Coach Your Brains Out WHAT IS TAU? Motor Learning for Coaches
Apr 25, 2024
Discover the fascinating concept of tau and its impact on visual perception in sports. Learn how this theory aids in timing and movement coordination, particularly in volleyball. Dive into the influence of ball spin on player reactions and why incorporating spin drills is vital. Explore creative training methods, like using balloons to simplify tasks for young athletes. Finally, understand the challenges of teaching these complex concepts to players and the benefits of enhancing their anticipatory skills in competitive situations.
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Understanding Tau in Visual Perception
- Tau is a visual perception variable representing time to contact or collision with an object by the expansion rate of the object's retinal image.
- It allows the brain to interpret the approach speed of an object without calculating physical speed or distance explicitly.
Train Sensitivity to Tau
- Vary all non-specifying visual variables like ball size or weight to make tau the only consistent variable athletes rely on.
- This trains players to attune specifically to tau, improving their interceptive skills regardless of environmental changes.
Use Constraint Manipulation
- Manipulating task or environmental constraints like ball size, weight, or distance can improve performance by tuning perceptual skills.
- Coaches should find a balance to vary these constraints thoughtfully to enhance learning without compromising specificity.