Explore by Movement
The fundamental patterns and cross-sport athletic movements the body is built on.
What this is
Movement patterns are the fundamental ways the body moves — squat, hinge, push, pull, gait — plus the cross-sport athletic movements built on them, like acceleration, change of direction, landing and throwing.
Why it matters
Almost every sporting action is a version of a handful of movements. Exploring by movement reveals the shared foundation beneath very different sports, and links straight to the exercises, qualities and science behind each pattern.
How to explore it
Start with a fundamental pattern or an athletic movement, then follow it into the skills, techniques, exercises, physical qualities, sports and sports-science connected to it.
Cross-sport athletic movements
Locomotor and manipulative movements built on the fundamentals.
Explore from another angle
The same knowledge, entered a different way.
Explore by Science
The "why" layer — biomechanics, energy systems, motor learning and training principles behind performance.
Explore by Skill
The learnable actions of a sport — grouped into families and linked to the techniques and sports that use them.
Explore by Sport
The master navigator — every sport, organised by category, what it builds, where it is played and how to begin.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Explore by Movement to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Movement patterns
- GaitThe cyclic, alternating single-leg pattern of walking and running that carries the body across the ground — the base of most field and endurance sport.
- PullDrawing a load or your own body toward the torso — horizontal rows and vertical pull-ups — building the lats, mid-back and biceps and balancing the push.
- JumpThe plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
- SquatA knee-dominant pattern: bending the hips, knees and ankles to lower and rise while keeping the torso upright — the foundation of lower-body strength.
- PushPressing a load or the body away from the torso — horizontally or overhead — by extending the shoulders and elbows, developing the chest, shoulders and triceps.
Sports
- Functional FitnessVaried, whole-body training built around everyday movement patterns like squatting, lifting and carrying.
- QigongA gentle mind-body practice that pairs simple, flowing movements with slow, focused breathing.
- Tai ChiA gentle mind-body practice of slow, flowing movements that builds balance, mobility and calm.
Glossary
- FootworkThe coordinated foot movements and patterns that position the body correctly to execute a skill under time pressure.
- StanceThe set position of the feet and body a player adopts before or during a skill, providing balance and readiness to move or strike.
- CoordinationThe ability to combine movements of different body parts smoothly and accurately to produce an intended action.
- Motion offenseA basketball system built on continuous player movement, passing and screening rather than fixed, pre-set plays.
- Tiki-takaA possession-based football style built on short, quick passing and constant movement to keep and control the ball.
Practice & sessions
- Tactical sessionA session built around tactics — how you use space, position and patterns of play, rather than the mechanics of a shot.
- Technical sessionA session built around technique — grooving and refining the mechanics of how a movement or shot is executed.
- Mobility sessionA session built around moving well through a range of motion — gentle, controlled work to help the body move freely.
- Team practicePractising with a full team — working on roles, patterns of play and communication so the group performs together, usually under a coach.
Movement comparisons
- Lunge vs ReachLunge vs Reach: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Catch vs ReachCatch vs Reach: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Lunge vs SquatLunge vs Squat: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Hinge vs SquatHinge vs Squat: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Hinge vs LungeHinge vs Lunge: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Atlas dimension
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-13
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