Practice Flashcards
Practice Methods
Massed Practice
Fixed Practice
Distributed Practice
Varied Practice
Practice Types
Part Practice
Whole Practice
Whole-Part-Whole Practice
Progressive-Part Practice
Massed Practice
Definition -A practice session done with very short, or no, rest intervals, with the session being long in duration
When is it used?
For discrete skills of short duration
With highly motivated performers with good fitness levels
Why is it used?
To groove skills
To overlearn the skill
Long sessions used when coach wants to simulate elements of fatigue
Practical example:
Basketball players practice their shooting skills by doing drills which involve many shots from different positions around the key
Distributed Practice
Definition- Practice sessions with rest intervals included
When is it used?
With continuous skills
With beginners or those with low levels of fitness and motivation
Why is it used?
Rest intervals allow performer to receive feedback and to prevent fatigue
Rests allow for mental practice
Helps maintain motivation and good for dangerous or complex skills
Practical example:
Swimmer swims a width and then has a rest while the teacher gives feedback
Fixed Practice
Defiintion A specific movement pattern is practiced repeatedly in a stable environment; sometimes called a drill
When is it used?
With closed skills that require specific movement patterns to become overlearned
Self-paced skills
Why is it used?
Allows skills to become habitual and automatic - the grooving of a skill
It allows performer to get used to the predictable environment they will perform in
Practical example:
Discus thrower practices in the discus circle, using the same weight implement
Varied Practice
Varied Practice - When a skill is practiced in many environments
When is it used?
With open skills
Practice conditions must be realistic as possible
Externally paced skills
Why is it used?
Allows development of experience in long-term memory, which performer can draw on - schema
Develops performer’s perceptual and decision making skills
Helps to improve a performer motivation by creating more interesting practice
Practical example:
Small sided game in football, where performer can work on passing, positional play and strategy
Whole Practice
Whole Practice -Skills being taught without being broken down into sub-routines
When is it used?
With skills that are high in organisation and need to be taught as a whole
Discrete skills
Why is it used?
Allows the performer to experience the feel of the skill - kinaesthetic
Allows the performer to understand the requirements of the skill better
Practical Example:
Sprinting and dribbling
Golf swing
Whole-Part-Whole Practice
Whole-Part-Whole Practice - Practicing the whole skill, then practicing a sub-routine in isolation, then practicing the whole skill again
When is it used?
With serial skills or skills with low organisation, when the sub-routines are very distinctive
Why should we use it?
To recognise strengths and weaknesses, then correct specific skill errors
Allows the performer to work on specific elements/sub-routine improvements
Allows some feel of the skill
Practical Example:
1 practice swimming stroke
2 practice leg kick action (using a float)
3 practice whole stroke again
Part Practice
Part Practice -Working on an isolated sub-routine with the aim of perfecting it
When is it used?
With skills that are low in organisation
If the task is complex and dangerous
Why is it used?
Allows performers to have a greater understanding of a skill gaining confidence as they learn each element
Allows performer to experience success
Reduced the possibility of overload
Practical Example
Practicing the backswing only in the tennis serve
Progressive-Part Practice
Progressive-Part Practice - Skills are broken down into sub-routines; performer learns one link, then a second link and practices these, then further links are then added on - also called chaining
When is it used?
With complex skills to reduce information overload
Low organisation skills
Good for serial skills
Why use it?
To chain the skill you are learning
Helpful to allow performer to learn links between sub-routines and transfer these into the whole skill
Helps to learn easy parts of the skill and then build on this gradually
Practical Example:
A performer learning the hop and step phases of the triple jump and then linking the jump phase after this has been mastered.
