Practice: The Road to Learning (Part 2)

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

Because monitor skills are seldom performed under the same conditions every time, variation in practice conditions helps the learner adjust to performance conditions. When practice conditions vary, students retain more of the information being learned because they see the same concepts applied in different situations. Variation in practice also prepares the learner for variation in the performance environment. For example, sport skills are most often performed under competitive circumstances. There is a big difference between casually practicing soccer dribbling alone on a field and moving the ball downfield with minutes left in a championship game against talented opponents and the stands filled with fans rooting against you. A player who has practiced dribbling under competitive and noisy conditions is better prepared to handle the ball when it most counts.

When planning a practice schedule, consider providing several activities that let the learner practice the skill correctly under a variety of performance-like conditions. This not only provides a better learning environment, but it can also make the practice more enjoyable. For physical education teachers introducing new skills to their students, a variety of practice activities makes it more likely that the students will learn and find an activity they enjoy. If students or players enjoy what they are doing, not only will they practice with greater intensity, but they are also inclined to practice more often. When once asked about boredom of swimming lap after lap, Olympic champion Tracy Caulkins replied "I know a lot of people think it's monotonous, down the black lines over and over, but it's not if you're enjoying what you are doing. I love to swim and i love to train."

If there are certain constants (i.e., things that don't change) in the performance environment, then they shouldn't vary in the practice environment, either. In the previous soccer dribbling example, there would be little value in practicing dribbling barefoot or with different sized soccer balls. Those are condition variations that the player would never see in a game.

AMOUNT OF PRACTICE

An often asked question is how much practice is needed to learn a skill. Unfortunately, there are no absolute answers to this question, but there are several ways to determine the length of practice. One of the easiest and most efficient is goal setting. In goal setting, some predetermined criterion is selected, and the learner practices until the goal is achieved. Ability, motivation, and current skill level must all be considered. For example, when learning a badminton serve, a student may practice the skill until he places 10 out of 10 serves in the service court. If the student is an advanced player, the goal might be to hit a small target places within the service court 10 out of 10 times.

It's important for the practice criteria to be set appropriately so that the learners are challenged but can find success for their efforts. Expectations that are too high discourage learners from continuing and may even promote inappropriate performance mechanics as the learner strives for almost unobtainable results. As practice and learning continue, the instructor and student should review practice goals and set new goals when previous ones are easily attained. Reviewing practice goals also helps determine when it's time to move on to new skills.

LENGTH OF PRACTICE

A second question to be addressed by the student and teacher is how long a practice session should last. Once again, no clear evidence identifies the precise length or number of practice sessions. The skill level, motivation, and physical ability of the learner must again be considered, as well as the complexity of the skill. One factor that may help determine a practice schedule is fatigue. With many physical skills, repeated performance leads to the learner becoming tired. As the learner becomes increasingly fatigued, in most cases the quality of the performance begins to deteriorate. It does little good to practice a deteriorating performance.

A teacher and student may therefore want to consider distributing the practice. That is, schedule more practice sessions but for limited amounts of time. Instead of practicing the swimming breaststroke for 60 minutes one day, perhaps 20 minutes per day for three days may prove more efficient for the learner. Also, if physical conditioning is part of the practice session, the student should practice the skill first and then complete the conditioning workout so that she is fresh and not fatigued when practicing.

MENTAL PRACTICE

No physical skill can be learned without actually performing the mechanics of the skill. But another form of practice can assist the learning process. Mental rehearsal has been associated with increased learning in the practice phase of motor skill acquisition and therefore should be considered by the teacher and learner. Mental rehearsal, or mental practice, involves the student imagining the actual skill performance. Research in motor learning has found this technique effective for learning, performing, and retaining motor skills.

Mental practice requires students to focus completely on the correct performance and rehearse it in their minds before they practice it. The student actually "sees" herself performing the skill correctly and successfully. A gymnast, for example, might picture himself performing a flawless routine and then attempt to recreate that image in practice. Imagining the correct performance immediately after practice is also effective. In addition, mental rehearsal is useful when actual physical practice isn't possible because of time constraints, inclement weather, lack of equipment, or injury. When using this technique, it is imperative that the students imagine performing the skill perfectly with highly desirable outcomes. Seeing themselves as successful performers is critical for becoming successful performers.

PRACTICE PRINCIPLES

- To master a skill, a student must practice.

- Set a goal for each practice session.

- To learn a skill correctly, it must be practiced correctly.

- Performance conditions change; therefore, vary practice activities and conditions.

- Fatigue reduces practice effectiveness. Instruct students to practice often in short time periods.

- Mentally rehearsing skill performances before and after practice improves performance.

- Suggest activities for your students to practice after the lesson to reinforce learning.

From the book, Teaching Sports and Physical Activity (Paul G. Schempp)

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