7 Moves™ was founded by Chris Turner, a Level 3 Strength and Conditioning Coach with 25 years’ experience and a researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Significant research and development started in 2013 and in Term 1 2015 we launched our first school to initiate the program, since then two other schools have come on board.
7 Moves™ is a program that has two and a half years of research and development behind it from leading sports and science researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Within this timeframe we have conducted over 5,000 assessments of school-aged children. From the results of this research we then conducted a pilot intervention in 2014 for some select schools, based on Prep to Year 6 participation.
An intervention included the 7 Moves program bonding with the National Curriculum to ensure that all facets synchronised and complemented each other. While there is importance within the curriculum to acquire skill acquisition we found that within our research the 7 Movements underpin the FSS (Foundation Sports Skills) from the Get Skilled Get Active program. In a nutshell if a student can’t do their times table in Maths, then giving them algebra will be problematic, the same for a squat, lunge or hinge, if competency is not achieved to build a foundation of movement then jumping, dodging and running will be become biomechanically problematic. If these skills become problematic then what are the chances a growing child will want to participate in a sport that highlights these weaknesses?
The program utilised six PE classes per Term where the session was periodised within the warm-up, to the games and finally to a warm-down and competency. We then trained all the classroom teachers to be able to conduct our Movement Breaks and this added approximately 60 to 90 minutes of extra physical activity per week. Based on the National Physical Activity Guidelines for 5-12 year olds the Movement Breaks we initiated ticked all the boxes plus our specific development work we suddenly had students moving and learning at a rapid rate compared to the current National average.
