Children and Women in Sports Revision notes Chapter 5 Class 12 Physical education

 Motor Development

Motor developments essentially refers to the

development of a child’s bones, muscles and the

ability to move around and manipulate the

environment. In other words, it is the development of

various motor abilities and change in movement that

one undergoes throughout life, from birth till death.

Types of Motor Development

There are two types of motor development/skills

(i) Gross Motor Development It involves the

development of the larger muscles or groups of

larger muscles to maintain posture and balance for

activities such as throwing a ball, walking, running,

hopping etc.

(ii) Fine Motor Development It involves the

development of the smaller muscles of the hand,

feet and face for more precise activities such as

eating, speaking, playing with toys, writing, etc.

Motor Development in Children

There are different stages of motor development which

are discussed below

1. Infanthood (0-2 years) This is first stage of the

motor development. An infant starts holding the

head in the upright position and lifting arms.

He/she begins sitting, crawling and rolling from

side to back. He/she also learns to stand and walk.

2. Early Childhood (3-6 years) It is a time of

tremendous growth across all areas of motor

development. In this period of per-school year, a

child becomes perfect in some basic movements

such as running, jumping, throwing etc. As the

development reaches a satisfactory level, sports

training for gymnastics and swimming can be

started as they involve basic movements.

Competitions are avoided in this stage.

● Middle Childhood (7-10 years) The primary

development task of middle childhood children is

to learn the values of their societies. Growth is

slow and steady until the onset of puberty.

● Late Childhood (11-12 years) This period of

childhood is also known as Adolescence.

It is another period of accelerated growth. Most of

the children, during this period, master the most

intricate or complex motor skills.

Factors Affecting Motor Development

The development and quality of a child’s motor skills

are influenced by many factors. They are explained

below

1. Genetic Factors The genetic factors that a child

receive from their parents are greatly responsible

for motor development. The percentage of fast

twitch and slow twitch fibres depend on biological

factors that affect the rate and ability of motor

development. They affect body weight, size and

strength.

2. Environmental Factors Physical and social factors

such as encouragement, opportunities, motivation,

love and security push a child to explore his/her

surrounding. This leads to better motor

development.

3. Food and Nutrition Sensory motor development

depends upon the nutrition provided to a child.

Nutritious food ensures that children do not lack

energy and they become stronger which leads to

good motor development

4. Deformities and Disabilities Children having

postural deformities like flat foot, knock-knees and

various other disabilities will slow down the motor

development in comparison to other children of

same age.

5. Endurance This is the ability of a child to maintain

the exertion required for an activity. A child with poor

endurance might be able to step up a stair but not

climb a full flight of stairs.

6. Obesity Overweight or obesity makes a child

lethargic and reduces the performance as well as

participation in motor skill activities.

Exercise Guidelines at Different Stages of

Growth and Development

Exercises play an important role in shaping up the mind

and body of a person as well as a nation. Therefore it is

essential at each and every stage of growth and

development.

The important characteristics and exercise guidelines for

each stage are mentioned below

Infanthood (1 to 2 yrs)

● Gross motor skill exercises with the use of toys

should be encouraged.

● Very light exercises consisting reaching,

grasping, pulling and pushing, etc. should be

encouraged.

● Watching TV, use of a stroller or a high chair should

be avoided.

● Exercises to develop gross motor skills like head

control, sitting and crawling.

Early Childhood (3-7 Years)

● Exercises to develop competence in movement

skills like jumping, throwing, skipping, etc. to be

encouraged.

● Emphasis should be on participation not on

competition.

● Activities that develop fine motor skills or

coordinative abilities.

● 60 minutes of structured and unstructured activities

must be promoted.

● Stress on team games and basic rules of sports

competition.

● Introduction to sports training and exercises for

strength, agility, coordination and balance.

Middle Childhood (8-12 Years)

● Exercise to develop body control, balance, strength

and coordination should be encouraged.

● Activities related to develop endurance to be

avoided.

Adolescence (13-19 Years)

● Moderate to vigorous exercises for 60 mins is

recommended.

● Muscle strengthening exercise atleast 3 days in

a week is suggested.

● Reduce sedentary behaviour.

Adulthood (Above 19 Years)

● Light to moderate intensity exercises.

● Muscle and bone strength exercises are promotes.

● Exercises focusing on power, endurance and

mass must be performed.

Common Postural Deformities

This refers to the deformation in the skeletal structure

or where the body parts are not properly aligned that

results in some kind of postural deformities. People

having postural deformities cannot perform their work

efficiently.

Some common postural deformities are Knock Knee,

Flat Foot, Round Shoulders, Lordosis, Kyphosis, Bow

Legs and Scoliosis.

1. Knock Knee Knock knee is a postural deformity in

which both the knees touch or overlap each other

in the normal standing position. Due to this

deformity, an individual usually faces difficulty

during walking.

2. Flat Foot It is a deformity of the feet. In this

deformity, there is no arch in the foot and the foot

is completely flat. The individual faces problems in

standing, walking, jumping and running.

3. Round Shoulders It is a postural deformity in

which the shoulders become round as they are

drawn forward, the head is extended and the chin

points forward.

4. Lordosis It is the inward curvature of the spine or

a deformity of spinal curvature. It is an increased

forward curve in the lumbar region. It creates

problems in standing and walking.

5. Kyphosis It is a deformity of the spinal curvature

in which there is an increase of exaggeration of a

backward curve or a decrease of a forward curve.

It is also called as round upper back.

6. Bow Legs It is a deformity just the reverse of the

knock knee position. In fact, if there is a wide gap

between the knees, the deformity can be observed

easily when an individual walks or runs.

7. Scoliosis It is a postural deformity of

spinal curvature in which there is one large lateral

curve extending through the whole length of the

spine, or there may be two curves. This type of

deformity is also called curve.

Sports Participation of Women in India

The participation of women in sports in India is very

small. This problem is directly related to the

socio-psychological problem of gender inequality

prevalent in the nation. The society as well as the

media not give women athletes the space they

deserve.

Factors causing less participation of women in sports

● Time constraints

● Social constraints

● Lack of sports infrastructure and facilities

● Concerns for personal safety

● Lack of Self-Confidence

● Male dominated culture of sports

However, things are changing and improving with more

women entering the field of sports. The number of

women participants at the international level has

increased extensively in the last few years. If the factors

associated with less participation of women in sports is

reversed, women could easily dominate the field of

sports.