The A - Z of Sports Vision - Feedback

When you are learning a new skill, you want feedback as to how you are doing. In fact there are two kinds of feedback: one gives you knowledge of the result (did I score a goal?) and the other gives you knowledge about your performance (did I kick the ball correctly?) Salmoni (1984) suggested that although feedback guides the performer to the correct movement, it can have negative effects when provided too frequently. The brain has its own feedback system from the senses, including feedback from our muscles as we carry out physical tasks. The problem is that the learner can become so dependent on the feedback provided by the coach, that this natural learning system is undermined, and there’s nothing to rely on when the coach’s feedback is no longer available. Feedback that is provided at the same time as the movement is particularly detrimental to learning. This type of feedback typically has very strong performance-enhancing effects during practice; but clear performance decrements, relative to when feedback is provided after the movement, are seen in transfer and retention tests (Park, Shea and Wright, 2000 for example). A problem with a lot of the feedback given to learners is that it tends to direct their attention to their own movements, which is generally less effective for learning than concentrating on the effects of one’s movements. Reducing the relative feedback frequency, on the other hand, might give the learner a chance, at least once in a while, to perform the movement without being too concerned about their performance. Janelle et al (1997) gave participants a throwing task using their non-dominant hand. There were three groups: two received additional feedback in the form of a video replay and comments from an expert, and one group didn't receive this. Of those that received the extra feedback, one group received after each group of five throws, and the other received the feedback only when they requested it. In the practice phase, those who received the extra feedback threw better than those who didn't receive it. However, on a retention test some days later, participants who had received additional feedback only when they had asked for it during practice demonstrated better throwing form and accuracy than participants in the other groups. This suggests that skill retention may be enhanced if instructors provide feedback only when learners request it during practice sessions. Great coaches are able to design practice so that feedback is embedded into the drill, leading to automatic readjustment, which in turn improves the quality of the feedback, generating further improvements and so on. Positioning oneself in this kind of feedback loop produces astonishing improvements (Syed 2011). David Donner