Feedback in Practice

I have heard coaches say that what is most important is getting as many touches on the ball as possible. I believe that more important than the number of those touches is their quality.

Considering that the neuromuscular system learns from every trial/touch, a player who has 1000 poor touches teaches his system to perform that skill in that way. Remember, muscles don't know scoring or passing; they know movements. Whatever movements we repeatedly do become the preferred movement. As such, the 1000 poor touches reinforces that movement and the result is a players who has developed a preferred movement which is producing poor results. As a consequence of muscles 'knowing' movements, improvement for this player means that his neuromuscular system must unlearn that movement before it begins to prefer a new one. A simple way to avoid this situation is to consciously interrupt each effort/touch/trial with KR and KP.

KR refers to Knowledge of Results consists of information about the outcome of performing a skill, or whether the intended goal was achieved. It is primarily externally presented, hence 'that was not on target,' 'the ball did no beat the first defender,' etc, are types of KR. KP or Knowledge of Performance, is information about the movement characteristics that contributed to the observed result- 'you were leaning back, and that caused the ball to rise.'

It is important that both types of feedback be provided as players learn individual skills and the game in general, no matter what the sport. There is no saying that one is more important than the other. What must be taught, however, is analyzing the skill with regards to the outcome (KR), and figuring out what was done correctly or incorrectly (KP). The use of video is effective, and easily accessible, considering camera cellphones, etc. Often players are unaware of what they are doing, more so under pressure from the opposition. I have come across players who were told repeatedly that they were doing x instead of y and they could never figure it out or fix it. One responded with, "Why didn't you tell me that's what I was doing?' when he was eventually shown the video and could see himself doing it. Replaying videos will facilitate the learning process, advancing it beyond simple verbal instruction/feedback. Where possible, make it a regular part of practice. It is a common practice of professionals, not only to help them improve but also to learn.

Champions like Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods, make use of tapes. It is amazing to see the similarities in the moves that Kobe makes from those greats that played before him. Tiger reportedly changed his golf swing four times, when he was number one in the world. If nothing else, the desire that these top athletes have to continue to improve should inspire learner to do the same. I am consistently amazed at the number of young soccer players who don't watch soccer, even if it is just the highlights reel.

I believe that when setting goals, particularly with young athletes, some of those should be expressed in terms of KP. The win-loss column should be secondary to mastering the skills of the game. Heading is a common fear among youth and goals for a game could simply include having more headers that in the game before. Having goals such as this will be helpful when playing a stronger opposition, and will be a source of encouragement even if the game is lost. Did those headers go in the right direction? How did the movement and the preparation for that header affect its outcome? The primary reason for the fear of heading is getting it wrong, and getting it in the face instead, or a throbbing head after. These questions will address both KP and KR separate from the final score and will help the overall goal- skill acquisition.

At a higher level, the ability to analyze a skill, come up with the correct conclusions and make the necessary adjustments for better outcomes, will determine whether a players is effective or not. This concept is best exemplified [for me] in tennis. Regardless of the sport however, this ability must be developed during practice.