Spreading the fingers or toes, or moving the legs apart, is an example of which of the following?

The correct answer is abduction, which refers to the movement of a limb or body part away from the midline of the body. When spreading the fingers or toes apart or moving the legs outward from a standing position, you are increasing the distance between these parts of the body and the central axis. This is characterized as abduction because it emphasizes the action of moving away from the body's midpoint.

In anatomical terms, abduction contrasts with adduction, which involves moving a body part toward the midline. Additionally, neither rotation nor extension pertains to spreading limbs or digits. Rotation describes movement around an axis, while extension refers to increasing the angle between body parts, such as straightening a bent limb.

Understanding these fundamental movements aids in accurately identifying them in various physical training and rehabilitation contexts, especially for tactical conditioning where precise movements are crucial for performance and safety.