Movement patterns & athletic movements
Almost every exercise and sporting action is a version of a handful of basic movements. Learn the fundamental patterns — squat, hinge, push, pull and more — and the cross-sport athletic movements built on them, such as acceleration, change of direction, landing and throwing.
The building blocks of movement
Each pattern connects the exercises that train it, the techniques that use it and the qualities it builds.
Gait
The cyclic, alternating single-leg pattern of walking and running that carries the body across the ground — the base of most field and endurance sport.
Pull
Drawing 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.
Jump
The plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
Squat
A knee-dominant pattern: bending the hips, knees and ankles to lower and rise while keeping the torso upright — the foundation of lower-body strength.
Push
Pressing a load or the body away from the torso — horizontally or overhead — by extending the shoulders and elbows, developing the chest, shoulders and triceps.
Lunge
A split-stance, single-leg-emphasis pattern: stepping or dropping into a staggered stance and pushing back up to build single-leg strength, balance and stability.
Carry
Holding and transporting a load while keeping the trunk braced and stable — an anti-movement pattern that builds grip, core stability and full-body strength.
Hinge
A hip-dominant pattern: bend forward at the hips with a flat back, minimal knee bend, then drive the hips tall — powers pulling from the floor and jumping.
Rotation
Rotating the trunk to generate and transfer power through the body's kinetic chain, plus anti-rotation — resisting unwanted twist to keep the trunk stable.
Cross-sport athletic movements
Locomotor and manipulative movements — how the body accelerates, changes direction, lands, throws and strikes — each built on the fundamental patterns and shared across many sports.
Acceleration
The athletic pattern of building speed from a standing or slow start by driving large horizontal forces into the ground to project the body forward.
Built on gait, lunge, push, jumpBackpedal
Controlled backward locomotion performed while facing forward, staying low and pushing off the balls of the feet in short strides to stay reactive and keep play in view.
Built on gait, squatBound
An exaggerated, horizontal springing stride that transfers from one leg to the opposite leg with a long flight phase, amplifying the mechanics of running.
Built on jump, gaitCatch
Receiving a moving object and securing it under control, absorbing its momentum by yielding along its path so kinetic energy is dissipated rather than rebounded away.
Built on pull, squat, carryChange of Direction
A planned redirection of the body from one movement vector to another, requiring an athlete to decelerate existing momentum and reaccelerate along a new line between two known points.
Built on gait, lunge, squat, rotationCrossover Step
A lateral or diagonal travelling step in which one leg crosses over the other with accompanying hip and trunk rotation, trading a stable base for greater reach and speed.
Built on gait, rotationCut
A sharp, frequently reactive plant-and-redirect performed in a single decisive foot contact to evade an opponent or abruptly alter a line of travel.
Built on gait, lunge, jump, rotationDeceleration
The athletic pattern of actively braking and absorbing momentum to slow or stop under control, producing eccentric forces that oppose the direction of travel.
Built on squat, hinge, lunge, gaitGlide
Glide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.
Built on pushHop
A single-leg spring that takes off from and lands on the same leg, using the stretch-shortening cycle to project the body vertically or horizontally.
Built on jumpKick
A ballistic single-support leg swing that whips force from the plant foot through the hip and knee to strike or propel a ball or target with the foot, distinct from the weight-bearing steps of locomotion.
Built on rotation, lunge, gaitLanding
The controlled absorption of force at ground contact that ends an airborne phase, dissipating impact through eccentric triple flexion of the ankle, knee and hip.
Built on jump, squatPivot
A rotation of the body about one planted foot, reorienting the trunk and hips around a vertical axis without travelling to a new location.
Built on rotation, lunge, squatReach
Extending a limb toward a distant point or object, often at full stretch, by projecting a distal segment beyond the body's resting envelope while a stabilised base preserves balance and control.
Built on lunge, push, rotationShuffle (Lateral Shuffle)
A low, athletic side-to-side stepping pattern in which the feet never cross, used to reposition and stay balanced and reactive while keeping the shoulders square to a target.
Built on gait, squatSlide
A slide is a controlled, low-friction skid of the body or foot along a surface, used to brake, extend reach, or hold a line, where managed friction and a lowered centre of gravity govern the movement.
Built on lunge, squatStrike
A ballistic, whole-body hitting action that channels ground-generated force through a proximal-to-distal kinetic chain to deliver momentum to a target via the hand, an implement or a body part at the moment of contact.
Built on rotation, push, lungeThrow
Propelling an object by releasing it from the hand, driven by a proximal-to-distal kinetic-chain sequence that summates speed from the legs through the trunk and arm to the release point.
Built on rotation, push, lunge