Skill Learning Principles Factors Affecting Learning Inherited Factors

Skill Learning Principles

Factors Affecting Learning Inherited Factors These could include: • Gender • Age • Race • Culture • Body Shape • Muscle Fibre type • Information Processing Ability

Factors Affecting Learning • • • Previous Experience Confidence Self Esteem Motivation Relation with others Reasons for participation • Level of aspiration • Degree of enjoyment • Persistence • Effort • Readiness to learn.

Phases of Skill Learning • Learning a skill is a continuous process that does not have distinct and definite stages. However there are general changes the take place and these can be categorised into 3 phases: – Cognitive (or understanding) phase – Associative (or practice) phase – Autonomous (or automatic) phase

Cognitive Phase • This stage is characterised by thinking and trying to understand the skill. • In this stage the learner gains a picture of the skill and what is required to do it. • Charactestics:

Cognitive Phase • During this stage the coach should: – Teach simple, fundamental skills, by demonstrating, modelling and giving clear instructions. – Keep instructions brief and focus on a few things at a time. – Provide instant and simple feedback

Associative Phase • In this stage the fundamentals and the mechanics of the skill have been learnt. • Performance is more consistent and the subject will be able detect and correct errors. • Characteristics:

Associative Phase • During this stage the coach should: – Communicate well and give feedback – Instruction needs to be individualised with errors identified and solutions prescribed. – There should be a progression in the complexity of tasks.

Autonomous Phase • Characteristics:

Autonomous Phase • Training sessions: – Need to be well organised – Should simulate the actual conditions of play – Should involve sport psychology

Learning a skill • How complex the skill is will obviously affect the acquisition of it. Skills can be classified into the following: – Closed and Open skills – Fine and Gross skills – Continuous, Serial and Discrete skills – Timing (externally or self paced)

Closed and Open Skills • This refers to the stability of the environment. • Closed skills have a stable, predictable environment • Open skills have a changing, unpredictable environment. • Skills need to be viewed on a continuum.

Timing • Self Paced • Closed skills are self paced • Externally Paced • Open skills are externally paced

Fine and Gross Skills • This refers to the precision of the movement: • Gross Skills – Using large muscle groups • Fine Skills – Using small muscle groups Examples:

Discrete, Serial and Continuous • Discrete – Clearly defined start and finish point • Continuous – No defined start or finish (determined by person) • Serial – A series of discrete skills put together

Practice Methods • There a range of methods you can use to practice a skill including: • Massed and Distributed • Whole and Part and a combination of

Massed Practice • Continuous with very little or no rest periods. • Good for: – Highly motivated performers – Highly skilled performers – Easy tasks

Distributed Practice • Periods of rest are equal to amount of work on primary skill • Good for: – Novices – When task is difficult or boring – When energy demands are high

Whole and Part Practice • Whole – Learning the skill in its entirety – Good for basic skills • Part – Learning the skill in sub routines – Good for complex skills

Feedback • There are different forms of feedback that can be given and received with performance. These are: – Internal – External – Knowledge of Results – Knowledge of Performance – Positive – Negative

Internal and External Feedback • Internal Feedback – Internal (or intrinsic) feedback is information received from the senses. This helps athletes develop a feel for a movement which allows them to distinguish between a skilled or less skilled performance. • External Feedback – External (or extrinsic) feedback is information received from external sources (outside the body) such as the crowd reaction, opposition, coach, replays/taped performances, results etc

Knowledge of Results / Performance Feedback • Knowledge of Results – Knowledge of results suggests how successful the skill was performed, and comes from an external source. This could include a coach discussing the outcome of a performance with the athlete such as did the ball go in. • Knowledge of Performance – Knowledge of performance is information received about how well a skill was performed. It may be internal or external.

Positive and Negative Feedback • Positive Feedback - When a skill is performed correctly giving a successful outcome. The player then knows what to repeat for the next time that they do that particular action. (Good for beginners) • Negative Feedback - This is more than just picking out a weakness in the players game. It includes what the player should do to correct the fault. This feedback must be used carefully because it can easily demotivate the player.