A–B. Active Living and Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Move Well, Train Smart, Stay SafeTechnique Lab: Phases of Movement and Movement Principles
B1.3 B1.4 1.2About 75 minutes
Learning goals- I can describe the preparation, execution and follow-through phases of a skill and use them to refine my technique.
- I can lower my centre of gravity and widen my stance to make a stable ready position.
- I can extend my joints and use body parts in sequence to generate more power when throwing or striking.
- I can use movement principles, such as absorbing force and controlling spin, to improve a skill.
- I can use feedback from a peer and my own self-assessment to refine a skill.
Words to know
phases of movement
The three parts of a skill: preparation (getting ready), execution (doing it) and follow-through (finishing).
movement principles
Rules from physics and the body (biomechanics) that explain how to move efficiently, such as stability, force production and force absorption.
summation of forces
Adding the forces of many body parts, used one after another from big to small, to make a powerful movement.
lever
A rigid bar that turns around a point. Your bones are levers that turn at joints.
ready position
A balanced starting stance: feet about shoulder-width apart or wider, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet.
angular momentum
The amount of spin a body has. Pulling arms and legs in makes you spin faster; spreading them out slows you down.
Remember from Grade 8
In Grade 7 you broke skills into the three phases of movement. In Grade 8 you used movement principles (stability, sequential force, range of motion, direction and absorbing force) and a feedback loop to refine skills. In Grade 9, B1.3 and B1.4 ask you to use both tools to improve your own technique in many activities, and to understand why they work.
Hook: same strength, double the speed
Two players with the same strength hit a badminton shuttle. One hits it with a bent arm, flat-footed, facing the net. The other turns side-on, steps in, rotates hips then shoulders, and extends the arm into the hit. The second shot is much faster. Same muscles, better mechanics. That's what this lesson is about.
Phases of movement (B1.3)
- Preparation: get into position. Ready stance, eyes on the target or object, body turned the right way, backswing or wind-up.
- Execution: the action itself. Force produced in the right order, contact or release at the right point.
- Follow-through: finish the movement. It keeps the object on line, slows the body safely, and prepares you for the next action.
When a skill goes wrong, check the phases in order. Problems often start in preparation: a poor stance or a late backswing causes a rushed execution.
The curriculum's examples include a jump with a full turn in hip hop, sending an object toward a target (target games) or into an area (territory games), receiving and retaining an object in territory games, and a forehand stroke in tennis or badminton.
Movement principles (B1.4)
1. Stability. Bend your knees and widen your stance to lower your centre of gravity and create a stable base. This is the ready position in almost every sport: goalkeeping, receiving a serve, defending in basketball.
2. Producing force: summation of forces.
- Use more body parts (legs, hips, trunk, shoulder, elbow, wrist).
- Use them in sequence, from the big, slow ones near the ground to the small, fast ones at the end, like cracking a whip.
- Extend the joints at release or contact. A straighter arm is a longer lever, and the end of a longer lever moves faster.
- Push against the ground: when you push down and back on the ground, the ground pushes you forward and up (Newton's third law).
3. Direction. Force goes in the direction you apply it. Follow through toward the target.
4. Absorbing force. To catch, land or receive, spread the force over more time and distance (soft hands, bent knees) and a larger area.
5. Spin. To spin faster in a jump turn, pull your arms in close to your body; to slow down and land, open them out. (Figure skaters use this too.)
Worked exampleLet's analyse a hip-hop jump with a full turn
Ayesha keeps under-rotating her jump with a full (360°) turn and lands off balance. Use phases and principles to coach her.
- Preparation: check her stance: knees bent, feet about shoulder-width, arms ready to swing. She starts with straight legs, so she gets little height. Cue: "Sit into your knees first."
- Execution, force: she jumps straight up but swings her arms late. Cue: "Swing your arms in the direction of the turn as you push off," which starts the spin.
- Execution, spin: her arms stay wide during the turn, which slows the spin. Cue: "Pull your arms in tight once you're in the air" (more angular velocity).
- Follow-through / landing: she lands stiff-legged. Cue: "Open your arms and land with soft knees, feet apart" (absorb force, widen base, slow the spin).
- Feedback loop (1.2): a partner films 3 tries; Ayesha picks one cue (pull arms in) and practises it 10 times before adding the next.
Bent knees for force, arm swing to start the turn, arms in to spin faster, arms out and soft knees to land: phases plus principles fix the skill.
Worked exampleLet's add power to an overhand throw
Ben throws a ball for distance using only his arm, facing the target with feet together. What should he change, using summation of forces?
- Preparation: stand side-on to the target, feet apart (stable base), throwing arm back and extended.
- Execution, sequence: step toward the target with the opposite foot (push against the ground), then rotate hips, then shoulders, then the elbow extends and the wrist snaps: big to small, one after another.
- Execution, extension: release with the arm extending (a long lever), not bent close to the head.
- Follow-through: the arm continues across the body and down toward the opposite hip, and the back leg swings through.
Side-on stance, step, hips → shoulders → elbow → wrist in sequence, extended arm at release, and a full follow-through.
Hands-on activityTechnique lab: film, fix, film again
You need: a phone or tablet to film (with permission), a soft ball or tennis ball, a wall without windows, a racquet if you have one (or a sturdy paper plate taped to a ruler as a mini racquet), grass or a mat for jumps, and a partner.
Warm-up (6 min): jog, arm circles, trunk rotations, gentle squats, 5 easy jumps.
- Choose one skill: forehand against a wall, overhand throw at a target taped on a fence or wall, or a jump with a half or full turn on grass.
- Film 3 attempts in slow motion if possible, from the side.
- Analyse: pause the video at each phase. Use the principles: Is my ready position stable? Do I use body parts in sequence? Do I extend at contact or release? Do I follow through toward the target? (For turns: arms in to spin, out to land.)
- Pick one cue and practise it 10 to 15 times. Your partner gives one piece of feedback: one thing done well and one thing to try.
- Film 3 more attempts and compare.
Safety: Hit or throw only at a solid wall away from windows, cars and people. For jump turns, start with a quarter or half turn, land on grass or a mat with bent knees, and stop if you feel dizzy.
Just for funYou can feel angular momentum on a spinning office chair: tuck your legs and arms in and you speed up; stretch them out and you slow down. Physics teachers love this demo. Dizzy students, slightly less. (Only try it carefully, with a grown-up spinning you slowly.)
Your turn
1Name and describe the three phases of movement.
Preparation (getting ready: stance, backswing), execution (the action: force, contact or release), follow-through (finishing: keeps the object on line, slows the body, prepares for the next action).
2Describe a stable ready position.
Feet about shoulder-width or wider, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet, eyes on the play: a low centre of gravity and wide base.
3What is summation of forces?
Adding the forces of many body parts, used in sequence from big to small, to make a powerful movement.
4Why does extending the arm at contact give more power?
A straighter arm is a longer lever, so the hand (or racquet) at the end moves faster for the same turn of the shoulder.
5How do you absorb force when landing?
Bend the knees (more time and distance) and land with feet apart, so the force is spread out.
6In a jump turn, what should your arms do in the air and at landing?
Pull in to spin faster in the air; open out to slow the spin and balance for the landing.
More practice: warm-up
1Which phase includes the backswing?
2Which phase includes the moment of contact with the ball?
3Lower or higher centre of gravity: which is more stable?
4Which direction should a follow-through go?
5In an overhand throw, which body part moves first: the hips or the wrist?
More practice: on your own
1A soccer player's shots go to the side of the net. Which phase and principle should you check first?
Check preparation (plant foot pointing at the target, beside the ball) and the principle of direction (the kicking leg follows through toward the target).
2Explain Newton's third law in a sprint start.
The sprinter pushes back and down on the ground (or blocks); the ground pushes the sprinter forward and up with an equal and opposite force.
3A goalie keeps getting knocked off balance by shots. Give two movement-principle fixes.
Widen the stance and bend the knees (lower COG, bigger base), and give with the hands and body on contact to absorb force over more time.
4Why might a problem in execution start in preparation?
A poor stance or a late backswing leaves no time or position to produce force correctly, so execution is rushed or off-balance.
5Describe two pieces of useful peer feedback for a badminton forehand.
For example: "Nice side-on preparation. Try hitting the shuttle further in front of your body and extending your arm at contact." Feedback is specific, includes one strength and one next step.
Challenge
1If a shoulder turns the same angle in the same time, and the hand is 30 cm from the shoulder with a bent arm and 60 cm with a straight arm, how do the hand speeds compare? Explain.
The hand on the straight arm travels on a circle with twice the radius, so in the same time it covers twice the distance: it moves twice as fast. Speed at the end of a lever is proportional to its length (for the same turning speed).
2Analyse a volleyball spike using the three phases and at least three movement principles.
Preparation: approach steps, low arm swing back, bend knees (lower COG to push). Execution: push hard against the floor (Newton's third law), swing arms up, then sequence hips → shoulder → elbow → wrist (summation of forces), contact with an extended arm high and in front. Follow-through: arm continues down toward the target court, land on two feet with bent knees to absorb force.
3Ayesha's full turn works on the gym floor but she under-rotates in her running shoes on grass. Suggest two reasons using principles and a plan.
Grass gives less push-back (soft surface absorbs some force) and more friction on the turn. Plan: generate more force by bending deeper and swinging the arms harder, pull the arms in faster to increase spin, and practise on the actual surface, starting with half turns.
Quiz
1. The phase that keeps the object on line and slows the body safely is:
2. To make a stable ready position, you should:
3. Summation of forces means using body parts:
4. Extending the joints at release adds power because:
5. To spin faster during a jump turn, you should:
6. Landing with bent knees helps because it:
Big idea: B1.3 asks students to apply the phases of movement (preparation, execution, follow-through) to refine skills such as a jump with a full turn in hip hop, sending objects to targets or into areas, receiving and retaining in territory games, and forehand strokes. B1.4 asks them to apply movement principles, such as bending the knees and widening the stance for a stable ready position, and extending joints for more power. Living skill 1.2 appears in using feedback to refine skills.
How to help at home:
- Film your teen (with permission) and watch the slow-motion clips together.
- Ask "Which phase?" and "Which principle?" when something goes wrong.
- Give one specific strength and one next step.
Common difficulties:
- Trying to fix everything at once. One cue at a time.
- More effort instead of better mechanics. Sequence and extension usually add more power than "trying harder".
Safety: Throw and hit only at a solid wall away from windows and people. Practise jump turns on grass or a mat, starting with smaller turns. Spin-chair demonstrations should be slow and supervised.