ABSTRACT

Research in the area of skill acquisition has a long history, dating back at least as far as the work of Bryan and Harter (1897, 1899). The application of scientific findings from this field had a significant impact on policy and practice in human factors and ergonomics in the second half of the twentieth century (Summers, 2004). However, there has been limited application of the principles of skill acquisition in elite sport (Williams, 2006). This latter observation is surprising given the corresponding investment in scientific support in high-performance sport over the last two decades in many countries, particularly in exercise physiology, performance analysis and sport psychology. It appears that few scientists in the area of skill acquisition are engaging with practitioners. The prevailing tendency is for scientists to be less concerned about how knowledge generated could have translational impact and more occupied with the need to achieve traditional academic markers of impact and esteem. These latter motives are without doubt worthy and necessary benchmarks of academic excellence and career progression. However, there is increasing awareness that all fields of science must impact broadly on society by influencing public policy and behaviour. An enhanced focus on translational impact has resulted in renewed (or new) efforts to bridge the gap between theory and applied practice in the field of skill acquisition in sport (Williams & Ford, 2009; Williams & Hodges, 2005).