Technique is the basic movements that we make in any sport. For example blocks start in a 100m sprint. We can put together a number of different techniques to create a sequence. For example the triple jump.
In order to perform a particular skill in sport, we must learn the required technique. In order to learn the technique fully, we must have the necessary abilities.
The difference between skill and ability is that a skill can be taught and changed and your ability is something that is inherited from your parents and cannot be taught.
Technique is something, which you need to have to complete a particular skill. It is often confused with skill.
A major factor influencing the development of a skill is there are two ways to enhance them:
1) Practicing a skill in a variety of different contexts and experiencing the full range of situations in which the technique or tactic might be used in competition. The learner applies the skill to a number of different environments in practice, allowing both the development of the skill and the ability to adapt that skill to a range of possible situations. This is vital for open and interactive skills.
2) A specific movement is practiced repeatedly, often referred to as a drill. This type of practice is ideal for skills that are always performed in the same way, that do not require adapting to the environment. Closed, interactive and coactive skills tend to require drilled practice to allow the motor sequence to be perfected, since they will remain the same in practice, as they will in competition.
Ability can be slightly enhanced in some areas. For example hand-eye co-ordination, flexibility, speed and power. These can be improved by specific practices such as co-ordinated exercises, stretching programmes and sprint training. However most are innate so they can’t be enhanced to any significant degree.
Technique can be enhanced by appropriate and correct guidance by pure-part learning, whole-part-whole learning and progressive-part learning. The guidance could be done visually, verbally or manually or combinations of the three. However this depends on the learner. This is because experienced learners will know where they should be e.g. Body parts or positioning, so would not benefit from manual or visual as they know and already have a picture of how the skill should be performed but they would benefit from verbal advice as they would know what the coach is talking about and wants them to do. Whereas a less experienced learner would benefit from visual and manual as they are unlikely to know what the skill looks like and where they should be e.g. Body parts or positioning, so will need to be moved and put into position so it will go into their long term memory and they will get muscle memory and also a picture of the perfect model so they have an idea of how to perform the skill. An example of Visual is a watching someone bowl. An example of Verbal is tactical kicking in rugby using targets. An example of mechanical/manual is shooting in football.
Technique can also be enhanced by appropriate and correct feedback, which can be done in various ways but will also depend on the skill and the learner. This is because an experienced learner will not really benefit from positive feedback as they would know that they have performed the skill well, which is the same with negative but throwing some positive feedback in may keep morale high and maybe even take it higher and for negative for little minor errors, which can be improved. Whereas for a less experienced learner giving them mostly positive feedback will get morale high and make them stick at the sport combined with a little negative feedback as this will allow for areas to improve in but too much negative feedback may keep morale low and maybe even take it lower and they may even quit the sport as they may think that they are not good at it.
Skill, ability and technique are always closely linked. “Skill = Ability + Technique.”
The difference between skill and ability is that a skill can be taught and changed and your ability is something that is inherited from your parents and cannot be taught.
Technique is something, which you need to have to do a skill. It is often confused with skill. To perform a particular skill in any sport you will need to have a required technique.
The idea that ability cannot be enhanced is wrong. Speed, flexibility and hand/eye co-ordination can all be enhanced. Working on muscular strength in your legs can enhance speed and hand/eye co-ordination can be improved by special methods. The idea that technique has to be good to enhance certain skills is also wrong due to some athletes having irregular techniques, but still excel in there sport such as Michael Johnson, who was one of the greatest 400m runners in the world or Muttiah Murallitharan.