Skills and Techniques- Badminton

Skills and Techniques- Badminton KC 3- The development of skill and the refinement of technique Principles of Effective Practice

“Perfectly planned practice produces perfect performance” You are now at the stage where you need to create an appropriate Plan of Action to improve your identified weakness. By now: 1. You fully understand the Stages of Learning 2. You are able to select the most appropriate Methods of Practice for each Stage of Learning • The next stage is to apply the Principles of Effective Practice to your Plan of Action

What are the Principles of Effective Practice? S Specific M Measurable A Agreed/Achievable R Realistic T Time Related E Exciting R Recordable/Regular

Specific Practices selected must be SPECIFIC to; • Your stage of learning- if the practice is too difficult then the performer will experience failure and lose focus, concentration and motivation. If the practice is too simple for the level of performance then the performer is not challenged and the same outcome arises. • Your level of fitness- If practices are too physically demanding then failure will arise as a result of fatigue. This is not normally the case for automatic performers who are highly motivated and relish physically demanding contexts in which to practice their skills Experienced teachers and coaches ensure practices match the performers experience, ability and fitness levels.

Your identified weakness- your plan of action should focus on the development of your weakness, however, your strengths must also feature to ensure your whole performance is maintained. It is important to incorporate all skills within the game at some stage during your plan of action. Specific cont. Serve OHC DS Smash NS UAC

Measurable • Performance improvement can be measured by collating data. You have completed MAS, observation checklists and scattergrams to help with this process. • This helps you to analyse the effectiveness, accuracy and consistency of your performance. • The data you collected was written down and kept as a permanent record. By repeating the data collection process throughout and at the end of your programme you can measure the improvements you have made. • Setting targets during each session provides a more detailed account of progress being made.

Agreed and Achievable • At preparation/practice stage of learning session objectives and targets are very much coach led, however, at the automatic stage it is very important the performer has an input towards sessions, targets, programmes of work etc. • Session objectives, targets etc. should be agreed PRIOR to commencing the Plan of Action so that the performer and coach are aware of the criteria against which success and improvement can be measured. • By helping to agree objectives and targets a performer is more likely to be determined and motivated to improve.

Agreed and Achievable • Targets set during sessions must be challenging but achievable. You must consider a performers stage of learning when setting achievable targets. • To achieve their agreed targets performers must be highly motivated, committed, determined and focused on improving. • Hard work and dedication are required to achieve your targets. Performers who achieve their targets easily have set them too low. • Success breeds confidence, however, if success is achieved too easily or too often then the performer will not work as hard and this will have an adverse affect on their overall performance.

Realistic • Targets must be REALISTIC (challenging but achievable) • Intensity of practice must be realistic. REMEMBER the Principles of Effective Practice are based on Skill Learning. • Practice sessions should be designed to improve skill level. If too much emphasis is placed on fitness (practice intensity is too high) this can have a detrimental effect on skill development. This must be considered at the preparation/practice stages. Primary Focus of Practice Session(s) is Skill Development • At the automatic stage practice intensity can be increased. The performer must learn to cope with game like pressure whilst maintaining a high skill level.

Time Related • Your Plan of Action should be organised to ensure you achieve your short, medium and long term targets. Targets are normally set with a view to peak performance at a major event. • Practice sessions are organised to ensure sufficient time is spent on skill development whilst also providing time for rest and feedback to be received. This is called work to rest ratio- work:rest • Your work:rest will vary depending on your Stage of Learning. The most important factor is that skill level does not deteriorate due to fatigue. Performers must practice whilst sustaining a quality performance. Look at the examples below. • Preparation Stage work:rest 1:3/1:4 Practice Stage work:rest 1:2/1:1 Automatic Stage work:rest 2:1/3:1

Exciting • Your Plan of Action/Practice sessions must be exciting. To ensure this occurs a variety of fun, enjoyable, challenging practices must be incorporated into your programme. • Repeating the same practices/sessions against the same opponent, on the same court etc. becomes boring and the performer will quickly lose motivation, concentration, determination and interest in the activity. As a result they may lose sight of what they are doing and why they are doing it. • Making practices exciting at The Preparation Stage is crucial. If early experience in an activity is negative the performer will become bored and not want to continue or improve their performance in that activity. • Automatic performers realise that to improve performance by a fraction practices must be specific and are often repetitive. By altering the practice slightly motivation and concentration can be sustained and boredom can be prevented.

Recordable and Regular • Keeping a record of your sessions is crucial. It allows you to record details of practices/targets/feelings etc. This can help with the planning of future programmes. • Regular practice is very important during skill development programmes. It helps the performer with speed of movement, timing, accuracy, consistency etc. • How often you practice will vary depending on your stage of learning, experience, ability and motivation. It is very important time is given for adequate recovery to ensure quality practice occurs. Look at the examples below. • Preparation Stage 2 x 1 hour sessions per week Practice Stage 3 x 1.5 hour sessions per week Automatic Stage 4/5 x 2 hour sessions per week

Homework • Complete Homework 5 for Friday 28/11/08

Skills and Techniques- Badminton