AS Skill Acquisition Flashcards
What is a skill?
A learned ability to bring about pre-determined results with the minimum outlay of time, energy or both
What are the characteristics of a skill?
Aesthetically pleasing
Consistent
Efficient
Fluent
Accurate
Controlled
Economical
What is an open skill?
A skill that is unpredictable and in an ever changing environment
What is a sporting example of an open skill?
Passing in football
What is a closed skill?
A skill that is predictable and in a stable environment
What is a sporting example of a closed skill?
Shotputt
What is a gross skill?
A skill that is performed using large muscle groups
What is a sporting example of a gross skill?
Rugby tackle
What is a fine skill?
A skill that uses smaller, more intricate muscle groups
What is a sporting example of a fine skill?
Throwing a dart
What is a self paced skill?
When a performer can control the start and speed of a skill
What is a sporting example of a self paced skill?
Throwing a javelin
What is an externally paced skill?
When the performer was no control over the speed and start of the skill
What is a sporting example of an externally paced still?
Receiving a pass in netball
What is a discrete skill?
A skill that has a clear beginning and end
What is a sporting example of a discrete still?
Tennis serve
What is a continuous skill?
A skill that doesn’t have a clear beginning or end
What is a sporting example of a continuous skill?
Cycling
What is a serial skill?
When several discrete skills are linked together in a specific order
What is a sporting example of a serial skill?
Gymnastics floor routine
What is a low organised skill?
A skill that is easily broken down into sub routines
What is a sporting example of a low organised skill?
Swimming stroke
What is a high organised skill?
A skill that isn’t easily broken down into sub routines
What is a sporting example of a high organised skill?
Golf swing
What is a simple skill?
A skill that needs limited decisions to be made
What is a sporting example of a simple skill?
100m sprint
What is a complex skill?
A skill that needs many decisions to be made
What is a sporting example of a complex skill?
Dribble in hockey
What does transfer mean?
The effect of the learning of one skill on the learning of another
What are the four types of transfer?
Positive, negative, zero, bilateral
What is positive transfer?
When the learning of a skill aids the learning of another
What is a sporting example of positive transfer?
Basketball pass and netball pass
What is negative transfer?
When the learning of one skill hinders the learning of another
What is a sporting example of negative transfer?
Badminton and tennis serves
What is zero transfer?
When the learning of a skill has no effect on the learning of another
What is a sporting example of zero transfer?
Swimming arm action and foot positioning in climbing
What is bilateral transfer?
When a skill is transferred from one side of the body to the other
How do coaches ensure positive transfer?
- ensuring training is realistic
- ensuring skills are well learnt
- maintaining motivation through praise and rewards
What is whole practice and when is it used?
- performing the skill in its entirety
- discrete, highly organised, simple
What is a sporting example of whole practice?
A golf swing
What are the advantages of whole practices?
- create motor programmes which can be stored in long term memory
- realistic which produces positive transfer
- allows performers to to get kinaesthesias which promotes fluency and consistency
What are the disadvantages of whole practice?
- fatigue easily
- may not be able to cope with the demands of the task
What is whole-part-whole practice and when is it used?
- doing the skill as a whole, then breaking it down then putting it back together again
- for complex, highly organised skills
What is a sporting example of whole-part-whole practice?
A volleyball player doing a spike and breaking it into parts and then putting it back together again
What are the positives of whole-part-whole practice?
- provide motivation
- corrects errors immediately
- allows selected part to be successfully integrated into the entire skill
What are the disadvantages of whole-part-whole practice?
- at risk of negative transfer
- coaches must integrate selected part to whole skill immediately
- time consuming
What is progressive part practice and when is it used?
- chaining parts of a skill together
- used for serial, low organised skills
What is a sporting example of progressive part practice?
A dance routine
What are the advantages of progressive part practice?
- can focus on one aspect of task at a time
- allows rest periods
- provides motivation and improved confidence
What are the disadvantages of progressive part practice?
- time consuming
- neglect the kinaesthesis of the task
- danger of negative transfer
What are the types of practice?
Massed, distributed, varied and mental
What is massed practice and when is it used?
- continuous practice with no rests
- used for discrete, simple and closed sills
What is a sporting example of massed practice?
A basketball player practicing free throws
What are the positives of massed practice?
- promotes fitness
- creates habits
- allows consistency
What are the negatives of massed practice?
- fatigue
- may create boredom and plateau
- risk of negative transfer as the practice isn’t realistic
What is distributed practice and when is it used?
- use of rest intervals
- for continuous open skills
What are the positives of distributed practice?
- allows time for recuperation
- allows controlled progress which ensures positive transfer
- offers motivation
What are the negatives of distributed practice?
- time consuming
- not suitable for autonomous performers
What is varied practice and when is it used?
- changing the practice method/type
- for open, externally paced and continuous skills
What are the positives of varied practice?
- allows adaptations
- prevents plateau
- increased motivation
What are the positives of varied practice?
- allows adaptations
- prevents plateau
- increased motivation
What are the negatives of varied practice?
- time consuming
- risk of negative transfer
What is mental practice?
- used in addition to physical practice
- the performers go through the skill in their mind before performing it
When is mental practice used?
Usually used as part of a warm up
What are the benefits of mental practice?
- improves confidence and lowers anxiety
- improves decision making and reaction time
- maintains the memory of the skill
How to coach mental practice?
- for beginners, can be used in small chunks focusing on the key parts of the skills to lower arousal and anxiety and build confidence
- for advanced performers, it can be used potentially for a whole session in prep for a major event to improve reaction time and increasing focus
- should always be used in conjunction with physical practice
What are the three stages of learning?
Cognitive, associative and autonomous
What are the characteristics of a cognitive learner?
- extrinsic positive feedback
- jerky
- inaccurate
- not aesthetically pleasing
What are the characteristics of an associative learner?
- can start to use intrinsic feedback and negative feedback
- more fluent
- more accurate
- more aesthetically pleasing
What are the characteristics of an autonomous learner?
- lots of intrinsic and negative feedback
- very fluent
- little to no mistakes
- very aesthetically pleasing
What stages use motor programmes?
In the associative stage motor programmes are forming and are fully formed in the autonomous stage
What is feedback?
Information received to amend performance and make improvements
What is positive feedback?
When the coach offers praise and rewards to the performer and often offers motivation
What is negative feedback?
When the coach criticises the performer and tells them what they do wrong to eliminate bad habits
What is extrinsic feedback?
Feedback derived from an outside source such as a coach
What is intrinsic feedback?
Feedback from within
What is knowledge of results?
Feedback based on whether the skill was successful or not
What is knowledge of performance?
Feedback based on why the skill was or wasn’t successful