The movement pattern developed through practice is known as a what?

The term that best describes the movement pattern developed through practice is a motor program. A motor program refers to the complex set of movements and actions that are learned and executed through repetition and training. It encompasses the processes behind the coordination of muscle contractions needed to perform a specific task, allowing for efficient and fluid motion.

Motor programs are fundamental in sports and corrective exercise because they enable individuals to perform skills with precision and strength. Over time, with practice, these programs become increasingly refined, making the movement more automatic and less reliant on conscious thought. This allows athletes and individuals engaged in physical activity to perform movements quickly and effectively in various situations.

While the other choices touch on relevant concepts, they do not completely encapsulate the systematic nature of movement that a motor program represents. A motor pattern may refer to the specific sequence of movements, but it does not imply the broader underlying processes involved in learning and executing those movements. A mental map is generally associated with spatial awareness and navigation rather than physical movement patterns, while a neurological sequence pertains to the entire chain of neural activities supporting muscle activation, which is a broader term rather than a specific learned movement. Thus, motor program is the most accurate choice for describing the learned sequence developed through continual practice.