Reconsidering the fundamental movement skills construct: Implications for assessment

Abstract

A wide range of movement experiences over the early years of life is crucial for the development of expertise in skill later in adulthood. A set of movements termed Fundamental Movement Skills has been suggested as a precursor for performance of more complex movement. The attainment of FMS during childhood is certainly a noble and worthwhile aim. However, we argue that mastery of FMS as demonstrated through movement assessment batteries does not sufficiently capture movement competence in the general population. Contemporary views of motor development, such as Ecological Dynamics, suggest instead, that regardless of prior acquisition of a “fundamental” set of skills, an individual’s motor competence is the result of self-organisation under constraint to achieve outcome goals. We propose a working definition of movement competence that stresses the importance of the role of affordance detection and utilisation throughout the lifespan. Thus, what should be considered “foundational” is a wide range of movement experiences that allows an individual adequate opportunities for exploration and refinement in order to build expertise. Encouragingly, new movement assessment tools are emerging that apply these important theoretical concepts and help to reveal how individuals can demonstrate their movement adaptability instead of performing isolated movements based upon an “ideal” standard.