skill acquisition

• what is a skill

  the ability to carry out a task with a pre-determind result

  • goal directed, looks controlled, fluid, smooth, accurate, efficient and consistant
• what is ability 


  the ease of learning sporting skills; some people pick skills up more easily than others
• what is a psychomotor skill 


  involves movements that require thoughts
• what is a gross motor skill

  movements that involve large muscle groups but with no thought
• what is an open skill

  performed in an unpredictable environment / effected by the environment
• what is a closed skill

  performed in a controlled environment / not affected by the environment
• what is a gross skill

  use large muscle groups
• what is a fine skill

  use small muscle groups
• what is a self paced skill


  the performer determinds when and at what place
• what is an externally paced skill 


  timing is effected by external factors
• what is a descrete skill

  skill that have a clear beginning and a clear ending
• what is a continuous skill


  the same movements over again with no clear ending or beginning
• what is a serial skill

  series of descrete skills joined together
• what is a low organised skill


  a skill that can be broken down into parts
• what is a highly organised skill

  a skill that cannot be broken down into parts
• what is a simple skill


  limited decisions needed to be produced
• what is a complex skill

  many decisions to make and a lot of information needed before the performer can attempt the skill
• what is positive transfer

  the learning of one skill has a positive effect on the learning of another
• what is negative transfer 


  the learning of one skill has a negative effect on the learning of another
• what is zero transfer 


  the learning of one skill has no effect on the learning of another
• what is bilateral transfer 


  when a skill can be performed on one limb and on the other
• what is retroactive transfer

  when there is some kind of transfer, positive or negative
• how can coaches use transfer of learning

  encourage positive transfer by making practices realistic

  by making sure skills are well learnt before moving on to more complex ones

  by rewarding players for correct adaptation of positive transfer
• what are the methods of presenting practices

  whole practice

  whole part whole practice

  progressive part practice
• what is whole practice

  not breaking the skill down into subroutines / practiced in total
• what are some advantages of whole practice

  can be used where:

  • a skill is of low complexity
  • is highly organised
  • has unrelated subroutines
  • movement is rapid
  • the performer is advanced + in the autonomous stage of learning
  • the skill has interrelated subroutines

  it is realistic which helps transfer skills learnt in training to actual performance

  helps create specific images that can be stored in the LTM
• what are the disadvantages of whole practice

  may not be suitable for beginners who may find it places unnecessary demand on them

  may be fatiguing
• what is whole part whole practice

  practicing a skill in total then breaking it into subroutines then in total again

  where a specific weakness is worked on
• what are the advantages of whole part whole practice

  it can keep the learners motivated as they are likely to achieve some success with part of the skill

  suitable for beginners doing a complex card

  gives the coach opportunities to provide immediate feedback + correct errors

  enables fluency + integration of the subroutines to be maintained
• what are the disadvantages of whole part whole practice

  may produce negative transfer unless the coach immediately integrates part back into the whole routines

  takes a lot of time
• what is progressive part practice

  breaking down a skill and practicing subroutines before putting it all together

  • uses serial skills
  • 'chaining'
• what are the advantages of progressive part practice

  good for serial skills

  useful when skill is low organised + can be broken down into separate parts

  focus on one aspect + corrects weaknesses

  prevents fatigue + provides natural breaks

  ensures high success + keeps motivation high
• what are the disadvantages of progressive part practice

  can take a lot of time

  performer may not be able to feel the nature of the whole task and the links between the parts

  can be negative transfer between the subroutines
• what things do you need to consider when selecting the right type of practice 


  performace level of learner and previous experience

  type of skill practicing

  amount of information the learner needs to process

  personality and motivation

  amount of technical knowledge
• what are the 5 types of practice

  fixed practice

  massed practice

  distributed practice

  varied practice

  mental practice
• what is fixed practice

  where the position and condition is closed and practice is repetative

  closed skills and where something needs to be grooved

  not great for more varied sports or one where the enviroment changes
• what is massed practice

  practicing the same skill over again

  • closed skill
  • used with highly skilled performer as they have the motivation, fitness and knowledge
  • no rest
• what are the advantages of massed practice

  good when learning a simple skill

  when practice is needed to stimulate performance in fatigued situations

  when time available is limited

  when performers are experienced, fit and motivated
• what are the disadvantages of massed practice

  not good for inexperienced performers

  can lead to fatigue and boredom
• what is distributed practice

  practicing a skill then stopping to get some feedback then practing it again

  • used with any type of skill
  • beginner can use it