Fundamental

Movements
 Time
The component of time within Effort Awareness is determined by
the speed of a movement: degrees of fast/slow, as well as the
length of the movement in time: sudden/sustained. Within the
component of time, each movement is also created with a
rhythm . Similar to a dancer moving to a musical beat, a young
mover jogging will be jogging to a certain patterned rhythm. For a
child to understand the component of time, physical activities
that are accompanied with song or chant can enforce a conscious
understanding of Effort Awareness .
 Force
The component of force within Effort Awareness is determined by the degrees
of muscular effort to produce a movement, along the spectrum of strong and
light force . Young movers need to develop the understanding of utilizing large
muscle groups such as the quadriceps (i.e. sharp change of direction), in order
to initiate a strong force of a movement, or fine motor muscles such as the
forearm muscles to initiate a lighter degree of force (i.e. wrist flicks). Learning
to absorb force is also imperative in a child’s understanding of Effort
Awareness. Activities such as catching a ball, or stopping an oncoming ball
with one’s foot, need to be taught by knowledgeable practitioners such as
certified sport coaches. Movements that include stopping one’s own bodily
forces after a quick sprint for instance, need to be learned to avoid injuries as
well.
 Control/ Flow
Control, or flow is the last component of Effort Awareness. This
component refers to the management of a movement, with
degrees of bound and free movements . A young mover’s control
can vary between jerky movements, to smooth movements where
there is a sense of coordination and control of their own limbs . A
necessity of this component for young movers is the ability to
learn to transition between one movement to another .
Practitioners will find that young movers are typically able to
perform isolated movements fairly well, but when combined with
many movements at one time, a lack of quality in their movement
is evident.