ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the field of motor control, defines the terms used and considers why we need to study motor control, learning and development. Motor control is the study of movements, the mechanisms that enable movements to be produced and the processes that underlie control, skill acquisition and retention. Motor learning is an area that has received a mass of attention from a range of researchers who are interested in examining how we learn and retain movement skills. As motor control is concerned with the study of movement, it is vital that any individual who is concerned with coaching, or teaching sport or physical education, or involved in rehabilitation has a good grasp of all areas within the field of motor control. An understanding of the execution of all processes that lead to skilled human movement as well as factors leading to the breakdown of such skills is needed.
