Skill Acquistion
0:00:06.940,0:00:12.010
Skilful performance in sport is about developing
technical actions that can stand up to the
0:00:12.010,0:00:17.810
pressure of competition. Athletes need to
be able to make decisions to execute their
0:00:17.810,0:00:23.370
technical skills at the right time and place.
Decision making can be incorporated into training
0:00:23.370,0:00:29.910
programs to make athletes better performers.
Understanding skill acquisition helps coaches
0:00:29.910,0:00:35.440
to work with their athletes to develop and
control their skills and make them better
0:00:35.440,0:00:36.660
performers their sport.
0:00:36.660,0:00:41.829
Let’s take a look at decision making and
anticipation skills
0:00:41.829,0:00:46.949
Decision making and anticipation are related
and are both important elements in successful
0:00:46.949,0:00:52.420
team sport performance. For example, every
time a basketball player gets the ball they
0:00:52.420,0:00:58.120
must decide whether to pass, dribble, shoot
and do so in a matter of seconds. This is
0:00:58.120,0:01:03.339
where anticipation plays an important role.
Players with better decision making skills
0:01:03.339,0:01:08.310
are able to predict ahead of time what the
best decision is likely to be based on their
0:01:08.310,0:01:13.210
capacity to read the play. This skill is known
as anticipation.
0:01:13.210,0:01:17.760
The challenge for these athletes now becomes
finding a way to continue enhancing these
0:01:17.760,0:01:24.140
decision-making skills through a friendly,
portable and non-fatiguing training programme.
0:01:24.140,0:01:28.890
A coach could train decision making and anticipation
skills by preparing a collection of video
0:01:28.890,0:01:34.660
clips of match-play situations and requiring
the players to complete tasks such as predicting
0:01:34.660,0:01:39.230
what the player with the ball should do at
critical time-points or by asking players
0:01:39.230,0:01:44.390
to recall the patterns of play being executed.
These strategies are thought to improve a
0:01:44.390,0:01:45.620
player’s ability to read the play.
0:01:45.620,0:01:50.450
Video training is a great way for the players
to improve their decision making skills and
0:01:50.450,0:01:54.090
their anticipation skills and you don’t
need any fancy tools for it.
0:01:54.090,0:02:01.090
Video training helps me predict what players
will do and really improves my game.
0:02:03.520,0:02:08.129
The difference between implicit and explicit
learning is that with implicit learning the
0:02:08.129,0:02:12.090
athlete learns how to perform a skill but
can’t necessarily verbalise how they did
0:02:12.090,0:02:18.000
it. Think back to when you first rode a bike.
I bet you, you can’t describe how you ride
0:02:18.000,0:02:23.160
but I’m sure you can do it. In contrast
explicit learning is the more traditional
0:02:23.160,0:02:28.370
method of instruction where the coach tells
the athlete how to perform the skill, highlighting
0:02:28.370,0:02:29.980
key coaching points.
0:02:29.980,0:02:35.120
The first one is to fully extend your body
in a streamline position, including having
0:02:35.120,0:02:38.850
your fingers and your toes fully extended.
0:02:38.850,0:02:44.200
As a result the athlete can certainly verbalise
what they have to do but not necessarily perform
0:02:44.200,0:02:50.170
the skill any better than someone else. It’s
not always practical to tell an athlete nothing,
0:02:50.170,0:02:56.530
so less is best. A good example of this is
the use of an analogy or metaphor that summarises
0:02:56.530,0:03:01.380
all the key points of a skill into one visual
instruction or cue.
0:03:01.380,0:03:07.000
This time I want you to streamline off the
wall like an arrow, sharp, fast and long.
0:03:07.000,0:03:11.060
Implicit learning is beneficial for athletes
because skills learnt in this manner are more
0:03:11.060,0:03:16.420
resistant to competition and are retained
more permanently by the athlete. You can also
0:03:16.420,0:03:21.480
coach team skills implicitly. For example,
if you want your basketball players to put
0:03:21.480,0:03:26.459
up more three point shooting attempts, introducing
a rule that provides a team with an additional
0:03:26.459,0:03:31.110
point each time a player attempts a three
pointer - that’s certainly going to lead
0:03:31.110,0:03:36.489
to more attempts. From an implicit learning
perspective players will start to recognise
0:03:36.489,0:03:42.010
those situations when a three point shot is
likely to be successful and those situations
0:03:42.010,0:03:47.569
when it won’t work. Importantly, by using
such a rule the coach hasn’t had to start
0:03:47.569,0:03:52.709
by telling players the answer. Rather the
players have learned to discover the key information
0:03:52.709,0:03:58.599
themselves through the implicit guidance of
the coach rather than explicit direction.
0:03:58.599,0:04:03.220
By me introducing an extra point for when
a player hits a three point shot, they implicitly
0:04:03.220,0:04:07.870
learn when and when not to attempt the shot.
The results speak for themselves.
0:04:07.870,0:04:12.209
In wrapping up, I want to reinforce that at
no matter what level of sport you’re coaching,
0:04:12.209,0:04:18.650
these techniques can be utilised. Ask yourself
these questions: 1. In your sport, what are
0:04:18.650,0:04:25.530
the decision making and anticipation skills
that are required? 2. What activities could
0:04:25.530,0:04:32.160
you use to train these in your sport 3.What
are some examples of implicit and explicit
0:04:32.160,0:04:33.560
learning in your sport?
Skilful performance in sport is about developing
technical actions that can stand up to the
0:00:12.010,0:00:17.810
pressure of competition. Athletes need to
be able to make decisions to execute their
0:00:17.810,0:00:23.370
technical skills at the right time and place.
Decision making can be incorporated into training
0:00:23.370,0:00:29.910
programs to make athletes better performers.
Understanding skill acquisition helps coaches
0:00:29.910,0:00:35.440
to work with their athletes to develop and
control their skills and make them better
0:00:35.440,0:00:36.660
performers their sport.
0:00:36.660,0:00:41.829
Let’s take a look at decision making and
anticipation skills
0:00:41.829,0:00:46.949
Decision making and anticipation are related
and are both important elements in successful
0:00:46.949,0:00:52.420
team sport performance. For example, every
time a basketball player gets the ball they
0:00:52.420,0:00:58.120
must decide whether to pass, dribble, shoot
and do so in a matter of seconds. This is
0:00:58.120,0:01:03.339
where anticipation plays an important role.
Players with better decision making skills
0:01:03.339,0:01:08.310
are able to predict ahead of time what the
best decision is likely to be based on their
0:01:08.310,0:01:13.210
capacity to read the play. This skill is known
as anticipation.
0:01:13.210,0:01:17.760
The challenge for these athletes now becomes
finding a way to continue enhancing these
0:01:17.760,0:01:24.140
decision-making skills through a friendly,
portable and non-fatiguing training programme.
0:01:24.140,0:01:28.890
A coach could train decision making and anticipation
skills by preparing a collection of video
0:01:28.890,0:01:34.660
clips of match-play situations and requiring
the players to complete tasks such as predicting
0:01:34.660,0:01:39.230
what the player with the ball should do at
critical time-points or by asking players
0:01:39.230,0:01:44.390
to recall the patterns of play being executed.
These strategies are thought to improve a
0:01:44.390,0:01:45.620
player’s ability to read the play.
0:01:45.620,0:01:50.450
Video training is a great way for the players
to improve their decision making skills and
0:01:50.450,0:01:54.090
their anticipation skills and you don’t
need any fancy tools for it.
0:01:54.090,0:02:01.090
Video training helps me predict what players
will do and really improves my game.
0:02:03.520,0:02:08.129
The difference between implicit and explicit
learning is that with implicit learning the
0:02:08.129,0:02:12.090
athlete learns how to perform a skill but
can’t necessarily verbalise how they did
0:02:12.090,0:02:18.000
it. Think back to when you first rode a bike.
I bet you, you can’t describe how you ride
0:02:18.000,0:02:23.160
but I’m sure you can do it. In contrast
explicit learning is the more traditional
0:02:23.160,0:02:28.370
method of instruction where the coach tells
the athlete how to perform the skill, highlighting
0:02:28.370,0:02:29.980
key coaching points.
0:02:29.980,0:02:35.120
The first one is to fully extend your body
in a streamline position, including having
0:02:35.120,0:02:38.850
your fingers and your toes fully extended.
0:02:38.850,0:02:44.200
As a result the athlete can certainly verbalise
what they have to do but not necessarily perform
0:02:44.200,0:02:50.170
the skill any better than someone else. It’s
not always practical to tell an athlete nothing,
0:02:50.170,0:02:56.530
so less is best. A good example of this is
the use of an analogy or metaphor that summarises
0:02:56.530,0:03:01.380
all the key points of a skill into one visual
instruction or cue.
0:03:01.380,0:03:07.000
This time I want you to streamline off the
wall like an arrow, sharp, fast and long.
0:03:07.000,0:03:11.060
Implicit learning is beneficial for athletes
because skills learnt in this manner are more
0:03:11.060,0:03:16.420
resistant to competition and are retained
more permanently by the athlete. You can also
0:03:16.420,0:03:21.480
coach team skills implicitly. For example,
if you want your basketball players to put
0:03:21.480,0:03:26.459
up more three point shooting attempts, introducing
a rule that provides a team with an additional
0:03:26.459,0:03:31.110
point each time a player attempts a three
pointer - that’s certainly going to lead
0:03:31.110,0:03:36.489
to more attempts. From an implicit learning
perspective players will start to recognise
0:03:36.489,0:03:42.010
those situations when a three point shot is
likely to be successful and those situations
0:03:42.010,0:03:47.569
when it won’t work. Importantly, by using
such a rule the coach hasn’t had to start
0:03:47.569,0:03:52.709
by telling players the answer. Rather the
players have learned to discover the key information
0:03:52.709,0:03:58.599
themselves through the implicit guidance of
the coach rather than explicit direction.
0:03:58.599,0:04:03.220
By me introducing an extra point for when
a player hits a three point shot, they implicitly
0:04:03.220,0:04:07.870
learn when and when not to attempt the shot.
The results speak for themselves.
0:04:07.870,0:04:12.209
In wrapping up, I want to reinforce that at
no matter what level of sport you’re coaching,
0:04:12.209,0:04:18.650
these techniques can be utilised. Ask yourself
these questions: 1. In your sport, what are
0:04:18.650,0:04:25.530
the decision making and anticipation skills
that are required? 2. What activities could
0:04:25.530,0:04:32.160
you use to train these in your sport 3.What
are some examples of implicit and explicit
0:04:32.160,0:04:33.560
learning in your sport?
