There is a large range of sporting activities each requiring a set of skills. Skills have many characteristics that can change in different situations, which makes classifying them difficult. Accepting that skills cannot be neatly labelled, we place them on a continuum.
Skill classification systems are based on the view that motor skills are affected by three factors:
This continuum is concerned with the precision of movement - gross and fine skills.
Gross skills: involve large muscle movements which are not very precise and include many fundamental movement patterns such as walking, running and jumping. The shot putt is an example of a primarily gross skill.
Fine skills: involve intricate precise movements using small muscle groups and generally involve high levels of hand-eye coordination. A snooker shot or playing the piano are examples of fine skills.
This continuum is concerned with the effects of the environment on skills (Knapp 1967)[1]
Open skills: sports such as Netball, Football, and Hockey involve open skills. The environment is constantly changing and so movements have to be continually adapted. Skills are predominantly perceptual and externally paced, for example a pass in football.
Closed skills. These skills take place in a stable, predictable environment and the performer knows exactly what to do and when. Skills are not affected by the environment and movements follow set patterns and have a clear beginning and end. The skills tend to be self-paced, for example a free throw in Basketball, and serving in Squash or Tennis.
Knapp (1967)[1] suggests that skills can fit on a continuum between open and closed.
This continuum is concerned with the timing of movements (often used with the open-closed continuum) - internal and external paced skills.
Internally paced or self-paced skills: the performer controls the rate at which the skill is executed. These skills are usually closed skills. i.e. javelin throw, discus.
Externally paced skills: the environment, which may include opponents, controls the rate of performing the skill. The performer must pay attention to external events in order to control his/her rate of movement. These skills involve reaction, and are usually open skills. i.e. in ball games the performer must time his actions with the actions of other players and the ball.
This continuum is concerned with how well defined the beginning and end of the skill are - discrete, serial and continuous skills.
Discrete skills are brief, well-defined actions that have a clear beginning and end. They are single, specific skills, which make up the actions involved in a variety of sports such as hitting and throwing. Hockey. i.e. a penalty flick in.
Serial Skills are a group of discrete skills strung together to make a new and complex movement. i.e. the sequence of skills for the triple jump.
Continuous skills have no obvious beginning or end. The end of one cycle of movements is the beginning of the next, and the skill is repeated like a cycle. These skills could be stopped at any moment during the performance of the skill. i.e. Swimming, Running, Cycling.
Individual skills are those performed in isolation. e.g. high jump.
Coactive skills are those performed at the same time as others but without direct confrontation. e.g. swimming.
Interactive skills are those performed where other performers are directly involved. e.g. rugby, netball.
A simple skill is one that is straight forward, requires little concentration and cognitive ability.
A complex skill involves a large attention span because they are complicated and are practiced in training repeatedly to make it easier to perform in competition.
A low organisation skill is very easy and uncomplicated like riding a bike. The phases that make up the skill are usually discrete and might be practiced separately to make your technique better.
A high organisation skill has a complex amount of phases involved which cannot be broken down and practiced separately as they are linked closely together. They require large amounts of attention.
Self paced skills are those that are initiated by the performer and externally paced skills are those where the timing of the performance of the skill is not controlled by the performer, but by an outside influence.
A major factor influencing the development of a skill is practice of which there are two main types:
The organisation of a practice session will depend greatly on those involved and the activity being practiced. Depending on the amount of experience, the skill level and the performer's fitness, practice may be organised in two ways (Galligan 2000):