Laban categorized human movement into four component parts:
- Space
- Time
- Weight
- Flow
Each of those parts has two elements:
- Space is either direct or indirect.
- Speed is either quick or sustained.
- Weight is either heavy or light.
- Flow is either bound or free.
In class, we mainly focused on the eight efforts.
| PUNCH | Direct | Quick | Heavy | Bound |
| PRESS | Direct | Sustained | Heavy | Bound |
| SLASH | Indirect | Quick | Heavy | Free |
| WRING | Indirect | Sustained | Heavy | Bound |
| DAB | Direct | Quick | Light | Bound |
| FLICK | Indirect | Quick | Light | Free |
| FLOAT | Indirect | Sustained | Light | Free |
| GLIDE | Direct | Sustained | Light | Free |