Motor learning in physical activity

Motor learning is the discipline that studies how people acquire skilled movement. It draws on biophysical knowledge of three body systems: the neural system, which plans movements and sends commands; the muscular system, which produces and controls force; and the sensory system, which supplies information from the eyes, ears, skin, muscles and joints.

Practice and feedback are the two influences a learner and coach can control most directly, so much of this topic is about choosing them well for a particular person and activity.

A motor skill is a voluntary muscular movement used to complete a predetermined task, such as a netball shoulder pass or a tennis serve. A motor program is the stored movement plan for that skill: a set of commands that tells the muscles when and how strongly to contract. When a skill is well learned the program runs with little conscious attention.

Early in learning the program is incomplete, so it must be built and refined through repetition, correction and feedback.

Skills are classified on three continua. Fine versus gross refers to the size of the muscles involved: a dart throw sits towards the fine end because its accuracy depends on precise control by the small muscles of the fingers, hand and wrist, while a triple-jump take-off uses large muscle groups.

Open versus closed refers to the stability of the environment: a basketball lay-up against defenders is open because opponents and space keep changing, whereas an archery shot in still conditions is closed. Discrete, continuous and serial describe whether a movement has a clear beginning and end: a volleyball spike is discrete, freestyle swimming is continuous, and a gymnastics floor sequence is serial because discrete elements are linked in a set order.

Most skills sit somewhere along each continuum rather than at one extreme.

One good attempt does not prove learning. Five characteristics show that learning has occurred: improvement (performance gets better over time), consistency (similar outcomes across attempts), stability (performance holds up under pressure, fatigue or distraction), persistence (the gain is still present after a break) and adaptability (the skill transfers to new contexts, such as a different opponent or surface).