The data emerging from research in motor sciences, or as I prefer to say, the science of movement, demonstrate the reciprocal influence between physical exercise and the structures and functions of the brain. The connections between sedentary lifestyles and health, and the positive influence of movement on well-being, are well known. Research in this regard shows how physical exercise, in its various forms and depending on its intensity, duration over time, length of individual sessions, and their frequency, affects the central nervous system, the immune and cardiovascular systems, and other vital functions. These systems also include cognitive processes (memory, attention, and perception), emotional aspects, and more generally, those processes that allow for the planning, organization, and evaluation of our daily actions.
It is evident that discussing motor and psychomotor processes as different no longer makes sense, as we must understand that there are interrelated systems that participate in determining who we are and what we do. Therefore, every movement and action of ours is an expression of the interaction of these elements, which wonderfully provide us with the possibility to meet our daily needs and objectives.
In sports, we have always talked about closed and open sports to distinguish between disciplines with cyclical and repetitive movements (for example, short-distance running: 100 and 200 meters, jumps and throws, track cycling) and predominantly tactical or situational disciplines in which competitive conditions are constantly changing (for example, team sports, tennis, road cycling). Stated in this way, it may seem that there are sports in which thinking is more important than others. However, the issue is much more complex. In fact, team sports also have repetitive aspects – the fundamentals of these sports, closed skills such as penalties and free kicks – just as performances in closed sports are influenced, for example, by athletes’ mental attitude and their ability to manage expectations and competitive pressure.
Classifications are useful for identifying the most significant differences among sports, but at the same time, they should not become rigid boxes because this approach does not allow for maintaining the complexity and value of human performance.
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