Guidance, Practice and stages of learning

Guidance

Performers need guidance to acquire and improve skills. Visual, verbal, manual and mechanical guidance are used in different situations and stages to support performers’ different learning styles.

Visual guidance

Visual guidance is when a performer can see the skill being performed or practised. For example:

• demonstration – by the coach or another performer
• image example – a photo or drawing of the skill
• video example – a video of the skill being performed
• video playback – a recording of the performer’s own performance

Visual guidance can show the skill as a whole movement, broken down into steps or applied within a real situation.

Many coaches and performers use technology to provide visual guidance – before, during or after practice and performance.

This type of guidance helps learners who are at the early stages of learning, who have never seen or experienced the skill before or for skilled performers who need to refine specific elements.

Verbal guidance

Verbal guidance is when a performer is told how to perform a skill, what went well during their performance or how to improve next time. For example:

• coaching points – given by the coach
• feedback – from the coach
• peer feedback – from other performers
• questioning – by the coach so the performer is prompted to self-evaluate

Feedback needs to be constructive to help the performer to improve their skills. It also needs to be specific and accurate so the performer knows exactly what and how to improve. This requires coaches and athletes to understand and use the same language and terminology.

Verbal guidance may be given before, during or after practice and performance.

This type of feedback helps learners to progress through the stages of learning and is specifically helpful in developing and refining skills

Manual guidance is when a performer is physically guided or supported by the coach. For example, manual guidance is provided when a coach guides an athlete’s arm to mimic a javelin throw or when a coach supports a gymnast to do a backflip.

Manual guidance is provided during practice rather than performance.

Coaches should always explain to performers when, how and why they need to provide manual guidance. Performers may choose not to receive manual guidance if it makes them feel uncomfortable.

This type of guidance is particularly helpful when learning a new skill at the early or later stages of learning.

The governing body of each sport provides guidelines on when and what type of manual guidance is appropriate.

Mechanical guidance

Mechanical guidance is when the performer is guided by equipment to support the learner whilst practicing the skill. The use of equipment when practicing a new skill offers safety and allows the learner to gain confidence.

The coach would use mechanical guidance at the early stage of learning in order for the learner to practice the skill safely, allowing them to get a ‘feel’ for the movement – for example, using a float in swimming to develop leg action and body position in front crawl.

At the autonomous stage of learning, mechanical guidance is used by the coach to allow the performer to develop complex moves – for example, practicing a double-front somersault using a hoist in trampolining.

STAGES OF LEARNING

Each one of the stages demonstrates different characteristics when they perform:

Cognitive

The performer is inconsistent and makes many mistakes. The performer requires support from the coach to show and tell them what they need to do. Demonstration and repetition is key to development at this stage. The coach will need to reinforce correct performance through positive feedback. The most appropriate practice would be the whole-part-whole method, giving the performer a sense of context before the skills are broken down.

Associative

The performer begins to understand the requirements of the skills and becomes more consistent. Within their performance there are fewer mistakes and the performer can concentrate for longer. More complex information can be processed and the performer can use internal feedback to improve further. Part practice would support this stage as it supports motivation and focuses on specific skills.

Autonomous

The performer is consistent and effective and they perform skills with consistency and accuracy without any effort. They are able to concentrate on complex tasks and information and are able to adapt their performance. They decide on the pace of the skill and activity and nearly always make the correct decisions. The coach can give detailed feedback and use complex video analysis to refine performance. Whole part tends to be used at this stage as it requires high attention to skills that cannot be broken down.