THE LEARNING PROCESS (ARTICLE + TRAINING DRILL)

 

Here are some notes from an article by Australian Sports Phyiso Greg Dea based here in Melbourne who has some excellent content that can be applied to most sports.

This one specifically discusses the learning process and I've added a training drill based around this as well.

Here they are:

• There’s a diff between performance and learning with performance being what happens during a session
• Research indicates that there are certain strategies that enhance performance within a session that will not be as good as other strategies when you do a retention of learning test 2 days later, indicating learning hasn’t happened even though improvement occurred during the actual session
• It’s still important to use repeated movements initially until you successful achieve the movement, as players need to know what a successful movement is and attach a feeling to it, as the body learns best through feeling, not words
• The strategies quickest to getting accurate movement within a session but with less retention are immediate feedback, often feedback and physical guidance, by moving the player through the movement - how most skill development programs look unfortunately!
• The concept called the "illusion of learning" is where you perform well in a block practice session and then you think you’ll be as good 2 days later in a retention test when you probably won’t
• Using the method below players will often predict they’ll test worse but actually test better then block training players.

Once a player has achieved a successful movement according to your performance bandwidth then the strategies that lead to more success in retention tests are:

1. Delayed Feedback (only providing feedback on say reps 1, 4, 9, 16 etc)
2. Random Practice
3. Serial Scheduling Practice
4. Contextual Interference (constraint – environment, task etc)
5. Intrinsic/Augmented feedback to help you connect how they feel with the success/error of the movement pattern
6. Using a performance bandwidth that ensures feedback is given only when an error occurs outside a tolerance range which depends on the population/task and includes criteria for success, efficiency and safety

The training drill below touches on numbers 2 and 3 from this list...

To access this training drill for optimal player learning register for a level 3 membership at https://aussierulestraining.com/membership-account/membership-levels/.