A look at the role of demonstration and imitation in motor learning. What is rate enhancer in skill acquisition? Articles: Demonstration as a rate enhancer to changes in coordination during early skill acquisition Concurrent Imitative Movement During Action Observation Facilitates Accuracy of Outcome Prediction in Less-Skilled Performers More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Subscribe i...
Apr 02, 2019•11 min•Ep. 141
Is the common finding that expert athletes are better at using advance cues to anticipate their opponent’s actions evidence that they are using a predictive, internal model for action control? Or can this be reconciled with the ecological approach? Articles: Special Issue of IJSP: Ventral and dorsal contribution to visual anticipation in fast ball sports More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics,...
Mar 26, 2019•18 min
Can having a performer amplify or exaggerate movement error be an effective way to correct it? Is error amplification a more effective method than corrective instruction? Articles: “Amplification of Error”: A Rapidly Effective Method for Motor Performance Improvement Correction of a Technical Error in the Golf Swing: Error Amplification Versus Direct Instruction The effects of two different correction strategies on the snatch technique in weightlifting More information: http://perceptionaction.c...
Mar 19, 2019•10 min•Ep. 139
A look at some different ways we can cue and provide feedback to a performer including bandwidth, temporal-comparative and translational feedback and rhythm-based cues. Articles: Effect of bandwidth knowledge of results on movement consistency Applying Bandwidth Feedback Scheduling to a Golf Shot Temporal-Comparative Feedback Facilitates Golf Putting Development of a rhythmic auditory biofeedback system to assist improving the kinetic chain for bat swing performance The Importance of Temporal St...
Mar 05, 2019•23 min•Ep. 138
A look at the phenomenon of The Yips. What exactly is it? How does it differ from choking under pressure? What effects does it have on movement coordination? How can it be treated? Articles: The yips in sport: A systematic review Flikikammo: When Gymnasts Lose Previously Automatic Backward Moving Skills Yips and Other Movement Disorders in Golfers Performance blocks in sport: Recommendations for treatment and implications for sport psychology practitioners More information: http://perceptionacti...
Feb 26, 2019•15 min•Ep. 137
A panel discussion about applying different theoretical approaches to coaching, fence sitting, and "it depends" on the Talent Equation podcast hosted and produced by Stuart Armstrong: https://www.spreaker.com/user/9625186/podcast-panel?autoplay=1 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 Anroid/Google Support the podcast and receive bonus content...
Feb 20, 2019•52 sec•Ep. 136
Is having numerous possible solutions to a motor task a problem of redundancy that must be solved by somehow restricting the perception-action system? Or is it a gift of abundance that allows us to better adapt and react to our environment by developing new synergies? Articles: There is no motor redundancy in human movements. There is motor abundance The Bliss of Motor Abundance Stages in learning motor synergies: A view based on the equilibrium-point hypothesis Motor abundance and control struc...
Feb 05, 2019•26 min•Ep. 135
A look at the somewhat controversial topic of general perceptual-motor abilities. Are there general abilities such as agility and hand-eye coordination that apply to all sports or are the skills athletes use mainly sports specific? If such general abilities do exist, is it worth testing for them and training to improve them? Articles: The General Motor Ability Hypothesis: An Old Idea Revisited Skill not athleticism predicts individual variation in match performance of soccer players Further evid...
Jan 29, 2019•23 min•Ep. 134
A look at some recent research on representative design. How can we evaluate the representativeness of typical practice activities used in sport? What expertise differences emerge when we evaluate athletes in a more representative test environment? Articles: Application of representative learning design for assessment of common practice tasks in tennis Emergence of Skilled Behaviors in Professional, Amateur and Junior Cricket Batsmen During a Representative Training Scenario More information: ht...
Jan 22, 2019•10 min•Ep. 133
Do the principles derived from studying simple laboratory skills apply to the more complex skills involved in most sports? How does task complexity influence the way in which we manipulate load and challenge in practice? How should we schedule practice, give feedback and give physical assistance when training complex tasks? Articles: Principles derived from the study of simple skills do not generalize to complex skill learning Balancing Intrinsic and Germane Load to Enhance Transfer of Learning ...
Jan 15, 2019•20 min•Ep. 132
What is the optimal spacing of training sessions to promote acquisition of a new skill? How does it depend on task complexity and intensity? What underlying processes are involved? Articles: Spacing Repetitions Over Long Timescales: A Review and a Reconsolidation Explanation Rate of learning in relation to spacing of practice periods in archery and badminton Delayed Benefits from Spaced Training When Learning a Precision Throwing Task More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Ga...
Dec 11, 2018•18 min•Ep. 131
How do the emotions of an athlete constrain the movement solutions that emerge in practice? How can they be used an indicator of progress in learning? How might a coaches’ emotions influences skill acquisition and performance? Articles/links: The dynamics of expertise acquisition in sport: The role of affective learning design Emotional games: How coaches' emotional expressions shape players' emotions, inferences, and team performance More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Ga...
Nov 27, 2018•13 min•Ep. 130
The second episode in a series looking at the contributions of Paul Fitts to our understanding of motor control and motor learning. A look at Fitts’ highly influential 3 phase model of skill acquisition involving cognitive, fixation and autonomous phases. Is this model really at complete odds with more recent ecological approaches? Articles: Perceptual-motor skill learning Factors in complex skill training Information Processing and Constraints-based Views of Skill Acquisition: Divergent or Comp...
Nov 20, 2018•16 min•Ep. 129
Does our perception of affordances in our environment depend on psychological momentum, changing as we move towards or away from achieving our goal? What is the value of informal, unstructured practice? How does it conform to the principles of ecological dynamics? Articles: Perceiving affordances in sports through a momentum lens The Role of Informal, Unstructured Practice in Developing Football Expertise: The Case of Brazilian Pelada More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Ga...
Nov 13, 2018•15 min•Ep. 128
The first episode in a series looking at the contributions of Paul Fitts to our understanding of motor control and motor learning. What is Fitts’ Law? How can it be used to understand and predict speed-accuracy tradeoffs (e.g. between throwing hard and throwing accurately) in sports? Articles: The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement Information capacity of discrete motor responses The Accuracy of Interceptive Action in Time and Space Throwing s...
Oct 30, 2018•19 min•Ep. 127
A look at David Lee’s Tau Coupling theory which seeks to explain how movements are controlled by using taus from our different senses and intrinsic tau guides. What is general tau theory and why does this variable apply to more than just approaching objects? Articles: Guiding movement by coupling taus Guiding the swing in golf putting Guiding contact by coupling the taus of gaps When Is Behavioral Data Evidence for a Control Theory? Tau-Coupling Revisited More information: http://perceptionactio...
Oct 23, 2018•19 min•Ep. 126
The final episode in my series looking at the contributions of JJ Gibson to the study of perception and action. Where is the ecological approach to perception and action now? What evidence is there to support it? What are some of the challenges it still faces? Articles: Perceiving action boundaries in the volleyball block Affordances can invite behavior: Reconsidering the relationship between affordances and agency The relevance of action in perceiving affordances: Perception of catchableness of...
Oct 16, 2018•26 min•Ep. 125
124 – The Legacy of James J Gibson II: The Theory of Affordances & Its Application to Sports The second episode in a series looking at the incredible contributions of JJ Gibson to the study of perception and action. How do we go from information to goal-directed action? What are affordances and effectivities? How can they be used to guide our understanding of sports performance? Articles: The Theory of Affordances Affordances and Prospective Control: An Outline of the Ontology Information, a...
Oct 09, 2018•22 min•Ep. 124
The first episode in a series looking at the incredible contributions of JJ Gibson to the study of perception and action. What is direct perception? What are invariants? How do these ideas form the foundation for ideas like the constraints led approach and ecological dynamics? Articles: The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems Perception with an Eye for Motion More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles...
Sep 25, 2018•23 min•Ep. 123
Some reflections on the excellent Skill Acquisition Summit I recently attended at the Florida Baseball Ranch. What are some of the best practices for using self-organization for developing sports skills? Articles/Links: Florida Baseball Ranch Summit Comparing cueing and constraints interventions for increasing launch angle in baseball batting More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Subscr...
Sep 18, 2018•14 min•Ep. 122
A look at a couple interesting recent articles on motor learning. How much variability should we add to practice and when? Are skills strengthened when they are reconsolidated when performing slight variations? Does sitting in chest deep water improve skill acquisition? Articles: Motor Skills Are Strengthened through Reconsolidation Comparison of motor skill learning, grip strength and memory recall on land and in chest-deep water More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate P...
Sep 11, 2018•15 min•Ep. 121
A look at the process of perceptual-motor calibration. How do we scale our perception of affordances in the environment to our action capabilities? What conditions are needed to allow for effective calibration and recalibration? Articles: A systematic review on perceptual-motor calibration to changes in action capabilities Perceiving affordances: visual guidance of stair climbing Calibration Is Both Functional and Anatomical Gut Estimates: Pregnant women adapt to changing possibilities for squee...
Sep 04, 2018•16 min•Ep. 120
A discussion with Jeff Fairbrother, Professor of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee. We discuss the effect of repeated retention tests on learning, self controlled feedback and the effects of a coach overriding feedback choice, and focus of attention strategies. More information about my guest: https://krss.utk.edu/faculty-staff/fairbrother-bio/ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeffrey_Fairbrother https://twitter.com/jtfairbro More information: http://pe...
Aug 28, 2018•28 min•Ep. 119
A discussion with Paul Venner, Head of Athletic Performance at Dutch Baseball and Founder of Ultimateinstability. We discuss the important role of movement variability in training, using water to amplify information about movement, connecting skill acquisition and S&C through the lens of organismic constraints, and Paul’s presentation at the upcoming Florida Baseball Ranch Dutch Baseball Skill Acquisition Summit. More information about my guest: www.linkedin.com/in/paulvenner www.ultimateins...
Aug 21, 2018•22 min•Ep. 118
A look at the two main theoretical approaches (and associated methodologies) for understanding team coordination in sports: Shared knowledge/mental models (built on information processing) and shared affordances (built on ecological dynamics). Articles: Shared Knowledge or Shared Affordances? Insights from an Ecological Dynamics Approach to Team Coordination in Sports Theoretical and methodical approaches to studying team cognition in sports Knowledge Elicitation Methods for Developing Insights ...
Aug 14, 2018•20 min•Ep. 117
A look at some recent research on implicit learning. Is it really a better way to learn perceptual-motor skills? Does it give an athlete more cognitive resources to devote to strategy and decision making? Does it lead to better pressure proofing of performance? Articles: Implicit learning increases shot accuracy of football players when making strategic decisions during penalty kicking Chunking, Conscious Processing, and EEG During Sequence Acquisition and Performance Pressure: A Comprehensive T...
Aug 07, 2018•21 min•Ep. 116
A discussion with Randy Sullivan, CEO and owner of Florida Baseball Ranch. We discuss how Randy’s approach to skill development and injury rehabilitation has evolved, the “how to” of self-organization and preview the upcoming The Florida Baseball Ranch & Dutch Baseball Skill Acquisition Summit. Florida Baseball Ranch & Dutch Baseball Skill Acquisition Summit (Sept 8-9, 2018) : www.floridabaseballranch.com/summit More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs o...
Jul 24, 2018•33 min•Ep. 115
A discussion with Israel Halperin, combat sports coach and researcher from Tel Aviv, Israel. We discuss the use of focus of attention cues, the role of athlete autonomy in training programs, how S&C and Skill Acq can better support each other, and how to improve the research methods we are using in motor learning. More information about my guest: https://twitter.com/israel_halperin?lang=en https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Israel_Halperin/contributions http://complementarytraining.net/pod...
Jul 17, 2018•32 min•Ep. 114
Are the complex actions involved in sport controlled online, by visual information that is currently available to a performer? Or do they rely on the use of predictive, internal models of the world? What are the implications of this for the way we coach athletes? Articles: On-line and model-based approaches to the visual control of action http://perceptionaction.com/pitchtunnels/ More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Fa...
Jul 03, 2018•31 min
A discussion with Leonard Zaichkowsky & Daniel Peterson about their recently released book, The Playmaker’s Advantage: How to Raise Your Mental Game to the Next Level. What is “Athlete Cognition”? How can it be trained? How can coaches design practices to better mimic real-life competitive pressures? More information about my guests: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501181866/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_msPQAbVSFGQ57 80PercentMental.com More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page...
Jun 26, 2018•39 min•Ep. 112
