The Perception & Action Podcast

This podcast explores the concept of degrees of freedom in joint actions. It discusses a study on joint action learning and its relation to degrees of freedom. The results reveal improvements in performance and changes in freezing and complimentary ratios with practice. Analyzing an experiment, it shows that switching from joint to solo tasks increases freezing. The podcast emphasizes the influence of task constraints, practice, and experience on degrees of freedom in joint action learning.

Exploring the connection between the yips and motor imagery ability in baseball, including examples of players who experienced inaccurate throws, the potential of imagery as an intervention for athletes with the yips, and the concept of negative affordances in sports

Exploring the difference between technique and skill in sports, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and skill development. Discusses the benefits of movement variability, using constraints, and a representative practice environment.

Explore coaches' experiences in adopting a nonlinear approach to skill development, including common themes and recommendations. Learn about the challenges faced by coaches in going against established coaching practices within organizations. Discover the importance of frameworks and flexibility in athlete development, and the need for coaches to stay updated with research while maintaining their coaching philosophy.

Andrew Sheaff, author of a new book on swim coaching, discusses the importance of skills in swimming performance, the use of training aids and constraints to improve technique, the link between breathing and movement in swimming, the significance of planning skill development, and the effectiveness of verbal instruction and cues in swim coaching.

Recent research addresses limitations in the focus of attention literature, exploring the effects of directing attention internally and externally in motor learning and skill acquisition. The podcast discusses the benefits of external focus of attention, critiques of internal focus cues, and introduces two studies that examine the use of different cues and the effectiveness of internal focus cues in training scenarios. The impact of different focus cues on standing long jump performance is also discussed, highlighting how internal cues can lead to shorter jumps. The importance of individualized cues and the need for further research involving coaches and their cues is emphasized.

Rajiv Ranganathan & Andrew Driska discuss the challenges of skill acquisition research, emphasizing the need for settling between theories and considering contextual factors. They explore the limitations of Twitter as a platform for meaningful discourse and the difficulties coaches face in athlete development. The chapter highlights the value of thinking like a researcher, applying findings to the real world, and conducting more contextualized research. They also discuss the benefits of variability in practice and the importance of considering dose manipulations.

Explore the incredible career of Michael Turvey and his contributions to the ecological approach to perception-action. Discover his groundbreaking work in perception-action research, skill acquisition in sports, haptic perception, and motor control. Delve into his ideas on the importance of sticking to principles and clear theories, and reflect on his impact on understanding key concepts in the field.

Exploring the relationship between repetitive loading and elbow injuries in pitchers, including managing load, frequency, and variability. Variability of force and injury in pitchers, with a focus on individual differences in muscle load and activation. The complexity of redundancy and variability in muscle usage, and the importance of understanding individual differences in muscle load magnitude and variability for skill acquisition.

This podcast explores the concept of muscle memory and its role in skill acquisition. It discusses different types of implicit memory and their impact on daily activities and sports. The usefulness of muscle memory in skill acquisition is examined, highlighting its ability to allow individuals to perform actions effortlessly. However, the drawbacks are also discussed, arguing for a more attentive approach to skill development.