Skill Identified - Front Crawl in Swimming. - a motor skill.

Visual materials can also be used to help teach a skill. Examples of these are wallcharts, diagrams, videos, three-dimensional models etc. however, these have been found to be of limited value when teaching a skill due to their static displays. Videos are a form of visual guidance that are used increasingly by coaches both for demonstrations and feedback. However, this has only been found to be a useful method if a number of requirements are fulfilled. The learner must be verbally guided through the video to ensure that learning takes place. The learner must also be able to practise the skill immediately afterwards before their memory of the main points made in the video fades. Reference Thirdly, the performer must posses the ability to perform the skill being demonstrated. They must also be motivated enough to practise the action. Another visual guidance method is display changes. This includes changing the equipment used so that it can be seen more clearly. Although visual guidance is important, a great deal of teaching and coaching is done using verbal guidance. A good coach is able to set the task and describe the actions, highlighting important points verbally. With advanced performers, these cues are detailed and technical whereas with beginners it would be more appropriate to express the cues in a way that may not be completely accurate but that will convey the feeling of the movement to the learner.

Progressive Practices
The role of the coach is to create the right conditions for learning                         to happen and to find ways of motivating the athletes. Most athletes are highly motivated and therefore the task is to maintain that motivation and to generate excitement and enthusiasm. This can be obtained through progressive practices. I would say that the first progressive would start involving the coach and the novice. The coach would place their hand underneath the chin of the novice and slowly asisst them five metres while they use there legs only. The instructor would then perform this action with the novice for or five times then replace themselves with a float. The float would be place on the stomach where the novice will then perform the leg kicking movement on their own until they are confident. The Next step wouldbe the arm movement (Diagram 1). The coach would demonstrate the arm movement by gripping a float with either the left arm and produce an arm movement with the right or vica versa as shown in the diagram. The aim of this sub-routine would to build up the biceps and triceps as well as become with the full movement of front crawl. The next step from this would be to perform the full movement under the supervision of the coach. The coach would then produce some feedback and constructive criticism in order for the novice to improve. After  more lessons the novice would most probably be performing the whole movement, however would still be limited to the shallow end. It would be a number of lessons perhaps even months until the swimmer masters the basic front crawl stroke depending on their ability to perform the skill. The next step would be the coaches responsibility to comment on points such as streamline body positioning, pointed toes, straight rigid arms and fingers together in order to imporve the novices way of performing the stroke. Within a year the stroke would be mastered and the novice would now be in the associative stage of learning. At this time the swimmer would probably be experienced in multi limb co-ordination and have an adequate stamina ability to perform more skills such as breast stroke and backstroke. With continuous coaching and constructive criticism and mental rehersal the swimmer may progress to the atuonomous stage of learning where he/she may execute the skill with the minimum of conscious thought. Diagram 2 shows the swimmer in the associative stage  and the pictures below of Ian Thorpe are prime examples of a swimmer in the autonomous stage of learning.