PE Studies Test Study

Excercise Psychology + Motor Learning & Coaching

A tennis player silently repeats “Watch the ball, stay balanced and follow through” before serving. What strategy are they using?

Self-talk — talking/thinking to yourself positively before, during or after performance.

A netball player is extremely anxious before a grand-final penalty shot. How could self-talk help?

Use positive cue words such as “focus” or “relax” to refocus attention and combat negative thoughts.

How could self-talk help the same anxious netball player reduce stress?

Use phrases such as “relax”, “calm down” and “focus” to reduce the effect of stress and anxiety.

A swimmer closes their eyes and mentally rehearses their start, underwater phase, turns and finish. What strategy are they using?

Imagery

How could imagery help an anxious netball player before taking a penalty shot?

Mentally rehearse the penalty shot successfully using as many senses as possible.

How could relaxation help an anxious netball player before taking a penalty shot?

Slow, deep/controlled breathing to reduce muscle tension and calm nerves.

A golfer has increased heart rate, muscular tension and negative thoughts on the final hole. What mental skill is being affected?

Stress management/arousal regulation.

How can self-talk regulate a golfer who is over-aroused on the final hole?

Use phrases such as “relax”, “focus” or “calm down” to decrease arousal.

What is goal setting?

Deciding what you want to achieve, planning the steps and working towards achieving the goal.

What is an outcome goal?

A goal based on the final result, such as finishing position, ranking or medal.

What is a performance goal?

A goal based on the athlete's own performance, independent of other competitors.

A 1500 m runner wants to finish first. What type of goal is this?

Outcome goal

A 1500 m runner wants to improve their personal best from 4:30 to 4:20. What type of goal is this?

Performance goal

A junior swimmer has stopped attending training because they feel they are no longer improving. How can goal setting increase motivation?

Effective goals increase motivation; achieving short-term goals increases motivation and self-confidence and encourages the athlete towards long-term goals.

Why should a coach give the swimmer realistic but challenging goals?

Goals should be achievable but challenging; they can increase motivation, self-confidence and performance when achieved.

How can goal setting improve intrinsic motivation?

It can improve intrinsic motivation by giving the athlete clear targets and encouraging perseverance.

Which would most improve team cohesion: frequent changes, clearly defined roles, leadership conflict or different team goals?

Clearly defined player roles.

A basketball team regularly argues about player responsibilities. What barrier to cohesion is evident?

Unclear/conflicting roles.

How could the basketball coach improve task cohesion?

Clearly communicate roles, responsibilities and team goals.

How could the coach improve social cohesion?

Encourage social interaction away from sport, maintain communication and resolve conflicts.

What is negative transfer?

When a previous skill makes learning a new skill harder.

What is transfer of learning?

The influence past experiences have on the learning/performance of a new skill.

A tennis player begins learning badminton. How could positive transfer occur?

Similar physical/technical aspects of tennis and badminton can make learning the new skill easier.

How could negative transfer occur when a tennis player learns badminton?

A correct technique from tennis could interfere with the correct badminton technique, making the new skill harder.

A basketball beginner practises shooting close to the basket before gradually increasing the distance. What coaching activity is being used?

Shaping

A beginner is learning a basketball lay-up. How could shaping be used?

Start with a simplified version of the skill and gradually add missing components.

A beginner is learning a basketball lay-up. How could chaining be used?

Break the skill into parts and practise them separately/sequentially, then combine them.

What is the key difference between shaping and chaining?

Shaping: simplified skill → progressively more complete.

Chaining: skill broken into components → components combined sequentially.

A volleyball coach demonstrates a complete spike, then teaches the approach, jump, arm swing and landing separately. What practice method is being used?

Part practice

What is whole practice?

Practising the entire skill as one complete movement.

What is part practice?

Breaking a skill into parts and practising them separately.

When is chaining/part practice most appropriate?

For skills with high task complexity and low organisation, such as a gymnastics routine.

A golfer is told after a putt that the ball finished 30 cm left of the hole. What type of feedback is this?

Knowledge of results (KR) — feedback about the outcome.

A swimming coach says, “Your elbow dropped during the pull phase.” What type of feedback is this?

Knowledge of performance (KP) — feedback about how the movement was performed.

A gymnastics coach says “Straighten your legs” while the gymnast is performing a jump. What type of feedback is this?

Concurrent and verbal feedback.

What is the difference between concurrent and terminal feedback?

one is during the other is after the performance

Why can giving feedback too frequently be a problem?

The athlete can become over-reliant on external feedback instead of developing their own ability to detect and correct errors.

A new coach takes over a team with poor discipline and limited experience. Which leadership style is initially most appropriate and why?

Authoritarian leadership as it suits young/inexperienced athletes who need clear direction, focus and discipline.

A soccer player has developed an inconsistent penalty-kick technique. What are the five stages the coach should use to analyse and improve the performance?

Preparation, Observation, Evaluation, Intervention, Re-observation

A coach is teaching inexperienced students a volleyball serve by breaking it into sequential parts. What method is this?

Chaining

A coach records a soccer player's penalty kick and watches it in slow motion. What is one advantage of video analysis?

It allows technical errors to be identified more easily

After a soccer player practises correcting their penalty kick, what should the coach do during re-observation?

Check whether performance has improved.

A coach is teaching inexperienced students a volleyball serve. How could shaping be used?

Start with a simplified version and gradually add components.

A golfer has increased heart rate, muscular tension and negative thoughts before the final hole. What is arousal?

The degree of stimulation or alertness before performing a skilled task.

The golfer is over-aroused and struggling to concentrate on the shot. How could relaxation help?

It can reduce arousal and help maintain concentration on relevant cues.

The golfer becomes over-aroused before the final hole. How could this affect concentration?

They may struggle to shift attention and miss important cues.

The golfer is worried they cannot handle the final shot. How could imagery reduce their stress?

Imagine performing the skill successfully to increase belief in their ability.

A junior swimmer has stopped attending training because they feel they are no longer improving. What is motivation?

The direction and intensity of effort towards a task.

The swimmer is losing commitment because they feel they are not improving. How can goal setting increase commitment?

Clear goals increase commitment and provide targets for training and competition.

The swimmer sets a realistic target and achieves it. How can this improve motivation?

Achieving realistic targets improves intrinsic motivation and self-confidence.

A basketballer sets a goal to score at least 75% of free throws, what type of goal is this?

Performance goal

The swimmer sets a goal to successfully perform a particular swimming technique during training. What type of goal is this?

Process goal