Coaching tips to accelerate sport skill learning
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August 16th, 2009 12:15 am ET
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By Denise Wood, Knoxville Sports Performance Examiner
Athletes
can learn and retain sport skills more quickly when coaches use effective
instructional techniques. These psychologically-based
coaching tips can help athletes accelerate sport skill learning
and performance:
1. Help athletes learn
skills correctly the first time. Initial learning is most impressionable. Coaches
should monitor and guide athletes to learn proper technique when they are
in the early stages of learning.
2. Teach skill rhythms
first, then refine the movements.
Athletes can learn and recall rhythmic movements more quickly than isolated
movements, just as rhymes are more readily remembered than disconnected words
in verbal learning.
3. Chunk movements. Movements can be learned more quickly if they are "chunked",
or grouped, into larger movements. Break skills down only as much as
necessary. Overanalysis causes paralysis.
4. Make new skills
meaningful. Explain and demonstrate a new skill so that the
athlete understands what is required and why it is executed that
way. Clarify how a skill, movement, or strategy will help the
athlete improve sport performance.
5. Associate new skills
and concepts with well learned skills.
Capitalize on an athlete's previous experience and maturity level by suggesting
mental images that associate new skill concepts and features with familiar
ones.
6. Point out specific
cues that require the athlete's attention. Intention to remember alerts an athlete to important aspects of
a skill or game situation. The ability to focus and remember key cues
distinguishes beginners from skilled performers.
7. Overlearn skills to
correct errors. Practice skills
beyond what is necessary to perform them properly in order to correct technique
flaws and reinforce skilled movements.
Sport
skill memory techniques such as these are only a few of the many coaching
tools that can streamline sports training time while boosting sport
performance.
References:
Magill, R.A. (2001). Motor learning: Concepts and
applications (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Schmidt, R.A. & Wrisberg, C.A.
(2000). Motor learning and performance: A problem-based
learning approach (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
learning approach (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Wrisberg, C.A. (2007). Sport skill instruction for
coaches. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
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