Motor Learning and Skill
Acquisition
Westdale PE
PSE 4U
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Basic Principles of Motor Learning and Skill
Acquisition
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More we perform skill the better we get at it
Ability to master increasingly difficult skills increases as we grow and
develop
Motor Learning
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Process by which a person develops, via a combination of physical and psychological
factors
The ability to perform a task
Root of any motor activity lies in the co-operation between the sensory,
nervous and muscular systems
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Stages of Motor Learning
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Cognitive Stage
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Associative Stage
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Come to basic understanding of task; learner commits relatively large errors and may
need specific instruction on how to improve
Learners begin to refine skill; develop some awareness of mistakes being made;
becomes more consistent
Autonomous Stage
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Skill becomes “automatic”; do not spend much time thinking about basic
fundamentals; aware of mistakes and how to correct them
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Factors Affecting Skill Development
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Reasons for errors and faults in skills
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Incorrect understanding of movement
Poor physical abilities
Poor coordination of movement
Incorrect application of power
Lack of concentration
Inappropriate equipment, clothing or footwear
External factors (weather, distractions, etc.)
Fatigue
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Singer’s Five-Step Process to Teaching and
Learning Skills
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Lecture Task 1:
With the help of page 261, briefly list and describe the 5 steps in
Singer’s process.
Be sure to include the role of the learner and coach in each step.
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Knowledge of Results Feedback
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Also called KR feedback
Comes from simply seeing the final outcome of an action
E.g., working on golf swing can get KR feedback by how far ball traveled
after each shot
Track and field results are another example of KR
Usually quantitative
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Knowledge of Performance Feedback
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Also called KP feedback or kinematic feedback
Emphasis not on outcome of activity but rather on how body performed
during activity
E.g., golf shot practice would not be concerned with where ball lands but
with the actual swing
Input of outside observer critical in KP feedback
Video recording also helpful
Sport Announcers usually comment on KP
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Transferability
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Learned skills from one sport or activity can often be applied, or
transferred to a different sport
Can you think of transferable skills between these sports?
* tennis and volleyball
* basketball and baseball
* hockey and golf
(remember...find transferable skills, not transferable principles)
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Classifying Skills
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Open
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Performed in an unpredictable environment
Requires participants to adapt their movements to changing nature of environment
Sport skills vary depending on the situation
Class example?
Closed
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Predictable environment
Permits participants to plan movements in advance
Sport skill is often a repetitive movement
Class example?
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Adapting a sport skill
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Lecture Task 2:
With the help of page 265, note the similarities and differences
between shaping a skill, and chaining a skill.
Include this in your answer:
If you are a coach (for a sport of your choice), when would you use shaping?
Chaining?
© Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material without written permission.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.