ABSTRACT
As active human beings we hardly ever stop moving. Most of these everyday movements are initially acquired with the help of parents or teachers, while others we gain through trial and error. In sporting situations, many of these basic movements act as foundational skills for more complex actions that may take years to master. The effectiveness of the coach in facilitating the learning of such skilled movements can be enhanced through a more detailed understanding of how athletes learn and how best to structure the environment to support this learning. How people learn to execute skills effectively poses an interesting set of questions, questions that researchers continue to wrestle with in an attempt to illuminate the sometimes misty world of effective coaching. The aim of this chapter is to discuss some of these questions and to illustrate the value to coaches of knowledge about the acquisition of skills. Further, it seeks to provide a framework for understanding and applying that knowledge that will, it is hoped, have a positive impact on the coaching and learning experience.
