Explain how open and closed control of motor skills works in relation to individual, racket and team activities

Closed skills: are skills that take place in a stable environment where the performer knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Therefore skills are not affected by the environment and tend to be routine. Movements follow set patterns and have a clear beginning and end, for example serving in tennis and badminton or in a golf swing.

Barbara Knapp describes that skills can fit on a scale of one-to-ten between open and closed skills.

Closed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Open

(Knapp's skill continuum)

Skill is a result of ability with technique, to learn the correct technique; you must have the necessary abilities. Skill "requires practice and vaults from experience" (Roscoe & Roscoe). Skill and ability are often confused, though it is simple; skill is learned and ability is innate. Without ability you cannot learn and perform in sport. Examples of ability are hand/eye co-ordination in all racket sports; flexibility, mainly in gymnastics but also features in also most every sport. Speed features heavily in football and in athletics, and also balance is essential in all components of sport. Other qualities of sport needed include consistency, accuracy, control and fluidity.

The three types of skill are used in different ways in the chosen racket, team and individual sports. For example, football and badminton are all about perceptual motor skills, whereas golf can be a mixture of cognitive and perceptual skills; cognitive skills in golf such as judging distance from the pin and perceptual skills like choosing a club to choose how to play the shot. These sports rely on the motor skills because it involves movement and the muscular system. Playing football involves a high level of motor skills where as golf requires a lot less. The motor skills are different in small ways; most of the movements are gross motor movements, though there are exceptions like a putt in golf or a serve in badminton.

Open sports, in general, would be better being taught by the guided problem solving methods as this would allow learners think for themselves. This would get them prepared for situations in games.

Golf, being a closed sport for individuals, should be taught on a one-to-one basis or in a small group so it is easier for the learner to perfect the swing and gain the correct technique without fault.

Command style of teaching is better for teaching badminton or racket sports in general, because the pupils, whatever skill they are can get used to the motor movement as this is more of a closed than an open skill.

Football is a team game and should be taught in large groups so different scenarios come across within a game can be taught as well as perfected. This can help improve the skill level and awareness of team mates and opponents. Football does have skills that are closed like a penalty or a throw-in as the action remains the same all the time, it is just the position of the opponents that affect how it is chosen to be performed. Skills that are 'more closed than open', should be taught in a fixed and command style of teaching and practice and perfection, feedback and criticism can be given.

The three stages of learning will contribute. These are cognitive, associative and autonomous. "Learning is more or less permanent change in performance brought about by experience" (Knapp, 1973) this idea is backed up by autonomous learning.

Cognitive is the early stage of learning, it is essential if the performer wants to progress to the next two stages of learning. Associative is intermediate, during this they will practice the skill from the information of the cognitive stage and it is essential that feedback is gained so they know if they are performing the skill to a good standard. The autonomous stage is when the learner performs the task with little or no thought.

At this stage they are seen as being highly skilled in their chosen sport and can control their actions in open and closed aspects of the sport.

In my opinion both open and closed control of motor skills to individual, racket and team activities is down to our own perception of events when placed in a sporting situation. You have to make split decisions and often reflect on your performance after the game and perhaps wish you had done things differently. For example I could have used my strength more, or used more pace to beat an opponent, or taken longer to judge the distance from the pin. This all comes from the way we are taught the sport and how well criticism is taken. These are all open and closed control of motor skills working in relation to sport.

Bibliography

www.google.com

www.naturalstrength.com

www.longroad.ac.uk

http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education

http://www.eastwaystennis.co.uk/

Oliver Hind PE Coursework 17/05/2007