This research strand studies decision-making during sporting games and sports. Motor conduct is understood as an adaptive response to uncertainty that arises when people interact with their physical and social environment. Drawing on motor praxeology, the strand examines how the internal logic of each motor situation shapes participants’ decisions.

The research focuses on sociomotor sporting games and sports involving opposition or cooperation-opposition. The presence of opponents and, where applicable, teammates requires players to adapt continually to changing conditions. Particular attention is paid to divided-court sports such as volleyball and badminton, which offer a setting for studying anticipation, reading play and choosing motor actions.

The strand examines how changes to features of the internal logic such as playing space, the type of motor interaction, sociomotor roles, equipment or scoring conditions influence players’ decisions. Its aim is to understand how players adapt tactically to different situations and to inform teaching, coaching and introductory sport instruction.

A distinctive feature is the use of observational methodology as the main research strategy. Researchers use observation systems designed for the study of motor conduct to analyse actual sequences of play. They look for recurring features of motor behaviour and conduct, and for temporal decision patterns (T-patterns) that help explain how motor action is organised under the informational uncertainty created by opponents.

This strand is also closely linked to pedagogical models that develop tactical understanding, including modified games and Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). It provides evidence on how changes to rules and playing conditions can develop tactical intelligence, decision-making skills and strategic understanding of decisions.