Goal #3 – “AMP” Training (Awareness, Motor Skills and Proprioception)

(Part II – The Impact of Motor Skill Development on Long Term Performance)

I can remember my second grade PE class meeting in the gymnasium for the section on tumbling. The trampolines, mats, balance beams and bars were calling to my mischievous side like that friend you had in middle school that always seemed to get you in trouble. My body was a sponge wanting to soak it all in. I was at the height of my foundational growth stage, craving the development of MOTOR SKILLS!

I am positive that those few years I spent at Boone Elementary with Mr. Lyons set the stage for my athletic career. We learned to throw and catch, kick and punt, balance and climb. We also learned to chase, dodge, flee, skip, gallop, bound, jump, land, and tumble: These are the building blocks of athleticism. They are essential to the developmental structure that is sport. When I moved away from Boone Elementary to a school that didn’t have a tumbling curriculum, I noticed a big change. I saw kids that couldn’t jump rope, skip, or do a summersault. This school put the emphasis on the rules of the games, or just simply the games themselves.

We played basketball, football, and baseball, but the games were slow and boring due the fact that half the class was so uncoordinated that they couldn’t even hit the volleyball, let alone hit it over a net. They had no rhythm, no coordination and had not developed the basic motor skills required to participate even on a level of enjoyment. The game was already to complex.

Why not take time to develop the motor skills during the week, and then play on Friday? Why not get hundreds of repetitions instead of 1 or 2 a day if you are lucky? Why do little league teams practice once for every four games they play? In those games they are lucky if they come up to the plate four times. Then they might see five or six pitches, swing at 3 and possibly hit one. Is this enough to develop the complicated motor skills and awareness necessary for athletic success and long term participation?

I was never the strongest, fastest or most talented, but thanks to the commitment of people like Mr. Lyons, not only was I able to play every sport, I was able to be successful in every sport. This success leads to confidence and self esteem, which carries over into every aspect of life. I looked forward to that class every day, even though I could never climb the rope, or do a pull up. Those special teachers that can pull out the positives from every situation and encourage rather than frustrate, have the opportunity to make a difference, one student at a time.

Below are some motor skills and there association to sport as taken from the BES PE Curriculum: