Classification Continua

Gross - Fine

Precision of movement

Gross skill - involves large muscle movements with little concern for precision.

e.g running, swimming, hammer throwing.

Fine skill - involves intricate movements using small muscle groups. Involves accuracy and emphasise hand - eye co-ordination.

e.g wrist/finger action of a spin bowler in cricket.

Open - Close

How enviromental conditions affect the movement skill. Takes into account all the factors in the surrondings where the activity takes place. e.g team mates, opponents, playing surface.

Open skill - involves movement skills that are affected by the enviroment. Predominantly preceptual and involve decision making. Movements adapted to suit enviroments. e.g pass in rugby or netball.

Closed skill - not affected by the enviroment. Set the same technical model at each performance. Usually self paced. e.g tennis serve, gymnastics through vault.

Discrete - Serial - Continuous

How clearly defined the beginning and end of the movement skill are.

Discrete - clear beginning and end. To repeat the skill it must be repeated.

e.g catching a ball, penalty in hockey/rugby

Serial - number of discrete elements put into a sequence.

e.g gymnastics or trampolining sequence and a triple jump.

Continuous - no definite beginning or end. The movement is repeated continously.

e.g running, cycling, swimming.

Simple - Complex

How complex the movement skill is, determined using four aspects.

1. Perceptual load - what to take in to make a decision.

2. Time available  to carry out the perceptual and decison making.

3. Quantity of sub-routines  together with their speed and timing.

4. Use of feedback.

Simple skills- little information to process, few decisions to make, small number of sub-routines, use of feed back is not significant.

Complex skills- high preceptual load leading to many decisions, skills will have many sub-routines, use of feedback.

Self paced - Externally paced

Level of control the performer has over the timing of the movement skill.

Self paced - the performer determines when the skill starts and the rate. Usually a closed skill.

e.g high jump, tennis serve.

Externally paced - control of the movement is not determined by the performer but by the enviroment. Involves opponents whom the performer reacts to. Usually open skill.

e.g receiving a pass in football/ hockey.

Low - High

How closely linked the sub-routines of the movement skill are.

Low organisation - made of sub-routines that are easily seperated and practiced by themselves and can be put back together into the skill easily.

e.g swimming strokes, trampolining/gymnastics sequences.

High oraganisation - sub-routines are closely linked together and very difficulty to seperate without disrupting the skill. Skills practiced as a whole.

e.g cartwheels, golf swing.