Motor Learning and Coaching Flashcards
What is motor learning?
> a discipline concerned with the learning of skilled movements through biophysical knowledge about neural, muscular and sensory systems, practice and feedback
- focused on motor programs and motor skills
What is a motor program?
> organised set of individual motor skills that result in the correct execution of a specified skill
- stored in performers memory
- performer combines a serious of smaller tasks to perform a larger movement
What are the 3 categories of skills?
Cognitive, perceptual and motor
What is a cognitive skill?
involving primarily the brain
eg. reading, analysing a problem
What is a perceptual skill?
involving how an individual interprets stimuli eg. two players receive the same information from the environment but interpret it differently. performance.
What is a motor skill?
involving physical movement
eg. catching, throwing, running
What is a motor skill?
> activities that involve voluntary muscular movement to complete a predetermined task
- classified according to skill characteristics
can be classified under the continuum’s
1. movement precision
2. type of movement
3. predictability of the environment
Characteristics of motor skills?
- Skills require a relatively complex sequence of movements.
- They are learned and require practice to improve performance.
- They have pre-determined goals and objectives.
What will a skilled performer be able to do?
- Produce the correct response to a given situation
- Achieve desired outcome consistently
- Have greater accuracy
- Be quicker to respond
- Be well coordinated with fluency of movement
- Analyse information and make decisions faster
- Be physiologically economic: movement is fluent
- Focus only on relevant cues
What is the classification of motor skills?
>Movement precision - fine - gross >Type of movement - discrete - serial - continuous >Predictability of the environment - closed - open
What is a gross motor skill?
- Involve movement of major muscle groups resulting in large body part movement
- Includes fundamental movement patterns
e. g. walking, running, balance, coordination, jumping
What is a fine motor skill?
- Involve movement of smaller muscle groups resulting in more precise movement
- Includes activities such as writing, typing on a keyboard, playing a guitar
- Often involves coordination between the hands and eyes
What is a discrete skill?
- Have clear beginnings and endings
E.g. a drive in golf, shot at goal, dive from the platform
What is a serial skill?
- Made up of a number of discrete skills which are put together in a certain order
E.g. a floor routine in gymnastics where the performer joins together many discrete skills to make up the routine
What is a continuous skill?
- Do not have a clear beginning or ending and it is impossible to define exactly where the skill starts and where it stops
E.g. cycling, jogging
What is a closed skill?
- Where the performer has the control over their performance environment (weather, playing surface, opponent) and require repetition of a successful movement pattern
e. g. gymnastics
What is an open skill?
- Where the performer is required to have flexibility and adaptation in the execution of a skill under a constantly changing environment or time pressure
e. g. kayaking
Explain the complexity of the task?
The difficulty or complexity of a task is affected by:
- The number of relevant cues that require attention
- The amount information that needs to be analysed
- The number of available responses to select from
- Time available to analyse information and select response
- Task requirements – degree of speed and accuracy needed.
What is a simple skill?
- Quickly learned
- No time pressure
- One cue only
- No opposition players
- Speed not important
- Accuracy important
e. g. hitting a baseball off a tee
What is a complex skill?
- Require a longer learning and practice time
- Time pressure
- Many cues
- Many available responses
- Speed important
- Accuracy important
e. g. hitting a baseball that has been thrown by a pitcher
What are the 3 stages of the fits and Posner model?
- Cognitive stage
- Associative stage
- Autonomous stage
Explain the cognitive stage?
> The initial phase in the learning of a motor skill where the emphasis is on conscious understanding of the task requirements
- performance level is inconsistent with frequent large errors
- more concerned with what to do rather than how to do it
- performer learns the nature and demands of the task
- time spent is relatively short
Explain the associative stage?
> The second phase in the learning of a new skill in which movement patterns become more refined and consistent through practice.
- plenty of practise to develop motor patterns
- consistency improves
- size and frequency of errors decreases
- time can last from minutes to hours
Explain the autonomous stage?
> The final phase in the learning of a new skill in which the control of movement appears to be almost automatic and free of the need for constant attention.
- performers movements are fluid
- attends to relevant cues only
- skills are almost automated
What is the information processing model?
- based on the central nervous system that controls the body.
- This model describes separate cognitive stages involving perception, decision-making and response execution to enable a performer’s decision-making to occur prior to any action.
What are the 4 stages of process in the information processing model
- Input
- Processing
- Output
- Feedback
What is input/ identification of stimuli? Stage 1
> Information is received from the environment via;
- Sight
- Sound
- Touch
- Proprioception
- Equilibrium
information is from both internal and external sources.
information received is irrelevant to the performer and discarded.
Relevant information is sent to the brain for further analysis
What is decision/ response identification? Stage 2
- Perceptual mechanism/ stimulus detection
- analyses the data received from the sensory mechanism
>Ability of the sense organs
>Strength of the cue
>Noise
>Length of the cue
>Level of arousal
>Experience - Decision making mechanism
- the performer analyses cues to what response to make
- response selected is influenced by past experiences
- a skilful player has more responses to select from - Effector mechanism/ response selection
- The effector mechanism and central nervous system prepare to produce the response selected as a result of the decision making process
- Messages are sent via the neuromuscular system to the muscles and nerves which then create the specific movements
What is hicks law?
- states the greater number of possibilities available to a performer, the longer it takes for them to react
1 choice = fast reaction time
2 choices = slower reaction time
3 choices = slightly slower reaction time than 2 choices
4 choices = slightly slower reaction time than 3 choices
What is output/ response? Stage 3
> involves the neuromuscular system producing the movements required to produce the selected response.
Response time- the time taken from the presentation of a stimulus to the completion of the movement
Reaction time- It is the time the information processing system takes to interpret the situation, formulate a motor program and transmit the information to the Muscular System.
Movement time- It is the time the performer takes to physically complete the movement when the muscular system has received the message from the brain via the effector system.
What is feedback? Stage 4
-athlete receives feedback about the performance of the selected response.
How the information processing model relating to golf?
- gathers information from the environment and sends it to the brain
- examines the environment
eg. wind speed, slopes, bunkers
Types of cues?
Visual
Verbal
Proprioceptive
What is a visual cue?
- Give the learner an opportunity to watch the desired skill or use visual aids
- provided as a demonstration.
- most effective method of introducing a performer to a new skill
- learners are shown how to perform the skill with 3 or 4 key points verbalised.
> Visual cues are provided as an external cue
What is a veral cue?
- directs a performers attention to task relevant stimuli
- Instruction and feedback provide information to the performer about what is being done correctly and incorrectly.
- Verbal cues can increase in complexity and specificity as the performer becomes more experienced
- use verbal cues immediately prior to performance to focus on key points.
E.g. ‘through the ball’ to focus their movements when kicking
What is a proprioceptive cue?
- internal feedback which comes from “proprioceptors” (found in joints, tendons and muscles)
- Proprioceptors send information to the central nervous system
- A performer uses this information to detect and correct errors and to adjust their body position if required
- help the central nervous system to control the force, speed and position of the body.
e. g. a gymnast on a balance beam can feel a loss of balance and re-distributes her body weight to correct the error.
Explain feedback?
- the information a performer receives about their performance of a skill. It can be given prior to, during, or after performance.
- essential to improvement as it allows the performer to compare their current performance with desired performance
What is the purpose of feedback?
> To motivate the performer
- A coach can provide feedback which motivates the performer to continue to strive for improvement or to re-assure that progress is happening
To reinforce learning and provide information
-used to reinforce learning or performance which increases the chances of the behaviour being repeated
-can also be given to the performer aimed at changing aspects of their performance
Explain intrinsic and extrinsic feedback?
> Intrinsic feedback (inherent)
- received from sensory receptors (propriceptors) inside muscles, joints and tendons which provide information to the performer about their execution of the skill
Extrinsic feedback (augmented)
-received from outside the body by the sensory system and is seen, felt or heard and is delivered by a coach or instructor
eg. coach tells the player they missed the shot at the goal because they had no follow through
What is knowledge of performance and knowledge results?
Extrinsic feedback can be either knowledge of performance or knowledge of results
> Knowledge of performance
- Subjective feedback that a performer receives regarding the quality of their movement or technique
> Knowledge of results
-Objective feedback which provides the performer with information regarding the success of their performance in achieving a desired outcome
What are the different timings of extrinsic feedback?
> Concurrent extrinsic feedback
- provided during the performance
- can use information immediately to change performer if needed
E.g. a soccer coach provides verbal feedback to their defensive line during a game to immediately change their position
Terminal extrinsic feedback
-Provided by an external source after the movement has been completed
-The performer can only use this feedback to change future performance.
What is non-verbal and verbal extrinsic feedback?
> Non-verbal feedback
- communicated to the performer without using words. Gestures, body language, posture, facial expression, hand signals can all convey information to a performer.
Verbal feedback
-spoken augmented feedback provided by a coach or similar E.g. a baseball catcher may say to the pitcher – “your rushing your pitches today and you look off balance when you release the ball – slow down and try and get some rhythm into your throws”.
What are the characteristics of effective feedback?
> Specific not general
- contains information that the performer did well
Constructive not destructive
- recognises positive parts of athletes behaviour and suggests ways to improve
Directed at behaviour which is changeable
- corrections with specific direction
- “move into position sooner”
Clear and concise
- should be easily understood and relate specifically to the situation at hand.
- should contain one or two points only to avoid overloading the performer
What are the 3 factors affecting motor learning?
- Individual differences- relate to the characteristics of the learner
- Task factors- relate to the complexity and demands of the task
- The learning environment-affected by the quality of coaching, practice and feedback provided to the learner
What are the factors affecting learning?
- Age
- Skill level
- Level of physical fitness
- Injury
- Level of competition
- Type of activity
Explain how age affects learning?
-The ability of a learner to take in and process information increases as they get older along with their ability to practice for longer
>When coaching children, there should be a focus on the following;
- Delivering enjoyable and engaging sessions
- Maximising participation
- Developing interpersonal skills
> When coaching older people, there should be a focus on the following;
- Increased warm ups and cool downs
- Strict screening prior to engaging in a physical activity program
- Appropriate footwear and clothing
- Careful application of progressive overload principle
Explain how skill level affects learning?
-The coach needs to consider the current skill level of individual athletes in the squad before structuring their training program. > This will help guide; - The frequency and type of feedback - The type of cues used - The style of leadership/coaching - The complexity of drills used
Explain how level of physical fitness affects learning?
- Fitter performers are able to practice for longer and at a higher level than less fit performers.
- Coaches must adjust the intensity, frequency and duration of sessions to cater for the varying fitness levels of individuals
Explain how injury affects learning?
- Injured athletes need to modify their training program or risk further damage to the injured area.
- It is important coaches understand the use of training principles and recovery methods in order to prevent injury to their athletes
Explain how level of competiton affects learning?
-coach is to ensure their style of leadership meets the needs of their players
> for individuals who play sport for the desire to they need a coach which encourages them to have fun
- for individuals who do sport to be successful they need to ensure their athletes stay motivated
Explain how type of activity affects learning?
- The type of training activities implemented by coaches must take into account a number of factors
- Through the effective implementation of the training principle ‘specificity’, coaches can ensure they are preparing their athletes to meet the demands of their sport
What is internal and external feedback?
Internal- from within your body
External- from the outside
