3.2 Skill Practice

Repetitive practice of skills is necessary for improvement however it will only improve performance if the type of practice is suited to the level of performer and type of task being performed

Sir Donald Bradman as a youngster used to hit a ball up against a corrugated iron tank with a cricket stump to improve his hand eye coordination and also develop superb footwork

Mass/ distributed Whole/part - progressive part method Fixed or drill Varied practice

Entails practicing a skill consistently and continuously without breaks until the skill is learnt

Consists of short frequent practice sessions interspersed with intervals of learning other skills Distributed practice is believed to be the most effective for learning new skills as mass practice leads to fatigue and loss of motivation and is inappropriate for beginners

Involves learning the shill in its entirety. It is particularly for skill that are high in complexity and low in organisation

Is the learning of skills broken down into subroutines. This method is best when the skill is complex and had clearly defined components

Is a combination of both part and whole practice where a skill is taught by building up its parts before practicing it whole

Includes problem solving and game sense approach Varied practice is used best for open skills and involves practicing skills in varying situations. This helps to build schema for use in game situations

Involved learning through repetition and the environment doesn’t change. Seen as the traditional approach and good for closed skills. Archery, darts etc. as the environment has little impact and is internally over

Schema theory was based on the view that actions are not stored rather we refer to abstract relationship or rules about movement Schema is based on the theory that every time a movement is conducted information is gathered and applied in future performance Schema are rules which we learn in order to execute skills in differing environments and situations