Reference

Renshaw, Ian, Keith Davids, and Mark O'Sullivan. "Learning and performing: What can theory offer high performance sports practitioners?." Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior 16.2 (2022): 162-178.

🚀 Article in 3 Sentences

1. The paper starts by discussing the views of performance and learning from a cognitive viewpoint before moving on to the distinctions between performing and learning. How we measure and test for learning is another issue discussed
2. Key concepts in ecological dynamics that considers learning and performance as being distinct, yet inextricably linked are discussed. Ecological Dynamics advocates a deep integration of learning and performing based on the key principle of the mutuality of the learner and the environments in which they are required to perform
3. Ideas and implications for using principles of Ecological Dynamics to support context-specific skill-learning practices in high performance sport are talked about.

🤝Impressions

Paper went straight to the ‘must read’ category. Really impressive paper with lots of takeaways for coaches. Some of the practical suggestions for testing learning and how we can use principles to design better practice tasks to support learning really stood out for me

👨‍🏫Who should read this?

Every practitioner should read this

🎾How Article will influence my coaching

• The ability of highly skill performers depends on their ability to excel at learning in performance to quickly coordinate their motor solutions to the affordances in the environment to achieve their task goal
• We can use transfer tests to ‘test’ learning. We can see the ability of the learner to adapt the skill they have learned to novel situations that may require novel variations of the learned skill. These tests also examine how the learners can deal with changes in personal characteristics
• Differing anxiety levels change the intentions of the performer, what they perceive and consequently how they move
• Performance is a reflection of the coaches’ ability to ‘prepare’ performers for competition by ‘teaching’ or ‘coaching’ them, so they are capable of demonstrating the necessary skills in a performance setting
• We need to assess learning on how well they can adapt to the specific constraints and demands of the performance context.
• The skills and abilities that an individual develops over short, medium and long term time frames are shaped by the environments that the players are exposed to and the affordances that are present.
• Learn in action is a nice way to describe how athletes can learn to adapt to take advantage of emerging opportunities for action.