The Difference Between Skill, Ability, and Technique and Routes Leading to the Enhancment of These Attributes


Introduction
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This piece of coursework is all about movement in sport and the
different skills involved. Throughout this piece of coursework, I aim
to discuss the three components of fitness and describe how these
components can be enhanced.

There is a strong relationship between skill, ability and technique in
sport and fitness. I will link the three components with three sports.
I have chosen a team sport, an individual event and a racquet game as
the question asks.

A structured practice is designed to improve upon a certain aspect of
sport, therefore improving your ability to perform.

Skill is human (usually learned) ability to perform actions. It can
be defined as:

‘An activity in relation to an object or situation, which involves a
whole chain of sensory, central and motor mechanics.Â’

(Welford)

When discussing the acquisition and development of skill in sport we
must understand the different types of skill. There are firstly four
different types of skill:

1.) Cognitive skills: These are skills that involve the intellectual
ability of the performer. Cognitive skills help us to make sense of
what is required in a situation. E.g. darts player counting their
score.

2.) Perceptual skills: These skills are used in the interpretation of
stimuli. Perceptual skills are how you understand a certain situation;
you may read the situation differently to someone else. E.g.:
defenders attempting to play offside; one defender steps up, another
does not.

3.) Motor skills: These skills require an action or task that has a
goal and that requires voluntary body and/ or limb movement to achieve
the target. E.g.: striking a ball in hurling.

4.) Perceptual motor skills: In order to perform well in sport we
require a number of these skills: thought – interpret – movement.
E.g.: making a run in behind a defence in soccer.

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There are also other types of skill including discrete, continuous and
serial skills (continuums)

A discrete skill has a clear beginning and finish. It is a specific
part of a sport and is definite. E.g.: free throw in basketball.

A continuous skill is the opposite of a discrete skill in that they
have no definite start or ending. E.g.: dribble in basketball.

A serial skill is a skill, which combines both discrete and continuous
skills. E.g.: javelin – made up of a number of discrete skills

Within skill, there are a number of classification continuums. A
continuum is two extreme points on a line, between which we can fit
various skills E.g.: smallest to tallest

Knapp’s open – closed continuum: this recognises that there are two
basic classifications of skill; open skill and closed skill.

Open skill: these skills are affected by the environment and
therefore, predominantly perceptual. Movements have to be adapted to
the environment, such as weather, pitch conditions etc. An open skill
is never performed in exactly the same way twice. E.g.: goalkeeper in
soccer.

Closed skill: these skills are not affected by the environment and are
predominantly habitual. Movements follow a set pattern, have a set
pattern and have a definite beginning. E.g.: free throw in basketball.

Example of KnappÂ’s classification continuum:

Open Skill Closed Skill

Save in soccer Tennis serve

Pass in soccer Penalty in soccer

Tennis stroke Shot putt

Pacing Continuum: this is often used in conjunction with the open –
closed continuum and refers to the timing of movements. The method is
based on the degree to which the performer has control over the timing
of the skill performance. As with KnappÂ’s continuum, there are two
extremes.

1.) Self – paced skills: the performer has control over the rate at
which the skill is executed. Self-pacing involves pro – action by the
performer. Self – paced skills are usually closed skills. E.g.: free
throw in basketball.

2.) Externally paced skills: the environment, which may include your
opponent, controls the rate of performing the skill. This type of
skill involves reaction and is usually an open skill. E.g.: receiving
a serve in badminton.

Example of the Pacing Continuum:


Externally paced Self –
paced
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Yachting Diving Tennis Serve

Receiving tennis serve Free Throw

Soccer game Weight
lifting

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Ability is closely linked with skill in sport. This is because in
order to perform a skill, we must first acquire an ability to do the
skill. Abilities are innate and are thought of as basic building
blocks in sport. Ability has many characteristics. Some people pick up
abilities easily, others do not. People also usually continue to
display their ability for a long period of time. Ability is a key
component of fitness in the sporting world in order to achieve
success.

‘Top sportspeople are popularly thought to possess an overall single
ability to perform well.Â’

There are 2 different types of ability:

1.) Psychomotor ability: this enables the performer to process
information about how and when he/she moves. E.g.: deciding when to
play a smash in badminton

2.) Gross motor ability: this is the ability involving actual
movement, strength, co – ordination, power and speed. E.g.: sprinting
out of the blocks in 100m.

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Technique is the third component. It is essentially linked to skill
and ability. Technique is the way in which you perform a task.
However in order to perform a task successfully it is essential that
the correct technique is applied.

‘In order to perform a particular skill we must learn the required
technique, and in order to learn the technique correctly we must
acquire the necessary abilities.Â’ (Advanced P.e. for Edexcel).

A simple equation is formwhen discussing skill, ability and
technique:


Skill = Ability + Technique


Structured Practice
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There are a number of factors affecting practice:

1.) Whether or not the skills are open or closed.

2.) Amount of information performer needs to know

3.) Environmental factors

4.) Previous experience of the performer

5.) How the performer reacts – are they motivated?

There are 2 main types of structured practice:

Fixed practice: repetition of an activity to improve performance.
Skill becomes ‘over learned’, second nature. E.g.: free throw in
basketball.

Variable practice: involves practice of a number of activities to
enhance performance. This type of practice is common for open and
interactive skills as it is never the same twice.

The type of practice used will influence the level of skill
development.

There are 2 ways in which a practice can be organised: distributed
practice (practice divided into sessions) and massed practice
(continuous training with little or no rest).

In order to improve upon a skill you must make the practice variable
and distributed.

Table showing the steps taken in performing a skill effectively in
three different sports.

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Conclusion

In conclusion I have discussed the three components of fitness and
linked them to the three sports, using my tables (structured
practice).

In my opinion it would be considered that in attempting to improve
general components of fitness (team games) the correct element of
training to be used would be:

· Use a variable training method – involves a variety of activities
and situations to improve performance, making the training suited to a
game situation.

· Make the training distributed – the practice will involve recovery
periods (realistic to games situation); will involve feedback from
partakers after each drill to ensure it is done correctly. E.g.: in
basketball: lay up drill. After the drill a rest will be taken, then
feedback will be given, attempting to improve upon the skill, also
ensuring that the correct technique is applied.

When training for the individual and racquet sports, where fitness
levels are required to be at an optimum, I would suggest that the
means of training would be:

· Fixed practice – repetitive to produce a certain skill over and over
again without fail, if being used over and over in competition then
you should have no problems performing.

· Massed practice should also be applied, as this will mean an
increase in cardiovascular fitness because of the constant practice.

Skill, ability and technique are all closely linked, and provide the
basis for success in sport.

Bibliography

â— Advanced PE for Edexcel Textbook.

â— Handouts Given in Class

â— www.teachpe.com