The Sport Psych Show #329 Dr Phil Kearney - Skill Acquisition: Defining and Developing Skill
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Sep 29, 2025 Dr. Phil Kearney, a leading skill acquisition specialist and interim course director at the University of Limerick, delves deep into the art of developing athletes. He explores the fascinating intersection of skill and psychology, emphasizing how essential it is to design effective practice sessions. Highlighting the Gaelic Games skill acquisition framework, Phil explains skill as the ability to adapt to momentary challenges. His insights on practice types, coach behavior, and the need for variability in training provide a fresh perspective on athletic development.
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Bridge Between Psychology And Skill
- Skill acquisition overlaps strongly with sports psychology but is underrepresented among sports psychologists' core focus.
- Better cooperation between psychologists and skill specialists yields more efficient, unified athlete development.
Framework To Raise Awareness
- The Gaelic Games framework aimed to organize sports science and explicitly include skill acquisition at the table.
- The guide's purpose is awareness, to define skill acquisition and invite coaches, clubs, psychologists to collaborate.
Science Of Practice
- Skill acquisition is the science of practice focused on making each hour of practice as effective as possible.
- Effective practice means improvements that transfer to game day, not just short-term performance boosts.
