BASIC BODILY

MOVEMENTS
MAIN CATEGORIES OF BASIC BODY MOVEMENTS

Locomotor Movements

These are movements where the body travels

through space from one location to another.
Locomotor movements primarily use the feet for
support however, the body can travel on other
parts such as the hands and feet.
 8 Locomotor Skills
Even Rhythm
 Walk - The walk is a transfer of weight from one foot to the other.  Usually the heel touches first.
 Run - The run is a transfer of weight from one foot to the other however, the body is propelled into the air
and suspended between run steps.
 Jump - The jump required the body to push off from one or both feet. Most common is a two foot take off
and two foot landing.  A jump can take off on one foot and land on two or take off from two feet and land on
one foot.
 Hop - The hop requires a push-off from one foot and landing on the same foot.
 Leap - A leap is performed by pushing off from one foot and landing on the other foot. The body is suspended
in the and between the push off and the landing. Can be combined with a run or walk.
Uneven Rhythm
 Skip - A combination of a step and a hop on the same foot followed by a step and hop on the other foot. The
rhythm is uneven long -short.  Long (the step) and short (the hop).
 Gallop - A forward movement where one foot leads the gallop while the other foot follows. The lead
footsteps with a bent knee and pushes off into the air and landing on the trailing foot. The rhythm is uneven,
long -short. Long (the step) and short (the landing).
 Slide - Is similar to a gallop performed with the right or left foot leading. The rhythm is uneven, long -short.  
Long (the step) and short (the landing).
. Non-Locomotor Movements
These are movements that occur in the body parts or the whole body and do not cause
the body to travel to another space. 
 Swing - a pendulum motion of a body part that can move forward and backward or side
to side.
 Twist - a partial rotation of body parts around an axis
 Turn - a full rotation of the body around a vertical or horizontal axis.  Full, half or quarter
turns
 Shake - a short quick vibrating movement in a body part or the whole body.
 Bend - a flex of a body part at a joint
 Stretch - extending a body part or the whole body
 Wiggle - a small or big, fast or slow curvy movement of a body part or the whole body.
 Rock or sway - shift of the body weight forward, backward, side to side or in a circular
pathway.
Manipulative Movements
These movements involve moving or using an object with the hands or feet to
achieve a goal or a complete task.
Types of Manipulative Skills
 Pushing and pulling (the object must be a wheeled toy)
 Lifting
 Striking (such as swinging a baseball bat)
 Throwing
 Kicking or rolling (a ball)
 Volleying ( a ball back and forth to another person)
 Bouncing and Catching
 Dribbling (moving a ball with the feet, as in soccer)
 TYPES OF MOVEMENTS
Flexion – contraction
resulting in a degree
decrease in an angle at
a joint

Lateral Flexion – can

be thought more as
bending or tilting to
the left or right (putting
one’s ear to shoulder)
Dorsiflexion –
occurs at the ankle,
pulling the distal end
of the foot towards
the tibia
Plantar flexion – is
extension, pulling the
distal end of the foot
away from the tibia
Abduction – limbs moving
away from the body’s midline
in the frontal plane (like the
beginning to a jumping jack)
Adduction – limbs moving
toward the body’s midline in
the frontal plane (like the end
of a jumping jack), the
opposite of abduction
Transverse Abduction –
movement of a limb away
from the midline but in the
transverse plain
Transverse Adduction –
movement of a limb towards
the midline in the transverse
plan, the opposite of
transverse abduction (like a
pectoral fly)
Rotation – rotation of a
joint, typical of ball-and-
socket type joints and
where articulating surfaces
allow for a spinning
motion (turning of the
head/torso or at the
shoulders are some
examples)
Lateral Rotation – rotation
away from the midline,
can be thought outward
position
Medial Rotation – rotation
towards the midline, can
be thought of as inward
rotation 
Protraction – anterior
projection of a body
part (sticking out the
jaw is an example)
Retraction – direct
posterior movement of
a body part, the
opposite of protraction
Elevation – raising a
body part directly
upwards, no rotation or
changes in the degree
of a joint
(shrugging/closing the
jaw are examples)
Depression – forcing a
body part directly
downwards, opposite
of elevation
Inversion –
turning the
ankle so that
the sole of the
foot faces
towards the
midline
Eversion –
turning the
ankle so that
the sole of the
foot faces
away from the
midline.
Opposition –
moving the little
finger and thumb
towards each
other
Activity 4
Create a short video executing the different
types of bodily movements appropriately. Use
your own music for this activity.