The word "coordination" is of Latin origin. In translation, it means unification, coherence, ordering. This word is also used with respect to the motor activity of people. In this case, it indicates the degree of coordination of human movements with the requirements of the environment. For example, one passer-by, slipping, will stand on his feet with the help of compensatory movements, and the other will fall. Therefore, the first person has a higher degree of coordination of movements, that is, he has more developed coordination abilities.
Definition of a concept
Coordination is understood to mean a person’s ability to rationally coordinate all the movements of body parts in the process of solving a specific motor task. This concept can be characterized in a slightly different way. This is a person’s ability to control his own movements.
Our musculoskeletal system includes a huge number of links with more than a hundred degrees of freedom. That is why the management of this system is a very complex process. According to the creator of modern biomechanics, physiologist Bershtein, expressed by him in 1947,
coordination of movements consists in overcoming the degrees of freedom. This turns the links into a human-obedient system.
Key indicator of coordination
How to determine the ability of a person to control his musculoskeletal system in the process of performing a particular activity? For this, a technique such as dexterity has long existed in the methodology of physical culture and in domestic theory. However, since the 70s of the last century, the term “coordination abilities” has increasingly been used instead.
By definition given by Bershtein, agility is the unity of the interaction of those peripheral and central control functions that control the body's motor system. In this case, the biomechanical structures of actions are reorganized in accordance with the tasks set.
Dexterity, or coordination ability of a person is characterized by the fact that they:
1. Always directed to the outside world. So, training on a punching bag for boxers develops agility to a lesser extent than a duel with an opponent.
2. Possess specific quality. So, you can be skilled in gymnastics and not capable of swimming.
CS, or coordination ability, is the basis of dexterity. Recently, this indicator has been the subject of numerous studies by physiologists.
Classification of coordination abilities
They began to subject man’s dexterity to a particularly thorough study, beginning in the sixties of the last century. At the same time, every year, experts reveal more and more coordination abilities. Today, among their species, there are 3 general, as well as 20 special, which manifest themselves specifically (equilibrium, spatial orientation, etc.).
Coordination abilities are those capabilities of a person that determine his willingness to optimally control motor actions and regulate them. Numerous experimental and theoretical studies have identified three main types of CS. These are special, specific, as well as general. Let's consider them in more detail.
Special cop
These coordination abilities of a person attributable to homogeneous groups of movements associated with psychophysical mechanisms.
Special CS systematize the increasing complexity. So, allocate:
- spatial body movements (acrobatic, gymnastic);
- moving objects (carrying goods, lifting weights);
- manipulation of movements of different parts of the body (shock, injection, etc.);
- cyclic and acyclic actions;
- throwing exercises, revealing accuracy (juggling, towns, tennis);
- defensive and attacking actions in sports and outdoor games;
- ballistic movements (throwing the ball, core or disk).
Specific COP
These include slightly different coordination abilities. This is human ability:
- to orientation, that is, to the exact determination of the position of the body;
- to change the parameters of movement in order to obtain high efficiency and accuracy of the spatial and power muscles;
- to response, that is, to the accurate and quick execution of a short-term whole movement when a previously known or unknown signal or part of it appears;
- to the restructuring of motor actions under changing environmental conditions;
- to the coordination or combination of individual movements in a single motor combination;
- to balance, that is, to maintain stability in a static or dynamic position of the body;
- to the rhythm or the exact reproduction of a given motor action.
General cop
These are the coordination abilities of the third kind, which are a kind of generalization of the special and specific. In the process of physical education, the teacher often observes pupils who perform various tasks on balance and orientation, rhythm, response, etc. in other words. In other words, these children have well-developed general coordination abilities. However, other cases are most common. For example, a child has high CS for cyclic movements, showing a low level of dexterity in sports games.
General coordination abilities - what is it? These include potential as well as realized capabilities of the individual, which determine his readiness for optimal regulation and control of motor actions that are diverse in meaning and origin.
It often happens that coordination abilities exist in a latent form before the start of movement. In this case, they are potential. Realized or relevant CS appear at this particular moment in time.
Also, coordination abilities are classified into elementary and complex. The first of these is the person’s ability to accurately reproduce the spatial parameters of movements. Complex coordination abilities - what is it? This is an individual's ability to quickly restructure motor actions under suddenly changing conditions.
Motor abilities in terms of the educational process
So, we found out what the term “coordination abilities” means. The definition of the basic concepts of these motor capabilities from a pedagogical point of view cannot contain only knowledge about "overcoming excessive degrees of freedom."
Such a vision has clear gaps. The fact is that coordination abilities, the definition of which is very extensive, largely depend on the success of solving the task. In this case, three types of CS can be distinguished. The first of these is neural coordination. It is carried out with the coordination of nervous processes and muscle tension. The second type of coordination is motor. It is carried out with a combination of movements of all parts of the body in time and space. There is also muscle coordination. It is a process of transmitting muscle control commands to all parts of the body.
What other coordination abilities are there? The definition and classification of these human capabilities are distinguished by sensory-motor as well as motor-autonomic CS. The quality of the solution to the problem posed directly depends on them. The first of these two types of CS is directly related to the activity of the musculoskeletal system and the operation of sensory systems such as auditory, visual and vestibular. In other words, in the process of performing motor activity, a person uses the senses. This helps him to know the state of the environment and to react sensitively to the changes taking place in it. The sensory-motor type of CS allows you to analyze external signals and compare them with internal ones that occur in the body.
What are motor-vegetative coordination abilities? The definition of these motor abilities of a person goes through the manifestation of all body functions. The fact is that any movement of the body in space and time is directly related to the work of the autonomic systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory, hormonal, etc.) that provide muscle activity. This is confirmed by the results of numerous studies. For example, in the absence of systematic training and in the presence of diseases, fatigue or a strong emotional impact, the various functions of the body are discoordinated, which ensure muscle function. All this is reflected in the quality of the motor task to be solved.
Human coordination abilities, means of their upbringing are widely used in pedagogical practice. The fact is that these predispositions of an individual determine his predisposition to a certain type of activity. This should be taken into account when educating children in certain skills.
Factors Affecting CS
The coordination abilities of a person are expressed in his capabilities, depending on:
- accurate analysis of their movements;
- activities of various analyzers, including motor ones;
- determination and courage;
- the complexity of the motor task;
- age;
- the level of development of other motor abilities;
- the degree of general preparedness.
COP Development Tools
In order to increase the degree of human capabilities in solving motor programs, it is necessary to use physical exercises that:
- aimed at overcoming coordination difficulties;
- require a person to speed and correctness, as well as the rationality of movements;
- new and unusual for the performer;
- in case of repetition, they are performed with a change in conditions or motor actions.
If the proposed exercises satisfy even one of the above requirements, then they can already be called coordination. Currently, a large number of such complexes have been developed.
COP development methods
How to improve human coordination abilities? There are many different designs for this. The most effective of these are methods that use strictly regulated exercises. The basis of such activities is motor activity.
So, “sense of time”, “sense of space”, as well as “a sense of muscle effort” are coordination abilities that are very important for a person, and the methodology for their development in this connection takes a leading place in the process of education. Consider improving these features in more detail.
To develop the ability to perform movements as accurately as possible, complexes of general training exercises are used. It is important to systematically increase their coordination complexity. For example, in such cases, tasks are given that require the accuracy of reproduction of both simultaneous and sequential positions and movements of the body, legs, hands. Running and walking for a given time, etc. are also used.
At a higher level, coordination abilities and the methodology for their development suggest that pupils perform special exercises on the proportionality of movements within certain boundaries of space, time and muscle effort. In these cases, methods of repeatedly performing tasks are used. At the same time, an orientation is given to memorizing the obtained indicators and their further self-assessment. These are the methods of “contrasting tasks” and “converging tasks”. The use of such exercises allows us to recognize the difference in subjective sensations with the available objective data. With the repeated repetition of such tasks, the sensory sensitivity of a person increases, which enables him to more accurately control movements.
It should be borne in mind that the tasks that are most difficult to master are tasks that require accurate differentiation of temporal, spatial and power parameters. In this regard, they should be applied taking into account the techniques of contrasting and converging tasks. The essence of the first of them consists in performing alternating exercises, which differ sharply in some parameter. For example, the change of tasks for throwing the ball from 6 m to 4 m, as well as long jumps then at the maximum distance, then at its half.
The technique of “converging tasks”, in contrast to the one described above, requires a high accuracy of differentiation from the performer. For example, raising arms 90 and 75 degrees, long jumps 150 and 180 cm, etc.
Some types of professional activities and certain types of sports require not only a high level of spatial coordination abilities from a person, but also a well-developed sense of space. It is characterized by the ability of an individual to correctly assess the size of obstacles, the distance to the target, the distance between objects and people, etc. In order to develop a sense of space, the use of contrasting and converging tasks is very effective.
How to improve the power accuracy of movements? For this, it is necessary to develop the ability to assess and differentiate the level of muscle tension. In this case, it is necessary to use exercises for various weights. These are tasks for the repeated reproduction of either a certain amount of muscle load, or its changing indicators. Examples of such exercises are the application of effort on the hand dynamometer at a rate of 30 or 50 percent of the maximum.
One of the main coordination abilities of a person is a “sense of time”, that is, the possibility of a subtle perception of time parameters. To improve this accuracy of movements, specific exercises are used. They consist in evaluating small time intervals from 5 to 10 seconds. To check the accuracy of the task, stopwatch is used. Exercises for evaluating micro-intervals from one to tenths of a second also develop a sense of time. To check such a task using electronic devices.
The ability to perceive temporary micro-intervals can be developed to the highest accuracy, up to one thousandth of a second. To do this, use special training.
There are also certain
methodological techniques that can improve the static and dynamic balance. The first of them can be developed with:
- increase the time to save a given pose;
- reducing the area of ​​the support;
- the exception of the visual analyzer;
- increasing the height of the surface of the support;
- the introduction of concomitant or paired movements.
To improve dynamic balance exercises are performed:
- with a change in external conditions (weather, coverage, topography);
- for training the vestibular apparatus, using swings, centrifuges, etc.
In order to develop coordination abilities, it is necessary to observe the principle of systematicity. You can not take unjustified breaks between classes, as they will certainly lead to a loss of skills.
During coordination training it is important:
- do not overwork;
- perform exercises only with good psychophysical health;
- make sufficient intervals between exercises in order to restore its performance;
- parallel to perform tasks for the development of other abilities.
Change in motor actions
Of great importance for a person is the ability to quickly switch from one movement to another when changing environmental conditions. The theory and methodology of physical education considers such an individual's ability as the most important opportunity characterizing dexterity.
For the development of this CS, exercises are used for quick and sometimes instant response in a suddenly changing environment. These are sports and outdoor games of slalom, martial arts, etc. As an additional way to develop this ability, it is necessary to develop a person’s intellect and to cultivate such volitional qualities as initiative, determination and courage.
So, it can be noted that the coordination abilities of a person are the most important component of his life.