Skill Classification

Skills are learned through high quality practice. They enable athletes to perform effectively.

Open and closed Basic and complex Low and high organization

Requires simple body movements with low level of concentration, little decision making and tend to be transferable across lots of different sports - running cycling, swimming chest pass

Requires more complex body movements and requires high levels of coordination and concentration. Requires greater control with more decision making. Need to be practiced.

Affected by environment and involve an element of unpredictability. Open skills often involve opposing player or team. It needs to be constantly adopted by the performer to meet the requirements of the activity as situations change around them

Skill performed in a predictable environment. They are controlled entirely by performer and aren’t affected by external factors. Can be preplanned and the opponents do not directly interact during the execution of the skill.

Can be broken down into different parts and practiced separately and are easy to do. clear separate phases - tennis serve, and the triple jump in athletics

Cannot be broken down and practiced seperately. Harder to do e.g. tumbling and gymnastics, and a golf swing.

A line that goes between two extremes