Types and methods of practice

• Two types of practice are massed, distributed, fixed, varied.
• Methods used for skill learning and improvement of performance in sport and physical activities
• Types of practice


  • Massed
  • Distributed
  • Fixed
  • Varied
• Methods of practice


  • Part
  • Whole
  • Whole part whole
  • Progressive part
• Massed practice


  Very little or no rest built into the session, session is largely continuous, intensity of the session is high
• Example of massed practice


  • Jump shooting in basketball
• Distributed practice


  Long breaks between drills which are non related, intensity is lower, performers get the chance to think and reflect on learning, fatigue is not an issue
• Massed practice


  Use when teaching discrete skills when the performer will not get too mentally and physically fatigued
• Examples of skills suitable for massed practice


  • Kicking
  • Static passing
  • Putting
  • Free throws
• Distributed practice


  Use when teaching serial or continuous skills as the performer will get mentally and physically fatigued and thus, needs time to recover to execute the skills effectively. Further, these breaks allow the learner to think about the sub-routines involved in the execution of their complex skills.
• Examples of skills suitable for distributed practice


  • Lay ups
  • Moving passing
  • Tackling
  • Dribbling
• Fixed practice


  Involves a stable and predictable environment where conditions remain unchanged
• Examples of fixed practice


  • Free throws in basketball
  • Badminton serve
  • Chest pass against the wall in netball
• Varied practice


  Practice needs to be varied so that the performer can come into contact with a range of experiences. Relevant experiences are stored in long term memory and can be used to modify long term memory.
• Examples of varied practice


  • Passing through defenders in netball
  • Lay ups in basketball through defending players
  • Playing a drop shot after your opponent has played a cross court forehand
• Part method


  Skill is broken down into sub-routines and practised individually before being put together
• Examples of part method


  • Learning the tennis serve - the back swing, ball toss or ball strike
• Part method


  • Effective for complex, serial skills, allows learner to gain confidence in each sub routine before bringing them together
• Examples of skills suited to part method


  • Rugby kicker practising the ball strike element of a place kick
• Whole method


  Skill is taught without breaking it down, player gets the true 'feel' (or kinaesthetic sense) for the skill
• Example of whole method


  • Golf swing
• Whole-Part-Whole method


  Performer attempts the whole skill, then practices the skill in parts or sub routines and then puts them together again to practice the skill as a whole
• Examples of skills suited to Whole-Part-Whole method


  • Basketball lay up
  • Triple jump
• Progressive-Part method


  Also called chaining, a serial skill is broken down into sub-routines that are learned one by one and then chained together
• Examples of skills suited to Progressive-Part method


  • Triple jump
  • Basketball lay up
• Progressive-Part method is very good for helping the performer learn complex, serial skills and externally paced skills as the performer can learn each individual part and then chain them together
• Method of practice


  Link to classification of skill
• Type of practice


  Link to classification of skill
• Varied practice is essential