Multi-Skill
"I see boys when they arrive at our academy and it seems obvious to me that despite being the best young footballers there are, many of them are lacking in what I can only describe as basic athletic skills!"
Sir Alex Ferguson, May 2003
Shortcuts
Fundamental sport skills v. FUNdamentals of movement
Introduction to Multi-Skill
'Multi-skills' give young people a sound grounding in physical literacy. Through encountering a range of activities which are non-sports-specific they are able to improve their basic movement and fundamental sport skills in a fun, challenging and enjoyable manner.
At the heart of the multi-skills approach are four core principles of activity:
- Coordination
- Movement
- Thinking
- Body awareness
CMTB or ‘Children Moving and Thinking with Brilliance’ therefore provides the basis for multi-skill activity and a sound base for continued involvement in sport or other forms of recreation. This leads to positive health and social benefits and helps young people see their future involvement in sport in a positive light and enhance the future performance of those young people that progress up the sporting ladder.
Participation in as many activities/sports as possible is encouraged to ensure that young people experience a wide range of sports and do not specialise too early.
Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)
The concept of multi-skill derives from the key principles of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) - specifically the FUNdamentals stage.
The emphasis of this stage is on the development of these fundamental movement skillsthat are the basis of most sports. The focus is on the acquisition of basic motor skills, fitness and fun rather than on competition and winning. Basic motor skills acquired at this stage provide a sound base for continued involvement in sport or other forms of recreation, leading to positive health and social benefits.
For many young people, the FUNdamentals stage will be the launching pad for an involvement in specific sports across a wide range of different settings, such as school clubs, youth clubs, leisure centres and so on. This informal participation may be with fellow pupils, friends outside school, family members or as part of an organized event, such as a playscheme or sports day. In most instances the focus of this participation will be about sampling a range of sports and playing the game for fun and enjoyment, rather than developing more specific sporting skills.
The key features of the FUNdamental stage are:
- Boys: 6-9 years
- Girls: 6–8 years
- Fun and Participation
- General, overall development
- Fundamentals of Movement
- ABC’s– agility, balance, coordination
- Multi-skill NOT multi-sport
- Well-structured programmes
- Physical activity five to six times per week
- Movement literacy
Follow this link to download a paper produced by Dr Istvan Balyi
Multi-Skill v. Multi-Sport
Multi-skill is a non-sports-specific activity based on the FUNdamentals of movement - agility, balance and co-ordination. These skills provide a base for future all round development in most sports, coupled with the introduction of fundamental sport skills such as throwing, catching, running, jumping and striking.
Multi-sport occurs when a variety of different sports are delivered in the same environment and by the same coach(es).
Fundamental sport skills v. FUNdamentals of movement
Fundamental sport skills are the non-sports-specific sporting actions such as running, jumping, rolling, skipping, striking, throwing and catching.
FUNdamentals of movement are the principles that underpin these movement skills which are required to perform these movements successfully, i.e. agility, balance and co-ordination.
Multi-Skill Clubs
Multi-Skill Clubs are a Youth Sport Trust programme funded through the government's PE, School Sport and Club Links Strategy and aimed at Key Stage 2.
Multi–Skill Clubs form part of a school's out of school hours learning programme and support the key stage attainment targets in primary school curricular Physical Education. The clubs provide an extension of curricular PE and provide further enrichment of skill development. Multi-skill Clubs should be the stepping stone from high quality physical education in schools to high quality club environments.
School Sport Partnerships are funded to deliver two Multi–Skill Clubs, receiving £500 per club, to be used flexibly to cover costs associated with facilities, deliverers, additional equipment etc. The funding will be given directly to School Sports Partnerships with funding for CPD strategically routed through county structures.
The desired outcomes for a Multi-skill Club are;
- Fun and Participation
- Enhanced Athleticism: ABC’s of Running, Jumping and Throwing
- Improved Movement: ABC’s of Agility, Balance and Co-ordination
- Increases in Speed, Power and Endurance
- Continued Participation in Sport and Physical Activity
