Walking and running may seem like simple actions, but there is a wealth of scientific knowledge hidden behind them. These basic movements involve not only neuroscience, but also human physiology, sports psychology, etc. For many people, these movements are an integral part of life, but few have a deep understanding of how they work and their physiology.
A motor skill is a function that involves specific movements of the body's muscles to perform a task. These tasks may include walking, running, or biking.
Behind these movements, the body's nervous system, muscles, and brain must work together in order to effectively perform these skills. Scientists mentioned that the goal of motor skills is to optimize the ability to perform the skill and achieve optimal performance in terms of success rate and accuracy while reducing the energy expenditure required.
Motor skills are divided into two main categories: gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
Gross motor skills require the use of large muscle groups in our legs, trunk and arms, such as walking, balancing and crawling.
These skills are often associated with sequential tasks and develop in early childhood. We use these motor skills in our daily lives with little thought required. Additionally, gross motor skill performance levels are not susceptible to change after a period of non-use.
Fine motor skills are the use of smaller muscle groups to perform fine movements, such as playing the piano, tying shoelaces, brushing teeth, etc.
These tasks are relatively precise and require ongoing performance to maintain proficiency. As the saying goes, "If you don't use it often, you'll lose it." This exactly describes the nature of these skills.
The development of motor skills follows several principles, including top-down (head to tail) and large-to-small (gross muscles to fine muscles) development patterns. The same is true when children are learning to walk and run.
The preschool years (3 to 5 years old) are a critical period for developing motor skills.
A variety of factors influence the development of children's motor skills. While each child develops at a different rate, children typically achieve age-related basic motor abilities at a certain age. This includes gross motor skills focused on performance control and vertical movement, which usually emerge around the age of five.
During the learning process, improvements in motor skills are often related to feedback. Learners can improve their management skills through internal and external feedback. This process makes people think: "Do we really understand the changes that occur when our bodies move and the impact of these changes on the quality of life?"