Skills and Techniques

KEY CONCEPT 1 THE CONCEPT OF SKILL AND SKILLED PERFORMANCE

In this KEY CONCEPT you examine in detail what a skill is, what makes a skilled performance,how skills are performed using an information processing model, classification of skillsAnd how a MODEL performer can be used to enhance and Develop performance

Demonstrator Please!

What is a the difference between a SKILL and a TECHNIQUE?

A skill is a movement with a purpose, for example -

Shooting, passing,dribbling,tackling etc.

A technique is HOW you perform a skill, for example

Set shot, jump shot, lay-up, hook shot, slam dunk

Skills and techniques vary in difficulty according to their Requirements, your level of ability and your previousExperience

Classification of SKILLS

Skills are classified in 3 main ways these are -

Open < > Closed

Simple < > Complex

Discrete < > Continuous

OPEN ----------CLOSED

Skills are classed as OPEN if they are performed in UNPREDICTABLE situations

Skills are classed as CLOSED if they are performed in CONTROLLED situations

Most skills have both open and closed elements and occurAt different points along the CONTINUUM

For example dribbling past opponents in basketball

For example performing a ‘Free throw’ in basketball

SIMPLE --------COMPLEX

Skills can also be classified on the CONTINUUM as

Either simple Or complex

Simple skills have

* Little decision making

* Little information to be processed

* Few subroutines

Complex skills have

*Much decision making

*Much information to Be processed

* Many subroutines

DISCRETE CONTINUOUS

Skills can be placed along the CONTINUUM betweenDiscrete and continuous

Discrete skills have a clear beginning and end – for exampleThrowing a javelin or a long jump

Continuous skills are ongoing in nature – do not have a clear Beginning and end and are repetitive or cyclical movementPatterns – for instance a long distance runner.

What makes a skilled performer?

A skilled performer can carry out linked movements withThe maximum efficiency

Movements are carried out in a fluent, controlled and accurate way

Minimum time and effort are required

Correct options are selected

Skills and techniques are selected which reflect the performersAbility and experience

Questions

1. Describe the difference between a simple skill/technique and a Complex skill/technique

2. Describe the qualities that you would see in a skilled performance.

3. Provide an example and explanation of an activity which contains Both open and closed skills

Information processing model

Understanding of how you learn and perform SKILLS can be Increased by studying the information processing model

The information processing model contains 4 parts, (Page 59)

Input

Decision making

Output

Feedback

Input

The first part of the loop is INPUT. This is the Information which you receive from your senses

Sound – team mates shouting for a pass,giving you Information etc.

Feel – the strength of the wind, the underfootConditions etc.

Sight – what you see – where the ball is, where the Opposition is, where your team mates are, where the Basket is etc.

Decision Making

You then have to make decisions about your performance basedOn the information you received from your senses – input.

You have to separate important information from the lessImportant information

For instance - you see a defender approaching you but you knowThat you have enough time to shoot the basketball before theDefender arrives – therefore you can ignore the defender, concentrate On the shot and perform it successfully

A less skilled performer may see the defender, rush the shot andBe unsuccessful

Output

The third part of the loop is OUTPUTThis is the way in which you move and how you perform theSkill depending on the decisions you have made

Feedback

After you have performed your chosen skill or movement you thenReceive information about your performance

Information about your performance is called FEEDBACK

With this information you can evaluate your performance and Adapt it to help you be more successful in the future.For example – was the pass you made successful – if not why not?

This then leads you into the INPUT part of the loop again

Questions

Describe in detail the Information Processing Model and discussIt’s relevance to performing and learning skills

KEY CONCEPT 2

Skill and Technique improvement by using

Mechanical analysis

Movement analysis

Consideration of Quality

In this KEY CONCEPT you examine in detail how you can collect RELEVANT and DETAILED information about your performance Of a skill or techniqueYou can then use the information gained to create a detailed plan to Improve your performance

You can also use this process to review and monitor any Improvement in your performance

Mechanical analysis

Mechanical analysis is looking at your performance of a skill orTechnique in a MECHANICAL way.

MECHANICS is about FORCE, FRICTION, LEVERAGE, PLANES OF MOVEMENT, ETC.

Mechanical analysis is often used in activities where the SKILLS are Highly Technical and are often CLOSED skills

In our course we rarely use MECHANICAL analysis,but you should Know it exists and understand the basic principles of it

Movement analysis

The method of analysing a skill which we use most often is

Movement analysis

In Movement analysis we break the skill down into 3 parts

Preparation Action Recovery

Preparation is the movements you make BEFORE you perform the SKILL

Action is the movements you make AS you perform the SKILL

Recovery is the movements you make AFTER you perform the SKILL

MOVEMENT ANALYSIS

This is a useful way to examine your performance of a skill or Technique in many different activities

By analysing skills in this way it is possible to discover which parts Of the skill/technique require improvement

It is then possible to design an improvement programme toImprove the aspects of the skill/technique which have beenIdentified as weak

Movement analysis

The method of ANALYSING SKILLS which we use mostOften is MOVEMENT ANALYSIS.

See handout

Question

Higher Past Paper 2004

Mechanical analysis, movement analysis and consideration of Quality are regarded as being useful methods when analysing Performance in the area of skills and techniques

(a) Choose an activity. Describe , in detail, the method Of analysis you used to gather information about yourPerformance of ONE selected skill or technique (4)

Key Concept 3

The development of SKILL The refinement of TECHNIQUE

In this KEY CONCEPT you examine in detail

The different STAGES of skill learning

Principles of EFFECTIVE practice

METHODS of practice

Motivation, concentration and feedback

&

Stages of Skill Learning

There are 3 important stages when learning and developing skills

These are

Preparation stage

Practice stage

Automatic stage

Preparation (Cognitive) stage

During the preparation stage you find out WHAT the skill involves

You find out what the parts of the skill are - SUBROUTINES

and

You make your first attempts at learning/performing each part

At this stage errors are likely to be common and so you willNeed advice, encouragement, and perhaps support to avoidInjuries. Positive feedback will help you to improve andRemain motivated

Practice(Associative) Stage

During the practice stage you link together all the requiredSUB – ROUTINES of the skill

Your ability, experience and the difficulty of the skill you areLearning will determine the amount of practice time required

Simple skills will require less practice and consolidation thanComplex skill

Gradually appropriate practice will reduce the number of mistakesMade during performance

The METHOD of practice you will use will differ according to the skill being practiced

Automatic (Autonomous) stage

By this stage most sub – routines have become automatic

As a result you do not need to think about them

You can now concentrate on other aspects of your performanceOther than the skill which you can now perform AUTOMATICALLY

You can now think about other things like – where your team matesAre, what the best option is etc.

At the AUTOMATIC stage errors are less likely and you can Concentrate on more detailed aspects of your performance

Question

Describe, in detail, the three stages of skill learning andExplain how you went through this process in the learning of ONE skill from an activity of your choice.

Methods of Practice

When developing SKILLS and TECHNIQUES you can use a numberOf different METHODS OF PRACTICE

The most regularly used METHODS of PRACTICE are

1.Solo/shadow/partner/group

2.Opposed/Unopposed

3. Gradual build up

4. Repetition/drills

5. Whole - Part - Whole6. Conditioned/Small sided/Coached games

7. Massed(Continuous) / Distributed(Spaced)

Solo/shadow/partner/groupPractices can be done in different sized groupings

You can perform practices

On your own – SOLO eg. Movement practice in Badminton

Mirroring or copying another person – SHADOWING eg. Copying the movement patterns of a MODEL performer

Work with another person – PARTNER eg. One person feeds the other performs the skill

Work with more than one other person – GROUPEg. Group of 5 practicing passing in a circle

Increasing the number of people in the practice session may beA useful way of increasing the difficulty of the practice

- PROGRESSION

Opposed/unopposedVarying the degree of opposition in a practice is a useful way ofMaking a practice meaningful and avoiding practice which is inappropriate

It can also be used to increase the level of difficulty of a practice

- PROGRESSIONPractices can often be performed with

NO opposition PASSIVE opposition ACTIVE oppositionPerforming a practice with NO opposition may be suited to the early Stages of learning a SKILL – PREPARATION STAGE

Practicing with PASSIVE opposition may be suited to the middleStages of learning a SKILL – PRACTICE STAGE

Practicing with ACTIVE opposition may be suited to the finalStage of learning a SKILL – AUTOMATIC STAGE

It is important that your partner knows which level of oppositionThey are expected to provide

Gradual build upGradual build up is a useful method for learning COMPLEX skills

It is also a useful method of learning skills which have an element Of RISK

By using GRADUAL BUILD UP you can learn a skill in stagesBIT BY BIT

By doing this you can make the practice more demanding in smallStages. If these small stages are realistic and achievable then this method of learning skills can produce a high level of CONFIDENCE

- amount of information to be processed- number of decisions to be made

- number of subroutines to be learned- amount of co-ordination required- environment in which skill is to be performed- accuracy and speed of decision making etc.

Repetition / drillsDuring practice it can be productive to repeat an action many times

You may practice the whole skill or smaller parts of the skill over and over

The intention is to GROOVE the technique so that all the parts of theSkill ( sub routines) work well together

This type of practice works best with fairly CLOSED, COMPLEXskills

Drills are routines or sequences of movements that are designed to giveYou the opportunity to repeat a skill or technique Eg. Set shot > rebound > pass.

Drills can also be made more game–like and therefore more demandingAnd pressurised - PROGRESSION (See P. 71)

Whole / part / wholeThis method of practicing skills is often used when you already have Some experience of the activityYou need to be able to perform a version of the whole skill already

You can then use whole-part-whole to refine parts of the skillWhich need improved before attempting the whole skill again After analysing the skill using Movement analysis

You identify which PARTS OF THE SKILL are weak and youCan then practice these parts in isolation before putting themBack into the full skillSkills which allow parts of the performance to be SEPERATEDAre most suited to this method of learning eg. Lay- up inBasketball.Whole-part-whole works less well with continuous skills as it is Difficult to isolate parts of these skills eg. Handspring in gymnastics

Conditioned /small sided/coached games

When you are learning and developing OPEN skills using a ‘Games like ’situation can be a useful method to use

This can allow you to refine and develop skills in a moreDemanding and realistic situation

Conditioned gamesConditioned games can take many forms. Often Conditioned gamesAre used to provide one side with an advantageThis makes achieving tasks or successfully performing skills easier

For example if you play 5v3 in Basketball the attacking side has aNumerical advantage and will therefore have more attacking options,More passes available, and more shooting opportunities.

5v3 could also be used to make defensive duties more difficult and could be used to put extra pressure on defensive skills like closing down attackers, blocking shots, and winning rebounds

You can also change the formal rules of the game to emphasise throughThe game particular skills or techniques that you have been working onFor example if you had been practicing Drop shots in Badminton you Could encourage the use of the Drop shot in the game by awardingExtra points for any rally which is won by successfully performingA Drop shot

Small sided games

Reducing the number of players in a team can be a useful way ofFor improving performance

Reducing the number of players in a team gives each player MOREOpportunities to practice skills and techniques in a realistic,Games like situation

The MORE times you practice skills and techniques in a demandingGames like situation the better your performance will be when you areRequired to perform these skills in a real game under real pressure to Perform successfully

Coached games

While playing a real game the coach/teacher may wish to interrupt The game to emphasise a particular point

Often this interruption or ‘Coaching’ will be to highlight somethingIn the game which the coach/teacher considers necessary toImprove performance

For instance the coach may interrupt your game of BadmintonTo emphasise improvements to your shot placement, performanceOf a technique etc.This ‘Coaching’ can only be done in certain circumstances

Opportunities to coach in ‘Real’ games are limited by rulesEg. Time outs in Basketball, Technical area in Football etc

Massed / Distributed

The demands of different skills and activities influence whetherPractice is best done on a Massed – continuous basis

or

Distributed – spaced basis

Massed practice may be most suited to

Continuous skills

Where the performer has a high level of MOTIVATIONWhere practicing until TIRED or FATIGUED would be beneficial

Continuous / massed practice can be useful as it can reproduceThe situation where it is necessary to perform skills when fatigued such as may occur in the later stages of a physically demanding game

Massed / Distributed

Distributed or ‘spaced’ practice would be best suited to a complex,Closed, discrete skill or technique

Eg. A Backflip in Gymnastics

In techniques such as this there is a danger of injury or failureIf you become too tired

Therefore few practice attempts interspersed with longer Rest or Recovery periods would ensure the best progress

Questions

1. Give an example of a method of practice which would be suited to the development of a complex skill. Give a detailed descriptionOf how you developed a complex skill in your course using this method of practice

2. Discuss how the activities in your course could be adapted toImprove certain skills within each activity

Principles of EFFECTIVE

practice

There are 3 main principles of EFFECTIVE practice

1. Clear Objectives ( Targets)

2. Work to Rest Ratio

3. Progression

Clear ObjectivesFor your practice to be effective you should set clear objectives(Targets)

This will take into consideration your present STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES

What aspects of your performance you are trying to improve

Your present level of performance compared to a MODELperformer

The targets should be

PROGRESSIVE

ACHIEVABLE

REALISTIC

Work To Rest RatioIn all practices you need to calculate the RATIO of WORK to REST

Working out this RATIO is one of the KEY issues in making the skillTraining SPECIFIC to your NEEDS

The RATIO depends on

Your previous EXPERIENCE in the activity

Your level of ABILITY

The COMPLEXITY of the SKILL

The PHYSICAL DEMANDS of the ACTIVITY

Get the WORK to REST RATIO wrong then you could become either

TIRED or BORED

When you are TIRED or BORED then your SKILL LEVEL will DROP

This is exactly the OPPOSITE to the desired outcome

ProgressionTo ensure that your practices are meaningful to your current levelOf performance you must make your practices

Harder

As your level of PERFORMANCE improves

This is known as - PROGRESSION

You must make sure your practices are suitably demanding at all times

Apply the PRINCPLE OF PROGRESSION to all your practices

HIGH QUALITY PRACTICE for a SHORT time is better thanRepetitive, low quality practice for a longer period of time

Question

When designing a training programme to improve your skill levelIn an activity you must take into consideration principles of effectivePractice. State what you understand to be principles of effective practiceAnd give details of how you used these principles when practicing a Skill from an activity in your course.

Motivation

Motivation is your level of DESIRE to SUCCEED

YOU need to be MOTIVATED in order to IMPROVEYour PEFORMANCE

There are 2 types of MOTIVATION

INTERNAL MOTIVATION

EXTERNAL MOTIVATON

Internal Motivation

This is your own level of desire to succeed.

If you are interested in the activity then you are far more likelyTo improve and make progress in your performance

It would be impossible to achieve a high level of performance ifYou did not have a high level of INTERNAL MOTIVATION

External motivation

External motivation is when your desire to improve yourLevel of performance is for reasons apart from your internalDesire to succeed

Examples of external motivation are

MONEY

MEDALS/TROPHIES

FAME

It is rare to have only external motivation

More often it is a combination of INTERNAL and EXTERNAL motivation

Optimum level of MotivationEvery one has an OPTIMUM level of MOTIVATION

Top performers are used to, and can DEVELOP their ability toMOTIVATE themselves to the OPTIMUM level for a ‘SPECIAL’performance

If your level of MOTIVATION is too LOW

Then your level of PERFORMANCE will also be LOW

If your level of MOTIVATION is too HIGH

Then your PERFORMANCE can also be AFFECTED

ConcentrationA high level of performer is able to pay full attention,

To CONCENTRATE fully on the most IMPORTANT parts of the INPUT

A weak performer finds it difficult to decide between IMPORTANTParts of the INPUT and less important input

This is known as - SELECTIVE CONCENTRATION.

FeedbackFeedback is INFORMATION you receive about your

PERFORMANCE

There are two main types of feedback

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

Internal feedback is concerned with awareness of MOVEMENT

This is the FEELING of different parts of the action

EXTERNAL feedback comes in a variety of forms

VISUAL VERBAL WRITTEN

It is also known as KINAESTHETIC FEEDBACK

Visual feedback

Visual feedback is when you can SEE your performance

Video cameras make this possible

Verbal feedback

Verbal feedback is what you are TOLD about your performance

This VERBAL feedback could be given to you from yourTeacher/coach, team mate, classmate etc.

Written feedback

Written feedback can take many forms, observation schedules,Checklists, match analysis sheets,statistics, match reports, Scouting reports etc.

Feedback

Positive feedback is more EFFECTIVE than negative feedback

POSITIVE feedback concentrates on what you did well and offersSuggestions as to how you could IMPROVE your PERFORMANCEEven further

NEGATIVE feedback is not so EFFECTIVE because it fails to Explain HOW improvements can be made

For EXTERNAL feedback to be EFFECTIVE it needs to be PRECISE, ACCURATE, POSITIVE and given as SOON as Possible after the PERFORMANCE

Feedback and Motivation

Feedback and Motivation are linked.

You are likely to be MOTIVATED to do well in an activity ifYou receive POSITIVE FEEDBACK about your performance

Question 7- 2001sample answer (a)

(a) The steps which I took to identify the features of my skills and Techniques which need improving were firstly I chose an opponent to play against who was about the same standard as myself. This made Sure that I would be tested and that I would have to produce my best PERFORMANCE to beat. Then during a ‘real’ game I had my performance Video taped. This meant that I could look back on my Performance at any time in the future and I could use all of the facilities of the Video like Pause,Replay and Slow motion to let me analyse any part of my performance in detail.Then I watched the Video and completed a GENERAL observation Schedule which looked at all the different strokes in the game. From this General Observation schedule I could tell what my strengths and weaknesses were.I then did a more FOCUSED observation schedule on my weakest skill. This allowed me to Focus more closely on a skill which I was not performing well. I used a MOVEMENT ANALYSIS sheet for this. The MOVEMENT ANALYSIS sheet breaks the skill down into 3 parts – PREPARATION,ACTION and RECOVERY. The sheet had ESSENTIAL FEATURES of performance that you would see from aMODEL PERFORMER. From this sheet I was able to compare my performance in a skill against that of a model performerBy doing all of the above things I was able to identify in detail which features of my performance neededImproving.

2001 q.7 sample answer (b)

(b) The first method of practice I used was GRADUAL BUILD UP. I started by watchingA model performer and trying to copy the movements/sub routines of the skill as he performed them. I tried to learn the skill BIT by BIT. First I attempted the footwork required to perform the skill on its own. I practiced moving from the Centre of the court to the back of the court using small, quick steps and making sure that I wasGetting side on to the shuttle as I moved.I then added in sighting the shuttle with my ‘Free’ hand and raising the racket above my head.Once I could do this I added trying to hit the shuttle over the net and once I could do this I then Added moving back to the ’base’ position on the court. At this stage I was now performing the complete skill.

The next method of practice I used was REPETITION/DRILLS. Now that I could perform a Version of the skill I set up a drill which allowed me to practice the skill over and over and in a ‘Games like’ setting. By practicing the skill repeatedly I was trying to ‘Groove’ the skill and by Using a drill I could simulate some of the conditions of a ‘Real’ game.My partner and I set up a DRILL where he served to me using a high serve and I had to return using my overhead clear,he then played a drop shot which I returned using an underarm clear and my partner retuned using an overhead clear. We tried to repeat thisSequence over and over again which gave me lots of chances to play overhead clears . I had to play my Clear to different parts of the court and my partner could vary where he played to on my court. Because I didn’t know where the shuttle was going to arrive I had to watch the shuttle carefully and react quickly to move to get into position to play the shot, similar to what happens in a game. Playing the shuttle to different targets on the court also meant that I had to adapt my technique slightly for every shot

2001 sample answer (c)

(c) GRADUAL BUILD UP was an appropriate method for me to use because it is suitable for Learning the early stages of a complex skill. Because I had to identify and learn all the sub – routines of the skill I could do this and learn to link them all together BIT by BIT. I was able to learn the skill by setting small realistic targets. When I managed to achieve these Targets I got a lot of confidence and this made me more motivated to continue to learn

REPETITION/DRILLS was suitable because it allowed me to repeat the skill over and over againWhich meant that I could GROOVE the skill. I could also adapt the DRILL to make it more Demanding so that as my skill level improved I could make the drill harder and so I was constantly Challenged. I could also make the DRILL more games like and this would put the skill underMore pressure

2001 sample answer (d)

(d) It is important to vary your practice routines so that you ENJOY practicing. This will keep your INTEREST level high and your CONCENTRATION high.If you vary your practice it will prevent you feeling BORED and therefore TIRED.You can also vary your practice routines to make your training PROGRESSIVE in order to Continually challenge you to improve your level of performance.