The Perception & Action Podcast

Delving into why some affordances are more inviting than others, exploring how coaches can influence these invitations. Discussing the impact of perceived effort on decision-making, the experiential aspect of affordances, and coaching strategies for athletes to enhance their perception of affordances.

Topics include movement variability in rowing technique, struggles with technique instructions, the constraint-led approach in rowing, approaches to movement training and feedback, benefits of an ecological approach in rowing, and honoring individual styles and variation in rowing.

A study examines task constraint manipulations to improve accuracy and discipline in cricket bowling. Targets are effective for improving accuracy but not discipline. Task manipulations like clear goals, constraints, and feedback can enhance performance in cricket bowling training environments.

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.