Course:KIN355/2020 Projects/Altering Speed
Defining the Concept and Its Importance
Bredin (2020) reports that a basic area of mechanical principle that is of particular importance as it contributes to the increase of movement efficiency is force production (Bredin, 2020). Force production is the concept in which force is created (Bredin, 2020). In force production, the resulting product, as well as the transfer, of force, primarily depends on factors such as mass, speed, and the striking surface used (Bredin, 2020). The third principle of force production is altering speed, which is directly related to acceleration, also known as a change in velocity, or a change in speed (Bredin, 2020). Since the principle of force production is directly related to an object’s mass and acceleration, any change to an object’s acceleration affects the amount of force that is generated by said object. Therefore, if the speed of an object changes, the resulting force produced will also be altered. With respect to childhood movement experiences, altering speed can refer to slowing down or speeding up locomotion, such as changing speed when taking part in an activity involving walking or running. According to Bredin (2020), speed can be altered by “increasing the speed of a body segment” (p. 24), or an object can be adding force which coincides by increasing the amount of force being produced. Bredin (2020) also purports that increasing speed can be caused by increasing the speed of muscle contraction which is being used in the action, such as snapping the wrist or executing a quick knee extension. Executing a quick knee extension can be an example of how to alter speed in an activity such as running. For example, while jogging, the jogger can quickly extend their knee every time they take their next step. By extending the knee, this will result in a longer stride, therefore increasing the jogger’s speed.
Further, the topic of altering speed is important in the context of childhood movement experiences because it is related to a great deal of a child’s movement patterns. Children need to be exposed to and perfect a variety of "movement challenges in order to develop effective coordination and movement skills" (Frisch et al., 2020). For example, while a child is walking, it is important for them to be able to alter their speed by accelerating into a run. Transitioning from a simple activity like walking to running can be accomplished by increasing your joint movements, as well as increasing the speed at which your legs extend, making contact with the ground. It is also important for children to learn how to decelerate or slow down their speed when running. Moreover, it is crucial for a child to learn how to alter their walking speed, in order for them to learn how to properly run, as running is simply a faster and slightly more difficult form of walking. A child learning how to transition from walking to running requires structural guidance, as it is not a simple skill to learn. Therefore, it is pertinent for intermediaries, such as teachers and parents, to be educated on the
positive impacts altering speed can have on a child’s movement experiences.
Role in Childhood Development and Contemporary Considerations
It is important that a strong foundation is established during early childhood for all movement behaviour that will occur throughout life (Bredin, 2017). Basic mechanical principles must be acquired, as well as gross and fine motor skills (Bredin, 2017). Of these basic mechanical principles and within the area of force production, altering speed is of importance as it relates to the concept of effort awareness, which Bredin (2020) defines as understanding “how the body moves from one point to another” (p. 11). Understanding the concept of effort awareness is pertinent for intermediaries, in order to implement structural guidance practices, which effectively assist in the acquisition of necessary motor skills for children. The development of the ability to alter speed is important in the healthy development of a child because learning this lifelong skill will allow children to manipulate their locomotion, such as speeding up, or accelerating, from walking to running, or kicking a ball an increased distanced, with increased speed, by quick extension of the knee (Bredin, 2020). A primary example of an activity in which this is important for a child to implement and use throughout their lifespan is running. Running has many health benefits, prevents disease, can boost confidence, and relieves stress (Cattanach, 2018). As running is related to the concept of altering speed, the sub-concept of force production, this activity is a clear demonstration of the importance of a child learning the skills necessary to alter speed.
A contemporary issue that early childhood educators, teachers, or grassroots coaches need to be aware of is that children in middle to late childhood are exhibiting a pattern of demonstrating fundamental motor skills at an immature level (Bredin, 2020). Further, research has suggested that the “fundamentals of our movement behaviours are not acquired automatically” (Bredin, 2020, p. 5). In other words, people do not naturally and automatically develop the ability to perform fundamental movement skills, such as running. Instead, fundamental skills such as running are learned through observation and practice, which indicates how crucial it is for children to be presented with movement opportunities and structural guidance. Therefore, intermediaries benefit greatly if they have proper “knowledge and understanding of concepts that are critical for establishing proficient movers” (Bredin, 2020, p. 6). Keeping this contemporary issue in mind, intermediaries should be mindful in providing sufficient opportunities which promote the development of fundamental motor skills and eventual specialized skills. Possible implications of this contemporary issue are that children will demonstrate an immature level of fundamental motor skills. Moreover, if intervention does not occur to assist the child in overcoming these difficulties, the child can be further inhibited in their achievement of other motor milestones involving speed, balance, and altering speed.
Another issue that may arise could be that a child is struggling to increase their speed to acquire the skill of altering speed while running. In this case, it is important for intermediaries to be able to identify developmental difficulties exhibited for fundamental motor skills and recommend activities to overcome said difficulties accordingly (Bredin, 2020). To approach this issue using an activity that is enjoyable and encourages health-related fitness is significant, and an intermediary in this situation could practice dynamic warmups, athletic stance positioning, and balance with the child struggling to increase their speed while running (Swanson, 2019). If a child is experiencing difficulty coming to a quick stop, an intermediary should be educated to know to advise the child to bend the knees and lean away from the direction of movement (Bredin, 2020).
Practical Applications
Kick the Ball
There exist many activities that children can engage in, with the purpose of developing their ability to alter speed. One such activity, deemed Kick the Ball, can be played with a large group of children, such as a class. The purpose of this game is for children to learn how to alter the speed of their kick, by learning how to quickly fully extend their leg when making contact with the ball. The target age for this game is from six to twelve years old. The equipment needed to play this game includes small cones and any sort of ball that can be kicked, such as a dodgeball or a soccer ball. A large grassy field is needed to play this game. To set up this game, place two cones and three balls every four feet along the width of the field. To play the game, start by having each child stand behind a cone/ ball station. When the whistle blows, have each child kick one of the balls as far as they can across the field. Once their ball comes to a standstill, have each child place a cone where their ball stopped moving. Next, each child must return to their starting position, and once the whistle blows again, they will repeat the motion by kicking of their second ball and placing their second cone once more where their second ball lands. This will be repeated once more until there are no more balls or cones left in the starting position. In this game, there is no winner, as the object of the game is for children to kick the ball as hard as possible to see how far they can kick it. This game can be modified for a group of children of the same athletic ability. Instead of having each child place their cone where their ball landed, you can set up three lines of cones. The first balls must land behind the first line of cones, or else that person will be eliminated. Subsequent
kicks of the balls must land behind their respected line of cones in order to remain in the game.
Beanbag Relay
Another activity that can be played to develop a child’s ability to alter speed is Beanbag Relay. The purpose of this game is for children to learn how to alter their speed while running, as they transition from surfaces of varying inclinations, such as from a flat field to running uphill. By taking part in this activity, children will not only learn how to efficiently alter their speed, but they will also see how the steepness of the hill affects their speed. By performing this activity, children will learn to realize that lengthening their stride (such as extending their leg further) helps to increase their speed up the hill. The target age for this game is from eight to eleven years old, with possible modifications if younger or older children are to engage in this activity, such as a flatter hill for younger children and a steeper hill for older children. Equipment needed to play this game includes two hula hoops and a number of bean bags, which equates to the number of children taking part in this activity plus one extra bean bag. A grassy or paved hill, with a wide grassy or sandy flat area at the base of the hill is needed to play this game. The steepness of the hill required depends on how hard you would like the game to be for the children. Ensure that the hill is not too steep as the children are required to run up and down the hill without injury. To set up this game, place two hula hoops beside each other at the bottom of the hill and one hula hoop in the flatter portion just over the pique, or top, of the hill. Place all of the bean bags in the hula hoop at the top of the hill. To play the game, the group of children must be first split into two teams. When the whistle blows, one child from each team will need to run up the hill to retrieve a bean bag from the hula hoop at the top of the hill. Once a bean bag is retrieved, the child will then run down the hill, with the bean bag in their hand, and pass the bean bag off to the next child, similar to passing the baton in track and field. The next child in line will place the bean bag in their team’s hoop at the bottom of the hill, then will proceed to run up the hill to retrieve the next bean bag. This will continue for each child on each team until there are no more bean bags left in the hula hoop at the top of the hill. To declare the winning team, each team will count the number of bean bags they have collected in their team’s respective hula hoop, and whichever team has the highest number of bean bags in their hula hoop will be declared the winning team! To modify this game for someone who cannot run uphill, or for someone who has Achilles tendon issues, this game can be played on simply a flat surface, or a hill with a smaller inclination. Alternatively, this game can also be performed starting at the top of a hill and running down the hill to collect the bean bag.
Summary
Altering speed is important to childhood movement experiences because it’s involved in many movement patterns that are critical for childhood development (Frisch et al., 2020). The ability to alter speed also leads to increased physical activity participation. Being able to control force production assists in the ability to control locomotion and advance other fundamental motor skills (Bredin, 2020). Older children are now exhibiting underdeveloped fundamental motor skills, which may be a result of lack of opportunities to build those motor skills (Bredin, 2020). Implications of this could be inhibition im achievement of other motor milestones and participation in physical activity.
References
Bredin, S. (2020). Module 4: Developing Fundamentals. KIN 355: Movement Experiences for Young Children, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia.
Cattanach, J. (2018, March 08). 6 Benefits of Running. Retrieved from https://www.active.com/running/articles/6-benefits-of-running
Frisch, J. (2020, April 16). A Return to Play: Movement Training for Youth Athletes. Retrieved from https://simplifaster.com/articles/play-movement-training-youth-athletes/
Swanson, B. (2019, September 16). Speed and Agility Tips for Kids. Retrieved from https://www.activekids.com/sports/articles/speed-and-agility-tips-for-kids