Open and closed skills are on a continuum. The open end of the continuum has skills where the environment is unpredictable where the closed end of the continum has skills where the environment is either stable or predictable as a reult of practice. For open skills the environment is constantly changing which precludes the performer from effectively planning the response. Success seems to be determined by the extent to which the performer is successful in adapting the behavior to the changing environment. In closed skills the environment is predictable but may be predictable because of: perfectly stable environment (eg. archery, bowling); environment variable, but changes are either very predictable and/or have been learned as the result of practice (ie juggling); or the successful performer can anticipate the behavior of the environment in the near future (eg. expert basketball player).
OPEN SKILLS CLOSED SKILLS Team Sports Middle Skill Golf Car Driving Tennis Serve
Extended practice can move a skill from the open end of the continuum to the closed end. For example, a basketball player who anticipates the moves of an opponent increases the amount of time that they have to respond. Gentile has expanded the original definition of open and closed skills to include dichotomy as to whether or not there is limb manipulation. PUT IN MORE bout her stuff.
How can you generalize open/closed to teaching skills?
2. Discrete, Serial, Continuous Skills
Discrete skills have a definite starting and ending point and are often cognitive in nature (eg. golf throwing, catching, golf swing). These skills are very rapid and seldom require more than a second to complete. Continuous skills have an arbitrary starting and stopping point (eg. walking, swimming, driving a car). Serial skills string discrete skills together (eg. dance routine, gynmastics routine, complex dive). These skills may require many seconds to complete, and may appear to be continuous, although they might have discrete beginnings and ends. Continuous skills are generally remembered better over a longer period of time than are either discrete or serial skills.
What generalizations can be made for discrete,serial and continuous skills?
3. Self/Externally Paced Skills
Self paced skills are skills where the mover initiates the action whereas externally paced skills are where the mover must react to the environment. A tennis serve is an example of a self-paced skill whereas rallying in tennis is an example of an externally-paced skill.
What generalizations can you make about self-externally paced skills?
Skill Complexity The above dimensions and other factors allow skill analysis to modify task complexity of the movement. EXPAND GREATLY