Topic 5: Skill in Sports Flashcards
5.1.1. Define the term skill
The consistent production of goal-oriented movements, which are learned and specific to the task
Motor Skill
Emphasis on learned movement without much thinking required
e.g. weightlifting
Cognitive Skill
- Requires a lot of thinking.
- Knowledge of the game & decision making also required.
- The ability to solve problems and make correct decisions
e.g. basketball
Perceptual Skill
- Using your senses to assess a situation and help you make decisions.
- Sense things and interpret them
(Vision, hearing, touch etc.)
E.g. rock climbing
Perceptual - Motor Skill
- Thinking
- Interpretation of environmental stimuli
- The motor response to this sensory info. Involved in most sports.
Judging the wind before kicking a goal in rugby would be an example of a:
A. Motor skill
B. Cognitive skill
C. Perceptual skill
D. Perceptual - Motor skill
D
Understanding to head the soccer ball back to the goalie, so he can use his hands would be an example of:
A. Motor skill
B. Cognitive skill
C. Perceptual skill
D. Perceptual - Motor skill
C
Discrete Skills
Have a clear start and finish. Usually brief and well defined
E.g. cricket shot, gymnastic flip
Serial Skills
The linking together of skills to form a longer, more complex movement
E.g. triple jump
Continuous Skills
- End of the movement cycle is also the beginning of the next.
- The skill is usually repeated until a time or distance goal has been achieved.
E.g. running, swimming
Closed Skill
- Stable and predictable environment.
- Can be largely controlled by the performer.
- Follow set movement patterns and performed in the same way each time.
E.g. tennis serve
Open Skill
- Unstable and unpredictable environment.
- Conditions dictate the skills.
- Performer adapts to the conditions.
- Perceptual skills and motor skills are needed to be able to control the movement.
E.g. a football pass
Fine Motor Skills
- Movements involve small muscle groups and fine movements.
- Often involve high hand-eye coordination.
E.g. throwing a dart
Gross Motor Skills
Movements involve large muscle groups or many muscle groups and gross movements.
E.g. running, triple jump, kicking a ball
Individual Skills
Skills performed in isolation from others
E.g. springboard diving
Coactive Skills
Skills performed with someone else but with no direct confrontation.
E.g. 100m race
Interactive Skills
Skills performed alongside others and confrontation can be involved.
E.g. soccer
Internally paced or self-paced skills
- The performer controls the rate at which the skill is executed.
- These skills are usually closed skills and are individual skill
E.g. javelin throw
Externally paced skills
- The environment (which may include opponents) controls the rate.
- The performer adjusts movement based on external events.
- Usually open skills
E.g. handball
5.1.5. Outline ability
- An individual’s capability that influences performance across various tasks.
- Innate characteristics we are born with.
Ability vs Skills
- Skills are learned
- Abilities are a product of both learning and genetic
5.1.6 Distinguish between Fleishman’s physical proficiency abilities (physical factors) and perceptual motor abilities (psychomotor factors)
- Abilities that allow us to process information about how and when to move.
E.g. Response orientation, Aiming, Reaction Time etc.
5.1.6 Distinguish between Fleishman’s physical proficiency abilities (physical factors) and perceptual motor abilities (psychomotor factors).
- Abilities relating to the actual movement.
E.g. Agility, Coordination, Strength, Flexibility, Endurance etc.
5.1.7. Define the term Technique
How a skill is perfomed
5.1.8. State the relationship between ability, skill, and technique.
Skill = Ability + Technique
5.1.9. Discuss the differences between Skilled and Novice Performers
Skilled:
- Fluent Movements
- Know what they want to achieve and how to achieve it
- Efficient – Energy is not wasted
- Consistent performers
- Accurate in application of skill
Novice:
- Often un-coordinated movements
- Do not always know what they are trying to achieve
- Inefficient movements – Lots of energy wasted
- Inconsistent performers
- Inaccurate
5.2.1. Describe a simple model of information processing
- The process of sensing, deciding, and responding.
- Input –> Decision-making –> Output.
5.2.1. Information Processing Basic Model
(The Black Box Model)
- A model where information flows into a “black box,” (you).
- Information inside the black box is processed, and results in observable behavior.
5.2.2. Welford’s Model of
Information Processing
- sense organs
- perception
- short-term memory
- long-term memory
- decision-making
- effector control
- feedback
5.2.3. Sensory Input
- The senses relay information about the environment to the brain
- The brain interprets information based on past experiences and stores it in LTM.
EXTEROCEPTORS
- provide information from outside of the body, about the external environment
- like touch, pressure, temperature
PROPIOCEPTORS
- provide information about the position and posture of our body in space.
- sense stimuli from the muscles, tendons and joints, as well as from the vestibular apparatus (balance)
INTEROCEPTORS
- provide information about the events in the viscera.
- E.g receptors sensing blood pressure, plasma osmolarity, blood glucose concentration…
Components associated with sensory input:
- Exteroceptors
- Proprioceptors
- Interoceptors
5.2.4. Explain the Signal Detection Process
- Making sense and judging information
- Select or disregard input
- Detection of input (registering the stimulus by the sense organ)
- Comparison to memory (previous experiences, previous stored stimuli)
- Recognizing situations from the past (finding corresponding stimuli in the memory)
Stimulus
item of information which stands out from the background
Short term sensory store (STSS)
- All incoming information held here for a brief time.
- Information is retained and passed to STM only if rehearsed (mentally processed).
Short term memory (STM)
- Rehearsed info from the STSS is passed onto the STM
- 90% of information lost within the first 10 seconds.
- STM has a limited capacity (7±2 pieces if info)
Long term memory (LTM)
- No capacity limitations
- It is where all the info that enters the STM and is rehearsed, is stored.
- Info from STM is stored as LTM or lost
5.2.5. Distinguish between the characteristics of short-term sensory store, short-term memory and long-term memory
Selective attention-memory interaction
- SA operates in the STSS
- Only relevant information is passed to the STM where it is held for several seconds.
- Prevents information overload and confusion.
- Helps athletes focus on key cues (e.g., ball or player position in tennis).
- Crucial for accuracy or fast responses.
- Improves with experience and interaction with long-term memory.
Brevity
giving a learner a small amount of information at a time to avoid overload
Clarity
Avoid learning similar items in one session to prevent memory interference.
Chunking
Chunking information helps learners hold more in short-term memory.
Organization
Organized, meaningful learning improves memory; coaches use imagery to aid this.
Association
Ensure that new learning is linked to what players already know
Practice
- Practice moves a skill between short-term and long-term memory
- Creating a “memory trace” through rehearsal (mental or physical).
Coding
name/label sets of information
5.2.8. Define the term response time
- A combination of reaction time and movement time
- Response time = reaction time + movement time
5.2.9. Outline the factors that determine response time
Age, gender, number of choices
Hick’s law
Time and the effort it takes to make a decision increases with the number of options
5.2.10. Evaluate the concept of psychological refractory period (PRP)
- Reaction time to stimulus 1 (S1) is as expected
- A second stimulus (S2) will have a slower than normal reaction time
- Processing of S2 can not take place until S1 processing is complete
- This gap is the psychological refractory period.
5.2.11. Describe a motor programme
A series of subroutines organized into the correct sequence to perform a movement.
- Can be thought of as skills.
- Initiated by one single decision
- Brain runs this program in order
- The process is also known as Muscle Memory
Executive Motor Program
A number of motor programmes put together
Open loop motor programme
- Performance of a skill without feedback
- Very fast movements
- Hitting a baseball coming in at 100kph - No time for feedback to alter the movement
Close loop motor programme
- Allows us to adjust movement during its execution
- Example: adjusting to a ball that has bounced in cricket.
- Feedback does not involve the brain (subconscious)
Adams’ closed-loop theory
(memory trace and perceptual trace)
Memory trace: responsible for selecting and initiating the movement (comparing to LTM)
Perceptual trace: a practiced model for movement adjustment via feedback comparison.
Feedback is used to modify on-going action
Intrinsic Feedback
- Available to a player without outside help
- Proprioceptors
- Exteroreceptors
Extrinsic Feedback
- Provided by someone or something else (coach, stopwatch).
- Can be given during (concurrent) or after (terminal) performance.
Knowledge of Results (KR)
- Post-response information about the outcome of an action.
- Mostly visual, or a time, or a distance.
Knowledge of Performance (KP)
- Post-response information concerning the nature of the movement.
- The ‘feel’ of a movement
- Knowledge of sensory consequences
- Concurrent or terminal
5.2.14. Outline the role of feedback with the learning process
- reinforcement of learning
- motivation
- adaptation of performance
- punishment
Concurrent Feedback
Feedback given during movement/exercise
Terminal Feedback
Feedback given after movement/exercise
Outline factors that affect the DCR process
- background noise
- intensity of stimulus
- efficiency of sensory organs
- early signal detection
- improving signal detection
