The Bluearth Approach is built around six key elements, which are proven to help children move confidently and competently, and improve their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing.
The first element in the Bluearth Approach is Coordination and Agility, which encompasses the body’s ability to move with grace and fluidity, and change direction and position with control.
This blog will delve into these two concepts, including their benefits and how Bluearth promotes them in their sessions. So read on to learn all about Bluearth Key Element 1.
What is Coordination and Agility?
Coordination is the ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently. Good coordination is important because it is key to executing and controlling your movements.
Agility is your body’s ability to move quickly and easily. It is how effectively and efficiently you can move, and change the direction and position of your body while maintaining control. Agility is important because it affects how you move day to day.
The Benefits of Coordination and Agility Activities
Coordination and agility activities are designed to improve efficiency, quality and assurance of movement, control and response of body equilibrium, and protection against injury. Optimal development of these qualities provides a basis for successful motor learning in controlling movement, change of direction, and absorbing movement forces.
Now, let’s break them down individually.
Benefits of coordination activities:
- Increase your daily energy levels, by helping your cardiovascular system work more efficiently
- Manage ailments like cardiovascular problems and hypertension
- Improve memory and concentration
- Improve mental agility and self-confidence
- Improve flexibility and agility
Benefits of agility activities:
- Help with injury prevention
- Enhance mind-body connection and help get us focused
- Improve recovery time
- Improve balance and coordination
As you can see, coordination and agility go hand-in-hand with each one improving the other.
How Bluearth Promotes Coordination and Agility in their Sessions
Bluearth promotes these elements in their sessions through activities that involve skill-based movement (and notably impact and weight shifting). This includes, but is not limited to:
- Hopping
- Jumping
- Lunging
- Running
- Marching
- Skipping
You can discover how to perform and coach each skill-based activity in our Coordination & Agility Archive.
Coaches may integrate these skills with additional cues for body positioning, which allow students to develop their coordination and a greater sense of body awareness. These activities can also be coached in a multi-directional sense, and if progressed to continual and spontaneous changes of direction, will then incorporate the element of agility.
Additionally, coordination and agility are big features in our tag games, which are available in the Bluearth Teachers Resource Centre.
Wasps is a terrific example; in this tag game, students are encouraged to move within a defined space with the intention to avoid contact from the beanbags thrown by taggers. Students experience many of the skills (running, hopping, jumping) with lots of changes in the rate of movement and direction. The surprise factor of a tagging pairs the elements of coordination and agility perfectly.