56 News: Listener picks for articles to review including more research on the effect of variability on motor learning, attention training to reduce the effects of stress on performance and the effect of explicit instructions. Download link Articles: High variability impairs motor learning regardless of whether it affects task performance The effects of attention training…

55 A discussion with Harri Mannonen, basketball coach based in Kouvola, Finland. Topics discussed include: why is it useful for coaches to look at basketball as a complex system, what is the best way to add variability to practice and what is the role of conscious control in sports. Download link More information about my…

54 How can we apply the principles of perceptual learning to improve information pickup on the sports field? Download link Articles/Links: Applying perceptual learning to achieve practical changes in vision Improved vision and on field performance in baseball through perceptual learning When less is more: Reduced usefulness training for the learning of anticipation skill in…

53 How does a performer become attuned to the perceptual information that is optimal for a task? Perceptual learning as a direct movement through information space guided by information for learning involving processes of education of intention, education of attention, and calibration. Download link Articles: Direct Learning http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/has-the-fly-ball-revolution-begun/ Learning to visually perceive the relative mass…

52 How does experience and practice change our ability to extract information from our environment and how can we best facilitate this process? What changes in our brain during perceptual learning? Download link Articles: Perceptual learning and human expertise Expert baseball batters have greater sensitivity in making swing decisions More information: Subscribe in iOS/Apple Subscribe…

51 Sports Science Shorts: will baseball’s new proposed rule changes to speed the pace of play make the game more exciting and attract new fans? What can we learn from similar attempts made in soccer? What determines a sport’s fans level of excitement Download link Articles: How to Make Soccer More Attractive? Rewards for a…

50 News: A look at a few recent articles in the area of motor learning and performance. Can the structure of motor variability predict the rate at which a performer learns a new skill? Does using social media before a game increase anxiety in an athlete? What differs between the way in which I child…

49 A discussion with Danny Newcombe, Lecturer in Sports Coaching and PE, Oxford Brookes University. Topics discussed include: applying the constraints-led approach to practice design and physical education curriculum, research on the constraints-led approach –what does it tell us about its effectiveness and are we using the correct methods of evaluation? Download link More information…

48 A discussion with Diane Ste-Marie, Professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa. Topics discussed include: why do athletes tend to perform better when they have control over the feedback they receive and when is self-controlled feedback ineffective? How do athletes use observation of themselves or others to acquire or…

47 A discussion with Dave Collins, Professor & Director of the Institute of Coaching & Performance, University of Central Lancashire. Topics discussed include: what it’s like to be a sports psychologist, talent development, performance analytics, technique change, bridging the gap between research and practice, and the role of social media in research. Download link More…