Chapter One : Characteristics of Skills and Stages of Learning Flashcards
Skill
A voluntary, goal-directed activity that is learnt through practice and experience.
Motor Skill
A special form of skill that requires movement of the body or limbs to achieve a specific goal.
How are motor skills classified?
Movement precision
Type of movement
Predictability of environment
Type of skill
Movement precision
Fine motor skills
Gross motor skills
Type of movement
Continuous
Discrete
Serial
Predictability of environment
Closed
Open
Type of skill
Fundamental motor skill
Sports specific motor skill
Gross motor skills
Movements involving the use of large muscle groups that result in coordinated action
- Easy to execute
- Cognitive learners
Fine motor skills
Involve recruiting smaller muscle groups for precision movements
- Associative/autonomous learners
Discrete motor skills
Movements of brief duration that have a distinct beginning and end
- Repetitve
- Cognitive learners
Serial motor skills
Is a series of discrete skills performed together to create a more complicated action
- Varied duration
- Associative/autonomous
ie; a gymnastics floor routine
Continuous motor skills
Movements with no distinct beginning or end
- Cannot be broken down
ie; running
Closed motor skills
Are movements that are performed in a predictable environment where the performer has the greatest control over their performance
- Ideal for cognitive learners
ie; diving routine
Open motor skills
Movements that are performed in unpredictable environments that are constantly changing and the performer has limited control over their performance and environment
- Difficult for beginners
- Externally paced
ie; white water kayaking
Fundamental motor/movement skills
They are foundational skills that provide the basis for the development of more sport specific skills (physical literacy)
Sports specific motor skills
Are the combination of fundamental motor skills that are required to play a specific sport
Categories of fundamental motor skills
Stability skills - involving balance and control of the body
Locomotor skills - involve moving through space
Manipulative skills - Involving the control of an object
Link between Fundamental Motor Skills and participation/performance
Without fundamental movement skills it is very difficult to develop more sport specific skills required to engage in sport which leads to poor performance and decreased participation
Stages of learning
Cognitive
Associative
Autonomous
Are an important concept for teachers/coaches to be aware of to make their teaching more effective
Cognitive stage
This is the initial phase of learning of a motor skill where the emphasis is on concious understanding of the task requirements
Cognitive stage characteristics
Requires a lot of mental attention, leaving little room for tactics/decisions
A range of errors will be made and will be inconsistent performance with stiff movements
Progress is quick and this is usually the shortest stage
Blocked skills in a closed environment will be most suitable for this stage
Have not yet developed error detection or correction abilities
Needs of the learner (cognitive)
Only introduce 1 or 2 key points at a time to focus on
Need a mental picture so lots of demonstrations are necessary
Require lots of positive feedback and constructive criticism
A motivating and encouraging environment
Complex skills to be broken down
Focus on FMS
Associative stage
Is the second stage of learning a new skill, in which movement patterns become more refined and consistent through practice
Characteristics of associative stage
Beginning to refine skills
More consistent performance with fewer errors
More of a focus on external stimuli
Some may never move the the autonomius stage from this one
Improvements are more gradual
Needs of the learner (associative)
Regular feedback to prevent poor technique and help develop skills further
Increase to a more open environment to increase variability
Autonomous stage
Final stage of skill where the perfor,er is able to perform the skills automatically
Characteristics of the autonomous stage
Expert/elite stage
Consistent performance with very few minor mistakes
Developed anticipation
Can detect and correct their own errors
Needs of the learner (autonomous)
Focus on game situations to develop tactical knowledge
Practice with a large number of variables (open environment)
Psychological skills to maintain performance under pressure
Practicing highly challenging situations
Skill learning continuum
Where the three stages of learning are placed on a continuum as learners progress through stages of learning and it is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment one moves from one stage to the next
A performer can be in all stages of learning for different skills in a sport
The skills must be practised to maintain or progress performance
Social factors that affect skill learning
Family Role/status in society Time Resources Equipment Coaches Discrimination Personality Self belief Motivation Role models Parental encouragement
Cultural factors that affect skill learning
Education Politics Religion Technology Values Attitudes Race Climate Housing Child rearing practices Location
Factors that need to be considered when choosing practice methods
Part or whole practice
Amount of practice
Distribution of practice (Massed or distributed)
Variability (Blocked or random)
Part practice
Breaking a skill into smaller sub routines and practicing the, individually ie; tennis serve
Whole practice
Practicing the entire skill together ie; volleyball spike
What to consider when choosing part or whole practice
Task complexity - how many parts of the skill are there
Task organisation - how dependent each segment is on the previous segment
Amount of practice
Depends on Athletes concentration Fitness Fatigue Stage of learning
Practice distribution
Refers to the scheduling of practice sessions based on availability of participants
Distributed practice
Shorter and more frequent training sessions
- Longer rest
- Professional teams
Massed practice
Less frequent training that lasts longer
- Less rest
- Non professional teams
- More fatigue
Practice variability
Blocked practice
Random practice
Blocked practice
Practising the same skill continuously without changing to a different task
- Appropriate for beginners
- Stable environment
- Replicating foundational movements
Random practice
Is the varied sequencing of different motor skills
- Associative and autonomous
- Promotes greate learning
- Better performance in sport
- Open environment
Feedback
Is the information a performer receives about the outcome and performance of a task
Intrinsic feedback
Is when the performers use their own senses including visual, auditory, proprioception and touch
- Internal
- Always available to the performer
Augmented feedback
From an external source which provides feedback during (concurrent) or after the (terminal) performance
- Improves the individual’s internal feedback system
Knowledge of results
Refers to the specific outcome
Knowledge of performance
Refers to characteristics of performance
Purpose of external feedback
Fixing errors through KOP/KOR
Motivation shows progress to the learner
Reinforcement through positive feedback
How to deliver feedback
Should be clear and precise
Should be genuine and thoughtful
Limited info as to not confuse learner
Positive reinforcement
Frequency of feedback
Significant amounts for beginners but lessen and become more specific as learner progresses to associative and autonomous
Why is it important to understand the needs of the players?
So that practice can be tailored specifically to enhance the learning process
Transfer of practice
When practice closely resembles the game a greater transfer of skills from training to game
Proprioception
Sensory information relayed in the muscle
Being able to move through the air without seeing or feeling everything
A predictive sense of where objects are in relation to the body
Law of diminishing returns
In the beginning the time spent practicing is relative to the improvement in performance, but as time goes on it is not relative and more hours are needed to achieve the same improvement
Examples of fundamental motor skills
Stability - Balance, jumping, landing
Locomotor - walking, hopping, sliding
Object control - throwing, catching, kicking, rolling
Most important sociocultural factors
Peers Gender Socioeconomic status Family Community Cultural beliefs/tradition
