Skill Learning Principles in Sports Coaching

1. UNIT 2 – Understanding sports coaching and physically active lifestyles

2. A.O.S 1* Skill learning principles and practice* The coaching toolbox – coaching characteristics, skills and responsibilities

3. Key knowledge • Skill learning principles, such as stages of learning (cognitive, associative and autonomous), skill learning processes and the role of feedback in learning • Open and closed skill and sport continuum; comparing environmental stability with instability • Types of practice and transfer of practice

4. Key skills • Apply principles of learning to practical situations • Identify factors that influence coaching and learning at different stages of learning

5. OVERVIEW

6. What is a skill? • A skill is the ability to do something well! Within the sporting arena the focus in on motor skills such as a tennis serve, volleyball spike or hockey push. A motor skill has 2 specific definitions: • ‘A skill for which the primary determinant of success is the quality of the movement that the performer produces.’ (Schmidt and Wrisberg 2008) • ‘Activities or tasks that require voluntary head, body and/or limb movement to achieve a goal.’ (Magill 2004)

7. Thinking things through • List 5 skills. • In a sport of your choice list 5 motor skills. • Outstanding motor skill is vital to sporting success. Do you agree or disagree? For 3 of the skills listed in Q.2, discuss how a high level of skill development will bring about successful performance.

8. Motor skills • Motor skills are often categorised under : • Movement precision • Type of movement • Predictability of the environment 

9. Progress • In the supplied picture what does a person need to do to graduate from one skill set to the next? 

10. Movement precision • Motor skills can be classified according to the precision of movement, and the corresponding size of musculature required, as;

11. Movement precision • Gross motor skills – involve the recruitment of large muscle groups, place less emphasis on precision, and include running and swimming • Name 4 gross motor skills.

12. Movement precision • Fine motor skills – involve the recruitment of smaller muscles associated with movements requiring precision, such as bouncing the ball before serving in tennis, or the precise finger and hand movement required in darts • Name 4 fine motor skills.

13. Type of Movement • Motor skills can also be classified according to the type of movement as: • Discrete motor skills • Continuous motor skills • Serial motor skills

14. Discrete motor skills • Have an obvious beginning and end, such as kicking a ball or a netball pass.

15. Continuous motor skills • Have no definite beginning or end point and include activities such as walking and running. Sometimes a beginning and end point are defined such as a 100m race, but the actual motor skill is continuous.

16. Serial motor skill • There are a number of occasions when several discrete skills are performed in a sequence such as a gymnastics floor routine. This combination of discrete skills is classified as a serial motor skills

17. Serial motor skill • Can you name 2 examples of a serial motor skill? • Clue – a skill that has more than 1 skill involved for the end product – eg: Triple Jump

18. How to teach a skill

19. Predictability of the environment • Motor skills can also be classified according to the extent to which they are influenced by environmental factors. • Closed motor skills are performed in surroundings where the performer has the greatest control over the environment. • The environment refers to external factors such as the weather, playing surface and opposition

20. Closed motor skill • A closed motor skill would be an indoor, individual, diving routine. • In this situation the diver determines the routine they will perform, and when their dive will commence, and is not affected by the weather conditions.

21. Open motor skill • An open motor skill is performed in a less predictable environment. • In an open environment, the conditions are constantly changing and the performer has limited, if any, control over their environment. • White water rafting is an example where the performer has limited control over their environment and conditions

22. Multiple levels of influence Movement precision Type of movement Predictability of environment Insert name and definition Insert name and definition Insert name and definition Insert name and definition Insert name and definition Insert name and definition Insert name and definition Insert sporting example Insert sporting example Insert sporting example Insert sporting example Insert sporting example Insert sporting example Insert sporting example Thinking things through • Complete the following table – available in your text page 204

23. Coaching inspiration

24. Homework Task