Course:KIN355/2020 Projects/Force/weight of Movement

Defining the Concept and Its Importance

Force/weight of movement is one of the three subcomponents to effort awareness, which can be defined as knowing how the body moves from one point to another (Bredin, 2020). In short, this is a concept where time, force, and flow all influence the execution of movement. Time refers to the rate of movement and is commonly described as fast or slow; force is related to the amount of energy expended to create a particular motor skill, and is commonly described as strong or light; flow can be characterized as the amount of control within a movement, which represents free flow or bound movements (Bredin, 2020).

Strong or light, fast or slow? These are simplified approaches to describing force. Force is the contrast of muscular tensions and is a prerequisite to creating movement, otherwise it would look dull, inadequate, and weak (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010). For example, a preschooler will likely use the same degree of force to throw a ball regardless if it meant to be thrown three feet or ten yards (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010). With that being said, force is a necessary component to be taught in adolescence. This can only be done if a skill is at a comfortable level before advancing to force production because a child may be too consumed with maintaining eye contact with a ball where throwing forcefully is probably a confusing thought and the concept of force is difficult to understand (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010).

Once a motor skill such as throwing is proficient in a child, it is important that early childhood educators, teachers, or grass roots coaches understand how to teach the concept of force of movement. In a simple exercise, children can be asked to imitate a strong, heavy, or firm movement, making sure to articulate every muscle in their head, neck, stomach, back, etc., which can be used to understand what force is (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010). In contrast, to understand what minimal force is, students can be asked to mimic a statue and pretend to be so light that it would be blown away. Until these ideas can be fully understood, children can then move onto performing forceful movements.

Dancers are often displaying force in their movements. Whether it is in ballet or hip hop, force can be seen on a continuum where strong and light are on the opposite ends, and ballet and hip hop each represent one end. In ballet, very light, petite, and quiet foot work is required to symbolize a graceful form of dance. In opposition, hip hop would symbolize an expressive and strong form of dance. There can be forceful stomping noticed or even exaggerated and fast arm swings. These examples of movement both convey how muscular contractions play a role in movement. Specifically, more force is required to produce a bigger movement whereas less force is required to deliver a minuscule agile motor skill.

Role in Childhood Development and Contemporary Considerations

Force is the amount of energy expended to execute a movement and it may be performed with the whole body or with certain body parts (Bredin, 2020). This is a necessary role in healthy development because if strength and the musculoskeletal system are not developed, then children will never be capable of producing sophisticated movement (Petersen, 2008). In adolescence, it is important that early childhood educators, teachers, or grassroot coaches are able to deliver techniques to developing various motor milestones. This can be done using a conceptual approach where synthesizing common themes or frameworks into one will aid in the understanding of skill acquisition, motor milestone development, and fundamentals of movement for later life. As force falls under effort awareness, it is crucial that the building blocks to improvise or learn new skills in adulthood are met (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010).

The concept of time, force, and flow are the building blocks to the foundations of sophisticated movement (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010). Essentially, acquisition of new skills will be much more difficult in later life if some of these concepts are not well understood. Throwing is a versatile motor skill that is expected of every child. If force is not understood, children run the risk of not being able to adequately throw but also neglect distance into the throw. However, if educators are able to teach children how to forcefully throw or even delicately toss, considering the concepts of both strong and light, then children will distinguish between the two and sufficiently perform a motor milestone such as throwing in either the extremes (strong or light).

Force plays a role in healthy development because it helps us execute all types of movement we do (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010). From running to walking, these are simple everyday activities we engage in that cannot be accomplished without force. To reiterate, force is the amount of energy expended to execute movement. With that being said, it may be questioned whether a child is a proficient mover or not if they cannot perform daily activities of living (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010). Force is required to discreetly walk by without getting caught, but force is also involved in high jumping. These are both motor skills that can only be executed with the development of the musculoskeletal system by generating an abundant or a touch of force (Graham, Holt, & Parker, 2010).

Practical Applications

Force/weight of movement is an extremely important component of development. It is used in everyday tasks and must be properly learned and developed in young children. The following are two recommended activities to allow children to familiarize themselves with force of movement while keeping children entertained and engaged. Physical activity-related games are not only useful for developing fundamental development skills, but also for fostering healthy lifestyle habits.

Activity 1 - Range Day

Purpose statement: The purpose of this activity is to allow children to familiarize themselves with the concept of varying force production while throwing. Children will also learn how to use force production precisely. This is important for developing children as force of movement is an important aspect of many everyday movements.

Target age: 3-7 years of age

Apparatus/equipment needed: Baseballs, hula hoops

Environmental space/set-up: Outdoor space or indoor gym space

Instructions:

1. Establish a line that the child cannot cross when throwing the baseball
2. Arrange the hula hoops at varying distances, making sure that they are within the distance that the child can throw
3. Tell the child which hula hoop they should throw at, allow multiple attempts
4. While the child is throwing the ball, ensure that they are exhibiting proper throwing technique, making sure that their center of balance is correct, and they are following through with their throw
5. Retrieve the balls and move the hula hoops to make the exercise easier or more challenging depending on the results

Modifications:

1. For younger children participating in the activity, a baseball may be too heavy or large to throw long distances. Modify the activity by using beanbags as they are easy to grasp and lighter to throw. Since the beanbags are lighter than the baseballs, this modification will emphasize the precision of force production.
2. For children that are having trouble with precision, use equipment to divide the space into larger areas. This will allow gradual development of precision, eventually being able to throw into the hula hoop.
3. For children that are finding the activity too easy, modify the activity by using a heavier object to throw, challenging the child to develop more force. As well, smaller hula hoops can be used for children that are able to generate enough force, but lack precision.

Activity 2 - Red Light, Green Light

Purpose statement: The purpose of this activity is to develop force production control in the lower body. This activity will also facilitate the development of proprioception and body movement relative to force production. This activity is important because force of movement can be applied to other physical activity movements such as squats.

Target age: 2-6 years of age

Apparatus/equipment needed: None!

Environmental space/set-up: Outdoor space, playground, or indoor gym space

Instructions:

1. The children stand at one end of the gym space, while the instructor stands at the opposite end, facing away from the children.
2. When the instructor says “green light”, the children must tiptoe towards the instructor
3. When the instructor says “yellow light”, the children must walk towards the instructor
4. When the instructor says “red light” and turns around, the children must jump with both feet, land, and freeze in place
5. The activity ends when all of the children have reached the instructor

Modifications

1. For older children, the green, yellow, and red light exercises can be changed to walking, running, and sprinting respectively. Comprehension of force production is essential in order to master running as a motor skill, as it is used to achieve the flight phase.
2. A modification that can be integrated into the game is the addition of other colors. Adding other colors/activities such as leaping, skipping, and hopping on one foot can keep children engaged. Additionally, new activities can be added to target different muscle groups of the body.

Summary

As a part of the three subcomponents of effort awareness, force is essential in childhood development of motor skills. Developing force awareness enables children to better partake in varying forms of movement with varying movement goals. Developing this awareness will additionally lead to greater motor success later in a child’s life. Utilizing a conceptual approach, childhood educators can successfully teach children how to produce varying amounts of force and weight through the progression of their movements, raising their confidence in their motor abilities and enabling them to apply this knowledge to any new skills they learn.

References

Bredin, S. (2020, October 11). Module Four: Developing Fundamentals of Movement Compilation of Canvas Notes. [Lecture notes, PDF].

Canvas. https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/60344/files/10170664/download?download_frd=1

Graham, C., Holt, S., A., & Parker, M. (2010). Children moving: A reflective approach to teaching physical education (8^th edition). McGraw Hill Higher Education.

Petersen, D. (2008) Space, time, weight, and flow: Suggestions for enhancing assessment of creative movement. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 13(2), 191-198. DOI: 10.1080/17408980701444726