AS Level PE 8386 · Area 6 · Theories of Learning

Motor Programmes

A motor programme is the plan the brain runs to produce a movement. It is a set of subroutines completed in the correct order, sent to the muscles as nerve impulses, and stored in memory as a generalised pattern. Cambridge tests both the definition and the practical detail of how programmes are built, stored and started.

Not started

Syllabus coverage

  • Explain motor programmes as a series of subroutines
  • Explain motor programmes as a generalised series of movements
  • Explain motor programmes as a set of nerve impulses to the muscles
  • Explain motor programmes as being completed in the correct order
  • Explain how motor programmes are created, stored and initiated
  • Describe, using examples, motor programmes and their associated subroutines

Part of the AS Level PE 8386 syllabus 8386.

A motor programme and its subroutinesA motor programme is a set of movements stored in long-term memory as a whole, made up of subroutines that run in order.The whole skill is stored as one programmeIt is generalised, not a fixed copy of every attempt — the performer adapts it to the situation each time it runs.The programme has to be created, stored, and then initiated when the movement is needed.PreparationsubroutineBackswingsubroutineForce productionsubroutineCritical instantsubroutineFollow-throughsubroutineRecoverysubroutineChange one subroutine and the whole programme changes — which is why a coach often isolates one subroutine at a time.Example: a tennis serve. Toss, backswing, acceleration, contact, follow-through. Practising the toss alone is practisingone subroutine.A generalised motor programme can be adapted to suit the situation; an executive motor programme is the version actually runfor one attempt.
A motor programme is stored as a whole and made up of subroutines that run in order.

What a motor programme is

A motor programme is a stored plan of movement held in the brain. It is the set of instructions the performer runs to carry out a skill, rather than the movement itself.

The comparison worth keeping in mind is a computer program. The program sits in storage, does nothing until it is run, and then executes a series of steps in a fixed order. A motor programme works the same way: it is prepared in advance, stored in memory, and then run when the situation calls for it.

Cambridge describes a motor programme four ways, and any of the four can be the answer to a question. It is a series of subroutines, it is a generalised series of movements, it is a set of nerve impulses to the muscles, and it is completed in the correct order.

Learn the four descriptions as a set. Each is one mark of a four-mark 'explain what is meant by a motor programme' question, and each is a different way of looking at the same idea.

A series of subroutines

A subroutine is one small, self-contained part of a motor programme. Each subroutine performs its own job, and on its own it is not the skill. Put together in the right order, the subroutines make up the whole movement.

Breaking a skill into subroutines is what allows a coach to teach a complex skill stage by stage, and it is also the way a performer links a new skill to a part they have already mastered.

SkillSubroutines, in order
Tennis serveBall toss; racket take-back; knee bend and leg drive; racket acceleration up and over; contact with the ball; wrist snap for spin; follow-through
Basketball free throwFeet set and balanced; ball held at the set position; elbow aligned under the ball; knees flexed; extension of legs and arms; wrist flick and release; follow-through
Cricket fast bowling deliveryRun-up; gather and jump; back-foot landing; front-foot landing; hip and shoulder rotation; arm swing over the top; release; follow-through
Triple jumpApproach run; hop take-off; hop landing and step take-off; step landing and jump take-off; flight; landing in the pit

A generalised series of movements

A motor programme is generalised because one stored plan covers a whole class of similar movements rather than one single action. The plan is not tied to an exact distance, speed or situation.

The classic illustration is throwing. A performer does not store a separate programme for every possible throw. They store one general overarm-throwing programme and then adapt the parameters — which arm, how much force, what angle, what speed — to suit the situation. The same general programme produces a cricket throw to the stumps and a netball shoulder pass.

This is what makes the programme efficient. One general plan in memory can be adjusted for a huge range of situations, which is far quicker than storing thousands of separate, fixed patterns.

When the general plan is adapted and run for one specific movement, it acts as the executive version of the programme for that movement. The general plan stays in memory; the adapted version is what is executed.

'Generalised' does not mean vague or careless. It means the stored plan holds the structure of the movement and leaves the fine detail, such as force and speed, to be set at the moment of performance.

A set of nerve impulses to the muscles, completed in correct order

A motor programme is meaningless until it is transmitted. The brain sends the plan to the working muscles as a set of nerve impulses, travelling down the nervous system to the muscle fibres and telling them to contract.

The order matters as much as the impulses. The subroutines must be completed in the correct sequence, because each one sets up the next. Get the order wrong and the skill breaks down even if every individual subroutine is performed well.

This is why timing is such a common cause of error. A serve where the leg drive fires after the arm swing, or a bowling action where the front foot lands too early, has all the right parts in the wrong order. Learning a motor programme is largely learning the correct sequence of impulses.

  • The plan is sent as nerve impulses to the muscles involved in the movement
  • The impulses must arrive in the correct order for the subroutines to flow together
  • Errors are often sequencing errors rather than strength or technique errors
  • With practice, the sequence becomes automatic, so the performer no longer has to think about each subroutine

How motor programmes are created, stored and initiated

Created. A motor programme is built through practice. Early attempts are conscious and clumsy: the performer thinks about each subroutine in turn. Repeated practice with feedback refines the sequence, and the relevant subroutines become linked together into one plan.

Stored. Once learned, the programme is stored in the long-term memory as a generalised pattern. It is not stored as a single rigid action but as a flexible structure that can be adapted. Storage is what makes the skill permanent, and it is why a performer can return to a skill after a long break far more easily than a beginner can learn it.

Initiated. The programme is started when the brain selects the stored plan that fits the situation and sends the nerve impulses to the muscles. In a closed skill the start is self-chosen; in an externally paced skill the start is triggered by a cue, such as the opponent's movement or the ball. Once initiated, the subroutines run in order.

StageWhat happensSporting illustration
CreatedPractised repeatedly with feedback until the subroutines link into one planA young table tennis player practises the backhand push hundreds of times until the stroke no longer needs conscious thought
StoredHeld in the long-term memory as a generalised pattern that can be adaptedAn experienced cricketer keeps one throwing pattern in memory and adapts it for a flat throw at the stumps or a high return to the keeper
InitiatedThe appropriate plan is selected and sent as nerve impulses to the musclesA goalkeeper initiates the diving programme the instant the ball is struck, because the cue is external and there is no time to plan consciously

Explaining a motor programme with its subroutines in an answer

A 'describe, using examples' question wants you to name the skill, break it into subroutines and show that you know the order they run in. Do not simply list body parts; list the parts of the movement.

Work through it in sequence and you cannot go far wrong: the ball toss starts the serve, so it comes first. The leg drive follows, then the arm accelerates, then contact, then the wrist snap, then the follow-through.

Finish the answer by linking the ideas back. The subroutines are run in order as nerve impulses to the muscles, and because the performer has practised to the point of automation, the whole programme can be initiated from a general plan adapted to the situation in front of them.

Key terms you must be able to define

Motor programme
A stored plan of movement held in memory, made up of a series of subroutines completed in the correct order and sent to the muscles as nerve impulses.
Subroutine
One small, self-contained part of a motor programme that works with the other parts to produce the whole movement.
Generalised motor programme
A stored movement plan that covers a whole class of similar movements, such as overarm throwing, and is adapted for each specific performance.
Executive motor programme
The adapted version of a generalised programme that is run for one specific movement in one specific situation.
Creation
The building of a motor programme through repeated practice with feedback, until the subroutines link into one plan.
Storage
The holding of a motor programme in the long-term memory as a generalised pattern that can be adapted.
Initiation
The starting of a stored motor programme, when it is selected for the situation and sent as nerve impulses to the muscles.

Applied to your sport

Cambridge requires you to apply this knowledge to physical activities. Use these as models, then write your own for the sport you play.

Tennis

The serve is a motor programme made of subroutines run in order: ball toss, take-back, knee bend, leg drive, racket acceleration, contact, wrist snap and follow-through. Because the toss is a variable, the player adapts one general serving programme rather than storing a separate plan for every serve.

Table tennis

The backhand push is created through hundreds of repetitions until the subroutines no longer need conscious thought, then stored in long-term memory. When the ball arrives, the player initiates the stored plan and adapts it to the speed and spin of the incoming ball.

Netball

The shoulder pass and the overhead throw share one generalised throwing programme. The performer runs the same structure of subroutines, but adapts the force, the angle and the timing to the distance and to where the receiver is moving.

Track and field athletics

The triple jump is a highly ordered programme: approach, hop take-off, hop landing, step take-off, step landing, jump take-off, flight and landing. Each subroutine sets up the next, so a sequencing error early in the programme is carried through the whole jump.

Goalball

Because players cannot see the ball, the throwing programme is initiated almost entirely from sound. The subroutines are practised until automatic so that the player can send nerve impulses to the muscles in the right order at the instant the cue arrives.

Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Mark honestly — the tracker uses this.

Q1Define a motor programme.
A stored plan of movement made up of a series of subroutines completed in the correct order and sent to the muscles as nerve impulses.
Q2Name the four ways the syllabus describes a motor programme.
A series of subroutines; a generalised series of movements; a set of nerve impulses to the muscles; completed in the correct order.
Q3What is a subroutine?
One small, self-contained part of a motor programme that combines with the others to produce the whole movement.
Q4Why is a motor programme described as generalised?
Because one stored plan covers a whole class of similar movements, such as overarm throwing, and is adapted for each specific performance rather than being fixed to one action.
Q5How is a motor programme transmitted to the muscles?
As a set of nerve impulses, sent from the brain down the nervous system so the muscle fibres contract in the correct order.
Q6How is a motor programme created?
Through repeated practice with feedback, until the separate subroutines are refined and linked into one plan.
Q7Where is a motor programme stored?
In the long-term memory, as a generalised pattern that can be adapted to different situations.
Q8How is a motor programme initiated?
The brain selects the stored plan that fits the situation and sends it as nerve impulses to the muscles.
Q9List the subroutines of a tennis serve in order.
Ball toss; take-back; knee bend and leg drive; racket acceleration up and over; contact; wrist snap; follow-through.
Q10Give one example of a highly ordered motor programme and explain why the order matters.
The triple jump: hop, step and jump each set up the next, so an error in the first take-off is carried through the whole sequence.
Q11What is an executive motor programme?
The adapted version of a generalised programme that is run for one specific movement in one specific situation.
Q12Why does practice make a motor programme more reliable?
Because the subroutines become linked and automatic, so the performer no longer has to think consciously about each part and the sequence can run at speed.
0 of 12 marked as known

Exam-style questions

8 questions, 24 marks. Write your answer, then reveal the mark scheme and tick each point you actually made. Answering honestly here is what makes the rest of the site useful.

StateAO11 mark
State what is meant by a motor programme.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: One mark, one definition. Any of the syllabus descriptions scores, provided the answer names it as a stored plan of movement. Do not credit 'the movement itself', which is the performance, not the programme.
ExplainAO12 marks
Explain what is meant by a subroutine in a motor programme.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: Define the subroutine, then make clear it is not a standalone skill. The link to the rest of the programme is the second mark.
DescribeAO23 marks
Describe, using the example of a tennis serve, a motor programme and its associated subroutines.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: Three marks: the plan, the ordered subroutines, and the point that the programme is generalised and adapted. Do not just list joints and muscles.
ExplainAO13 marks
Explain how motor programmes are created, stored and initiated.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: One mark for each of the three processes, in the order the question gives them. Answer them separately rather than merging them into one sentence.
ExplainAO14 marks
Explain what is meant by a motor programme being a generalised series of movements that is completed in the correct order.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: Two marks for 'generalised' and two for 'correct order'. Read the question carefully and split your answer to match.
ExplainAO22 marks
Explain why sequencing errors, rather than a lack of strength, often cause a skill to break down.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: Link the answer back to the definition of a motor programme. Sequencing errors are about the order of the plan, not about how powerful the muscles are.
ExplainAO24 marks
Using the example of a basketball free throw, explain how a motor programme is created, stored, initiated and adapted.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: The question gives you the four parts, so structure the answer around them. One mark per part, with the free throw named in each.
EvaluateAO25 marks
A coach is teaching a complex throwing skill to a group of netball players. Evaluate the usefulness of the concept of motor programmes in planning this coaching.

Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made

Examiner tip: Each point must say what the concept tells the coach and what the coach does because of it. Naming motor programme and repeating its definition earns nothing on an evaluate question.

Exam technique for this topic

  • When a question asks what a motor programme is, give all four of Cambridge's descriptions if the marks allow: a series of subroutines, a generalised series of movements, a set of nerve impulses to the muscles, and completed in the correct order.
  • For a 'describe with examples' question, name the skill and then list its subroutines in sequence. The order is part of the answer, so do not list the subroutines at random.
  • Separate the three processes clearly: created by practice, stored in long-term memory as a generalised pattern, initiated when selected and sent as nerve impulses. Keep the three words distinct in your answer.
  • Use specific subroutines, not body parts. 'The racket accelerates up and over the ball' scores; 'the arm moves' does not.
  • Stick to physical activities from the syllabus Component 2 list, such as tennis, table tennis, netball, cricket, field hockey, competitive swimming, track and field athletics, volleyball and goalball.

Why students lose marks here

A student wroteA motor programme is the movement itself.
Why it loses marksA motor programme is the stored plan of the movement, not the movement. The movement is what happens when the programme is run and the nerve impulses reach the muscles. This error loses the mark for the definition.
The answer that scoresA motor programme is a stored plan of movement in the brain, made up of a series of subroutines completed in the correct order and sent to the muscles as nerve impulses.
A student wroteA subroutine is a separate skill that the performer also has to learn, so a tennis serve contains lots of small skills.
Why it loses marksSubroutines are not separate skills in their own right; they are parts of one programme that would not be performed independently. Treating them as separate skills misunderstands how the programme is organised.
The answer that scoresThe subroutines of the tennis serve, such as the toss, the leg drive and the wrist snap, are parts of one motor programme. They are linked and run in order, and the skill only exists when they are performed together in the correct sequence.
A student wroteA performer stores a separate motor programme for every single throw they might make.
Why it loses marksMotor programmes are generalised, so one stored plan covers a whole class of similar movements. The performer holds one general throwing programme and adapts the parameters for each throw, rather than storing an unlimited number of fixed plans.
The answer that scoresThe performer holds one generalised throwing programme. For each throw they adapt it, changing the force, the angle and the speed to suit the distance and the target, which is why the same stored plan can produce a flat throw and a high lob.
A student wroteThe programme is initiated by the muscles once they are strong enough.
Why it loses marksInitiation is a decision and a transmission, not a matter of strength. The brain selects the stored programme for the situation and sends it as nerve impulses to the muscles. Strength has nothing to do with when the programme starts.
The answer that scoresThe motor programme is initiated when the brain selects the appropriate stored plan for the situation and sends it as a set of nerve impulses to the muscles, which then contract in the correct order.

Where this fits in AS Level PE 8386

This page is one topic of Cambridge AS Level PE 8386. AS Level PE 8386 is the course home: every area and every topic in Cambridge's own order, the papers you sit and what each one tests, and the exam-practice tools. The full topic list, with each topic linked to its revision page, is on the AS Level PE 8386 syllabus page.