Skill acquisition 91328

Three Stages of Skill Acquisition 1. Cognitive (understanding) 2. Associative (practice) 3. Autonomous (automatic)

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=Tva4E5g5tTo

Cognitive Stage Characterised by thinking - trying to understand the skill Movements in this stage are jerky, halting and poorly timed Performance is variable with a lot of 'gross errors' An increase in 'self-talk' is evident as this stage progresses This stage is quite short With regular practice and thought, the learner will make rapid and large gains in proficiency Gross errors = the learner knows something is wrong, but they dont know how to fix it. E.g. learning a golf shot and keep missing ball or hitting the ground

Cognitive Stage ctd. Learners at this stage need short, simple instructions Constant blocks of practice work best Lots of feedback required. KP (knowledge of performance) is best Visual and auditory feedback is good

Associative Stage This stage is quite long Some people might never move out of this stage The basic fundamental skill has already been learnt. Less variable and more consistent performance Less errors because the learner can detect and correct errors Movements are more coordinated and refined

Associative stage ctd Individual needs to think less about the skill, there is a shift to memorised movements Rapid improvement and a marked decrease in energy expenditure Encourage use of mental imagery Practice skills randomly rather than in blocks E.g. a golfer can now hit the ball consistently. They may not have full control over their distance and direction yet though, but that will come with practice

Coaching during the associative phase It is important for the coach to communicate well and give good feedback. Instruction needs to be more individual, with errors identified and corrections prescribed. Progressive increase in task complexity Demonstrations, videos of the athlete performing and verbal descriptions of corrections are useful

Autonomous stage After much practice and experience, the skill becomes habitual or automatic Improvements come slowly but there is a good consistency of performance Most of the skill is performed without thinking because the athlete requires less attention to basics Instead, they can give more attention to higher-order cognitive activities, such as game strategies and external cues E.g. spin on the ball or position of the opponent. This develops self-confidence and risk taking in performance situations. The golfer will be able to change a swing to suit the particular shot required and be able to curve the ball with control after hitting it to allow for external factors such as wind or slope.

Autonomous stage ctd The practice sessions need to be well organised to ensure improvements The athlete must be highly motivated and given a great deal of feedback Training should attempt to simulate the actual performance conditions. Psychological skills training can be very effective in this stage, especially when dealing with anxiety in competitions

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8QZzvhkIyQ