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Motor PreferencesActionTypes® & Performance Signature Framework™

Motor preferences describe the natural ways an athlete organizes movement — including posture, balance, rhythm, vision, coordination, joint action, and nervous system tendencies.

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The theory, practice, and assessment protocols for Motor Preferences were originated by Bertrand Theraulaz and Ralph Hippolyte beginning in 1989. Their work has since come to be known as the action|types® Approach — now used by practitioners worldwide and credited with contributing to more than 60 Olympic medals.

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ActionTypes®
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Motor Preferences
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Motor Signature
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Performance Signature Framework™
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ActionTypes®

An individualized coaching approach that identifies how each athlete is naturally organized — physically, cognitively, and behaviorally — so coaching strategies align to the person in front of you.

Physical
organization
Cognitive
organization
Behavioral
tendencies
Three dimensions — one complete athlete profile
  • ActionTypes® looks beyond movement to include how athletes process information and respond under pressure.
  • It gives coaches a language for the whole athlete — not just technique, but how they think, feel, and compete.
  • Communication, preparation, and performance strategies are all aligned to the individual profile.
  • A coach adjusts not just their cues but their entire communication approach based on how each athlete is organized.
  • Athletes who previously struggled to absorb instruction find that matched coaching feels immediate and usable.
  • Team environments shift from average-based coaching to one that acknowledges and works with individual difference.

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Motor Preferences

The natural ways an athlete organizes movement — innate tendencies that shape how posture, balance, rhythm, vision, coordination, joint action, and nervous system work together.

Innate
tendency
Individual
movement
Coaching
alignment
Preferences shape movement — coaching aligns to it
  • Every athlete has a natural way of organizing posture, balance, rhythm, and vision that is unique to them.
  • These preferences are not learned habits — they are innate tendencies that shape how an athlete moves and responds.
  • Identifying them allows coaches to communicate and cue in ways that align with the athlete rather than working against them.
  • A coach recognizes one athlete responds to rhythm cues while another needs visual references — and adjusts accordingly.
  • Instruction becomes shorter and more precise because it matches how the individual naturally receives information.
  • Athletes perform with more consistency because the communication reinforces rather than interrupts their natural movement.

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Motor Signature

An athlete's complete natural movement and action profile — the full picture of how their body organizes posture, balance, rhythm, vision, coordination, energy, and adaptation.

Posture · Balance · Rhythm
Vision · Coordination · Joint action
Energy · Adaptation · Nervous system
One unique signature per athlete
Seven dimensions combine into a single profile
  • The Motor Signature maps how an individual athlete's movement, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions combine into a single, unique profile.
  • No two signatures are identical — which is why one-size-fits-all coaching leaves performance on the table.
  • A coach can see whether an athlete's signature favors rhythm-led movement and what contrasts in tempo should exist — and coach accordingly.
  • Training design, cue selection, and feedback all shift to match the profile rather than a generic model.
  • Athletes develop faster because instruction aligns with how their body is already organized to move.

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Performance Signature Framework™

The complete coaching system — built on the Motor Signature foundation and expanded to include how an athlete prepares, responds, adapts, and performs under pressure.

Foundation: Motor Signature
Differential learning · Cueing
Breathing · Motivation · Cognition
Complete Performance Signature
Built in layers — movement up through full performance
  • The framework integrates motor preferences with broader coaching disciplines to create a complete athlete picture.
  • It helps coaches see not just how an athlete moves, but how they prepare, respond, adapt, and perform.
  • A coaching plan built on the framework addresses movement, communication, preparation, and competitive mindset together.
  • Athletes experience consistency across every aspect of their development — not just in drills but in how they are spoken to and prepared.
  • Organizations using the framework report clearer shared language among staff and faster buy-in from athletes.

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