Improving at physical activities and sports isn't just about repetition — it involves understanding and refining movement skills (like throwing, jumping or striking) and movement concepts, including effort (how much force is used), space (where you and others are positioned), time (timing of movements) and how you interact with objects and other people. Analysing your own movement and adjusting it — like changing your grip, stance, or timing — can improve performance. Different situations call for different strategies: what works well in one game or activity might need to be adapted for another, so being able to evaluate and choose effective movement strategies is a valuable, transferable skill.
Example
A basketball player refining their shooting technique might analyse their arm angle, timing and follow-through (movement skills), while also considering when and where to shoot based on defenders' positions (space and strategy) — both aspects work together to improve performance.
Key terms
Movement skill:
A specific physical technique, like throwing, jumping or striking, used in physical activity.
Movement concept:
A factor like effort, space, time or interaction with objects/people that shapes how a movement is performed.
Questions
1. A movement skill is:
Unrelated to physical activity
A specific physical technique like throwing or jumping
Only a mental concept
Something with no practical use
2. Movement concepts include:
Nothing measurable
Effort, space, time and interaction with objects/people
Only colours
Unrelated factors
3. Effort in a movement concept refers to:
The colour of equipment
How much force is used
Nothing physical
The time of day
4. Space in a movement concept refers to:
Outer space
Where you and others are positioned
Unrelated to movement
A type of equipment
5. Refining a movement skill might involve:
Never practising
Adjusting technique like grip, stance or timing
Ignoring performance entirely
Random unrelated changes
6. Different physical activities:
Always require the exact same strategy
May call for different, adapted strategies
Never need any strategy
Have no connection to movement concepts
7. Analysing your own movement performance can help:
Worsen performance
Improve performance through informed adjustment
Have no effect at all
Replace the need for practice entirely
8. A basketball player adjusts their shooting arm angle after analysing their technique. This reflects:
Ignoring movement skills
Refining a movement skill based on analysis
A random unrelated action
Avoiding improvement
9. Considering when and where to shoot based on defenders' positions relates to the movement concept of:
Time and space
Colour
Nothing relevant
Equipment type only
10. Why might a strategy effective in one sport need to be adapted for a different one?
Strategies are always identical across all sports
Different games have different rules, spaces and objectives requiring tailored strategies
Adaptation is never necessary
Sports have no meaningful differences
11. Manipulating movement concepts like effort and timing can help:
Worsen a performance outcome
Improve a movement outcome
Have no effect on performance
Replace the need for any skill
12. Evaluating which movement strategy would work best in a specific situation demonstrates:
Ignoring the situation entirely
Thoughtful, situational strategic thinking
A random guess with no reasoning
Avoiding all strategy
13. Which is an example of manipulating the "space" movement concept?
Changing how hard you throw a ball
Positioning yourself to create a better passing angle
Changing the colour of your uniform
Ignoring your surroundings entirely
14. Transferring a movement skill from one situation to another means:
The skill becomes irrelevant
Applying a learned skill effectively in a new but related context
Skills can never be transferred
Forgetting the skill entirely
15. A player performs well in practice but struggles to apply the same skill under game pressure. What might this suggest about skill transfer?
The skill was never actually learned
Effectively transferring a skill to new, more pressured situations can be more challenging than performing it in controlled practice
Game pressure has no effect on skill performance
Practice performance guarantees identical game performance
16. Why might understanding movement concepts (effort, space, time) help an athlete beyond just physically practising a skill?
Movement concepts have no real value
Understanding these concepts can help an athlete make smarter, more strategic decisions during activity, not just execute skills mechanically
Only physical repetition ever matters
Concepts are irrelevant to actual performance
17. Two teams use different strategies to achieve the same goal in a game, and both succeed under different circumstances. What does this suggest about movement strategy?
Only one strategy could ever work
Effective strategies can vary depending on specific circumstances and player strengths
Strategy has no real impact on outcomes
Strategies should never be evaluated or compared
18. A coach asks players to analyse video of their own performance to identify areas for improvement. Why might this be a valuable exercise?
Self-analysis has no real benefit
Reviewing performance can reveal specific, actionable areas to refine movement skills or strategy
Video analysis is irrelevant to skill development
Coaches should never involve players in analysis
19. Why might designing and testing a new movement strategy (rather than always using a familiar one) sometimes lead to better outcomes?
Familiar strategies are always superior in every situation
New situations might benefit from strategies specifically designed for their unique demands
New strategies should never be tried
Testing strategies has no value
20. Understanding movement skills and strategy mainly helps students:
Ignore how to improve physical performance
Analyse, refine and strategically apply movement skills across different physical activities
Avoid ever adjusting their technique
Assume one approach works for every situation
Answer key (parent copy)
1. A specific physical technique like throwing or jumping
2. Effort, space, time and interaction with objects/people
3. How much force is used
4. Where you and others are positioned
5. Adjusting technique like grip, stance or timing
6. May call for different, adapted strategies
7. Improve performance through informed adjustment
8. Refining a movement skill based on analysis
9. Time and space
10. Different games have different rules, spaces and objectives requiring tailored strategies
11. Improve a movement outcome
12. Thoughtful, situational strategic thinking
13. Positioning yourself to create a better passing angle
14. Applying a learned skill effectively in a new but related context
15. Effectively transferring a skill to new, more pressured situations can be more challenging than performing it in controlled practice
16. Understanding these concepts can help an athlete make smarter, more strategic decisions during activity, not just execute skills mechanically
17. Effective strategies can vary depending on specific circumstances and player strengths
18. Reviewing performance can reveal specific, actionable areas to refine movement skills or strategy
19. New situations might benefit from strategies specifically designed for their unique demands
20. Analyse, refine and strategically apply movement skills across different physical activities