In the Kenyan Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), Grade 9 learners must develop a deep understanding of movement and sports skills. This topic covers the fundamental categories of sports skills: locomotor skills (running, jumping, skipping), non-locomotor skills (bending, twisting, balancing), and manipulative skills (throwing, catching, dribbling).
Locomotor vs. Non-Locomotor: Locomotor skills move the body from one place to another (running); non-locomotor skills move the body in place (balancing).
Open vs. Closed Skills: Open skills happen in unpredictable environments (e.g., dribbling in a game); closed skills happen in predictable environments (e.g., a free throw).
Practice Methods: "Part practice" breaks a skill into smaller steps (good for complex skills); "Whole practice" teaches the full skill at once (good for simple skills).
Skill Classification: Remember that manipulative skills involve handling an object (ball, bat) while stability skills involve maintaining balance against gravity.
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Answers and explanations
1. Which of the following is an example of a locomotor skill?
Answer: Running.
Running moves the body from one location to another, so it is a locomotor skill. Catching and throwing are object control skills, while balancing is a stability skill.
2. While dribbling a basketball, a player runs and controls the ball at the same time. This mainly combines which two categories of sports skills?
Answer: Locomotor and object control.
Running is a locomotor skill, and dribbling or controlling the ball is an object control skill. The player combines both categories simultaneously.
3. Which practice method involves breaking a complex skill into smaller parts and practicing each part separately before combining them?
Answer: Part practice.
Part practice separates a skill into components so the learner can master each part before putting them together. Whole practice performs the entire skill at once, while variable practice changes conditions.
4. A football player practices passing to teammates who move at different speeds and from different directions. This type of practice is best described as...
Answer: Variable practice.
Variable practice changes the conditions and demands of a skill, which helps players adapt to game-like situations. Blocked practice repeats the same task, and fixed practice keeps conditions constant.
5. Which statement best defines an open skill?
Answer: A skill performed in a changing and unpredictable environment.
Open skills occur in environments that change constantly and require the performer to adapt. Closed skills are performed in predictable, stable settings.
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