The Learning Phases: There Are Three Stages To Learning A New Skill And These Are

THE LEARNING PHASES There are three stages to learning a new skill and these are: Cognitive phase – Identification and development of the component parts of the skill  Associative phase – Linking the component parts into a smooth action Autonomous phase – Developing the learned skill so that it becomes automatic

There are a number of different types of skills: Cognitive – or intellectual skills that require thought processes  Perceptual – interpretation of presented information Motor – movement and muscle control Perceptual motor – involve the thought, interpretation and movement skills

MOVING ACTION – controlled by the conscious brain using a collection of LEARNED movement. For the movement to progress successfully the brain requires feedback (information that tells the shape of the body, the speed of the movement and direction of its actions) This information is provided by the senses: Sight (visual feedback) Sound (audio feedback) Touch and feeling from muscles, joint and balance (kinesthetic feedback)

How do we teach a new skill?: The teaching of a new skill can be achieved by various methods: VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS DEMONSTRATION VIDEO DIAGRAMS PHOTO SEQUENCES

TECHNIQUE DRILLS Identified Should not be copied slavishly but should be selected Drill – must be correct for the required action and should be the result of careful analysis and accurate observation

HOW ARE FAULTS CAUSED ? Incorrect understanding of the movement by the athlete Poor physical abilities Poor co-ordination of movement Incorrect application of power Lack of concentration Inappropriate clothing or footwear External factors eg. Weather condition

ASSESS PERFORMANCE Are the basics correct ?  Is the direction of the movement correct ? Is the rhythm correct ? Feedback / checklists

WHAT IS A SKILL? Skill is an athlete’s ability to choose and perform the right techniques at the right time, successfully, regularly and with a minimum of effort. Athletes use their skill to achieve athletic objective

Types of skills: Cognitive – involves thought processes Perceptual – involves interpretation of information Motor – involves movement.

WHAT IS TECHNIQUE? Techniques are the basic movements of any sport or event. We Combine a number of techniques into a pattern of movement

WHAT IS ABILITY? Ability is the make up of an athlete. If you of average height, strong, good coordination and have an abundance of fast twitch fibres in your legs then you have the natural ability to be a sprinter. We inherit ability from our parent

Relationship between skill, ability and technique SKILL = ABILITY + TECHNIQUE

SKILL CLASSIFICATION: Motor skills are affected by three factors: How precise a movement is Whether the movement has a definite beginning and end Whether the environment affects the performance of the skill

The Gross and Fine Continuum: This continuum is concerned with the precision of movement – gross and fine skills GROSS SKILLS Involve large muscle movements, where the major muscle groups are involved. FINE SKILLS Involve intricate movements using small muscle groups, tend to be precise and generally involve high levels of hand-eye coordination.

The OPEN and CLOSED Continuum: This continuum is concerned with the effects of the environment on skills

OPEN SKILLS

Because the environment is constantly changing and so movement have to be continually adapted. Therefore, skills are predominantly perceptual. The skill is mostly externally paced. CLOSED SKILLS These skills take place in a stable, predictable environment and the performer knows exactly what to do and when. The skills are not affected by the environment and tend to be habitual and self paced. Movements follow set patterns and have a clear beginning and end.

General points: Physical preparation Technical preparation Tactical preparation Psychological preparation

Each practice sessions should focus on one or more of the four mentioned areas. Emphasis would be given to the: Physical preparation Technical preparation

Each practice sessions should begin with a warm-up session and end with a cooling down. Session should be organized as a result of previous work and seen as part of series : a term, 6 weeks etc. Assess whether the objective been achieved if not then ….rectify… and make note immediately Preparing a session- thought on these areas Safety Motivation Learning goal organization

"In the beginning humans were created, and then humans created the criteria for being human. In the beginning, such criteria were simple, so simple that criteria were not important…. The mere emergence from a woman's belly made one human.  "Then humans discovered their hands and their fingers. Subsequent discoveries led to the invention of laws, books, print & multimedia civilization, science, and attempts to control the environment. "And all the while, criteria and new criteria were invented and stipulated, first to classify, then to separate and set