Classification of Sports and Physical Activities
Current sports and physical activities can be classified using two parameters:
- Scope of Action: Activities are grouped according to the professional arenas and social sectors involved.
- Circulation Model: Activities are grouped according to the model of choice or emotional reason that has made the choice for practitioners.
Sport Performance or Competitive
Practices included in this group depend on two factors: the economic cost (as some sports carry a high economic cost, as the necessary materials and equipment are expensive) and the type of physical exertion that must be carried out.
Sports Therapy or Sanitize
This has a double objective: to prevent injury or illness and to seek aesthetic, psychological, and emotional balance. Planned by a professional and with proper prescription, it is used to prevent illness or injury. Therapeutic exercises are very soft sports and work, especially on muscle tone and flexibility. The dual therapeutic goals of sport can be classified into two distinct blocs: aesthetic and preventive.
- Aesthetic (aerobics, gymnastics, jazz, dance-jazz, jogging)
- Surgical (Yoga, Tai-Chi, fitness gym, Pilates, stretching)
Sport Leisure or Recreational
Its main goal is to have fun and enjoy the training practice. Those who practice physical activity sporadically (on weekends or in a particular season of the year) do this kind of sports activity. We can subdivide these into:
- More competitive (traditional sports, popular games, experiential games)
- Less competitive (traditional festivals, activities on land in nature)
Adapted Sports
Adapted sports are addressed to individuals with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities, using non-standardized sports. The type of adaptation depends on the type of disability and age of the individual. It is an instrument of social integration because people can relate to others with the same problems. People choose one or another kind of physical and sporting activity based on motivations or emotional factors. Each person has a motivation, which can be:
Competitive Performance Model
Its origin is in the English sports model, introduced by Thomas Arnold in the mid-nineteenth century, which influenced the restoration of the Olympic movement. This section contains all the activities that are practiced in the form of competition, with winners and losers.
Ecologist Model
These practices symbolically look for adventure with a number of risks and more or less controlled emotions and new sensations in nature (activities in the wild). According to the environment where they are carried out, these activities can be classified as follows:
- Ground: Cycling, hiking, sledding, 4×4, mountain biking
- Water: Cruises, jet skis, boat drop, hydrotrineo
- Air: Ultralight, hang gliding, gliding, bungee-jumping
Narcissistic or Aesthetic Model
Its objectives are the search for physical and mental well-being and combating imbalances of modern life. These practices are aimed at cosmetic improvement.
Ethnomotor Model
Based on the movements and trends of cultural traditions.
Mystical Model
Aims to find the underlying nature of the individual.
Scenic Model
Activities of this group are also called role-playing games or great existential games. The main objective is similar to a military conflict.