CLASSICATION OF SKILLSCLASSICATION OF SKILLS• Analysis of movement skills enables us to understand their requirements and Analysis of movement skills enables us to understand their requirements and

decide on the best ways to teach, practise and improve them.decide on the best ways to teach, practise and improve them.

• To analyse movement skills psychologists have identified a range of To analyse movement skills psychologists have identified a range of characteristics.characteristics.

• It is difficult to be precise about classification as skills may have elements of all It is difficult to be precise about classification as skills may have elements of all the characteristics or may change depending on the situation in which the skill the characteristics or may change depending on the situation in which the skill is performed.is performed.

• The use of continua allows us to show that skills have characteristics to a The use of continua allows us to show that skills have characteristics to a greater or lesser extent depending on the situation.greater or lesser extent depending on the situation.

• A continuum is an imaginary scale between two extremes and is usually A continuum is an imaginary scale between two extremes and is usually represented in linear form, eg.represented in linear form, eg.

• FreezingFreezing ColdCold WarmWarm HotHot BoilingBoiling

THE SIX CONTINUATHE SIX CONTINUA

• MUSCULAR INVOLVEMENT MUSCULAR INVOLVEMENT (GROSS-FINE) CONTINUUM(GROSS-FINE) CONTINUUM

• ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE (OPEN-CLOSED) CONTINUUM(OPEN-CLOSED) CONTINUUM

• CONTINUITY (DISCRETE-CONTINUITY (DISCRETE-SERIAL-CONTINUOUS) SERIAL-CONTINUOUS) CONTINUUMCONTINUUM

• PACING (SELF-PACED-PACING (SELF-PACED-EXTERNALLY PACED) EXTERNALLY PACED) CONTINUUMCONTINUUM

• DIFFICULTY (SIMPLE-DIFFICULTY (SIMPLE-COMPLEX) CONTINUUMCOMPLEX) CONTINUUM

• ORGANISATIONAL (LOW-HIGH) ORGANISATIONAL (LOW-HIGH) CONTINUUMCONTINUUM

MUSCULAR INVOLVEMENT MUSCULAR INVOLVEMENT CONTINUUM (GROSS-CONTINUUM (GROSS-

FINE)FINE)This classification examines the precision of the movement.This classification examines the precision of the movement.

Gross skillsGross skills:: involve large muscle groups with little precision.involve large muscle groups with little precision.

Fine skills: Fine skills: involve small muscle groups and intricate movements. involve small muscle groups and intricate movements. They usually involve accuracy and hand-eye coordination.They usually involve accuracy and hand-eye coordination.

GrossGross FineFine

RunningRunning wrist/finger action of wrist/finger action of SwimmingSwimming a spin bowl in cricketa spin bowl in cricket

ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTINUUM (OPEN-CONTINUUM (OPEN-

CLOSED)CLOSED)• This is concerned with how the environmental conditions affect the skillThis is concerned with how the environmental conditions affect the skill• The environment includes all factors that affect the performance in that The environment includes all factors that affect the performance in that

situation eg. Opponents, team mates, playing surface.situation eg. Opponents, team mates, playing surface.• If the skill is performed outdoors the weather may also be a factor.If the skill is performed outdoors the weather may also be a factor.

Open skills: Open skills: These skills are affected by the environment and have to be These skills are affected by the environment and have to be adapted to suit the situation. They are predominantly perceptual and adapted to suit the situation. They are predominantly perceptual and involve decision making. and are usually externally paced.involve decision making. and are usually externally paced.Closed skills:Closed skills: are not affected by the environment and are always are not affected by the environment and are always performed in the same way. They follow a set technical model and are performed in the same way. They follow a set technical model and are usually self-paced.usually self-paced.

OpenOpen ClosedClosed

A chest pass inA chest pass in a vault in a vault in Netball/basketballNetball/basketballgymnasticsgymnastics

Continuity Continuum Continuity Continuum (Discrete-Serial-(Discrete-Serial-

Continuous)Continuous)Discrete skills:Discrete skills: have a clear beginning and end. have a clear beginning and end.

Serial skills:Serial skills: have a number of discrete elements that are put together have a number of discrete elements that are put together in a definite order to make a movement or sequencein a definite order to make a movement or sequence

Continuous skills: Continuous skills: have no definite beginning or end. The the end of have no definite beginning or end. The the end of one cycle of the movement is the start of the next.one cycle of the movement is the start of the next.

DiscreteDiscrete SerialSerialContinuousContinuous

A catchA catch Triple jumpTriple jump CyclingCycling

A penalty kickA penalty kick Trampoline sequenceTrampoline sequenceSwimmingSwimming

PACING CONTINUUM PACING CONTINUUM (SELF-PACED- EXTERNALLY (SELF-PACED- EXTERNALLY

PACED)PACED)• This concerns the level of control the performer has over the timing of the This concerns the level of control the performer has over the timing of the

movement skill, relating to when starts and the rate at which it is performed.movement skill, relating to when starts and the rate at which it is performed.

Self-paced skills:Self-paced skills: the performer decides when to start the movement and the the performer decides when to start the movement and the speed at which it is carried out. These are often closed skills.speed at which it is carried out. These are often closed skills.

Externally paced skills:Externally paced skills: The control of the skill is determined by the The control of the skill is determined by the environment, such as a starting gun, opponents or the weather. They are often environment, such as a starting gun, opponents or the weather. They are often open skills and involve reacting to the situation.open skills and involve reacting to the situation.

Self-pacedSelf-paced Externally pacedExternally paced

High jumpHigh jump Receiving a pass in hockeyReceiving a pass in hockeyServing in badmintonServing in badminton

WindsurfingWindsurfing

Difficulty continuum Difficulty continuum (Simple-complex)(Simple-complex)

• The complexity of the movement is determined by the amount of The complexity of the movement is determined by the amount of information to be processed, decision making involved, time available, information to be processed, decision making involved, time available, quantity of sub-routines and use of feedback.quantity of sub-routines and use of feedback.

Simple skillsSimple skills: have little information to be processed, few decisions to be : have little information to be processed, few decisions to be made, few sub-routines in which the speed and timing are not critical.made, few sub-routines in which the speed and timing are not critical.Simple skills may still be difficult to learn or perform!Simple skills may still be difficult to learn or perform!

Complex skills:Complex skills: have a high perceptual load and many decisions need to be have a high perceptual load and many decisions need to be made. The skill will have many sub-routines where speed and timing are made. The skill will have many sub-routines where speed and timing are critical and will involve feedback.critical and will involve feedback.

SimpleSimple ComplexComplex

SprintingSprinting Tennis serveTennis serveSwimmingSwimming Volleyball Volleyball smashsmash

ORGANISATONAL ORGANISATONAL CONTINUUMCONTINUUM

( LOW – HIGH)( LOW – HIGH)• This concerns how closely linked the sub-routines of the movement are.This concerns how closely linked the sub-routines of the movement are.

Low organisation skills:Low organisation skills: are made up of sub-routines that can easily are made up of sub-routines that can easily be separated, practiced by themselves and then put back into the be separated, practiced by themselves and then put back into the whole skill.whole skill.

High organisation skills:High organisation skills: in these the sub-routines are very closely in these the sub-routines are very closely linked together and difficult to separate without disrupting the skill. linked together and difficult to separate without disrupting the skill. Highly organised skills are usually practiced as a whole.Highly organised skills are usually practiced as a whole.

Low Low HighHigh

Swimming stokesSwimming stokes CartwheelCartwheel

Trampoline sequenceTrampoline sequence Golf swingGolf swing