The classification and transfer of skills

Welcome to Skill Acquisition!

In this chapter, we are going to dive into the classification and transfer of skills. You might think a skill is just "something you can do," but in Physical Education, understanding the nature of a skill is the secret to becoming a better coach or performer. By the end of these notes, you’ll be able to categorize any sporting action and understand how learning one thing can help (or sometimes hinder!) learning another. Don't worry if it feels like a lot of categories at first—we'll break them down using simple logic and real-life examples.

3.2.1 Skill Classifications

In sport, we don't just put skills into boxes; we put them on continuums. A continuum is like a scale between two extremes. Very few skills are 100% one thing; they usually sit somewhere in the middle.

1. The Open - Closed Continuum

This is all about the environment (the weather, the pitch, or where the opponents are).

Open Skills: These happen in an unstable, changing environment. You have to constantly make decisions based on what is happening around you.
Example: A pass in a fast-paced game of football. You have to look at where your teammates are moving and where the defenders are.

Closed Skills: These happen in a stable, predictable environment. You know exactly what is going to happen next, and the skill is often repetitive.
Example: A gymnastics vault or a shot put. The equipment doesn't move, and there are no opponents tackling you!

Quick Review: Impact on Practice
- Open skills should be practiced in "variable" situations (changing drills) to improve decision making.
- Closed skills should be practiced using "fixed" drills to make the movement automatic.

2. The Gross - Fine Continuum

This is all about the size of the muscles being used.

Gross Skills: Involve large muscle groups and big movements. They often require power and strength.
Example: A rugby tackle or a heavy weightlift.

Fine Skills: Involve small muscle groups and require high levels of precision and coordination.
Example: A drop shot in table tennis or a finishing touch in archery.

3. The Discrete - Serial - Continuous Continuum

This looks at the start and end points of the skill.

Discrete Skills: Have a clear, distinct beginning and end. They are short and sharp.
Example: A penalty flick in hockey.

Serial Skills: A group of discrete skills linked together to make a new, more complex movement.
Example: A triple jump (hop, step, and jump are all discrete parts put together).

Continuous Skills: Have no clear beginning or end. The end of one cycle is the start of the next.
Example: Cycling, running, or swimming.

4. The Internally - Externally Paced Continuum

This is about who controls the timing of the skill.

Internally Paced (Self-Paced): You decide when to start the movement and how fast to do it.
Example: A tennis serve or a golf swing.

Externally Paced: The timing is controlled by the environment or an opponent. You have to react to something else.
Example: Returning a cricket ball or a goalkeeper reacting to a shot.

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse "Internally Paced" with "Closed." While they often go together (like a golf swing), they aren't the same. A marathon run is externally paced by the other runners and the course, even though the environment might be relatively "closed."

Key Takeaway: Classifying skills helps coaches choose the right practice structure. For example, you wouldn't practice an open skill (like a game-winning pass) in a completely closed, static environment for too long, or the player won't learn how to make decisions!

3.2.2 The Transfer of Skills

Transfer is the effect that practicing one skill has on the learning or performance of another skill. It’s like when you learn to drive a manual car; it becomes much easier to learn to drive a van later on because the "skill" transfers over.

Types of Transfer

There are six main types you need to know for your exam:

1. Positive Transfer: Learning one skill helps the learning of another because the actions are similar.
Example: Having a good overarm throw in cricket will help you learn the tennis serve action.

2. Negative Transfer: Learning one skill hinders or gets in the way of learning another. This usually happens when two skills look similar but have different requirements.
Example: A squash player trying to learn tennis. In squash, you use a lot of wrist movement, but in tennis, you need a firm wrist. The "old" habit of the squash wrist flick makes learning the tennis stroke harder.

3. Proactive Transfer: A skill learned in the past affects a skill you are learning now or in the future.
Example: A child who learned to balance on a bike finds it easier to learn to use a scooter later on.

4. Retroactive Transfer: A newly learned skill affects a skill you already know.
Example: An experienced football player starts learning rugby. The new way they learn to tackle in rugby might slightly change the way they approach a slide tackle in football when they go back to it.

5. Bilateral Transfer: The transfer of a skill from one limb to another (side to side).
Example: A basketballer learning to dribble with their left hand because they are already good at dribbling with their right hand.

6. Zero Transfer: There is no link between the two skills, so learning one has no effect on the other.
Example: Learning to swim has zero effect on your ability to play chess.

Did you know? Coaches try to maximize positive transfer by making practice drills as "game-like" as possible. If the practice (Skill A) is very similar to the real game (Skill B), the transfer will be strongly positive!

Memory Aid: The "Time" Trick
- PROactive = Forward in time (Old helps New).
- RETROactive = Backward in time (New affects Old). Think of "Retro" clothes—they are from the past!

Summary of Transfer

Transfer is essentially the influence of experience. As a coach, you want to identify which skills will have a positive transfer to save time and speed up learning. You also want to be careful of negative transfer so you can warn your athletes about bad habits that might form.

Key Takeaway: Understanding transfer allows us to sequence our training. We start with simple skills that provide a foundation for complex ones (Positive/Proactive transfer).

Quick Review Quiz (Mental Check!)

1. Is a 100m sprint discrete, serial, or continuous?
2. If a gymnast's new floor routine makes them forget their old one, what type of transfer is that?
3. Why is a penalty kick in football considered "more closed" than a pass during open play?

(Answers: 1. Continuous; 2. Retroactive; 3. Because the environment is stable—the ball is stationary and no one can tackle the kicker.)

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Just keep visualizing the athletes in action. If you can "see" the skill in your head, the classification usually becomes obvious. You've got this!