Types and Methods of Practice

• Fixed practice stays the same and is rehearsing a skill using the same drill in the same environment without change.
• Fixed practoc enables skills to become habitual or grooved and motor programmes to develop and causes Stimulus-Response bonds to form.
• Fixed practice should be used for closed skills because they are performed in a stable emvironment and fixed practice reflects this.
• Fixed practice is good for introducing open skills to establish the correct technique for beginners.
• Fixed practice has disadvantages of boredom and not preparing performer's for game situations.
• Varied practice changes regularly and is rehearsing a skill using different drills in an environment that changes.
• Varied practice is good to use for open skills because they are performed in a changing environemtn where decision making is important and varied practice reflects this.
• Varied practice is good for experts or when a skill is already habitual from fixed practice.
• Varied practice enables performers to become used to adapting movements so they are more prepared to be able to do this in a sporting situation.
• Varied practice enables a performer to build up schemas to store in their long term memory and use them to modify future motor programmes and helps skills tranfer.
• Varied practice prevents boredom and stimulates interest and motivation.
• Varied practice can cause overload by having too many stimuli.
• Varied practice can confuse beginners.
• Basic skills and technique be learned before using varied practice.
• Massed practice is rehearsing a skill repetitively wihtout a rest period, it is a concentrated period of practice that tends to last for a long time.
• Massed practice reduces anxiety because the performer has had lots of experience with the skill.
• Massed practice is helpful to improve fitness.
• Massed practice enables a performer to make a skill habitual and form S-R bonds.
• Massed practice is more successful when tasks are discrete, simple and safe.
• Massed practice is more successful when the performer is physically fit, well motivated and an expert.
• Massed practice can cause boredom and fatigue.
• Massed practice can hinder performance due to drive reduction.
• Distributed practice is rehearsing a skill in short bursts with rest periods built into the training session.
• The rest featured in distributed practice can be used for physical recuperation, mental recuperation, mental rehearsal and receiving feedback from the coach about previous performance.
• Distributed practice is helpful to maintain focus and prevent boredem, it has less mental pressure and allows variety.
• Distributed practice is more successful when tasks are complex, gross motor skills, continuous skills, dangerous, high energy demand tasks, and tedious.
• Distributed practice is more successful when the performer is less skillful, a beginner, in the cognitive stage of learning, intermediate, associative stage of learning and less fit.
• During distributed practice performers could lose focus furing breaks.
• Distributed practice might not be suitable for expert because learning could be hindered through disjointed practice.
• Whole practice is rehearsing the skill in its entirety and not breaking the skill into parts/ subroutines.
• Whole practice should be used the skill is high in organisation, continuous, discrete, simple, safe or simple.
• Whole practice is good for rapid, ballistic and powerful skills.
• Whole practice should be used when the performer is an expert and motivated.
• Whole practice allows the learner to get the true kinesthetic feel.
• Whole practice allows the movement to be fluent and correctly timed from the start.
• Whole practice allows the skill to be learned quicker.
• Whole practice relates to the end product that you are trying to achieve.
• Whole practice enabled skilled performers or experts to work at their level.
• Whole practice enable performers to get a greater overall understanding.
• Whole practice links to cognitive learning theory.