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HMS, BM 2013 HSC 26

Describe THREE characteristics of a learner that can influence his/her ability to learn a new skill.   (4 marks)

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Any THREE of the following:

  • Confidence refers to a learner’s belief in their ability to successfully perform a skill. High confidence encourages risk-taking and persistent practice, whilst low confidence may limit skill attempts and slow progression through learning stages.
  • Heredity involves inherited physical characteristics that influence performance potential. Factors like muscle fibre composition, somatotype, height and gender determine natural advantages for specific sports and create unchangeable performance ceilings that cannot be exceeded through training.
  • Ability encompasses how easily an individual learns, processes and implements new skills. This includes sense acuity, perception, reaction time and intelligence, which combine to enable rapid skill acquisition and successful refinement of movement patterns.
  • Personality develops from social interactions and learning experiences throughout life. Positive traits like motivation, dedication, cooperativeness and receptiveness to instruction create favourable learning environments that accelerate skill development and performance improvement in chosen activities.
  • Prior experience involves previous exposure to similar movement patterns or sports participation. Athletes with related experience can transfer existing skills to new situations, accelerating learning through familiar movement foundations and reducing time required for skill acquisition.
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Any THREE of the following:

  • Confidence refers to a learner’s belief in their ability to successfully perform a skill. High confidence encourages risk-taking and persistent practice, whilst low confidence may limit skill attempts and slow progression through learning stages.
  • Heredity involves inherited physical characteristics that influence performance potential. Factors like muscle fibre composition, somatotype, height and gender determine natural advantages for specific sports and create unchangeable performance ceilings that cannot be exceeded through training.
  • Ability encompasses how easily an individual learns, processes and implements new skills. This includes sense acuity, perception, reaction time and intelligence, which combine to enable rapid skill acquisition and successful refinement of movement patterns.
  • Personality develops from social interactions and learning experiences throughout life. Positive traits like motivation, dedication, cooperativeness and receptiveness to instruction create favourable learning environments that accelerate skill development and performance improvement in chosen activities.
  • Prior experience involves previous exposure to similar movement patterns or sports participation. Athletes with related experience can transfer existing skills to new situations, accelerating learning through familiar movement foundations and reducing time required for skill acquisition.

HMS, BM 2019 HSC 24

How can characteristics of the learner influence skill acquisition? Use examples to support your answer.   (5 marks)

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  • Prior experience accelerates skill acquisition through transfer of existing movement patterns. This occurs because familiar skills provide a foundation for learning new movements. For example, a netball player learning basketball benefits from existing passing and catching abilities.
  • Confidence levels determine learning progression rates. When athletes have high self-confidence, they attempt new skills more readily. This leads to faster movement through cognitive and associative learning stages. Conversely, low confidence results in hesitation and slower skill development.
  • Physical characteristics influence learning capacity and skill execution. For instance, height advantages in basketball enable easier shot blocking and rebounding acquisition. Natural flexibility allows gymnasts to master complex movements more rapidly than less flexible athletes.
  • Motivation drives practice intensity and persistence during challenging learning phases. Highly motivated learners maintain effort when facing difficulties. This creates more practice opportunities, resulting in accelerated skill development and technique refinement.
  • Age affects learning speed and retention capacity. Younger learners typically acquire motor skills faster due to neuroplasticity. However, older athletes compensate through experience and tactical understanding.

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  • Prior experience accelerates skill acquisition through transfer of existing movement patterns. This occurs because familiar skills provide a foundation for learning new movements. For example, a netball player learning basketball benefits from existing passing and catching abilities.
  • Confidence levels determine learning progression rates. When athletes have high self-confidence, they attempt new skills more readily. This leads to faster movement through cognitive and associative learning stages. Conversely, low confidence results in hesitation and slower skill development.
  • Physical characteristics influence learning capacity and skill execution. For instance, height advantages in basketball enable easier shot blocking and rebounding acquisition. Natural flexibility allows gymnasts to master complex movements more rapidly than less flexible athletes.
  • Motivation drives practice intensity and persistence during challenging learning phases. Highly motivated learners maintain effort when facing difficulties. This creates more practice opportunities, resulting in accelerated skill development and technique refinement.
  • Age affects learning speed and retention capacity. Younger learners typically acquire motor skills faster due to neuroplasticity. However, older athletes compensate through experience and tactical understanding.

♦♦ Mean mark 50%.

HMS, BM EQ-Bank 537

Evaluate how a coach can address differences in heredity characteristics when teaching a team sport.   (8 marks)

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*Recommended words/phrases for “Evaluation” questions are highlighted in bold throughout the answer below.

Evaluation Statement

  • Coaching strategies are highly effective when addressing heredity differences in team sports.
  • This evaluation examines how well coaches match players to positions and adapt training to individual differences in team sports.

Position Allocation 

  • Placing players in positions that match their inherited traits strongly meets the goal of maximising team performance.
  • Evidence supporting this includes basketball coaches placing taller players in rebounding roles while shorter, quick players excel at point guard. Further, players with natural speed advantages suit wing positions in rugby.
  • A critical strength is maximising each player’s genetic advantages for team benefit. This approach achieves the best results by matching physical traits to position demands.
  • Overwhelming evidence indicates that teams using heredity-based positioning show superior competitive outcomes.

Individualised Training 

  • Personalised training modifications adequately fulfil diverse athlete development needs.
  • Athletes with different muscle fibre types require varied recovery periods between sessions. For example, fast-twitch dominant players need longer rest after sprints than slow-twitch athletes.
  • While strong in preventing overtraining, this shows limitations when coaches lack genetic testing resources.
  • Technique adjustments for different body types prove highly effective for skill development.
  • Although effective for individual progress, it proves less suitable for maintaining team cohesion.

Final Evaluation

  • Weighing these factors shows addressing heredity differences is highly valuable for team success.
  • The effects on improved performance outweigh resource and cohesion challenges.
  • The overall evaluation demonstrates coaches who embrace genetic diversity create stronger teams.
  • Implications suggest that coaches need further investment in their training so they are more able to identify heredity differences to help all players reach their potential.
Show Worked Solution

*Recommended words/phrases for “Evaluation” questions are highlighted in bold throughout the answer below.

Evaluation Statement

  • Coaching strategies are highly effective when addressing heredity differences in team sports.
  • This evaluation examines how well coaches match players to positions and adapt training to individual differences in team sports.

Position Allocation 

  • Placing players in positions that match their inherited traits strongly meets the goal of maximising team performance.
  • Evidence supporting this includes basketball coaches placing taller players in rebounding roles while shorter, quick players excel at point guard. Further, players with natural speed advantages suit wing positions in rugby.
  • A critical strength is maximising each player’s genetic advantages for team benefit. This approach achieves the best results by matching physical traits to position demands.
  • Overwhelming evidence indicates that teams using heredity-based positioning show superior competitive outcomes.

Individualised Training 

  • Personalised training modifications adequately fulfil diverse athlete development needs.
  • Athletes with different muscle fibre types require varied recovery periods between sessions. For example, fast-twitch dominant players need longer rest after sprints than slow-twitch athletes.
  • While strong in preventing overtraining, this shows limitations when coaches lack genetic testing resources.
  • Technique adjustments for different body types prove highly effective for skill development.
  • Although effective for individual progress, it proves less suitable for maintaining team cohesion.

Final Evaluation

  • Weighing these factors shows addressing heredity differences is highly valuable for team success.
  • The effects on improved performance outweigh resource and cohesion challenges.
  • The overall evaluation demonstrates coaches who embrace genetic diversity create stronger teams.
  • Implications suggest that coaches need further investment in their training so they are more able to identify heredity differences to help all players reach their potential.

HMS, BM EQ-Bank 531

Explain how heredity characteristics influence an athlete's potential performance ceiling in track and field events.   (4 marks)

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Sample Answer

  • Muscle fibre composition significantly determines performance potential, with a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibres benefiting explosive events like sprinting and jumping, while slow-twitch fibres favor endurance events like marathon running.
  • Somatotype influences event suitability, with ectomorphic (linear) body types advantaged in high jump, mesomorphic (muscular) builds suited to sprinting, and endomorphic types potentially better suited to shot put or hammer throw.
  • Height and limb length create biomechanical advantages in specific events, such as longer strides for tall sprinters or greater leverage for javelin throwers with longer arms.
  • These heredity characteristics establish a performance ceiling that cannot be exceeded regardless of training quality or intensity, explaining why some recreational athletes cannot reach elite levels despite proper technique and dedicated training.
Show Worked Solution

Sample Answer 

  • Muscle fibre composition significantly determines performance potential, with a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibres benefiting explosive events like sprinting and jumping, while slow-twitch fibres favor endurance events like marathon running.
  • Somatotype influences event suitability, with ectomorphic (linear) body types advantaged in high jump, mesomorphic (muscular) builds suited to sprinting, and endomorphic types potentially better suited to shot put or hammer throw.
  • Height and limb length create biomechanical advantages in specific events, such as longer strides for tall sprinters or greater leverage for javelin throwers with longer arms.
  • These heredity characteristics establish a performance ceiling that cannot be exceeded regardless of training quality or intensity, explaining why some recreational athletes cannot reach elite levels despite proper technique and dedicated training.

HMS, BM EQ-Bank 526 MC

Which of the following factors would be classified as a heredity characteristic that influences skill acquisition?

  1. Training experience
  2. Confidence level
  3. Muscle fibre composition
  4. Motivation to learn
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\(C\)

Show Worked Solution
  • C is correct: The relative percentage of fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fibres is an inherited characteristic that cannot be changed.

Other Options:

  • A is incorrect: Training experience is acquired, not inherited.
  • B is incorrect: Confidence develops through successful experiences and is not inherited.
  • D is incorrect: Motivation is a personality trait developed through social interactions and experiences, not inherited.