ABSTRACT
The term “motor” refers to “movement,” and the reader should feel free to replace “motor” with “movement” throughout this chapter. The coach should understand that first and foremost, coaching is teaching (Sands, 1984). “It is in the process of technical preparation that the educational ability of the coach and his professional qualification as a gymnastics teacher especially come out vividly” (Arkaev & Suchilin, 2004, p. 125). As such, the coach and athlete are in a cooperative situation where the coach attempts to teach the fitness, skills, tactics, mental orientations and philosophies of gymnastics while the athlete attempts to learn these concepts. Fundamental definitions of crucial concepts are as follows:
Motor/movement learning – a change in behaviour, associated with practice, that signifies the relatively permanent acquisition of a new or novel motion.
Motor/movement control – a process by which the central and peripheral nervous systems combine to produce motion through the application of muscle tension.
Motor/movement performance – the outcome of a motion-related behaviour.
Motor/movement development – the age- and maturation-related changes in movement behaviours.
Learning – a change in behaviour that is relatively permanent and involves a new capacity.
Practice – an exercise or task behaviour that is repeated to gain proficiency in the exercise or task behaviour.
Skill – “A skill is learned, and it is distinguished from capacity and ability because an individual may have the capacity and ability to perform a skill but cannot do it because it has not been learned” (Adams, 1987, p. 42).
Technique (technical actions) – “… are actions connected with the implementation of a certain technique of performing an exercise” and “The sum total of technical actions determines the technique of performing gymnastics exercise and their technical structure” (Arkaev & Suchilin, 2004, pp. 128–129).
