Motor Learning

Classification of Motor Skills

Concept:

Classifying skills into general categories

helps us to understand the demands those
skills place on the performer/learner

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Overview of motor learning
Motor learning involves the study of:

• The acquisition of motor skills

• The performance enhancement of learned or highly experienced
motor skills
• The reacquisition of skills following injury or disease
• Changes that occur as a person learns a motor skill and that
variables that can influence those changes
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“I think everyone is a teacher.
Everyone! Maybe it’s your children,
maybe it’s a neighbor, maybe it’s
someone under your supervision in
some other way. In one way or
another, you’re teaching them by
your actions.”
(J. R. Wooden, personal interview, February 12, 2002)

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Skill
• Tasks or activities that have specific goals to achieve (action
goals)

• An indicator of the quality of performance

• Require voluntary control over movements of the joints and

body segments

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Task
Identify 3 movement skills under each of these headings:

1. Most difficult
2. Most commonly used

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Classification of motor skills
Gross and Fine skills
Dependent on the size of the primary muscle groups required to
perform the skill

• Gross motor skill – requires use of large musculature and less

precision

• Fine motor skill – requires greater precision and control of small

muscles

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Gross and Fine skills
Depends on the primary muscles involved

Classifications of skill are based on a continuum

Gross motor skills Fine motor skills

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Discrete, Serial Continuous skills
Dependent on the specificity of where movement begins and ends

• Discrete skills have a clear beginning and end, usually consisting of

one simple movement

• Continuous skills have an arbitrary beginning and end, usually

consisting of repetitive movements

• Serial skills involve a series or sequence of discrete movements

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Discrete and Continuous skills

Note: Some skills have a distinct beginning and end but are repetitive

Continuous motor skills Serial motor skills Discrete motor skills

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Open and Closed skills
Dependent on the stability of the environment

• Open skills are performed in a moving or changing environment.

Environment determines when (and often how) the skill is performed.

• Closed skills are performed in a stationary environment where the performer

determines when to begin the action.

Environment has three features: surface, objects involved, other people

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Open and closed skills
Open skills place more demands on the performer because of the need
to monitor, process and adjust to the changing environment

Open Closed

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Practical applications
Discuss in pairs or groups of three why it is useful for practitioners
(therapists, coaches, teachers, trainers) to understand skill
classification.

Come up with 3 different responses.

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Practical applications
• Greater understanding of the demands on the performer

• Rehabilitation of gross (physical therapist) or fine motor skills

(occupational therapist)

• For coaches, teachers and trainers – ensure practices meet the

requirements of the skill

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Further reading
Magill, R., & Anderson, D. (2016). Motor
Learning and Control. (11th ed.). Chapter 1.

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