Sport Skill Acquisition

In recent decades, sport science has seen an explosion in the volume of knowledge regarding skill acquisition and motor control. Sport Skill Acquisition carefully and critically considers the expanding knowledge, with a focus on application, examining three major theoretical perspectives that dominate the field: cognitive, ecological dynamics, and predictive processing. Editors Dave Collins, PhD, and Jamie Taylor, PhD, use their combined wisdom as coaches, coach developers, and expert sport psychology practitioners to offer practical advice on blending theoretical approaches, using examples from a variety of sports and activities.

Students and practitioners across a variety of professions based on the development and refinement of effective movement—including coaches, sport scientists, physical educators, physical therapists, and trainers—will appreciate the applied focus of Sport Skill Acquisition. The text champions the connection of research to direct application using a practice termed professional judgment and decision making (PJDM), or the it depends approach, which stresses the need to carefully consider and apply the best strategy for each particular context.

Organized into four parts, Sport Skill Acquisition begins by considering the three theoretical approaches to skill acquisition. It goes on to explore how these different approaches can be used separately or in a blended form, before considering the wider ramifications of an integrated approach. Then the mental, organizational, planning, and social aspects of skill are discussed, along with practical guidance on how skill can best be planned for, developed, executed, and integrated.

Throughout the book, learning features guide readers through the content. Chapter objectives direct readers on their learning path and ensure they focus on key concepts, while chapter summaries offer a concise wrap-up of the material presented. Review questions and key terms support understanding and knowledge. Case studies and practical questions offer real-life situations that support critical thinking.

For those looking to improve their work with performers, Sport Skill Acquisition provides a road map for choosing the best approach for each unique situation to develop skills for optimal sport performance.

Audience

Undergraduate students taking courses in skill acquisition, motor learning, coaching, or sport science; reference for movement-based practitioners, including coaches and physical education teachers.

Introduction. The It Depends Approach: Informed Decision Making Based on Contextual Needs
Dave Collins

Part I. Controlling Movement

Chapter 1. Underpinning Theories and Consequent Approaches: What Do We Want and Need From a Model?
Dave Collins and Jamie Taylor

Chapter 2. Challenges of Cognitive, Ecological, and Predictive Processing Approaches
Howie J. Carson and Jamie Taylor

Chapter 3. Sifting the Useful From the Useless: A Case for Criticality in Coaching
Loel Collins and Ray Bobrownicki

Part II. Learning Movement

Chapter 4. An Either-Or Perspective on Applying the Theoretical Approaches: Where Have They Come From, and How Valid Are They?
Howie J. Carson

Chapter 5. Blending Approaches
Michael Ashford and Jamie Taylor

Chapter 6. Performer Experience: Challenge and Fidelity
Jamie Taylor and Michael Ashford

Chapter 7. The Special Case of High-Level and Experienced Performers
Dave Collins

Part III. Performing Movement

Chapter 8. Mental Skills
Rosie Collins

Chapter 9. Athlete Management
Andrew Cruickshank

Chapter 10. Planning and Leadership Systems
Michael Ashford and Dave Collins

Part IV. Team Movement

Chapter 11. Psychosocial Dimensions: Integrating Movement and Psychological Considerations to Optimize Team Performance
Urvi Khasnis and Amy Price

Chapter 12. Team Management
Andrew Cruickshank

Epilogue. Underpinning Your Future Development: Next Steps, How to Take Them, and What to Look Out For
Jamie Taylor and Dave Collins

Dave Collins, PhD, earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Surrey in 1990. He is currently the director of Grey Matters UK, a performance-focused company that offers applied consultancy services in sports, business, performing arts, and more. He is also a professor at the University of Edinburgh, an institution ranked in the world’s top 20 by QS World University Rankings. Collins has written over 450 peer-reviewed publications and has authored or contributed to 90 books. His research interests include performer and coach development, expertise, and peak performance. As a practitioner, Collins has worked with more than 90 world-class athletes or Olympic medalists as well as professional athletic teams and performers. He is the director of the Rugby Coaches Association, a fellow of the Society of Martial Arts, a fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), and an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society. Collins is a former Royal Marine and a fifth dan in karate.

Jamie Taylor, PhD, earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Edinburgh in 2020. He is currently an assistant professor and lecturer in coaching and elite performance at Dublin City University. As a senior coach developer at Grey Matters UK, Taylor offers ongoing contributions to the development of coaches and coach supporters in athletics, netball, rugby union, football, adventure sports, and the Special Olympics. He has worked with over 150 coaches in a developmental capacity and consulted across a wide range of sports and contexts, including Olympic and Paralympic programs. While working with the English Institute of Sport, Taylor supported the creation of the Coach Developer CIMSPA standards. His research focus spans across performance enhancement in sport, specifically in coaching, coach development, high performance, and talent development.

Coaching styles and activity design
How coaches shape value through team or squad identity
Professional Judgment and Decision Making (PJDM) in coaching: The “It Depends” approach

All ancillaries are free to adopting instructors through HKPropel.

Instructor guide. Includes answers to practical questions that are featured in the text, plus chapter objectives and chapter summaries. Additional instructor tools include these:

• Lecture aids: ideas for lecture topics, sample lecture outlines, and condensed lecture notes
• Activities: ideas for assignments, lab activities, and class projects
• Topics: ideas for paper or essay topics

Test package. Contains over 200 questions in true-false, fill-in-the-blank, essay and short-answer, and multiple-choice formats. The files may be downloaded for integration with a learning management system or printed for use as paper-based tests. Instructors may also create their own customized quizzes or tests from the test bank questions. 

Presentation package. Features more than 200 PowerPoint slides of text, artwork, and tables from the book that can be used for class discussion and presentation. The slides in the presentation package can be used directly within PowerPoint or printed to make handouts for students. Instructors can easily add, modify, and rearrange the order of the slides.