(P2.4) The feedback methods i used and their effectiveness

There are many different methods of feedback that you can use while coaching a skill, on thing to note is that all of the feedback that i provide is 'knowlegde of proformance', meaning that it is verbal from a coach or instructor. The methods of feedback are:

• positive - used to inform the athlete what was good about the performance
• negative - used to inform the athlete what was bad about the performance
• terminal - feedback before the performance
• concurrent  - during the performance

Here are the time codes for all the example of feedback that i provided during the performance:

• 01:02 - terminal feedback - Overhand grip
• 01:12 - positive feedback - change in grip
• 01:24 - terminal feedback - grip from wide to narrow
• 01:42 - positive feedback - correct grip
• 02:11 - terminal feedback - foot position
• 02:15 - positive feedback - correct foot position
• 02:48 - terminal feedback - back straight
• 03:35 - positive/negative feedback - weight on back of heels
• 04:30 - terminal feedback - dead lift phase  
• 05:01 - concurrent feedback - bar close to shin
• 05:11 - positive/negative feedback - close to shin but not thigh
• 05:48 - positive/concurrent feedback - close to shin and thigh
• 06:22 - positive/negative feedback - speed of movement
• 07:25 - terminal feedback - the triple extensions
• 09:24 - negative feedback - rocking back on heels
• 10:00 - positive feedback - happy with the completion of the individual triple extension without the bar
• 11:10 - positive/concurrent feedback - happy with triple extensions without barbell
• 11:17 - negative feedback - swinging arms
• 12:01 - positive/negative/concurrent feedback - looking down 
• 14:49 - positive/negative feedback - not reacting fast enough
• 15:48 - terminal feedback - arms directly up and flipping the bar
• 17:09 - terminal feedback - elbows up
• 17:51 - positive/negative feedback - leaning backwards
• 19:07 - terminal feedback - run through the coaching points 
• 19:50 - terminal feedback - not reacting fast enough
• 20:06 - positive/negative feedback - too slow
• 20:49 - positive/concurrent feedback - movement needs to be faster
• 22:22 - positive/negative feedback - looking down  

I thought that i demonstrated a wide variety of feedback methods while is was coaching. I included the four main types of feedback (positive, negative, concurrent and terminal) and some that were a mixture of them.

Terminal feedback

I found terminal feedback to be one of the most useful methods of feedback as this was the feedback that helped the subject understant what he needed to do. For example at 01:02 i told the subject the grip that he needed to have in order to carry out the movement. As i did this he knew the grip that he needed to have and i never had to revsisit this coaching point.   

Positive and negative feedback

I believe that i used both positive and negative feedback very well with good effect while i was teaching the clean. There are two early examples of this. At 01:02 i gave terminal advice on the grip as the subject had the incorrect grip. Then he corrected the grip position and i gave him positive advice. After i did this i never had to correct his foot position again. This shows the effectiveness of the feedback.

Concurrent feedback

I feel that concurrent feedback was quite useful as it prevented the subject from making mistakes while he was proforming the movement, it also helped to imporve him memmory on all of the different stages and phases.

Positive/negative feedback

Positive negative feedback is where you give some feedback on what the subject is doing right but then what he needs to improve, it can also be know as a 'shit sandwich' in the coaching context. An example of positive/negative feedback is at 05:11. I told the subject that it was good (positive) thatr he was keeping the bar close to his shin but he needed to keep the bar close to his thigh (negative) also. I feel that positive negative feedback was useful because it made sure that it didn't look like i was being too negative towards him so that his confidence was not affected.

Positive/concurrent feedback

This is where i am giving positive feedback while he is carrying out the proformance. I felt that this was useful because it gave him reassurance that what he was doling was right. An example of this is 05:48, i told the subject that he was doing a good job by keeping the bar colse to the shin and the thigh as he moved throught the deadlift phase. This was an issue that he was having trouble with before.

Overall i felt that my subject responded the best to positive/concurrent feedback. I believed this because when he was doing the movements if he was unsure if what he was doing was right or wrong i could tell that he was being tentative. However when i reassured him what he was doing was right as he was doing it he was able to concentrate on the rest of the movement.

(P2.3) The process i used to imporve memory and selective attention

The process i used to improve memory and selective attention refers to how i helped the subject remember the stages of each of the phases and selective attention refers to how the subject can focus on doing the movement.

The way i taught the skill was one of the methods i used to improve the memory and selective attention while i was teaching the skill. I only let him focus on one asset of the movement at a time. What i means is that i taught it in three relatively simple stages, also i didn't allow him to progress until i was happy that he had mastered the previous stage of the skill. I believe this helped the subjects memory while he was learning the skill because he had to show me that he could complete independently each phase until he could progress.

The main process i used to improve selective attention was by teaching the skill in an environment where there were very little distractions. I also coached the skill in front of a big mirror so that he could see himself doing the movement. These factors helped increase the subjects selective attention as he could focus on himself doing the movement and then as he is doing that he can focus on something specific in his technique. This is similar to the spotlight and zoom lense models.  

(P2.2) How i influenced reaction time in teaching my skill

In order to teach my skill i needed the subject to have a good reaction time in order to complete the movement successfully. I tried to influence their reaction time by using several techniques such as Hick's law, the relevant cue, their motivation, warming up and the change in focus of the movement.

How i used Hick's law to influence reaction time

As i have already discussed Hick's law is when the more stimuli that you are presented with your reaction time will increase due to the added stimuli that you are presented with. So when i was teaching my skill i taught it in an empty dance studio where there was very little or no stimuli in the room. So because there was very little irrelevant stimuli in the room to distract him he only needed to concentrate on learning the skill . So his reaction time would be faster due to the lack of stimuli that he was presented with. This is how i used Hick's law to influence reaction time.

Detecting the relevant cues

Detecting the relevant cues relates to the proformer realising what the stimuli is that they need to react to. When i was teaching my skill i told the subject the cues that he needed to detect and at what time. For example i told him at what point he needed to explosively pull the bar up from the upper thighs. So i affected reaction time when i was teaching my skill because i told the subject what the relevant cue was he knew that to look out for so he would be ready and therefore his reaction time would be quick.

Motivation

Moivation in this context refers to the motivation of the subject to want to learn the skill.  So in odrer for a quicker reaction time the subject needs to be motivated, the less motivated the subject is the slower his reaction time would be. At first it was quite hard for me to create the optimal levels of motiovation. In order to create the optimal level of motivational levels i had to say i would buy him  a drink that night if he would help me out by doing this. So i influenced reaction time because i created higher motivation levels which increasedhisreaction time.

Doing a warm up

It is important to do a warm up before you start any exercise, it can also help your reaction time. If the muscles are warm they will be able to move and react faster. Before i started the session i made sure that we did a through fullbody workout so that the subjects body would be able to react as fast as it can. So by doing a warm up i influenced reation tim by making sure that the subjects body would be ready to react as fast as it can.

The change in focus of the movement

I taught the clean in three distinc phases, the starting position, deadlift and the triple extension. Due to these phases there were times where he need to change his focus quickly. For example the transition from the deadlif to the triple extension. I told the subject that the change in his focus had to be quick and explosive. Due to this direction that i provided the subject knew that his reaction needed to be fast. This is how i used the change in focus of the movement to help  influence reaction time.

(P2.2) Reaction time

One of the most important attributes for open sports (sports that require you to react to other things e.g. someone passing you the ball). This is due to the constantly changing environment. The definition of reaction time is, 'the time between the first perception of the stimuli to the movement time'. Reaction time is not a skill, its a inherent ability however it is believed that it can be improved from 10 to 20 percent through practice and training.

There are numerous factors that could effect reaction time, they are:

• Hicks law 
• Age 
• Gender 
• Experience 
• Health 
• Personality 
• Motivation 
• Intensity of the Stimulus 
• Ergogenic aids 

Hicks law

Hicks law is based on the principle that the more stimuli you are presented with your reaction time will increase proportionality because of all the other possible responses. However Hick does believe that once your response time increases to a certain point it will level off and stop decreasing despite the increasing possible responses. A sporting example of this is in American football if a quarterback has one possible receiver to throw to how reaction time will be quite quick due to the limited possible responses. However where Hicks law comes in is if the Quarterback has five possible receivers his reaction time will significantly increase due to the significantly increased possible responses. Below is a graph of Hicks law, as you can see the reaction time increasing then levelling off after is has increased.

Age

Age affects your reaction time because you will be able to increase your reaction time up to thirty however after thirty you will not be able to improve it and it will gradually star to decrease. However after thirty you won't be able to increase it as it decreases as you get older. So in a sporting context sprinters will have a faster reaction time the younger they are. It is very rare that a sprinter will be able to compete post thirty, this is partly down to the fact that their reaction time naturally decreases due to them getting older.


Gender

Your gender has an affect on your reaction time because in general men have a quicker reaction time then women. A sporting example of this is the simple fact that male sprinters generally have faster times than women. Now obviously there are other more important factors that goes into this but males faster reaction times will add to this.

Experience

Experience is an important factor that could effect your reaction time. The more you have been in a certain situation the more comfortable you will be in that situation and therefore your reaction time will be at its best. However if you have never been in a certain situation you might feel nervous, this anxiety will reduce your reaction time. A sporting example of this is a young sprinter at his first Olympics might feel anxious as a result of the cameras and the crowd. This anxiety reduces your reaction time.

Health

Your health might affect your reaction time just because your body will be trying to deal with your health. So instead of your body focusing on trying to react to the stimuli it is trying to make you healthier. Health could also mean an injury. For example research has found that people who have either pronated or supoinated feet will have slower reaction times that people who don't.

Personality

Personality refers to whether or not you are an introvert or an extrovert. An introvert is someone who is more quiet, they don't want to be in the spotlight. An extrovert is someone who is louder and does not mind being the centre of attention. You must keep in mind that people can have both introverted and extroverted qualities. Personality can effect your reaction time because extroverted people tend to have a faster reaction time. So an introverted individuals reaction time might suffer compared to a extroverts. A sporting example of this is that a sprinter who is an introvert might have a slower reaction time compared to an extrovert such as Usain Bolt.

Motivation

Motivation is an important factor that can effect reaction time because it dictates how much effort you give. For example if you are forced to sprint 100m in a P.E lesson you won't be that motivated therefor your reaction time will suffer because of your lack of motivation. However if your a professional sprinter and you get paid relative to where you finish your motivation will be much higher therefore your reaction time will be close to its potential.

The intensity of the stimulus

The intensity of the stimulus is a very important factor that can affect reaction time. This is because the higher level of intensity you are presented by the faster you will react and the less intense the stimulus is the slower you will react. For example when you try to make someone jump you shout, this is a high intensity stimulus. You don't try to scare someone by whispering at them because this is a low intensity stimulus. A sporting example of this is the start of a sprinting race, a gun is a high intensity stimulus which promotes a high intensity reaction, the sprinters jumping off the blocks.

Ergogenic aids

Research has found that ergogenic aids can also affect your reaction time. An ergogenic aid is something that helps to improve athletic performance. So your diet could be an ergogenic aid. Research has found that consuming caffeine in the morning will increase your reaction time thought the day.

In conclusion Hicks law, age, gender, experience, health, personality, experience, the intensity of the stimulus and ergogenic aids are all factors that affect your reaction time. For a sport like springing the effectiveness of your reaction time could be the difference between last place and a new world record. Research was done on the reaction times from the 2000, 2004, 2008 Olympics. This leads us to the assumption that the start reaction time seems to improve equally with the superior performance of the modern sprinters. This shows how critical reaction time is in sport.

(P2.1) Different infomation processing models and their use in my skill

Information processing is how we understand and come to terms with things or stimuli in everyday life, we do it hundreds of times per every second everyday. Despite the fact that we do it so often we have no idea we are doing it, its something we do automatically. Princeton.edu define information processing as 'the sciences concerned with gathering, manipulating, storing, retrieving, and classifying recorded information'. This post will examine and evaluate the different information processing models.

Whiting's model for information processing

Whitings model for information processing explains the process of what happens to the information once you receive it. There are seven steps in whitings model, they are:

• The receptor systems
• The perceptual mechanisms
• The translatory mechanisms
• The effector mechanisms
• The muscular system  
• Intrinsic feedback
• Extrinsic feedback

The Receptor systems

A receptor system is a cell or group of nerve endings that respond to a sensory stimuli. So when you first encounter a stimuli you receive it thought the receptor system. The receptor system then leads to the perceptual mechanisms.

The perceptual mechanisms

 This is where the sensory input takes place. So this is where you first understand the nature of the stimuli, you understand what is happening. For example when someone passes you the ball in football, in order to react in a correct way you first need to understand what is actually happening.

The translatory mechanisms

Since you have comprehended the nature of the stimuli the translatory mechanisms is where you decide how you are going to react to the stimuli. For example someone passes you the ball in football, you decide to control the ball with the outside of your left foot.

The effector mechanisms

Since you have already decided what you are going to do all you need to do now is do it. The effector mechanism is where you put together a motor (movement) plan of how you are going to carry out this action. This plan is then sent to the muscular system.

The muscular system

The motor plan that you have developed is then put into action by the muscular system. For example you actually start to move you foot in order to control the ball.

Intrinsic feedback

This is where you receive feedback instantly, it is provided by proprioception, meaning from what you feel. So for example when you go to control the ball you know instantly whether or not if you have miscontrolled it or not. You don't have to see the results, you can feel what has happened. Another example is when you kick a ball and it comes off the outside of your foot, you don't have to see it, you can feel it.

External feedback

This is the end result of the movement. For example you have fully controlled the ball and you are ready to decide what you are going to do next. You might even be applauded by the crowd, this is another example of external feedback.


Welfords model for information processing

Welfords model for information processing is believes that data if it is seen as relevant goes to the short-term memory where it is compared to past experiences in the long-term memory. Using the long-term memory as a reference the desired action is carried out and then stored in the long-term memory.

The Sensory input

The sensory input is where information that we believe to be relevant to the situation is sent to the short-term memory. However only the information that is seen as relevant is sent to the short-term memory, the rest is discarded. This data is formed three ways, what we hear, see and proprioception (what we sense).

The short-term and long-term memory

Now the information is in the short-term memory, it is believed that your short-term memory can only store seven things for one minute. On the other hand the long-term memory has an unlimited capacity of information relating to previous experiences. The information that is in the short-term memory is compared to the information in the long-term memory, this information is used to come to a desired action.

The action 

The action that you take is then stored away in the long-term memory so that it can be used as a reference later on.

A sporting example of this information processing model at use is someone who is learning and playing rugby for the first time they won't have their long-term memory to use as a reference wont know how to pass the ball correctly. However if you receive some coaching on how to pass the ball correctly that information will be stored in the long-term memory. The next time you play you will draw on those past experiences in your long-term memory and you will know how to pass the ball correctly.   
 There are two main difference between Whiting's and Welford's models. Welford believes that both long and short-term are involved in the processing of information. However on the other hand Whiting believes that memory does not play a part in how we process information. Whiting believes that we process each piece of information and judge it on its own, without the use of past experiences. The other main difference is that in Whiting's model he explains how we do the response (data goes from the effector mechanisms to the muscular system). On the other hand in Welford's model there is no mention of this.  

The use of imformation processing in my skill

How whitings modle for infomation processing was used in my skill.

The input data from display: The subject recieved the input data from my example at the very beggining of the coaching session.

The perceputal mechanisims: Since i have just given the subject a demonstration on what he will be learning, so now he understands what he has to do.

The translatory mechanisims: While i am teaching you the various stages and phases of the movement you need to react correctly to the stimuli. For example after you have pulled the bar up you need to decied to react to flip the elbows.

The effector mechanisims: Since you have now decided how you are going to react you now need to put a motor plan together. For example extending the ankles, knees and hips at the same time.

The muscular system: The muscular system puts this plan together

Intrinsic feedback: Now you are or you have finished the movement, the preformer will have an idea of how he felt the movement went, good or bad.

External feedback: The external feedback will come from someone other than the person who proforms the movement. So all the external feedback came from me while i was coaching.   

How Welfords modle for infomation processing was used in my skill.

The sensory input: So when i taught the stages of the starting posistion each piece of infomation that i gave him went to the short-term memmory because it is deemed as relevant becasue the information will be required to carry out the skill.

Short and long term memmory: The new informatrion that needs to be used to carry out the skill is then compared with the long-term memmory stores inorder for a decision to be made.

The action: Once you have carrided out the action it is stored in the long-term memmory stores so that it can be used as a reference for later on. This explains how the subject could remember stages one and two after he had learned phase three.

Olympic barbell and bumper plates