Classifications of Skills in Physical Activities

• PE
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• GCSE

The classification of skills

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the environmental influence continuum from closed to open skills. 
• Differentiate between basic and complex skills on the difficulty continuum. 
• Explain the organisation level continuum from low to high.
  

What do you already know about classifying physical activities into their different skills category?

What are skills?

Skills in physical activity are specific, defined tasks that can be learned and practised. They contribute towards the overall activity.

Each sport or physical activity can be broken down into a group of skills that can be practised.  

For example, the skills involved in netball include passing, dodging, marking and shooting.

The Classifications 

The classifications that you need to be aware of are:

• Environmental influence  (Closed ---------- Open)

• Difficulty  (Basic ----------Complex)

• Organisation level (Low ---------- High)

The Classifications 

Very few skills are, for example, completely closed or completely open. 

The extremes of each classification are, therefore, placed on a continuum.

Extreme A  -------------------- Extreme B

Environmental influence continuum: 

Closed to Open skills

Closed skills are predictable and not affected by the environment.  

The timing of the skill is largely down to the individual involved and there are very few variables that are outside their control.

Environmental influence continuum: 

Closed to Open skills

Open skills are influenced by a changeable environment.

They are heavily affected by an unpredictable and changeable environment. 

The execution of the skill is influenced by conditions of play, teammates and opponents

CLOSED Skill 

Javelin is a very closed skill that should be placed near the “Closed” extreme of the environmental influence continuum. 

1. The exact timing of the throw is down to the athlete,
2. who is throwing the same weight javelin,
3. in a very similar environment each time.

OPEN Skill 

A rugby tackle is a very open skill that should be placed near the “Open” extreme of the environmental influence continuum. 

The timing and style of the tackle is heavily influenced

by many factors including:

1. the ball carrier, 
2. the tackler’s teammates and 
3. the position on the pitch

Put these sports along the environmental continuum.

Closed Skill

Open Skill

Archery 

Basketball

Rugby

Gymnastics

Archery 

Gymnastics

Basketball

Rugby

Put these sports along the Difficulty continuum.

Basketball

Running 

Cycling

Figure Skating

Cycling

Running 

Figure Skating

Basketball

Put these sports along the organisational level  continuum.

Soccer/Football 

Gymnastics

Tennis

Rugby

Gymnastics

Tennis

Rugby

Soccer/Football 

Difficulty continuum: 

Basic to Complex skills

Basic skills require fewer sub-routines and less concentration, while complex skills require many sub-routines and a high level of concentration.

Organisation level continuum: 

Low to High organisation skills

Low organisation skills can be broken down into separate sub-routines for practice, while high organisation skills must be practiced in their entirety.

Definition List

Skill: A specific and defined task in physical activity that can be learned and practiced. 

Continuum: A line with classification extremes at each end, where skills are placed according to their characteristics. 

Definition List

Environmental influence continuum: A spectrum ranging from closed skills unaffected by the environment to open skills heavily influenced by it. 

Difficulty continuum: A spectrum ranging from basic skills with few sub-routines to complex skills with many sub-routines requiring high concentration. 

Organisation level continuum: A spectrum ranging from low organisation skills, which can be broken down into sub-routines, to high organisation skills that must be practiced as a whole.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.