What does it mean to say that a skilful movement is goal-directed?

A skilful movement has a clear aim that the performer sets out to achieve. A penalty taker, for example, aims to place the ball beyond the goalkeeper's reach.

Why is a skilled performer described as efficient?

A skilled performer wastes no movement or energy. The action uses only the effort the task requires, so fatigue is delayed.

What is meant by a skill being fluent and aesthetic?

A fluent skill flows smoothly from one phase into the next. An aesthetic skill is pleasing to watch, like a well-executed vault in gymnastics.

AQA A-Level Physical Education 7582

The Cardiovascular System

Topic overview Heart health, fitness and cardiac output The cardiac conduction system and heart rate control Receptors, vascular shunting and blood redistribution Oxygen transport, the Bohr shift and the a-VO₂ difference Venous return, Starling's law and cardiovascular drift

The Respiratory System

Topic overview Lung volumes and minute ventilation Gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure Control of breathing during exercise Smoking and the respiratory system

The Neuromuscular System

Topic overview Muscle fibre types and their characteristics The nervous system and motor units Summation, the all-or-none law and tetanic contraction Muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs and PNF

The Musculo-Skeletal System and Movement Analysis

Topic overview Planes, axes and sagittal plane joint actions Frontal and transverse plane joint actions Joint types, articulating bones and muscle pairs Isotonic and isometric contraction in sporting actions

Energy Systems

Topic overview ATP and the aerobic energy system Anaerobic energy systems and the energy continuum Lactate accumulation, the lactate threshold and OBLA Oxygen deficit and EPOC VO₂ max, RER and measuring energy expenditure Altitude training, HIIT, plyometrics and SAQ

Skill, Transfer and Practice

Topic overview Characteristics of skill Classifying skills on the six continua Transfer of learning Whole, progressive part and whole–part–whole practice Massed, distributed, variable and mental practice

Theories of Learning

Topic overview Fitts and Posner's stages of learning Learning plateaus and performance curves Insight learning and operant conditioning Observational learning and social development theory

Guidance and Feedback

Topic overview Verbal and visual guidance Manual and mechanical guidance Types of feedback Matching feedback and guidance to the learner

Information Processing and Memory

Topic overview Input, receptors and the DCR process Memory and the working memory model Whiting's information processing model Reaction time, response time and Hick's law The psychological refractory period and anticipation Schmidt's schema theory

The Emergence and Globalisation of Sport

Topic overview Pre-industrial society, mob football and real tennis Industrialisation, urbanisation and rational recreation Association football, lawn tennis and Victorian athletics Amateurs, professionals and women in Victorian sport The Golden Triangle of sport, media and sponsorship Professionalism and elite women's sport since 1950

Equal Opportunities in Sport

Topic overview Society, socialisation and social structures Social action theory, prejudice and stereotyping Barriers and solutions for women and ethnic minority groups Barriers and solutions for disabled and disadvantaged groups Benefits of participation, Sport England and its partners

Diet and Nutrition

Topic overview Carbohydrate, fibre and fats for exercise Protein, vitamins and minerals Hydration before, during and after exercise Creatine, sodium bicarbonate, caffeine and glycogen loading

Preparation and Training Methods

Topic overview Fitness testing: data, validity and reliability Warm-up, cool-down and stretching Principles of training and FITT Periodisation, tapering and peaking Training methods for fitness and health

Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

Topic overview Acute and chronic sports injuries Screening, protective equipment, flexibility and taping Rehabilitation methods and their physiological basis Recovery methods, sleep and nutrition

Biomechanical Principles and Levers

Topic overview Newton's laws of linear motion Speed, distance and scalar quantities Centre of mass and stability Lever classes and mechanical advantage

Linear and Angular Motion

Topic overview Forces acting in linear motion Vectors: displacement, velocity, acceleration and momentum Impulse and force–time graphs in sprinting Angular motion and conservation of angular momentum

Projectile Motion and Fluid Mechanics

Topic overview Factors affecting horizontal displacement Flight paths and vector components of projectiles Drag and dynamic fluid force Lift and the Bernoulli principle

Personality and Attitudes

Topic overview Trait and social learning theories of personality The interactionist perspective in sport The triadic model and how attitudes form Changing attitudes: cognitive dissonance and persuasive communication

Arousal and Anxiety

Topic overview Drive theory and the inverted-U Catastrophe theory, the zone of optimal functioning and peak flow Somatic, cognitive, trait and state anxiety Measuring anxiety

Aggression

Topic overview Aggression and assertive behaviour Theories of aggression Strategies to control aggression

Motivation and Achievement Motivation

Topic overview Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Atkinson's model: need to achieve and need to avoid failure Incentive value and probability of success Achievement goal theory and approach behaviour

Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

Topic overview Zajonc's model of social facilitation Evaluation apprehension and coping with an audience Tuckman's model and team cohesion Steiner's model, the Ringelmann effect and social loafing

Goal Setting

Topic overview Outcome, performance and process goals Why goal setting works SMARTER goal setting

Attribution Theory

Topic overview The attribution process and Weiner's model Attribution, task persistence and self-serving bias Learned helplessness, general and specific Attribution retraining and overcoming helplessness

Self-Efficacy and Confidence

Topic overview Self-efficacy, self-confidence and self-esteem Bandura's model of self-efficacy Vealey's model of sport confidence Home field advantage and building self-efficacy

Leadership

Topic overview Effective, prescribed and emergent leaders Autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire styles Fiedler's contingency theory Chelladurai's multi-dimensional model

Stress Management

Topic overview Stress, stressors and the warm-up Mental rehearsal, visualisation and imagery Attentional control, thought stopping and self-talk Somatic relaxation techniques

Concepts of Physical Activity and Sport

Topic overview Physical recreation and sport Physical education and school sport The sports development continuum

Development of Elite Performers

Topic overview Talent identification and progression factors National governing bodies, national institutes and UK Sport Support services for talent development World Class Programme and UK Sport talent schemes

Ethics and Violence in Sport

Topic overview Amateurism, sportsmanship and the win ethic Positive and negative deviance Causes and implications of violence in sport Preventing violence among performers and spectators

Drugs in Sport

Topic overview Why elite performers use drugs EPO, anabolic steroids and beta blockers Consequences of drug taking for sport and performer Eliminating drugs and the testing debate

Sport, the Law and Commercialisation

Topic overview The law and the sports performer Negligence, duty of care and spectator law Commercialisation, the performer and the coach Commercialisation, officials, audiences and the sport

Technology in Sport

Topic overview Collecting and analysing sports data Functions of sports analytics Sports equipment and facilities Benefits and drawbacks of sports technology

Skill, Transfer and Practice

5 subtopics
15 things to know
Paper 1

What Skill, Transfer and Practice covers

Skill, Transfer and Practice is examined in Paper 1, Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport. It covers characteristics of skill, classifying skills on the six continua, transfer of learning, whole, progressive part and whole–part–whole practice and massed, distributed, variable and mental practice.

Where it is assessed

Paper 1

Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport, 2 hours and 35% of the A-level.

Check the AQA specification ↗

The 5 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What does the open–closed continuum classify, and what makes a skill open?

Key term

How can a coach reduce negative transfer, and why should children master fundamental motor skills first?

Key term

How do skill-to-skill and practice-to-performance transfer differ, and how does transfer affect the speed of learning?

Key term

What is meant by a skill in sport?

Key term

Describe the whole method of presenting practice.

Key term

What is massed practice?

Key term

How does a skill differ from an ability?

Key term

What does the open–closed continuum classify?

Key term

Which types of skill suit the whole method?

Key term

When is massed practice most appropriate?

Key term

Why is skill described as learned rather than inherited?

Key term

Define an open skill and give a sporting example.

Key term

What is meant by transfer of learning?

Evaluation

What are the advantages of whole practice?

Evaluation

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of massed practice.

Take Skill, Transfer and Practice further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

Open skill vs Closed skill
Open skill: a movement strongly affected by a changing, unpredictable environment. Closed skill: a movement performed in a stable, predictable environment.
Self-paced skill vs Externally paced skill
Self-paced skill: a movement whose start and rate the performer controls. Externally paced skill: a movement whose timing is set by an opponent or a signal.
Gross skill vs Fine skill
Gross skill: a movement using large muscle groups with little precision. Fine skill: a movement using small muscle groups with great precision.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is meant by a skill in sport?
Model answer
A skill is a learned action with a clear, predetermined goal. A skilled performer achieves the goal with maximum certainty and minimum time and energy.
2
How does a skill differ from an ability?
Model answer
An ability is an innate and fairly stable trait, such as balance or coordination. A skill is learned through practice and draws on several abilities at once.
3
Why is skill described as learned rather than inherited?
Model answer
Skill is acquired through practice, experience and feedback. A performer is born with abilities, but has to develop the skills built on them.
4
What does it mean to say that a skilful movement is goal-directed?
Model answer
A skilful movement has a clear aim that the performer sets out to achieve. A penalty taker, for example, aims to place the ball beyond the goalkeeper's reach.
5
Why is a skilled performer described as efficient?
Model answer
A skilled performer wastes no movement or energy. The action uses only the effort the task requires, so fatigue is delayed.
6
What is meant by a skill being fluent and aesthetic?
Model answer
A fluent skill flows smoothly from one phase into the next. An aesthetic skill is pleasing to watch, like a well-executed vault in gymnastics.

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The Cardiovascular System

The Respiratory System

The Neuromuscular System

The Musculo-Skeletal System and Movement Analysis

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ADrug testing protects athletes' health.

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Skill, Transfer and Practice revision questions

What does Skill, Transfer and Practice cover in AQA A-Level Physical Education?: 5 subtopics: characteristics of skill, classifying skills on the six continua, transfer of learning, whole, progressive part and whole–part–whole practice and massed, distributed, variable and mental practice. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Skill, Transfer and Practice organised?: By the AQA 7582 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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