SEHS UNIT 5.3 - Principles of Skill Learning

learning

relatively permanent change in performance brought about by experience

performance

temporary occurrence fluctuating (rising/falling) over time

relationship between learning and performance

if performance changes over time it often infers learning has taken place.

what does learning exclude?

changes due to maturation and degeneration

how do we measure learning?

by observing performance

how do we tell that a skill has been learned?

it can be perform with consistency

cognitive phase of learning

is the first stage in learning a new sport. Athletes are often young or new to the sport. A coach teaches primarily through demonstrating and visual learning. By watching skills, the athletes then practice.

motor component of cognitive phase of learning

uncoordinated movement

associative phase of learning

learn by practice (trial and error) in this stage and athletes are expected to make many errors. In order to combat these and teach the performers, there is a large emphasis on feedback from the coach.

feedback during associative phase of learning

must be extrinsic as the performers do not have the knowledge or muscle memory to know if the skill is done correctly. In this stage, the feedback also is primarily knowledge of results.

autonomous phase of learning

the performer succeeds frequently and is highly skilled. The performance is automatic.

different types of learning curves

➢ positive acceleration

➢ negative acceleration

➢ linear

➢ plateau

linear learning curve

➢ learn an easy-to-perform skill

➢ practise is successful and beneficial, ➢ motivation and focus is consistently high

➢ positive coach interaction

positive acceleration curve

➢ learning a skill that is difficult to perform at first.

➢ then reach a point where performance improves more quickly

➢ motivation grows with success

negative acceleration curve

when we learn quickly at first but then slow down.

reasons for negative acceleration

possibly due to:

➢ motivation decrease

➢ physical fatigue

➢ lack of coach input.

plateau

➢ learning is positive and probably fairly quick at first.

➢ then there is a period where there is no improvement in performance.

reasons for plateau

possibly due to:

➢ lack of practice

➢ injury

➢ declining interest

➢ skills not learned correctly

➢ coach is unable to progress performer

➢ skill progression is too complex

what factors contribute to rate of learning?

➢ physical maturation

➢ physical fitness

➢ individual differences of coaches

➢ age

➢ difficulty of task

➢ teaching environment

➢ motivation

define the concept of transfer

the influence of learning or performance of one skill on the learning or performance of another.

positive transfer

learning of one skill helps with the learning of another

negative transfer

learning of one skill hinders (makes harder) the learning of another

types of transfer

➢ skill to skill

➢ practice to performance

➢ abilities to skills

➢ bilateral

➢ stage to stage

➢ principles to skills

skill to skill transfer

learning one skill and being able to transfer that skill into a different skill.

eg. throwing a ball to throwing a javelin

practice to performance transfer

transferring skills learnt in training into a game situation.

eg. batting in baseball against a pitching machine

abilities to skills transfer

A performer uses their own abilities ( component of fitness) to perform a skill.

eg. improving dynamic strength in order to start races better

bilateral transfer

transfer of learning that occurs between two limbs.

eg. a footballer who can pass with their right foot having previously learned with their left foot

stage to stage transfer

skills learnt in the cognitive phase further developed in the associative phase, and associative to autonomous phase.

eg. three-on-three basketball to the full game

principles to skill transfer

concepts from sports can be transferred into other games.

eg. defending in basketball to netball.

practice

essential to acquiring motor skills

types of practice

➢ distributed

➢ massed

➢ fixed (drill)

➢ variable

➢ mental

distributed practice

intervals are planned within the training to allow for rest and mental rehearsal.

massed practice

continuous training with no rest.

fixed practice (drills)

repeatedly practicing a particular skill, usually in a closed environment to allow for skill development.

variable practice

training where the demands placed on the performance of a skill are altered. The skill remains the same, but the environment alters to help replicate match play.

mental practice

preparation for a skill without actually doing the skill. Cognitive phase – mental rehearsal to assist with learning a skill. Autonomous phase – mental preparation to ensure consistency and block out other distractions

types of presentation

➢ whole

➢ whole-part-whole

➢ progressive part

➢ part

whole presentation

the movement is presented in its entirety and practiced in its entirety.

whole-part-whole presentation

the whole skill is presented and practiced. It is then broken down into parts, focusing on any issues before putting into a whole skill again.

progressive part presentation

the skill is broken down into parts from the start. The parts are learned and gradually progressed to form different/more complex parts.

part presentation

skill is broken down into parts and learned in isolation, forming subroutines that can later be pieced together.

different teaching styles

➢ command

➢ reciprocal

➢ problem-solving

command style

the coach is in charge, selecting the content for the session as well as the methods of practice and training.

Authoritarian approach so the performer doesn’t have a say, therefore doesn’t develop any independent thinking skills.

Can be useful if coaching beginners or if the session could become dangerous if the protocol isn’t followed (throwing events in athletics)

reciprocal style

also called peer-coaching. The coach sets the agenda, but allowing the performer(s) to offer their own advice/opinion and work together. This helps the performers self image, confidence, communication and leadership skills.

problem-solving style

the coach sets a problem or task and lets the learner work out the solution for themselves.

This approach can be effective when you have time to explore a skill. If there are time restraints on when the skills need to be learned by then this method would not be used.