As a coach, what should you do when your athletes do not seem to be responding to a new practice activity? Are there things you can change? What should you look for? When should you abandon it altogether and move on to something else? Links: Why the Constraints Led Approach is Not an All You Can Eat Buffett – Rob Gray on the Talent Equation Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/user/9625186/rob-gray More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web...
Jun 19, 2018•20 min
How do you know whether a training activity that is very different from your sport will lead to transfer? Is their value in non-specific practice? Does it depend on skill level? What is a donor sport? Articles/Books: http://www.mytpi.com/articles/swing/catching_ping_pong_balls_to_improve_quiet_eye_for_golf Especial Skills: Their Emergence With Massive Amounts of Practice The NFL Combine: Does It Predict Performance in the National Football League? Parkour as a Donor Sport for Athletic Developmen...
Jun 12, 2018•18 min
Is it better for an athlete to develop pre-formed, reflexive responses that operate outside of consciousness (in other words, habits)? Or should we be focusing on cultivating adaptive skills that involve reflection and awareness? Articles: Habitual Reflexivity and Skilled Action The spontaneousness of skill and the impulsivity of habit More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Subscribe in ...
Jun 05, 2018•19 min•Ep. 109
Can noninvasive brain stimulation be used to enhance acquisition, performance and retention of sports skills? What exactly are tMS, tCS and tDCS? Are products like Halo Sport worth your investment? Articles: Non-invasive Human Brain Stimulation in Cognitive Neuroscience: A Primer Neurodoping: Brain Stimulation as a Performance-Enhancing Measure Modulating Motor Learning through Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation: An Integrative View Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A ...
May 29, 2018•19 min•Ep. 108
A discussion with Mike Studer, President of Northwest Rehabilitation Associate. We discuss using dual tasks to encourage the development of procedural memories, constraint-induced practice, concussion rehabilitation in sports, and geriatric athletes. More information about my guest: https://northwestrehab.com/ http://mikestuder.com/ More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Subscribe in iOS...
May 22, 2018•24 min•Ep. 107
How effective is neurofeedback training for improving sports performance? Is it worth the investment of time and money? Which brain rhythm should we be targeting for the best results? Articles: Effects of learning on electroencephalographic and electrocardiographic patterns in novice archers Investigating the efficacy of neurofeedback training for expediting expertise and excellence in sport Neurofeedback as supplementary training for optimizing athletes’ performance: A systematic review with im...
May 15, 2018•15 min•Ep. 106
What is the optimal level of task difficulty to use in practice? How does it depend on the complexity of the skill and the experience of the learner? A look at the Challenge Point Hypothesis and studies which have tested its predictions. Articles: Challenge Point: A Framework for Conceptualizing the Effects of Various Practice Conditions in Motor Learning Measurement of functional task difficulty during motor learning: What level of difficulty corresponds to the optimal challenge point? Nominal ...
May 01, 2018•22 min•Ep. 105
What does it mean to “practice with intent”? How does intention shape the way we learn and perform perceptual motor skills? Articles: The Intention Superiority Effect in Motor Skill Learning Effects of intention and learning on attention to information in dynamic touch Conscious intention and motor cognition More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Subscribe in iOS/Apple Subscribe in Anroi...
Apr 24, 2018•15 min•Ep. 104
A discussion with Rajiv Ranganthan, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at Michigan State University. We discuss motor synergies and redundancy, the role of movement variability in the development of coordination, and using robot aided movements for rehabilitation More information about my guest: https://sites.google.com/site/motrelab/ https://www.education.msu.edu/search/Formview.aspx?email=rrangana%40msu.edu https://twitter.com/rrangana1 More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Researc...
Apr 10, 2018•33 min•Ep. 103
How can we best sort through the myriad of vision and perceptual-cognitive training tools for sports? What are the key characteristics we should be looking for? How effectively can skilled athletes inhibit and prepare to inhibit movements? Articles: Modified perceptual training in sport: A new classification framework Proactive and Reactive Motor Inhibition in Top Athletes Versus Nonathletes More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web pag...
Apr 03, 2018•15 min•Ep. 102
What characterizes the brain activity of an elite performer? How does brain activity change during the process of skill acquisition? Do cultural environments influence motor skills? Are there “motor styles” common to members of a given cultural group? Articles: Brain Dynamics and Motor Behavior: A Case for Efficiency and Refinement for Superior Performance Action, Movement, and Culture: Does Culture Shape Movement? More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my ...
Mar 27, 2018•16 min•Ep. 101
Why is movement variability beneficial for skill acquisition and execution? What distinguishes “good” from “bad” variability in movement? How do different coaching/instructional methods (e.g. ordering practice conditions, cueing, differential learning, and manipulating constraints) compare in terms of their ability to encourage functional variability? When should we be trying to maximize variability? Articles: Creative Motor Actions as Emerging from Movement Variability The Role of Variability i...
Mar 13, 2018•37 min•Ep. 100
A discussion with Shawn Myszka from Movement Mastery. In the interview we discuss the upcoming Sport Movement Skill Conference and the Ecological Dynamics movement in coaching. More information about my guest: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sport-movement-skill-conference-2018-tickets-41843484990 https://twitter.com/MovementMiyagi https://twitter.com/Movement_Master More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (vid...
Mar 06, 2018•35 min•Ep. 99
A discussion with Ed Coughlan, Phil Kearny and Olly Logan, founders of Movement & Skill Acquisition Ireland. In the interview we discuss the goals of the organization and their upcoming conference: Constraints based coaching and ecological dynamics to enhance sports performance. More information about my guests: https://twitter.com/MSAIreland http://events.cit.ie/index.cfm?page=events&eventId=323 https://twitter.com/DrSkillAcq/ https://twitter.com/kearney_phil https://twitter.com/ollylog...
Feb 27, 2018•45 min•Ep. 98
A discussion with Mark O’Sullivan, Coach with AIK Football in Stockholm. We discuss Mark’s concept of football interactions and how it relates to practice design and affordances, and the “race to the bottom” in talent identification. More information about my guest: https://footblogball.wordpress.com/category/mark-o-sullivan/ https://twitter.com/markstkhlm More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pic...
Feb 20, 2018•32 min•Ep. 97
A look at research investigating the effects of assisted/guided movement on skill acquisition. Can experiencing the movement pattern of an elite athlete facilitate motor learning in a novice? Is it better to use assistance to reduce or augment errors? Articles/Books: Can Robots Help the Learning of Skilled Actions? Robot assistance of motor learning: A neuro-cognitive perspective Robotic guidance induces long-lasting changes in the movement pattern of a novel sport-specific motor task No Effect ...
Feb 13, 2018•25 min•Ep. 96
A look at how Bernstein’s famous phrase “repetition without repetition” revolutionized how we think about motor learning. And an introduction to a few extensions of Bernstein’s ideas including coordinative structures and the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis. Articles/Books: Dexterity and Its Development The Bernstein perspective: II. The concept of muscle linkage or coordinative structure The bliss (not the problem) of motor abundance (not redundancy) Stages in Learning Motor Synergies: A View B...
Feb 06, 2018•23 min•Ep. 95
A look at Bernstein’s theory of freezing/freeing degrees of freedom during skill acquisition and some research which has tested these ideas. Articles/Books: Dexterity and Its Development Free(z)ing Degrees of Freedom in Skill Acquisition Conscious Control Is Associated With Freezing of Mechanical Degrees of Freedom During Motor Learning Throwing Skills: Analysis of Movement Phases in Early Motor Learning Changes in coordination, control and outcome as a result of extended practice on a novel mot...
Jan 30, 2018•25 min•Ep. 94
The first episode in a series looking at the contributions of Nikolai Bernstein to our understanding of motor control and motor learning. What were Bernstein’s “problems? Is finding solutions to these problems really what effective coaching is all about? Articles/Books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Bernstein Dexterity and Its Development The Bernstein perspective: I. The problems of degrees of freedom and context-conditioned variability Issues in the Theory of Action: Degrees of Freedom...
Jan 23, 2018•21 min•Ep. 93
A look at the Differential Learning approach to skill acquisition. Is maximizing movement variability by preventing repetition and correction the optimal way to design practice? How does this differ from the Constraints-Led Approach? Articles The Nonlinear Nature of Learning - A Differential Learning Approach Time scales of adaptive behavior and motor learning in the presence of stochastic perturbations Does noise provide a basis for the unification of motor learning theories? A new method to le...
Jan 16, 2018•23 min•Ep. 92
A look at some recent research examining contextual interference, blocked vs random and variable vs constant practice. How should coaches put these concepts into practice? Articles Quantifying Contextual Interference and Its Effect on Skill Transfer in Skilled Youth Tennis Players Effects of practice schedule and task specificity on the adaptive process of motor learning Exploring the applicability of the contextual interference effect in sports practice Serial practice impairs motor skill conso...
Jan 09, 2018•35 min•Ep. 91
A discussion with Leah Robinson, Associate Professor of Movement Science from the University of Michigan. Topics include the importance of fundamental movement skills, how these skills should be measured, perceived motor competence and interventions for promoting movement in young children. More information about my guest: http://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/faculty/leah-robinson http://www.cmahlab.com/ http://twitter.com/LERobinsonPhD More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research ...
Dec 12, 2017•21 min•Ep. 90
Looking at research that has evaluated the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) to coaching. How effective is this approach? What effects do changing constraints actually have on performance? How does the CLA compare to other more traditional coaching methods? Articles Scaling the Equipment and Play Area in Children's Sport to improve Motor Skill Acquisition: A Systematic Review Switching tools: Perceptual-motor recalibration to weight changes Increasing functional variability in the preparatory phase...
Dec 05, 2017•34 min•Ep. 89
What processes are involved when movement coordination is self-organized around constraints? How does the performer take into account their own action capabilities? What is the best way to design practice according to these ideas? A look at behavioral and ecological dynamics. Articles The Dynamics of Perception and Action An Ecological Dynamics Approach to Skill Acquisition: Implications for Development of Talent in Sport Expertise effects on decision-making in sport are constrained by requisite...
Nov 28, 2017•27 min•Ep. 88
The first in a 3 part series on The Constraints-Led Approach to Coaching. What exactly are constraints? What are some common misconceptions about them? Why is understanding the theory behind them critical for using them effectively? Articles Constraints on the development of coordination Change of Direction and Agility Tests: Challenging Our Current Measures of Performance More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook ...
Nov 21, 2017•22 min•Ep. 87
A discussion with Brian McCormick, Head basketball coach at Broward College in Florida. Topics include current problems with the way we identify and develop talent, coaching fake fundamentals, and designing practice to increase game intelligence and awareness. More information about my guest: https://learntocoachbasketball.com/ https://twitter.com/brianmccormick https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmccormick/ More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) ...
Nov 14, 2017•37 min
A discussion with Dave Mann, Assistant Professor at Vrije University in Amsterdam. Topics include gaze behavior, handedness and stance in batting; developing vision standards for Paralympic sports; and how expert athletes seem to be able to flexibly use central and peripheral vision More information about my guest: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Mann5 https://twitter.com/david_l_mann More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web...
Nov 07, 2017•27 min•Ep. 85
Is motor learning a single process that occurs at one time scale as suggested by the famous learning curve? Or are things happening simultaneously at multiple time scales, with some adaptations taking seconds and others years? What might this mean for coaching? Articles/links: Warm-up Decrement in Performance on the Pursuit-Rotor The second facet of forgetting: A review of warm-up decrement The activity-set hypothesis for warm-up decrement Time scales in motor learning and development The acquis...
Oct 31, 2017•25 min•Ep. 84
Just in time for the start of the World Series: a look vision and gaze behavior in baseball batting. Which aspects of vision are critical for hitting? Do great batters have superior vision? Where do good batters look before the ball is released? Articles Defining elite athletes: Issues in the study of expert performance in sport psychology The visual function of professional baseball players Visual abilities distinguish pitchers from hitters in professional baseball Depth Perception Improvement ...
Oct 24, 2017•25 min•Ep. 83
What are the key differences between describing an athlete’s movements, an athlete’s knowledge about those movements, and the instructions used by a coach to facilitate those movements? How can these different perspectives inform and sometimes hurt each other? Articles/links: What does the questioning of expert coaches reveal about the biomechanical knowledge of forward ice hockey skating? Integrating biomechanical and motor control principles in elite high jumpers: A transdisciplinary approach ...
Oct 17, 2017•18 min•Ep. 82
