A life-span concept of motor development is presented as a framework for interpretation of a series of studies of righting tasks. Beginning with the task of rising from the floor, the use of a component approach for movement pattern description and for the identification of developmental sequences of motor patterns is reviewed. Studies applying this approach to a wide range of age groups and to various functional righting tasks are discussed. Recent studies investigating factors related to movement patterns used to perform one of the righting tasks are also reviewed. Suggestions concerning the ways in which this information could be applied to physical therapy practice are included.