Understanding Muscle Tone, Posture, and Balance in Physical Education
Muscle Tone, Posture, and Balance in Physical Education
Muscle Tone
Muscle Tone (ATPE): The state of tension or contraction of a muscle. It forms the foundation for motor and postural activity, reflecting both physical actions and emotional states.
Types of Muscle Tone:
- Resting Muscle Tone (Base)
- Postural Tone (Attitude)
- Action Tone
Posture and Attitude
Postural (Anatomy): Refers to the location and position of body parts, maintained by skeletal muscles opposing gravity. This results in a state of equilibrium relative to spatial references.
Attitude:
- Castañer and Camerino: The generally agreed-upon meaning attached to visible tonic manifestations and how a subject uses them in their interactions (postures and gestures).
- Le Boulch (1978-80): Changes in postural tone, influenced by materials that create attitudes, depend on psychological reactions. They are expressions of deep, conscious or unconscious, emotional and affective responses. Various emotions and conscious states are accompanied by tonic shifts. These shifts communicate changes from one muscle to another for each affective state.
Postural Attitude: Combining the above concepts, postural attitude is the observable reality influenced by neurological, morphological, and psychological factors. It’s a form of personal balance, temporary or permanent, seen in relation to specific space-time references unique to each individual. It often includes gestures and postures. Attitude and posture are significant manifestations of behavior, representing an adjustment primarily in the motor aspect, relating to the whole body.
Balance and Equilibrium
Balance: In physics, equilibrium is the mechanical state where all forces acting on a body cancel out, resulting in a net force of zero.
In Physical Education, balance often refers to rebalancing – compensating for each movement to maintain stability.
Ability to Assume and Hold Body Positions Against Gravity
- Control of the body in space and recovery of the correct position after a destabilizing event.
- Stable maintenance of the center of gravity in static or moving situations, with or without the aid of gravity.
Types of Equilibrium
Every movement originates from a balancing act. We distinguish between:
- Reflex-type Balance: Static-postural.
- Automatic Balance: Motor activity used in automated, daily life activities (e.g., walking involves continuous imbalance compensation).
- Voluntary Balance: Applied in planned motor actions. Within this type, we have:
- Static: Maintaining a position for a certain time without displacement of the body or its segments in a pre-planned action or gesture.
- Dynamic: Maintaining position during movement, despite constant changes in position and displacement of the center of gravity. Achieved when departing from verticality and returning to the base of support after a balanced action.
- Objects: Tonic-postural balancing activities of a segment concerning the subject. In Physical Education, this is addressed from two aspects: static equilibrium with objects and dynamic equilibrium with objects.
Tonic activity underpins various forms of muscular activity. Maintaining a still position involves subtle variations in tone. All body segments are balanced in a position of minimal effort and maximum support. This supports the expression of emotions and body language (attitude, qualities that mimic movement). It’s the fabric of every movement, participating in all motor behaviors (balance, coordination, etc.).
Tonic Regulation of Activity
Tonic Regulation of Activity: The control that allows for tonic postural and movement adjustment. It’s related to the subject’s ability to manage muscle contractions that affect voluntary motor activity. This adjustment of tone variations is made possible by information from our sensory receptors. Therefore, good postural attitude education begins with sensory perception education.
Factors Involved in Balance
Internal Factors: Balance control primarily depends on capturing the sensations involved.
- Proprioceptive: Kinesthetic and vestibular.
- Exteroceptive: Touch and sight.
Additionally, there’s a psychological level related to fear, insecurity, and their connection to reality.
External Factors:
- Force of Gravity: A centripetal force (from outside to inside) that attracts bodies towards the Earth’s center.
- Supporting Base: The surface on which the subject rests. The area between the points of support.
- Center of Gravity: The point where force originates.
- Line of Gravity: The line connecting the center of gravity to the Earth’s center. For equilibrium, this line must fall within the base of support.