Coordination abilities and methods of their development

The word "coordination" is of Latin origin. In translation it means unity, coherence, ordering. This word is also used for the motor activity of people. In this case, it indicates the degree of coordination of human movements with the requirements imposed by the environment. For example, one passer-by, slipping, will stand on his feet with the help of compensatory movements, and the other will fall. Consequently, the first person has a higher degree of coordination of movements, that is, he has more developed coordination abilities.

Definition of concept

Coordination is understood as a person's ability to maximally rationally coordinate all movements of parts of the body in the process of solving a specific motor task. This concept can be characterized and somewhat differently. It is a person's ability to control his own movements.

Our musculoskeletal system includes a huge number of links that have more than a hundred degrees of freedom. That is why the management of this system is a very complicated process. According to the creator of modern biomechanics scientist-physiologist Bernstein, expressed by him in 1947, coordination of movements consists in overcoming degrees of freedom. This turns the links into a system that is obedient to man.

The main indicator of coordination

How to determine the ability of a person to control his musculoskeletal system during the performance of a particular activity? For this purpose in the methodology of physical culture and in the domestic theory for a long time there was such an indicator as dexterity. However, since the 1970s, the term "coordination abilities" has increasingly been used instead of it.

By definition, given by Bershtein, dexterity is a unity of interaction between those functions of peripheral and central control that control the motor system of the organism. In this case, the biomechanical structures of actions are restructured in accordance with the tasks set.

Dexterity, or human coordination abilities are characterized by the fact that they:

1. Always aimed at the outside world. So, training on the pear of boxers develops dexterity to a lesser degree, rather than a duel with the opponent.
2. Have a specific quality. So, you can be skilful in gymnastics and not capable of swimming.

COP, or coordination ability - is the basis of dexterity. Recently, this indicator is the subject of numerous studies by physiologists.

Classification of coordination abilities

Particularly careful study of human agility began to be exposed, since the sixties of last century. At the same time, with each year, specialists are identifying new and new coordination abilities. To date, among their species, there are 3 common, and also 20 special, which manifest themselves specifically (balance, spatial orientation, etc.).

Coordination abilities are those capabilities of a person that determine his willingness to optimally manage and control motor actions. Numerous experimental and theoretical studies identified three main types of COP. These are special, specific, and also general. Let us consider them in more detail.

Special COPs

These coordination abilities of a person are attributed to homogeneous groups of movements associated with psychophysical mechanisms.

Special CS systematize in increasing complexity. So, they distinguish:

- spatial body movements (acrobatic, gymnastic);
- moving objects (carrying loads, lifting weights);
- manipulation of movements of different parts of the body (stroke, injection, etc.);
- cyclic and acyclic actions;
- throwing exercises that reveal accuracy (juggling, towns, tennis);
- defensive and attacking actions in sports and outdoor games;
- ballistic movements (throwing a ball, a core or a disk).

Specific COPs

They include several other coordination abilities. This is a person's ability:

- for orientation, that is, for an accurate determination of the position of the body;
- to change the parameters of motion in order to obtain high efficiency and accuracy of the work of spatial and strength muscles;
- to react, that is, to the exact and rapid implementation of a short-term whole movement when a previously known or unknown signal or a part of it appears;
- to reorganization of motor actions under changing environmental conditions;
- to align or link individual movements into a single motor combination;
- to balance, that is, to the preservation of stability in the static or dynamic position of the body;
- to the rhythm or precise reproduction of a given motor action.

General COP

These are the coordination abilities of the third kind, which are a kind of generalization of special and specific ones. In the process of physical education, the teacher often observes pupils who perform well different tasks for balance and orientation, rhythm, response, etc. In other words, these children have good general coordination abilities. However, most often there are other cases. For example, a child has high COP to cyclic movements, showing a low level of dexterity in sports games.

General coordination abilities - what is it? These include the potential, as well as the realized capabilities of the individual, which determine his willingness to optimally regulate and manage a variety of motor actions of different meaning and origin.

Often it happens that coordination abilities exist in a hidden form before the movement begins. In this case, they are potential. Realized or topical COPs are manifested at this particular point in time.

Also, coordination abilities are classified into elementary and complex ones. The first is the ability of a person to accurately reproduce spatial parameters of movements. Complex coordination abilities - what is it? This is an individual's ability to quickly reorganize 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 possibilities from a pedagogical point of view can not contain only knowledge about "overcoming excessive degrees of freedom".

This vision has obvious gaps. The fact is that the coordination abilities, the definition of which is very extensive, largely depends on the success of the solution of the task. There are three types of CS. The first of these is nervous coordination. It is carried out with the coordination of nervous processes and muscle tension. The second kind of coordination is motor. It is carried out by a combination of movements of all parts of the body in time and space. There is also muscle coordination. It is the process of transferring the control commands to all parts of the body.

What else are the coordination abilities? The definition, classification of these human capabilities distinguish sensory-motor, as well as motor-vegetative CS. They directly depend on the quality of the solution to the task. The first of these two types of CS is directly related to the activity of the musculoskeletal system and the operation of such sensory systems as auditory, visual and vestibular. In other words, in the process of exercising motor activity, a person uses sensory organs. This helps him to know the state of the environment and to react sensitively to the changes taking place in it. Sensory-motor type of CS allows you to analyze external signals and compare them with internal ones occurring in the body.

What are the 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 vegetative systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory, hormonal, etc.) that provide muscular 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 strong emotional impact, discoordination of various functions of the body takes place that ensure the work of the muscles. All this is reflected in the quality of the motor task being solved.

The man's coordination abilities, means of their upbringing are widely used in pedagogical practice. The fact is that from these motor abilities of the individual depends his predisposition to a certain type of activity. This should be taken into account when raising children's skills and abilities.

Factors affecting COP

The person's coordination abilities are expressed in his abilities, depending on:
- an accurate analysis of their movements;
- the activities of various analyzers, including motor;
- determination and courage;
- the complexity of the motor task;
- age;
- the level of development of other motor abilities;
- the degree of general preparedness.

Means of development

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 from the person speed and correctness, and also rationality of movements;
- new and unusual for the performer;
- in the case of recurrence, they are performed with changes in conditions or motor actions.

If the proposed exercises satisfy even one of the above requirements, they can already be called coordinative. Currently, a large number of such complexes have been developed.

Methods of development of the COP

How to improve the coordination abilities of a person? For this, there are many different developments. The most effective of them are methods that use strictly regulated exercises. At the heart of such activities is the motor activity.

So, "sense of time", "sense of space", as well as "sense of muscle effort" - these are very important for a person's coordination abilities, and the methodology for their development therefore takes the leading place in the education process. Let's consider the improvement of these possibilities in more detail.

To develop the ability to perform the movements as precisely as possible, complexes of general preparatory 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 successive positions and movements of the trunk, legs, hands. Running and walking for a given time are also used, and so on.

A higher level of coordination abilities and methods of their development presuppose the performance by pupils of special exercises on the proportionality of movements within certain boundaries of space, time and muscle effort. In these cases, methods are used to perform tasks multiple times. In this case, an installation is made to memorize the obtained indicators and further their self-assessment. These are methods of "contrasting tasks" and "convergent tasks". The use of such exercises makes it possible to realize the difference in subjective sensations with the available objective data. With repeated repetition of such tasks, the sensory sensitivity of a person increases, which allows him to more accurately control movements.

It should be borne in mind that the most difficult to master are tasks that require precision of differentiation of time, space and power parameters. In this regard, they should be applied taking into account the methods of contrasting and convergent tasks. The essence of the first of them is to perform alternating exercises, which differ sharply in any parameter. For example, changing tasks for throwing a ball from 6 m to 4 m, as well as jumping in length, then to the maximum distance, then to its half.

The method of "convergent tasks", in contrast to the one described above, requires the performer of high accuracy of differentiation. For example, raising hands by 90 and 75 degrees, jumps in length by 150 and 180 cm, etc.

Some kinds of professional activity and employment by certain kinds of sports require from the person not only a high level of spatial coordination abilities, but also a well-developed sense of space. It is characterized by the individual's ability to properly assess the dimensions of obstacles, the distance to the target, the distance between objects and people, etc. In order to develop a sense of space, the application of methods 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. It is necessary to use exercises for various burdens. This is a task for repeated reproduction of a certain amount of muscle load, or changing its indicators. Examples of such exercises can be the application of efforts on a car dynamometer in the amount of 30 or 50 percent of the maximum.

One of the basic coordination abilities of a person is the "sense of time", that is, the possibility of a subtle perception of temporal parameters. To improve this accuracy of movements apply specific exercises. They consist of estimating small time intervals from 5 to 10 seconds. The stopwatches are used to check the accuracy of the task. Also develop a sense of time allow exercises to assess the micro-intervals from one to a tenth of a second. To check this task, electronic devices are used.

The ability to perceive time-based 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 methodical ways to improve the static and dynamic balance. The first of them can be developed with:

- Increase the time to save a given position;
- reducing the footprint;
- exclusion of the visual analyzer;
- Increasing the height of the support surface;
- the introduction of concomitant or paired movements.

To improve the dynamic balance, the following exercises are performed:

- with changing external conditions (weather, cover, relief);
- the training of the vestibular apparatus, using a swing, centrifuges, etc.

In order to develop coordination abilities, it is necessary to follow the principle of systematicity. Do not make unjustified breaks between classes, as they will inevitably lead to loss of skills.

During training, coordination is important:

- Do not overwork;
- Perform exercises only with good psychophysical well-being;
- make sufficient intervals between exercises in order to restore their performance;
- In parallel, carry out tasks for the development of other abilities.

Changing motor actions

Of great importance for a person is the ability to quickly switch from one movement to another when the environmental conditions change. The theory and methodology of physical education considers such an ability of the individual as the most important opportunity that characterizes dexterity.

For the development of this CS, exercises are used for a quick and sometimes instantaneous response in a suddenly changing environment. These are sports and mobile games of slalom, martial arts, etc. As an additional way to develop this ability, it is necessary to develop the intellect of a person and bring up such strong-willed qualities as initiative, determination and courage.

So, it can be noted that the person's coordination abilities are the most important component of his life activity.