1. Exercise Science Chapter 19:Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition

2. Basic Principles: Motor Learning:
The process by which a person develops, through a combination of physical and psychological factors, the ability to perform a task
Root of any motor activity lies in the sensory and nervous systems
Motor learning divided into to basic concepts
Automatic motor activity:
Controlled motor activity:
Principle of Individual Differences:
Individuals vary widely in terms of how quickly and easily they learn new skills

3. Stages of Motor Learning:
Fitts and Posner’s stages-of-learning model:
Cognitive Stage:
Basic understanding of task
Learner commits relatively large errors; may need specific instruction on how to improve
Associative Stage:
Learner begins to refine skill
Develop awareness of mistakes
Effort becomes more consistent
Autonomous Stage:
Skill becomes “automatic”
Aware of mistakes and how to correct them

4. Factors Affecting Skill Development:
Incorrect understanding of the movement
Poor physical abilities
Poor condition of movement
Incorrect application of power
Lack of concentration
Inappropriate equipment, clothing, or footwear
External factors
Weather conditions

5. Teaching and Learning a Skill:
Five-step method of skills teaching:
Readying
Preparatory
Work to attain ideal mental and emotional state
Imaging
Develop “picture” in mind of correct skill execution
Focusing
“zero” in on skill
Executing
Learner attempts skill after completing first three stages
Evaluating
Assess which aspects of skill were successful and which needed improvement

6. The Role of Evaluation:
Feedback provides the learner with information on progress when learning to perform a skill
Can assist in performance improvement
Two types of feedback:
KR feedback
Knowledge of results of an action
Example: individual working on golf swing can get KR feedback by seeing how far ball travelled after each shot
KP feedback
Knowledge of performance
Example: individual practising golf shot would not be concerned with where ball lands but with the actual swing

7. Skill Categories: Locomotor-Moving Skills:
Body transport
Walking, running, skating, etc.
Manipulative-Handling Skills:
Object manipulation
Catching, throwing, etc.
Stability-Balancing Skills:
Balancing skills
Two feet, one foot, etc

8. Classifying Skills: Open Skill:
Performed in an unpredictable environment
Requires participants to adapt their movements to changing nature of environment
Environmental conditions are in motion
Closed Skill:
Predictable environment
Permits participants to plan movements in advance
Environmental conditions are stationary

9. Skills Analysis: Stages of skill observation:
Identify the purpose of the skill:
Knowing skill purpose assists observation of skill
Break the skill into phases:
Preliminary movements
Movements needed to get ready for skill
Back-swing or recovery movements
Movements that take place just before force-producing movements
Force-producing movements
Movements executed to produce force for impact or propulsion
Critical instant
Point that determines how effective skill execution will be
Follow-through
Movements that take place after critical instant

10. Skills Analysis- cont’d
Identify key elements of each phase:
Break each phase into observable elements
Key elements of each phase generally connected to execution of other skill phases
Develop observation plan:
Must decide before watching how they are going to perform the observation process
Determination of which key elements will be observed
Develop scanning strategy to obtain general picture before focusing on specific elements
Choose a varied number of positions for observation
Determination of how many observations needed

11. Adapting Skill Development:
Shaping
Encourages learners to develop “shape” a skill gradually
Skill demonstration includes only the most important actions
Missing pieces added gradually until whole skill is learned
Gradual process
Chaining
Forward chaining
Start at beginning of action
Learn first phase, then second phase, then chain the phases together before moving onto the third phase, etc.
Backward chaining
Begin at end of complex and work backward