Skill Acquisition National 4/5 Physical Education

What is Skill Acquisition? It is how we learn skills and develop them over a period of time. It looks at what happens mentally and physically when we perform skills.

Information Processing Model This model explains how learning takes place. INPUT  DECISION-MAKING  OUTPUT  FEEDBACK. The four parts are linked together in a ‘learning loop’.

INPUT – you receive information via your senses e.g. sight and sound. DECISION-MAKING – use the most important information received in the input stage to make decisions. OUTPUT – move and respond in a way based on the decision you have just made. FEEDBACK – receive information about your performance.

Classification of Skills You can classify a skill in the following ways… Simple Complex Open Closed Discrete Serial Continuous

Simple Skills – have few subroutines, less decisions to be made, are less physically demanding and safe to perform. Simple Skills – have few subroutines, less decisions to be made, are less physically demanding and safe to perform. Complex Skills – many subroutines, more decisions to be made, are physically demanding to perform and can be dangerous to perform.

Open Skills – performed in constantly different environments so are never repeated in exactly the same way. For example, a lay-up. Open Skills – performed in constantly different environments so are never repeated in exactly the same way. For example, a lay-up. Closed Skills – have no environmental factors impacting on them so the technique can be repeated over and over again. For example, a forward roll.

Discrete Skills – have a clear beginning and end, for example, a shot putt throw. Discrete Skills – have a clear beginning and end, for example, a shot putt throw. Serial Skills – have a clear beginning and end but link a series of movements together, for example, a triple jump. Continuous Skills – repeat the movement over and over again until the performer chooses to stop, for example, cycling.

Methods of Practice There are various types of practice you can use to develop your skills and techniques. There are various types of practice you can use to develop your skills and techniques. Solo/Partner/Group Practice Shadow Practice Opposed/Unopposed Practice Gradual Build-Up Repetition Drills Massed/Distributed Practice Conditioned/Small-sided/Coached Games Whole-Part-Whole.

QUESTION! Choose an activity. Choose a skill/technique. Name a method of practice you would use to improve that skill/technique. Describe, in detail, a practice you used to do this.

Feedback Feedback is information you receive about your performance. There are two types of feedback; internal (kinaesthetic) and external (extrinsic).

Kinaesthetic Feedback Kinaesthetic feedback is how you feel when you perform a skill or technique. Kinaesthetic feedback is how you feel when you perform a skill or technique. Your muscles send messages via the nerves to your brain which gives you feedback on how well you just performed.

Kinaesthetic Feedback An example, ‘When performing a lay-up in basketball I felt that I had taken off from the correct foot but hadn’t jumped high enough to get as close to the basket as I could.’ ‘When performing a lay-up in basketball I felt that I had taken off from the correct foot but hadn’t jumped high enough to get as close to the basket as I could.’

External Feedback External feedback is information you receive from someone else about your performance. It can be in the form of written, verbal OR visual feedback. When have you received external feedback on your performance? What did it tell you about your performance? When have you received external feedback on your performance? What did it tell you about your performance?

Feedback For feedback to be effective it must… For feedback to be effective it must… Be positive Be positive Be constructive Be constructive Be immediate Be immediate Be precise Be precise Be accurate Be accurate