Skill Acquisition & Learning Practises

Question 1

Types of movement

Answer 1

Discrete motor skills - Distinct beginning and end to an action (pass)

Continuous motor skills - No obvious beginning and end (running)

Serial motor skills - Series of motor skills paired together (gymnastics routine)

Question 2

Predictability of the environment

Answer 2

Closed environment - Skills are performed in environment of greatest control with best predictability (honed in)

Open environment - Environment of limited control, less predictability and constant change (greater margin for error)

Question 3

Precision of movement

Answer 3

Gross motor skills - Large muscle recruitment (big activities)

Fine motor skills - Small muscle recruitment (easier, small activities)

Question 4

Skill learning continuum

Answer 4

Defined as either Cognitive (Beginner), Associative (Intermediate) and Autonomous (Highly skilled)

However, individuals are placed on a continuum as each person is different and isn’t exactly cognitive, associative or autonomous - many people are in between the categories

Question 5

Practice strategies

Answer 5

Part and whole practice - Motor skills can be broken up into parts or segments`
(easier for beginners/children)

Distributed practice - Shorter, more frequent training sessions
(used by professionals, training often in short, sharp sessions)

Blocked practice - Practising same skill continuously without changing to different task
(also good for beginners)

Random practice - Varied sequencing of different motor skills *game simulation
(appropriate for associative and autonomous stages)

Question 6

Type of feedback

Answer 6

Intrinsic - Form of self evaluation of performance using the personal game sense to assess success and any necessary changes
(suitable for autonomous stage - as individual is experienced and has the ability to assess their own errors and performance)

Augmented - Feedback from a coach that will significantly improve performance through an external and experienced opinion
(includes knowledge of results/performance)
(suitable for cognitive and associative [to extent] where self feedback would not prove worthwhile)

Question 7

Qualitative and quantitative analysis

Answer 7

Qualitative - Non numeric analysis and assessment of movement, information given by judgement from a coach. Most common method as requires no equipment “You were slow to start but finished strong”
(subjective method of analysis)

Quantitative - Involves some measurement of performance. More analytically and scientifically-based
“On your 6th throw you got a pace of 110mph”
(objective method of analysis)
(# of baseball pitches, pace of pitches)

Question 8

Direct and constraint-based coaching

Answer 8

Direct coaching - Explicit instructions from coaches, limits learners ability to find own solution, can provide feedback after every task

Constraint-based coaching - Interaction between individual and environment (changes to environment to better suit individual [skill])

*Both include forms of instructing from a coach

Question 9

Sociocultural factors affecting participation

Answer 9

A number of sociocultural factors can have a significant impact on an individual’s performance. These can range from lack of social support (no parental support, no family interest in sport, no friends to compete in sport with) to no financial support or no access to required equipment or facilities