Rob

The Two Skill Acquisition Approaches: Key Differences

Outlining the key differences between the Information Processing and Ecological Approaches to Skill Acquisition. Is this a useful dichotomy?

Read More

325 – Journal Club #21: Fundamental Movement Skills

325 I am joined by Stu Armstrong and Kasey Crider to discuss Karl Newell’s recent article “What are Fundamental Motor Skills and What is Fundamental About Them?” What exactly are they? Do we need to teach them to new learners before they can begin to explore and self-organize? What are the potential dangers of doing…

Read More

Why Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ability to Play “in the Dark” is not Evidence for Predictive Control

I think by now most people have seen the video demonstrating Christiana Ronaldo’s incredible ability to play soccer “in the dark” – that is, execute skilled actions when the lights are turned completely off at some point. The typical explanation for why he can do this (including the one given by the people in the…

Read More

324 – An Ecological Approach to Sports Injury Prevention & Adaptation (Not Recovery!)

324 An ecological approach to preventing and adapting to sports injury. To what extent can we predict injury from technique? How is injury risk related to movement variability and attentional focus? Can we reduce risk by increasing variability through training? Does injury induce functional neuroplastic changes in our brain?Download link Articles: Reviewing the Variability-Overuse Injury…

Read More

323 – The Role of Movement Efficiency & Economy in Motor Learning: A Constraints-Based Framework

323 Do learners choose movement solutions that are economical – that is those which not only achieve their performance goal but are also the most efficient and have low energy expenditure? What information is available to guide a performer to a more economical movement solution and how does it depend on attentional focus? How can…

Read More

322 – Overspeed Perception & Decision Making Training

322 Can decision making in sports be improved by using above real time or “overspeed” video based training? Does it seem more “game-like” to athletes? Does it result in transfer of training to improved decisions on the field?  Download link Articles:Sports training technologies: Achieving and assessing transferThe speed of perception: the effects of over‑speed video…

Read More

321 – Differential Learning III: Clarifying Methodology, Acute Training Effects & Brain Activity

321 A more detailed look at the manipulations used in Differential Learning. Are the movement variants representative? Will they induce an internal focus of attention? As a coach, how should you choose variants appropriate for the skill level and task being trained? And, a look at few recent studies in this area examining acute effects…

Read More

320 – Using a Constraints Led Approach to Develop Tactical Skill

320 How can a constraints led approach be used to develop tactical behavior in teams sports? Can a Step-Game Approach be combined with the CLA to improve tactical knowledge and team synergy? How does this all fit with Gibson’s distinction between “knowledge of” and “knowledge about”?Download link Articles:The constraint-led approach to enhancing team synergies in…

Read More

319 – Instruction, Feedback and the Promotion of Self-Organization

319 A look at how can we use instruction and feedback to guide self-organization in motor learning. Why, when and how should a coach use these types of informational constraints?Download link Articles: When and how to provide feedback and instructions to athletes? – How sport psychology and pedagogy insights can improve coaching interventions to enhance…

Read More

318 – My Recent Skill Acquisition Studies

318 A look at a couple of my skill acquisition studies that have recently come out. How does variability in practice conditions influence the coordination of degrees of freedom?  And, a direct comparison between prescriptive instruction, differential learning and a constraints led approach.Download link Articles:Changes in movement coordination associated with skill acquisition in baseball batting:…

Read More