Unit 3: Motor Skills and Learning in Physical Education

Motor Skill

A skill that requires voluntary body and/or limb movement to achieve its goal.

Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS)

Basic learnt patterns that do not occur naturally, and that form the basis of more complex sport-specific skills.

Stability Skills

Body control skills involving balance and control of the body (e.g. balancing, dodging, twisting).

Locomotor Skills

Movement skills that enable us to move through space (e.g. walking, skipping, hopping).

Manipulative Skills

Object control skills involving the control of an object (e.g. throwing, catching, striking).

Gross Motor Skill

A motor skill that requires the use of large musculature to achieve the goal of the skill.

Fine Motor Skill

A motor skill that requires control of small muscles to achieve the goal of the skill, typically involving eye-hand coordination and requiring a high degree of precision of hand and finger movement.

Discrete Motor Skill

A motor skill with clearly defined beginning and end points, usually requiring a simple movement.

Serial Motor Skill

A motor skill involving a series of discrete skills.

Continuous Motor Skill

A motor skill with arbitrary beginning and end points, usually involving repetitive movements.

Closed Motor Skill

A motor skill that is more internally paced, and has higher predictability and lower variability.

Open Motor Skill

A motor skill that is more externally paced, and has lower predictability and higher variability.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A measure of education and income; higher SES is linked to higher participation in physical activities.

Cognitive Stage of Learning

The first stage on the continuum with poor sequencing and coordination of skills, frequent errors and inconsistent performance.

Associative Stage of Learning

The second stage on the continuum with greater consistency and accuracy in skill performance, fewer errors, and improved timing and coordination.

Autonomous Stage of Learning

The third stage on the continuum with high accuracy and efficiency, smooth and coordinated movements, and increased understanding of performance.

Linear Approaches to Learning

Skills are taught in isolation before being applied in a game context, with learners progressing in a sequential manner.

Strengths of Linear Approaches

Effective for beginners who need structure and clarity; promotes technical precision through repetition.

Limitations of Linear Approaches

Does not always prepare learners for unpredictable game scenarios; can reduce creativity and decision-making ability.

Non-linear Approaches to Learning

Learning occurs through exploration and adaptation rather than strict progression.

Strengths of Non-linear Approaches

Develops adaptability and decision-making, essential for open, dynamic sports.

Sociocultural Factors

Factors such as family, peers, community, gender, and cultural beliefs that affect skill development.

Individual Differences

Respects individual differences in learning pathway and techniques.

Encouragement

Encourage creativity and independence in learners.

Limitations of Learning Approaches

May overwhelm beginners who lack foundational skills.

Progress Structure

Progress can appear less structured or slower compared to linear approaches.

Expertise Requirement

Requires more expertise from the coach to design effective learning environments.

Task Constraints

Rules of the sport → Adding zones where players can/can't move.

Equipment Constraint

Using a lighter bat in milo cricket.

Court Dimensions

Playing on a smaller sized field to make the activity faster-paced.

Player Numbers

3v3 soccer rather than 11v11.

Part Practice

Motor skills broken down into parts, useful for beginners when learning complex skills (i.e. tennis serve).

Whole Practice

Practice of the whole skill, generally suitable for more skilled learners and for skills that are low in complexity.

Practice Distribution

Scheduling of practice sessions (how frequent and how long the sessions are) and spacing of practice trials within a session.

Massed Sessions

Fewer and longer sessions.

Distributed Sessions

More shorter sessions.

Massed Trials

Less rest between trials.

Distributed Trials

More rest between trials.

Massed Practice

Involves fewer practice sessions that last for a longer period of time with minimal or very short rest periods.

Distributed Practice

Spreading practice across more sessions of shorter duration with increased amount of rest breaks between trials/attempts.

Factors for Distributed Practice

Age & stage of the learner, the skill being practiced, nature of the task, level of physiological and psychological fatigue, availability of equipment, court, field, pitch & coaching personnel.

Blocked Practice

Same skill repeated over and over again, usually practised in isolation.

Random Practice

Practice a number of different skills, without practising the same skill twice in a row.

Intrinsic Feedback

Feedback from the performer's own senses; the internal information an athlete receives, based on the outcome of a particular movement or series of actions.

Visual Feedback

Information received through sight during or after performing a movement.

Auditory Feedback

Feedback obtained through hearing during or after a skill performance.

Proprioception

The sense of body position and movement, mediated by receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints.

Touch Feedback

Sensory information received through skin contact or pressure during skill execution.

Augmented Feedback

Information about the performance that comes from an external source.

Knowledge of result

Augmented feedback about the outcome of skill performance (i.e. a coach telling a tennis player whether their serve was in or out)

Knowledge of performance

Augmented feedback about the technique of skill performance (i.e. a coach telling a tennis player their 'ball toss was too high' on their serve)

Concurrent feedback

Feedback provided during the performance of a skill (i.e. using a smart watch to check running pace)

Terminal feedback

Feedback provided after the performance of a skill (i.e. baseball coach telling pitcher to adjust their release point before the next pitch)

Arousal

The amount of readiness a person experiences when faced with a task

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)

Contracting muscles for 5-10 seconds and then relaxing, working all the way down the body.

Motivation

The internal or external drive that initiates, directs, and sustains behaviour towards achieving goals in physical activities and sports.

Goal-setting

Can be outcome goals (related to a result), performance goals (related to performance) or process goals (actions an individual must engage in.) Needs to be S.M.A.R.T.

Concentration

The ability to focus attention on relevant cues and stimuli while ignoring distractions during physical activities.

Mental imagery

Used to practice a skill without actually performing it; just thinking about the skill and recreating movement patterns in your mind.

Kinaesthetic sense

Sensory impressions arising in the player's muscles and joints.

Visual sense

The player imagines seeing the movement of the body and its parts.

Auditory sense

The player hears the sound of the ball hitting the bat.

Tactile sense

The player notices how the bat feels in their hands when they grip the handle.

Focus on Environment

Staying focused on relevant cues in the environment.

Situational awareness

Being able to quickly evaluate the game situation, opponents and other environmental factors.

Selective attention

Also known as maintaining focus over an extended period of time.

Broad internal focus

This is used to focus on thoughts and feelings.

Broad external focus

This is used to focus outwards on an opponent's actions.

Narrow internal focus

This is used to focus thoughts and mentally rehearse upcoming movements.

Narrow external focus

This is used to focus on very few external cues.

Breathing control

Controlling your breathing through means of deep or slow breathing to improve concentration when you are heightened or using elevated, fast breathing when you are under stimulated.

Motivated athletes

Motivated athletes attend training, are punctual, complete tasks, and encourage teammates.

Confidence

the belief or degree of certainty that athletes possess about their ability to improve and achieve success

Self-talk

Talking (to yourself or others) and the use of emotive words

Cue words

Cue words can help an athlete focus, can be motivational or aid resilience. The cue word needs to be in places where it can be regularly seen such as in a locker, on a piece of equipment or even on a body part.

Underconfident

negative, defeat or failure, doubt

Optimum performance zone

positive thoughts of success

Overconfident

excessively positive

Physical Education

a field of study that focuses on physical fitness, sports, and health

Feelings of Underconfidence

tense, dread, fear, not wanting to take part

Feelings of Optimum Performance

excited, anticipation, calm, elated, prepared

Feelings of Overconfidence

calm, blasé

Focus of Underconfident

on others, on less relevant factors (coach, umpire, conditions)

Focus of Optimum Performance

on self, on the task

Focus of Overconfident

lacking focus on the task/s to be performed, distracted

Behaviour of Underconfident

lack of effort, likely to give up, unwilling to take risks (rather play it safe), blame others or conditions for outcome

Behaviour of Optimum Performance

commitment, willing to take chances, positive reaction to setbacks, open to learning, ignore advice from others

Behaviour of Overconfident

arrogant, not push themselves and take the win/performance for granted

Biomechanics

the studies of living things from a mechanical perspective, including: Structure & design of equipment, Movement techniques, Causes of overuse injuries, Mobility of elderly people, Improving movement for people with disabilities

Biomechanical movement analyses

are used by coaches, teachers, trainers and athletes to improve performance.

Force

defined as a push or pull. It causes an object to change shape or accelerate (start, stop, speed up or slow down)

Ground reaction forces

force exerted on one object is matched by an equal and opposite force applied by the second object

Newton's Second Law

A force applied to an object will produce a change in motion (acceleration) in the direction of the applied force, that is directly proportional to the size of the force.

Acceleration due to gravity

9.8m/s²

Weight

the force that is exerted on an object or body by gravity. Weight (W) = Mass (M) x Gravity (G)

Friction

a force that acts in the opposite direction to motion when two surfaces are in contact with one another. Friction opposes the motion of an object.

Drag Force

a type of friction that occurs between an object and air or water through means of resistance.

Newton's 1st Law

A body will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force.

Inertia

the tendency for a body to resist a change in its state of motion, whether that state is at rest or moving with a constant velocity.

Inertia

The resistance of an object to change its state of motion.