Coordination training

Introduction

Well-trained coordination is of great importance in many areas of everyday life. In addition to the job, a high motor repertoire of movement is also very important in leisure activities. This becomes increasingly important with increasing age.

Someone who regularly does coordinative exercises will notice an improved strength and endurance. Conversely, a lack of movement is accompanied by a deterioration in movement coordination. This increases the health risk, because poor coordination is associated with unphysiological movements, joint instability and an increased risk of falling.

Targeted countermeasures in the form of coordination exercises and coordination training can create a solid foundation for everyday and sports movements and minimize the health risk. One of the main aspects of coordination exercises is the interaction of the individual muscles and muscle groups. If the cooperation of the musculature is regularly trained in coordination training, improvements in stability and balance ability are quickly achieved. The basis of the coordination exercises is to bring the body into positions that it has not been used to in everyday life.

Classification of the training forms

Coordination training can be divided into two areas, the school area and the adult area.

Coordination training at school

In schools, coordination training is the tool for executing movements. Through coordination training, children learn complex movements and movement patterns and develop their motor memory. The foundations for precise movements and good coordination are laid at school age.

What is missed at school is difficult to make up for in adulthood. It is especially important to make sure that the exercises are fun to do. Coordination training should not be a dull repetition of movements, but rather a motivated and concentrated, varied movement activity. In the beginner’s training, therefore, simple coordinative movements or coordination games should be started first. In the following some exercises for coordination training in school age are presented before the specific coordination training for adults is explained.

Warm up

Even the warm-up should be coordinative. A typical exercise is performed at the warm-up cross, a cross which can be marked by 5 caps (4 outer and one middle cap). The warm-up cross is intended for six to eight participants.

Two people always run simultaneously from one outer cap to the middle cap. Then the middle cone is turned to the right at a 90° angle around the middle cone and the runners run towards the new outer cone again. There the next person is clapped, who again runs towards the middle cone and turns around it in a 90° angle.

This can be done a few rounds before the exercise is varied or finished. Variations can be made by running around the middle cone before running back to the outer cone. The middle cone can also be touched with the fingertips. After warming up the focus can now be on pure coordination training. This can be done for example as a classic running training.