD Journal of Research
International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education
International Journal of Kinesiology & Sports Science
Journal of Kinesiology & Wellness
Kinesiology
Kinesiology Review
Quest
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
Review Questions
What is the difference between movement and physical activity? Give an example of an instance in which human movement does not meet the technical definition of physical activity.
What is meant when kinesiology is described as a holistic discipline?
What forms or categories of physical activity are studied in kinesiology? Which receive the most attention, and how do they relate to each other?
What are the three sources of knowledge of kinesiology?
Can you think of examples of where kinesiology knowledge has improved performance or reduced rates of injury in vigorous physical activities?
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