Keys to successful Practice

Quality practice time is essential for the successful development of sports skills. To be successful in a sport an athlete must be prepared to maximise the typre, number and length of training sessions. Practice must be specifically related to the activity/game being played. Coaches should attempt to make the training as similar to the game/competition as possible i.e wearing team uniform to training. Time spent in total practice period, time spent at rest and time spent on particular skills should all vary according to the skill level of the athlete and the importance of the skill in performance; for example a tennis player might therefore have a session of practicing serving every 5-10 mins, as the player does in a game. The practice conditions should also be varied. Athletes will lose motivation if the same skills and drills are repeatedly taught in the same way. The skill itself should be analysed according to how it is used in a game and practiced in a variety of ways.


Feedback

Positive feedback is designed to make the participant feel good about his/her performance. Feedback can come from sources within the athlete. This is called INTERNAL feedback. Alternatively, feedback can come from EXTERNAL sources. This is called external feedback.
Internal Feedback: Is information received naturally from the senses as a result of movement. When passing a basketball, the athlete is aware of his/her legs, arms, shoulders and fingers as they perform the skill. They can then see it pass through the air and be caught by another person. The athlete will know straight away if the skill was successful; they perceive information about the performance without the need for equipment or devices, or advice from other people. Therefore internal feedback includes sensations such as sight, smells, touch and sound that are related to the performance.
External feedback is information that is provided from outside the performers natural sensory awareness of the immediate action. This external feedback might be the coaches voice, the scoreboard, video analysis or the cheer from the crowd.
Types of external feedback:
2 types:

• Knowledge of results (KR)
• Knowledge of performance (KP)

KR is info that is provided externally after the completion of the action. It is based on the outcome of the performance or what caused the outcome. KR allows the athlete to correct the action next time.

KP is info that is received either internally or externally concerning the movement executed. KP does not inform about the movement success (as KR does). Rather, KP informs about the performance itself, i.e how it looked

Timing of Feedback

Concurrent feedback: Feedback received during the performance. The athlete can respond to this type of feedback.

Delayed feedback: Feedback provided after the performance and therefore the athlete cannot respond to it