1. ABILITY AND SKILL
BASKETBALL TRIALS

2. Learning objectives understand what is meant by the term ‘skill’
be able to place skills into categories
be able to analyse the factors underlying skilled performance
understand what is mean by the term abilities
understand the theories of ability
understand the skill-ability interaction

3. Skill is
the consistent production of goal-oriented movements, which are learned and specific to the task
LEARNED
CONSISTENT
GOAL-ORIENTED
SPECIFIC TO THE TASK

4. Measurement Some skills are best measured by outcome
What they look like is not important
Some skills are best measured qualitatively
Whether or not they are aesthetically pleasing is the aim
Measurement can be objective
Measurement can be subjective
Outcome is normally measured objectively and aesthetics (or form) is normally measured subjectively

5. Definitions of skill DISCRETE SERIAL CONTINUOUS JAVELIN THROW
TRIPLE JUMP
SWIMMING
one action
Several actions joined together
No recognizable beginning or end

6. Definitions of skill COMPLEX SIMPLE
LITTLE DEMAND FOR PERCEPTION AND DECISION MAKING
GREAT DEMAND FOR PERCEPTION AND DECISION MAKING

7. POULTON’S OPEN-CLOSED SKILLS
Open skills require perception and decision making
The environment is ever changing
Team games, tennis and other individual games are open skills
In closed skills technique is more important than information processing
The environment rarely changes or changes only a little from trial to trial
Shot putt, diving
This is a continuum theory but Poulton did not explain the middle of the continuum very well

8. Gentile’s classification of skills (adapted from Gentile, A. M
Gentile’s classification of skills (adapted from Gentile, A. M., Higgins, J. R., Miller, E. A. and Rosen, B. M., 1975, The structure of motor tasks. Mouvement, 7; 11-28)
CLOSED
OPEN
environment and object- no change
Environment - no change; object moves
environment changes; object static
all change
team games
shot putt
bobsleigh
golf

9. Ability
ABILITIES ARE BASIC INNATE ACTIONS WHICH UNDERLIE PERFORMANCE

10. General motor ability
General motor ability determines individual’s prowess at all sports
Research does not support this

11. Henry’s specificity hypothesis
Abilities are specific and unique
There are no relationships between skills

12. Fleishman’s factor analysis hypothesis
Abilities can be grouped into clusters
e.g., dynamic, static and ballistic balance
Low to moderate correlations within a cluster

13. Psychomotor factors
Physical factors
1. Control precision.
(Control over fast, accurate movements that use large areas of the body.)
1. Extent (or static) flexibility.
2. Multi-limb coordination.
2. Dynamic flexibility.
3. Response orientation.
(Selection of the appropriate response.)
3. Static strength.
4. Reaction time.
4. Dynamic strength.
5. Speed of arm movement.
5. Explosive strength.
6. Rate control.
(Coincidence-anticipation.)
6. Trunk strength.
7. Manual dexterity.
7. Gross body coordination.
8. Arm-hand steadiness.
8. Gross body equilibrium.
9. Wrist-finger speed.
(Coordination of fast wrist and finger movements.)
9. Stamina.
(Cardiovascular fitness.)
10. Aiming.
11. Postural discrimination.
(Co-ordination when vision is occluded.)
12. Response integration.
(Integration of sensory information to produce a movement.)
FLEISHMAN’S ABILITIES (based on Fleishman, E. A., 1967, Development of a behavior taxonomy for human tasks: A correlational-experimental approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 51; 1-10.)

14. Superability A weak general motor ability
We rely more on specific abilities
Individuals’ superabilities vary

15. Ability-skill interaction
Abilities underpin skill
Different people perform the same skill in different ways

16. POWER
GROSS BODY
COORDINATION
FOOT-EYE
AGILITY
REACTION
TIME
(a)
SPEED
(b)
Example of how two professional soccer players (both wingers) used different abilities in order to beat an opponent

17. The skill-ability interaction is not static
Moving from one level of performance to another affects the interaction
Different abilities may well be needed
The changing task model
Development (during childhood and during ageing) means that we change – physically and cognitively
The changing person model

18. Summary Abilities determine the individual’s potential
Different skills require different abilities
Two people can perform the same differently because they possess different abilities
The individual’s abilities change over time due to developmental factors