Motor Development Models

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT MODELS

Chapter 17 Overview

  • Focus on understanding motor development throughout an individual's lifespan.

Objectives

  • Impact of proficiency barrier on future motor skills.

  • Progression of motor skills during the mountain of motor development phases.

  • Relationship between motor competence and physical activity.

  • Distinction between free play, deliberate play, structured practice, and deliberate practice.

  • Achieving multiple outcomes through applied sport development models.

  • Importance of early sport diversification for future physical activity behavior.

  • Informing instructional decisions with developmental models.

Hierarchy of Motor Proficiency

  • Proposed by Vern Seefelt (1980) to outline progression of motor proficiency from birth to adulthood.

  • Model conceptualized as a pyramid with four developmental levels.

Developmental Levels

  • Neonatal Period

    • Reflexive actions; basic response skills.

  • Early Childhood

    • Focus on fundamental motor skills (FMS) including:

    • Locomotor skills: running, jumping, etc.

    • Non-locomotor skills: balance, twisting, etc.

    • Object control skills: throwing, catching, etc.

    • Proficiency barrier: Lack of skill proficiency by age 7 may hinder future skill development.

  • Middle Childhood to Adulthood

    • Transitional motor skills facilitating movement from FMS to specialized sports skills.

    • Specific sports skills include sports like archery, baseball, volleyball, etc.

    • Examples:

    • Paddle tennis, gymnastics, tennis, wrestling, etc.

Mountain of Motor Development

  • Developed by Clark and Metcalfe (2002) as a lifespan view of motor skill development.

  • Skill acquisition windows: periods where specific motor development occurs in a defined order, building on previously acquired skills.

Stages of Motor Development

  1. Reflexive period (Birth to 2 weeks):

    • Adjusting to sensory changes.

    • Reflex examples: Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, doll's eye reflex, grasping reflex, etc.

  2. Preadapted period (2 weeks to 1 year):

    • Development of motor milestones: rolling over, sitting, pulling to stand, etc.

  3. Fundamental motor patterns (1 to 7 years):

    • Acquisition of locomotor and object control skills: running, throwing, catching.

  4. Context-specific motor skills (7 to 11 years):

    • Sport-specific skills develop.

  5. Skillfulness period (11 years and up):

    • Peak of the mountain; proficiency leads to easier skill acquisition.

Example of Locomotor Skill Progressions

  • Running: 2 years

  • Jumping with both feet: 28 months

  • Galloping: 2-3 years

  • Hopping: 3-4 years

  • Skipping: 4-7 years

Developmental Trajectories Model

  • Stodden et al. (2018) propose a model linking motor skill competence with physical activity and health.

  • Four interacting factors:

    1. Motor competence

    2. Perceived motor competence

    3. Health-related fitness

    4. Physical activity

  • Relationship shifts with age:

    • Early childhood (ages 2-5): Weak physical activity-motor competence relation.

    • Middle childhood (ages 6-9) and later childhood (ages 10-13): Stronger relationships develop.

Spirals of (Dis)Engagement

  • Negative Spiral of Disengagement:

    • Less skilled kids become less active due to difficulties and lack of enjoyment.

  • Positive Spiral of Engagement:

    • Skilled kids engage more actively because they find enjoyment and rewards in physical activity.

Implications for Instruction

  • Monitor reflexes and motor milestones in infants.

  • Encourage physical activity in early childhood and provide instruction for fundamental motor skills acquisition.

  • Progress instruction post-fundamental motor skills to adaptation/application in specific contexts.

Developmental Model of Sport Participation

  • Identified by Côté et al. (2003) consisting of three phases:

    1. Sampling Years (ages 6-12)

    2. Specializing Years (ages 13-15)

    3. Investment Years (16+)

  • Emphasis on engagement in different play practices:

    • Free play

    • Deliberate play

    • Structured practice

    • Deliberate practice

Comparison Table of Play Types

  • Free Play:

    • Goal: Fun

    • Process: Not monitored, no correction.

  • Deliberate Play:

    • Goal: Fun

    • Process: Loosely monitored.

  • Structured Practice:

    • Goal: Improve performance

    • Process: Monitored by adults, focus on correction.

  • Deliberate Practice:

    • Goal: Improve performance

    • Process: Carefully monitored, focus on immediate correction.

Long-Term Athlete Development Model

  • Framework for Canadian youth sport focusing on growth stages.

  • Seven stages leading to outcomes:

    • Physical literacy

    • Sport excellence

    • Lifelong physical activity

Physical Literacy Stages

  1. Active Start: Developing fundamental motor skills through play.

  2. FUNdamentals: Expanding on motor skills including agility and coordination.

  3. Learn to Train: Adapting skills to sport-specific context.

Sport Excellence Stages

  1. Train to Train: Increasing proficiency in context-specific motor skills.

  2. Train to Compete: Specialization in a sport with focused training.

  3. Train to Win: Intense context-specific training for high-level success.

Lifelong Physical Activity Stage

  • Active for Life: Focus on continued engagement across the lifespan with options such as competitive sports or fitness activities.

Implications for Instruction

  • Promote early sport diversification to develop fundamental motor skills (FMS).

  • Encourage specialization only after physical literacy is established.

  • Consider individual outcomes when planning instructional pathways.

Summary

  • Motor development models emphasize the acquisition of fundamental motor skills followed by context-specific skills.

  • Unique differences among models:

    • Seefeldt’s model highlights proficiency barriers in early childhood.

    • Clark and Metcalfe introduce a compensation stage.

    • Stodden et al. stress the relationship between FMS and physical activity over time.

  • Sport development models emphasize outcomes like active lifestyles, recreation, and elite sports.

  • Importance of early sport diversification leads to active lifestyles. Specialization is postponed until later stages for elite aspirations.