Manipulating Skills Watch the following clip on a very skilfull performer, how did he become this good? ___?___ makes perfect

PRACTICE TYPES Movement classification is often used to determine the most effective ways to learn and practice skills. The conditions in which a skill is learned or practiced should also replicate the circumstances of actual performance as closely as possible.

VARIED PRACTICE Open skills are best practised in a constantly changing, unpredictable environment. This allows the performer to develop the necessary perceptual and decision making skills. The player will learn to adapt the skill to suit the situation. These adaptations are stored and the experience or schema of the player is expanded. This type of practice improves selective attention, making information processing faster and more efficient. Before introducing varied practice a novice usually learns a skill in a fixed environment, building up a motor programme of the skill. This allows the learner to groove or over-learn the skill, which can be adapted later.

What have you remembered? Open skills are best practised in what kind of environment? What is another word for the experience of the player? How does a novice best learn a skill? What is another word for “over-learning” a skill? 4

FIXED PRACTICE Closed skills require fixed practice because the environment in which they are performed remains the same and, once perfected, the movement pattern never changes. These stereotyped actions should be grooved to the point of being habitual.

PART PRACTICE Low organisation skills can be broken down into sub-routines. Part practice allows the performer to work on an isolated sub-routine in order to perfect it. Part practice reduces the possibility of overload, so is useful with beginners. It allows a performer to focus on a specific sub-routine and can, therefore, be useful in correcting faulty technique. It can also be useful with complex skills or with those involving an element of danger. Gymnasts and trampolinists use chaining to learn and link the movements or sub-routines of their sequences. It is important for them to learn the movements in the correct order. Backward chaining is sometimes used when teaching skills such as throwing events in athletics, eg. javelin

What have you remembered? Closed skills are best practised in what kind of environment? Who would find “part practice” useful? What name is given to gymnasts and trampolinist’s use of linking the movements or sub-routines of their sequences. 7

WHOLE PRACTICE High organisation skills need to be taught as a whole as the sub-routines cannot be separated without disrupting the flow of the movement e.g. sprinting, dribbling. Ideally all skills should be taught as a whole as this allows the learner to develop a feel of the skill. This is termed kinaesthesis.

WHOLE-PART-WHOLE PRACTICE This involves presenting the whole skill to the performer. The sub-routines are then practised separately. Finally the whole skill is reintroduced.

MASSED PRACTICE This is when the learners practice continuously at a skill without any breaks or rest intervals. It is good for the grooving in or habitual skills. It is good for experienced, highly motivated learners who have good fitness levels. Can you give an e.g of this? 10

DISTRIBUTED PRACTICE These practice sessions have rest intervals included. It is good for most skill learning, particularly for beginners and learners with low levels of motivation. Can you give a sporting example of this? 11

What have you remembered? Which skills need to be taught as a whole? Which sports would need this to happen? What name is given to the practice whereby the whole skill and sub routines are practised? 12

SKILL SIMPLIFICATION If a skill is complex, high in organisation and/or dangerous the task should be made easier. This is called task simplification. Can you think of 2 examples where tasks can be simplified? 1. ________________ 2. ________________

Skill Simplification Eg.> A bicycle could be fitted with stabilisers. > A harness could be used to assist a trampoliner in learning somersaults. > Children may play short tennis before progressing to tennis. > Small sided games of hockey/ football may be introduced before progressing to the full game 14