Pacing continuum
Gross and fine classification
Discrete, series and continuous continuum
Knapp’s open-closed continuum
The Pacing continuum
Example of self-paced skills:
In a golf drive, players hit the ball when they want to, they are not told to play the shot at any particular time even though once initiated the ‘pace’ is not totally controlled.
Example of externally paced skills:
Returning a shot in tennis/badminton. In these cases, the timing of the performance of the skill is controlled by the opponent.
Gross-fine continuum
Examples of the gross skills:
Walking, running are examples of the gross skills because they involved large muscle movement and their skills mainly associated with endurance.
Examples of the fine skills:
Writing and painting are examples of the fine skills because they involve only small muscle movements and their skills associated with speed accuracy and efficiency.
The discrete, series and continuous continuum
Example of the discrete skills:
A basketball free throw is the example of the discrete because it is obviously a separate element of the game.
Examples of the continuous skills:
Swimming and running are continuous as each step flows into the next and it don’t have clear beginning and e
Example of the series skills:
Javelin throw is a series skills because it combines a number of discrete (throwing a javelin) and continuous skills (running).
Knapp’s open-closed continuum
Examples of open skills and closed skills
skill category (Gallian etal 2000)
Open skills:
Football is more open skill (2) because we require adaptation each time (e.g. field, weather, etc). It is never performed in exactly the same time.
Closed skills:
A basketball free-throw is more closed skills (9) because this skill is perform the same each time, there are no outside physical factors since no one is blocking the shot.
Individual, co-active and interactive
As we know each skill has different performance requirement, identifying the requirements of each skill is important if we are to optimize the learning and development of sporting skills. Here are 3 more classifications of skills because we perform sport are many and various.
Individual skills: individual skills are those performed alone in a particular time
(e.g. High jump, we performed alone)
Co-active: coactive skills are those performed with others at the same time but
without direct confrontation.
(e.g. 400-meter, others are around us but without direct confrontation)
Interactive: interactive skills are those where other performers are directly involved ( e.g. rugby, tackling meets with avoidance skills.)
Classification is often seen as a starting point for the planning of teaching strategies and approaches to learning. Each sport has different requirement, and many of the classifications is good to identify the range of requirement of the skill, we can then decide the most appropriate learning and practice environment. Here are 2 examples:
Example of continua
Swimming start
Badminton serve
The above continua are shown in one representation of a skill to build a profile of the skill requirements
And the Individual and coactive skills require concentration and often performance of a pre-learned sequence of movements. Interactive skill requires interpretation and variation depending on the situation. An obvious link can be drawn between these open-closed skills. (Gallian etal, 2000)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be seen that there are 4 ways of categorizing skills; there are
Pacing continuum,
Gross/fine continuum,
Discrete/continuous/series, and
Knapp’s open-closed continuum.
By extending the specific classifications further into individual/coactive/interactive groupings skills can be further understood. This understanding provides us with the knowledge to plan training sessions to analyze movements and game plans and to structure practise to further enhancing techniques. In addition, a coach will be able to select the suitable starting point for a learner and the detection and solving of any problems the learner may be facing is made easier, while not exhaustive and computerises skill classification and the use of continua are fundamental to the understanding of spirit performance.
michaelpang Page 1230 words (exclude bibliography)
