Physical Education and Health: Rhythmic Activities

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Locomotor and Non-locomotor activities

Locomotor and Nonlocomotor Activities

Locomotor and nonlocomotor movements are needed in dancing. Combining

the two skills will make it more complex and adds beauty to the steps and
movements. These skills are used along with rhythm to execute dances.
At the end of the module, the student is expected to:
1. Define and understand rhythm
2. Differentiate locomotor from non-locomotor activities
3. Identify the different activities under locomotor and non-locomotor

Rhythm
Rhythm is the basic companion of dance. The dictionary defines rhythm as
the “movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat,
accent, or the like.” In the context of dance, rhythm refers to the sense of
time. However, time followed by rhythm is not necessarily restricted to a
limited amount. It can be extended or reduced that will cause changes in the
music.
Rhythm is closely tied to timing. While rhythm refers to the repeat of
movement in a particular beat, the timing determines when to change this
movement.

Locomotor Movement and Activities

Locomotor movement is defined as “movements where the body travels
through space from one location to another.” Through this definition, it can
be said that this type of movement mainly makes use of the feet but in other
activities, a person can move from one place to another using his/her hands.
These are skills that cover distance or movement from one place to another
when executed.
The following are the examples of locomotor movements:

Even Rhythm
 Walking – using both feet to move forward by steps.
 Running – using both feet in a generally faster speed, one foot must be
off the ground at any given time while performing this activity.
 Jumping – the body must push off from one or both feet in performing
a jump and then land on both feet. This can be done either vertically
or horizontally.
 Hopping – unlike the jump, hopping requires the body to push off
using one foot only and landing on the same foot.

Course Module
  Leaping – the person takes off using one foot, covering a fairly large
distance and land on the ground using the other foot. This can be
preceded with a walk or run.

Uneven Rhythm
 Skipping – a combination of a step and a hop where the person steps
forward with a foot and hops using the same foot while bringing the
other foot forward to step and hop and switch.
 Galloping – a forward movement that starts with one foot forward
bent at the knee and pushing off from the ground before landing on
the position of the other foot.
 Sliding – this movement is done by stepping to the side or forward or
backward with one foot and then closing the distance by sliding the
other foot towards the former.

Non-locomotor movement and activities

Unlike locomotor movement, non-locomotor movement is defined as
“movements that occur in the body parts or the whole body and do not cause
the body to travel to another space.” However, some non-locomotor activities
can be combined with locomotor movements. Some of the examples of non-
locomotor activities are the following:
 Swing – this is done by moving or walking in a pendular motion.
 Twist – this is done by partially rotating the body or some parts of the
body around a base (for example, twisting the upper body back and
forth while keeping the feet firm on the ground).
 Turn – this is a full rotation of the body in place.
 Shake – this is done by quick vibration motions of a body part.
 Bend – done by flexing a body part at the joint.
 Stretch – this is done by extending the limbs or muscles.
 Rock/Sway – the body is rocking by moving back and forth sideways.

References
Locomotor and Non-locomotor movements. Retrieved from:
http://users.rowan.edu/~conet/rhythms/Resources/Loco.nonloco.d
efinitions.html on March 1, 2017
Locomotor and Non-Locomotor Definitions. Retrieved from:
http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/kcurriculum/a
ppendix_e_july_28.pdf, on March 1, 2017
Locomotor and Non-locomotor movements. Retrieved from:
https://www.lifepersona.com/what-are-locomotor-and-non-
locomotor-movements on April 20, 2018
Videos:
Components of Body Movement. Retrieved from:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/components-of-body-
movements-locomotor-nonlocomotor-manipulative.html on April 20,
2018
 Physical Education and Health: Rhythmic Activities
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Locomotor and Non-locomotor activities

Locomotor and Non-locomotor movements. Retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLJJj7FrXCs on April 20, 2018
What are Locomotor Skills? Retrieved from:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-locomotor-skills-
definition-instruction-examples.html on April 20, 2018

Course Module