Luckily, I have been somewhat correct in my beliefs of how this is best done and it relies mainly on the student, not the teacher. The good teachers have a dual concern of teaching the skill and teaching some people how to learn a motor skill. There is also quite a divide between the best way to learn a motor skill and retaining a motor skill.
In learning a motor skill, the critical component is the interpreting of information from the teacher. Has the feeling or shape of the position been correctly interpreted. Only when the student can show two different positions (one original, one new) do we know the information has been passed on. The ole “Did I do it there?” is the question of a student that hasn’t made that connection.
In retaining a motor skill, the duty falls solely on the student. The student must convert the feelings of a new position into their own meaning. This is not done by drills. Drills are for learning a position. To give you an example. A student is learning multiplication of two digit numbers. The teacher shows the student how to mulitply 15 and 36. After the student has figured out the answer, 5 minutes later the teacher asks the student to multiply 15 and 36 again(this is the drill). Eventually, the student automatically knows the answer and has lost all sense of how to multiply 2 digit numbers. Their brain has basically shut off the process because it knows the answer. In order for the student to retain this skill, they must be asked to do something different with it all the time to reinforce the process. There is also a growing amount of evidence that running through the motion very slowly many times decreases the amount of time to create retention.
It is for this reason, that I ask someone to ignore the ball flight. If the ball flight is good, they forget the process. If they have truly learned a new skill, they will be able to show the teacher bothmoves (old and new) and explain in their own words how they feel different.
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I can really relate to what you say about feel. That has been a tough lesson that I have been learning through RobCheney’s Golf101. Being true to yourself and how you learn is not as easy as it sounds. That’s why I’ve basically had to start all over again (not entirely mind). And after 2 years of disappointment, I’m finally taking steps toward consistency and understanding how much is my body, how much mental, and as you say, what I truely know compared to what is going through the motions. Yeah GOLF!
Yancy,
Sounds like you have a great support group around you. Always remember what you are trying to do and learn. The ball always just sits there.
John
Hi John,
Can you share the title of the articles you read on learning motor skills, or recommend a good book on the subject?
Thanks!
AG
AG,
I can’t find the exact article that I read but it is on Springerlink.
http://www.springerlink.com/
JG
Great piece, John. The ball flight is your servant, not your master.
One word on skills retention – Myelination. It’s a great word and understanding its complexity is such a leap forward in being able to communicate to your students.
I call it “Broadband for the brain”.
I will continue to read with much interest.
Parky
Martin,
Thanks for the comment.
In the future I will have some questions for you on the topic of myelination.
Get ready. =)
JG
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle is a great book on the role of myelin and learning