Handball-specific skill acquisition by use of different instruction methods

Abstract

Purpose. Instructions are one of the fundamental coaching methods for developing skills in sport. recent research has shown that activating implicit learning processes through metaphorical or analogical instructions is as effective as the activation of explicit learning processes by instructing step-by-step movement rules. Nevertheless, these effects have not been investigated in youth handball yet, and past research has shown a lack of the systematic use of analogy instructions in general. For the first time, the current study investigated the effectiveness of step-by-step instructions and analogy instructions in young athletes' learning of basic skills in team handball. Methods. A short-term intervention with a sample of 36 participants (9-10 years) was conducted. One group of the athletes were instructed with step-by-step movement rules, while the other group were instructed with analogies, in 3 different handball-specific tasks (stand throw, body feint, defence position). the athletes' performances were rated by 15 handball coaches. Results. the conducted intervention resulted in small and task-dependent performance improvements under both instruction conditions. In the throwing task, no performance improvement was observed overall, whereas the participants improved in both instruction conditions in the feint task. As for the learning of the defence position, the participants in the analogy condition improved more than the others. Conclusions. the current results are in line with recent investigations of different sports tasks and should motivate coaches and teachers in team sports to try to be ingenious and creative in developing functional analogies, metaphors, or pictorial instructions for skill acquisition.

Teaching feints to handball beginners

“…T"he increase of the average grade in both skills , as well as statistically significant differences established between the initial and final performance of both body feints demonstrate the progress in the subjects' performance of the feints after the implementation of the training program. Fasold, Houseman, Noel, and Klatt (2020) presented similar results when researching specific handball skill acquisition using different instruction methods (step-by-step and analogy instructions). They concluded that both coaching strategies improved the young athletes' performances of the task at which they were relatively unexperienced (i.e., body feint).…”

Microstructure of practice activities for team and individual sports

“…The discrepancies identified during transition activities in past and present studies may require more detailed examination to determine how transition activities can be best employed for different sports. It is also possible that the type of skill acquisition instructions used by coaches affects each sport differently [27]. Future studies should encompass more sports with varying characteristics, such as aerobic and anaerobic sports, involve longitudinal observations to further distinguish the intricacies that envelop the differences between sports, and ensure that what athletes essentially practise is in line with contemporary scientific findings.…”

When and How to Provide Feedback and Instructions to Athletes?—How Sport Psychology and Pedagogy Insights Can Improve Coaching Interventions to Enhance Self-Regulation in Training

“…In addition to the former communication method of model learning, movement analogies (also termed as "biomechanical metaphors"; i.e., a verbal illustration and visualization of a movement) can provide a valuable feedback alternative for coaches (e.g., Hill et al, 2010;Newell and Ranganathan, 2010;Fasold et al, 2020). For example, the statement "your arms and hands could build a wall from which the ball bounces back into the other team's court" could be one movement analogy for a "blocking" action in volleyball.…”