Motor Function as a Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Fundamental Movement Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17309/jltm.2026.7.2.02Keywords:
motor function, fundamental movement skills, motor development, motor control, motor experience, programming, motor learningAbstract
Purpose. To substantiate motor function as a functional system underlying the development of human motor activity, to determine the place of fundamental movement skills within its structure, and to develop a conceptual model of motor function development.
Material and Methods. The study was theoretical and methodological in nature and was conducted as a conceptual narrative review. The methodological foundation was based on conceptual analysis and knowledge synthesis. The materials included classical and contemporary scholarly works addressing motor function, motor control, motor development, motor learning, and fundamental movement skills. Historical-logical analysis, content analysis of scientific sources, comparative analysis, systems analysis, and conceptual modeling were employed.
Results. Motor function was conceptualized as an integrative functional system formed through the interaction of motor abilities, motor control mechanisms, sensory support systems, and motor experience. Motor control was identified as the central component of motor function, with its development progressing from the accurate reproduction of movement parameters to the differentiation of spatial, temporal, and force characteristics of movement actions. Fundamental movement skills were interpreted not as the foundation of motor development but as a form of motor function development and a mechanism for the accumulation of motor experience. A conceptual model of motor function development and a functional classification of fundamental movement skills were proposed, comprising stabilization, spatial orientation, temporal organization of movement, motor control, and adaptation. Programming was substantiated as the mechanism for the purposeful development of motor function.
Conclusions. Motor function represents the system-forming construct of motor development, integrating motor abilities, motor control mechanisms, sensory support systems, and motor experience in the process of solving motor tasks. Fundamental movement skills should be interpreted as a form of motor function development, whereas programming serves as the mechanism for its purposeful formation. The proposed framework expands the explanatory potential of contemporary Fundamental Movement Skills, Motor Competence, and Physical Literacy approaches.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Oleg Khudolii, Olha Ivashchenko, Mykola Khudolii
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