Skill acqu 1 (skills, transfer and practice)

Question 1

Define skill

Answer 1

a learned ability to bring about pre-determines results with the minimum outlay of time, energy or both

Question 2

Characteristics of a skill

Answer 2

L - learnt
A - aesthetically pleasing
C - consistent
E - efficient
F - fluent
A - accurate
C - controlled
E - economical

Question 3

4 types of transfer

Answer 3

positive: the learning of one skill helps or aids the learning of another
negative: the learning of one skill hinders the learning of another
zero: the learning of one skill has no impact on the learning of another
bilateral: the learning of one skill is passed across the body from limb to limb

Question 4

Whole practice

Answer 4

performing skill in its entirety
promotes understanding and established the links between sub-routines which creates fluency
used when skill is:
fast, ballistic, discrete
highly organised
simple
kinaeshthesis of whole skill is required
performer is advanced in autonomous skills
links between sub routines need to be maintained

Question 5

Pros of whole practise

Answer 5

+maintains fluency - feel of the skills
+develops kinaesthesis/ understanding
+maintains links between sub-routines

Question 6

cons of whole practice

Answer 6

• too much info/ beyond capabilities of performer = may places unnecessary demands on the performer who may not be able to cope with all aspects of the skill at once = not for beginners
• possibility of fatigue if performer tries to do whole task without break

Question 7

Whole part whole practice

Answer 7

Performer attempts the whole skill to get an initial feel for the movement. Then each part is practised individually 7or specific weaknesses are highlighted, practised separately and then put back into the whole skill.
Links between the sub-routines are maintained
Used when:
beginner is doing a complex task
high organisation

Question 8

pros for whole part whole

Answer 8

+ can provide motivation when success is achieved when a long-standing weakness is corrected
+ provides immediate feedback
+ fluency and integration of sub-routines maintained whilst errors are corrected
+highlights specific weakness and corrects it

Question 9

cons of whole-part-whole practice

Answer 9

• may produce negative transfer effects unless coach integrates the part back into the whole in the same training session
• more time consuming
• some skills can’t be broken down

Question 10

Progressive part practice (chaining)

Answer 10

the first part of the skill is taught and then the rest of the parts are added in sequence.
Used for:
serial skills
dangerous skills
low-organised
complex

Question 11

pros of progressive part practice

Answer 11

+ can focus on one aspect of the task and can potentially correct specific weakness
+ rest = reduce fatigue
+ builds initial understanding
+ improves confidence/ motivation of the performer as success is gradually achieved
+reduces danger
+ reduces demands on performer

Question 12

cons of progressive part practice

Answer 12

• time consuming
• might neglect the feel of the whole task and might ignore links between sub-routine
• could be negative transfer
• coach has to decide whether the whole skill needs to be learnt in the same session

Question 13

Massed practice

Answer 13

is continuous with no rest between sessions.
Use when a skill is:
discrete
simple
environment is closed

Question 14

pros of massed practice

Answer 14

+ promotes fitness so that the performer can cope with the extended demands of the task
+ practicing without a break makes the skill become almost automatic so fixed responses become habitual and the player can repeat the skill continuously
+ motor programmes formed
- efficient use of coach and player time

Question 15

cons of massed practice

Answer 15

• produce fatigue
• danger of negative transfer
• demands on player is high
• no time for feedback

Question 16

distributed practice

Answer 16

involves rest intervals between sessions
used when skill is:
continuous and performer may need a break
skill is open as then can change skill practice
complex
externally paced

Question 17

pros of distributed practice

Answer 17

+ reduced pressure on performer
+ rest breaks = reduce effects of fatigue
+ good for beginners as it allows controlled progress to be made at the pace of the performer
+ feedback/ coaching advice can be offered
+ performer could use mental practice during break
+ offer some motivation when praise is offered in break = intrinsic motivation

Question 18

cons of distributed practice

Answer 18

• time consuming
• shouldn’t be used when training session is tight and required fast progress, therefore may not be useful for expert players who wish to over-learn their skills
• danger of negative transfer

Question 19

varied practice

Answer 19

often appropriate during training for team sports to change the drills and type of practice so that the players learn to adapt to changes in the environment
used when skill is:
open
externally paced skill
continuous (need a little variety to maintain motivation)

Question 20

pros of varied practice

Answer 20

+ allows players to adapt their skills to changing environments and is very appropriate for open skills
+ prevents players becoming bored = increases motivation
+ builds a schema

Question 21

cons of varied practice

Answer 21

• time consuming
• increasing risk of negative transfer unless the changing drills are integrated into the aims of the practice session
• might place unnecessary demands on player if they are given too many things to focus on
• danger of fatigue

Question 22

mental practice

Answer 22

the athlete goes through the performance in the mind to aid performance. has the greatest value when its combines with physical practice

Question 23

pros of mental practice

Answer 23

+ improves confidence and lowers anxiety
+ evidence to suggest mental practice stimulates the muscle receptors so that a player is better prepared and reaction times are increased
+ develops cognitive ability and improves decision making and thinking of the player
+ can be done when a player is injured
+ can be external and internal
+ improves reaction time
+ controls anxiety
+ builds motor programmes

Question 24

cons of mental practice

Answer 24

• must be correct
• environment must be calm