Skills Acquisition Flashcards
Massed Practice
Continuous practice without rest (free throws in basketball).
Positives: Promotes fitness and motor skills
Negatives: Fatigues and bad for beginners
Distributed Practice
Practice with breaks in between repetitions (rugby player practicing phases of play).
Positives: Good for cognitive performers as time for visualization and extrinsic feedback.
Negatives: Not time effective especially for autonomous performers.
Varied Practice
Changing the practice type and practice drills (passing drill into possession drill)
Positives: Fun and good for open and complex skills.
Negatives: Too demanding and risk of negative transfer.
Mental Practice
Athletes go through movement in their mind (visualizing a free kick).
Positives: Improves confidence, lowers anxiety and can help with decision making.
Negatives: Poor visualization can lower confidence and may not calm you down.
Whole Practice
Complex skill is performed in its entirety without any attempts to break it down into sub-routines.
Good for fast, highly organized, complex skills like shooting in basketball as it helps to gain kinesthesis.
Whole-part-whole Practice
Skill is performed in entirely then broken down for practice then put back as whole practice.
Progressive-part Practice
A method where the skill is broken down into parts and the sub-routines are practiced individually.
Eg. layup in basketball divided into smaller parts
Positive Transfer
Previously learner skill aids the development of another.
Tennis hat aids the learning of a hit in squash
Negative Transfer
A previously learnt skill hinders the learning of a new skill.
(Tennis serve and badminton serve)
Zero Transfer
No effect on current performance from previously learnt skill.
(Swimming and snooker)
Bilateral Transfer
Involves the transfer of learning from one limb to another.
Passing with your left foot
Characteristics of a Skill
Learned Aesthetic Controlled Efficient Fluent Accurate Consistent Goal Directed
Learned
Significant time has been spent practicing. (A football player spends 30 minutes after every training session practicing free kicks)
Aesthetic
It is pleasing to observe.
Basketball player able to shoot in motion
Controlled
Every part of the skills is coordinated to be executed effectively and in time. (Swimmer can breath while maintaining momentum from strokes)
Efficient
Actions are performed with precision using a minimum output of energy.
(Midfield spreads the ball around the pitch with little touches)
Fluent
Actions flow naturally and are not forced
Tennis player is always in movement, anticipating the return
Accurate
The skills is executed with precision.
A volleyball player can serve directly to its intended target
Consistent
Repeatable with a high success rate after time.
Basketball player has a high free throw percentage
Goal Directed
There is a clear aim in mind before the skill.
Judo wrestler goes for a takedown with intention already sorted
Continuum 1: Open or Closed
Open: Constantly changing surroundings and environment
Closed: Same environment every time
Continuum 2: Gross or Fine
Gross: Using large muscle groups
Fine: Small muscled with precise execution
Continuum 3: Self-paced or Externally paced
Self: Can perform the skills when desired
Externally: You act depending on your environment in the moment
Continuum 4: Discrete, Serial or Continuous
Discrete: Clear beginning and end of skill
Serial: Discrete skills linked together
Continuous: No clear beginning or end
Continuum 5: High Organized or Low Organized
Low: Easily broken into sub-routines
High: Not easily broken down
Continuum 6: Simple or Complex
Simple: Required minimal decision making when being performed
Complex: Requires decision making using information.
Definition of learning
Learning is a permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of practice
Cognitive Stage of Learning
- Performer has to think through their actions and may be trying to copy a demonstration
- Base actions off extrinsic feedback received
- Slow decision making leads to influential actions
- Motor programmed are not developed yet
Associative Stage of Learning
- Achieved through practicing the skill repeatedly
- Feedback becomes a mix of external and internal
- Performers may model their performances to elite athletes
- Skills becomes fluent and more aesthetically pleasing
Autonomous Stage of Learning
- The performer has practiced effectively for a long time
- Motor programs are fully developed
- All feedback is intrinsic except for tactics
- Performers can now visualize elite performance
Importance of feedback
1) Information to aid error correction
2) There to improve performance
3) Correct feedback is vital
Positive Feedback
Positive feedback tells player what they did well and aims to increase effort and motivation for them to repeat actions
Negative Feedback
Tell player what they have done the wrong to correct errors with it more useful to experienced players.
Extrinsic Feedback
Given by an outside source like a coach and it is usually used for cognitive learns from experienced sources
Intrinsic Feedback
Feedback from within the performer using the use of kinesthesis and is used by autonomous performers.
Knowledge of Results
Feedback given by the result of the action and whether the skill was successful or not. Mostly used by cognitive performers.
Knowledge of Performance
Giving feedback to themselves via how they felt while acting out the skill. Used by mostly autonomous performers.
Drive Reduction
Where performer’s drive to success has been lost after gaining success.
Causes of plateaus
- Lack of motivation
- Boredom
- Poor coaching
- Limit of ability
- Targets set too low
- Fatigue
Insight Learning
Using experience and existing knowledge to form ideas on how to effectively deal with situations within the game
Observational Learning (Bandura)
1) Attention: Performer watched a suitable demonstration performed by a MKO done accurately
2) Retention: Performer mentally rehearses the movements after the demonstration
3) Motor Production: The physical movement is recreated by the performer
4) Motivation: The performer must be motivated to develop the skills
Constructivism
The construction of new skills by building upon what you already know
Using the zone of proximal development
1) What can I do alone?
2) What can I do with help?
3) What can I not do yet?
Social development - Vgotsky
Skills learned from MKO is developed and used in sport
Trait Theory
Tray theory states that people are born with characteristics and personalities which remain consistent throughout their life
Social Learning Theory
Argues that personality is learned and we learn our characteristics from the significant others around us as we grow up and certain moments in their life
How is behavior learned according to Social learning theory?
1) Observed
2) Identified
3) Reinforced
4) Copied
Interactionist Theory
A theory which says that both born traits and developed characteristics combine to form our personality
Lewin’s formula
Behavior = Function of (Personality Traits x Environment)
Hollander’s Model (Circle)
Centre: Phycological Core
Middle: Typical Response
Outer Circle: Role Related Behaviour
Cognitive Dissonance
Situation is adjusted to change the thinking of the performer, adjusting their attitude.
Competitive Trait Anxiety
A player feels nervous before most games no matter the situation they find themselves in
Competitive State Anxiety
Temporary anxiety which occurs due to the situation and environment they find themselves in
