Psychological Skills for PE, Sport and Recreation

Classified by

1. Function of the motor skill (locomotor skill, stability skill, and manipulative skill)

2. Whether fine or gross muscles are used (fine motor skill and gross motor skill)

3. Type of feedback loop (closed skill and open skill)

4. Cyclic property of the motor skill (discrete skill, serial skill and continuous skill)

5. Complexity of the motor skill (simple skill, low organisation complex skill and high organisation complex skill)

At the early stage of learning, the CNS has to identify an appropriate motor programme which have been built in previously, or modify the neuromuscular instructions to cope with new situations. These explain why there are delays or errors in the motor response.

As we accumulate more experience, the motor programme operates in a highly autonomous manner and needs minimal involvement of the central nervous system.

Skill acquisition is characterised by:

1. Good muscular coordination; increasingly enhanced movement effectiveness and efficiency.

2. Gradually developed motor programme; increasingly consistent movement performance.

3. Reduced cognitive control; increasingly automated movements.

4. Greater ability to identify minute differences in movements.

5. Greater ability to use subtle cues to refine movements.

6. Greater reliance on kinesthetic feedback to guide motor performance.

In lesson…