Coordination
Coordination is the ability to execute a sequence of movements smoothly and accurately repeatedly. This may involve the senses, muscular contractions and joint actions.
Everything we participate in requires the ability to coordinate our limbs to achieve a successful outcome - from walking to the more complex movements of athletic events like the pole vault.
Coordination skills in a sport
All sports require the coordination of eyes, hands and feet and maybe an implement and a ball. Racket sports (e.g. tennis and squash) require the coordination of hand, eyes and racket to connect the racket with the incoming ball and position our body appropriately to return the ball efficiently and effectively.
Hockey requires the coordination of hands, eyes and hockey stick to connect with the ball. Football primarily involves the coordination of feet, eyes and ball, and Rugby coordinates hands, eyes and ball.
When did you last have your eyes tested?
Children
Children have a better sense of balance and coordination due to their body size, and with a lower centre of gravity can learn complicated movements/skills like those required by a gymnast.
As they experience growth spurts, muscle development may take 12 to 18 months to adjust to the new bone growth, and during this time, they may find the following are negatively affected:
- Coordination skills
- Athletic performances
- Mobility/Flexibility
Coaches must educate their athletes as to why they are experiencing these problems. Now is an appropriate time to develop the flexibility to help muscles adjust to the growing bones.
Testing
The hexagon test is a coordination test for the lower limbs, and catching a ball is a simple hand-eye coordination test.
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2008) coordination [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/coord.htm [Accessed