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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 2021 HSC 9 MC

An athlete consistently and accurately passes and controls the ball when under pressure during games. He communicates and interacts positively with his teammates.

Which two characteristics of the learner are being demonstrated by this athlete?

  1. Ability and personality
  2. Heredity and confidence
  3. Ability and prior experience
  4. Personality and prior experience
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\(A\)

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  • A is correct: Technical skill shows ability, teamwork shows personality traits.

Other Options:

  • B is incorrect: Heredity not demonstrated through learned skills.
  • C is incorrect: Prior experience not evidenced in description.
  • D is incorrect: Technical consistency demonstrates ability not experience.

HMS, BM EQ-Bank 539

Explain how a tennis coach might adapt training approaches when working with learners who have different conceptual abilities.   (5 marks)

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*Language highlighting the cause-effect relationship is bolded in the answer below.

Answers could any of the following points:

  • Learners who visualise well benefit from mental practice because they can process tactical information internally. They should imagine tactical situations before trying them. This works by using their strength in thinking about movements.
  • Learners who struggle to visualise need more physical demonstrations. The reason for this is that they cannot create accurate mental images from verbal instructions alone. As a result, coaches should move their bodies to show correct technique.
  • Video analysis should match learner abilities. This occurs because slow-motion replays help poor visualisers see details they miss in real-time. Consequently, strong visualisers can analyse their own performance effectively on video.
  • Training should progress at different speeds. This is due to strong visualisers processing information faster than others. Therefore, they can move quickly through skill stages while others need more practice time.
  • Feedback must suit the learner. This relationship results in visualisers responding well to verbal cues that create mental pictures. In contrast, others need hands-on guidance which enables them to feel correct movements.
  • Practice design should match abilities. Initially, start with simple decisions for weak visualisers, then gradually increase complexity. This process ensures appropriate challenge levels for all learners.
  • Coaches should help all players improve visualisation skills. This combination enables development of both mental and physical abilities together. Hence, using imagery exercises alongside physical training maximises overall improvement.
Show Worked Solution

*Language highlighting the cause-effect relationship is bolded in the answer below.

Answers could any of the following points:

  • Learners who visualise well benefit from mental practice because they can process tactical information internally. They should imagine tactical situations before trying them. This works by using their strength in thinking about movements.
  • Learners who struggle to visualise need more physical demonstrations. The reason for this is that they cannot create accurate mental images from verbal instructions alone. As a result, coaches should move their bodies to show correct technique.
  • Video analysis should match learner abilities. This occurs because slow-motion replays help poor visualisers see details they miss in real-time. Consequently, strong visualisers can analyse their own performance effectively on video.
  • Training should progress at different speeds. This is due to strong visualisers processing information faster than others. Therefore, they can move quickly through skill stages while others need more practice time.
  • Feedback must suit the learner. This relationship results in visualisers responding well to verbal cues that create mental pictures. In contrast, others need hands-on guidance which enables them to feel correct movements.
  • Practice design should match abilities. Initially, start with simple decisions for weak visualisers, then gradually increase complexity. This process ensures appropriate challenge levels for all learners.
  • Coaches should help all players improve visualisation skills. This combination enables development of both mental and physical abilities together. Hence, using imagery exercises alongside physical training maximises overall improvement.