Lesson
Associative Phase - Role of Coach
– The coach should design effective practice to optimize skill refinement, by first
understanding the nature of the skill (ie open or closed)
– OPEN or CLOSED skills (on a continuum) are those which do or do not depend
on the predictability of the environment to be performed.
– Closed skills such as bowling, target archery have relatively stable, predictable
environments. A movement pattern should be replicated consistently and
accurately (fixation)
– GOLF is considered more of a CLOSED skill, but has variability. (eg. a putt from a
different position requires consistency of technique, BUT same technique needs
to be used in a variety of situations such as slope, distance from hole)
– OPEN SKILLS are performed when the environment is changing and
unpredictable (eg. football)
– In the latter two cases the player must be able to adapt to changing demands of
the situation, and they ARE able to direct attention to the environment. Their attention
should be directed towards important cues
– FEEDBACK should be for correcting movement and for feeling errors
– This phase can last from a few hours, to several years for complex skills