Skill training is new content not addressed at all in Factors Affecting Performance. However, practice methods, feedback, and performance elements are all important background knowledge (you may also want to check out design a suitable plan for teaching beginners to acquire a skill through to mastery). This training method focuses on the development of skills specific to the athlete’s sport. 

Skills are developed through the stages of skill acquisition using a number of different training methods that are made specific for each sport. Training methods include: drills (massed, distributed, etc practice methods), modified and small-sided games (2 on 2 basketball, half field etc), and games for specific outcomes (decision making, tactical awareness).

Students learn about:

• skill training
  • drills practice
  • modified and small-sided games
  • games for specific outcomes, eg decision-making, tactical awareness.

Students learn to:

• analyse TWO of the training types by drawing on current and reliable sources of information to:
  • examine the types of training methods and how they best suit specific performance requirements
  • design a training program
  • describe how training adaptations can be measured and monitored
  • identify safe and potentially harmful training procedures.

Skill training program

Skill training programs are often varied and have many different segments to them. Often skill training is done using methods that replicate the specific sport. This means tennis is done individually on court, while football is done as a team on the field. However, this is not always the case. There are plenty of people who develop skills in 1-on-1 skill training sessions.

Skill training needs to be individualised in order to ensure improvements in performance. Skill training methods should match the players skill level and stage of skill acquisition, along with being age appropriate and further developing the skills needed in the sport.

Skill training focuses on technique of the skill and ways of applying the skill in competition. Together the aim is to improve performance through more consistent skill execution and better choice of skill application in competition.

A skill training program will have various different activities done in sequence focusing on particular skills. For example, after warming-up the athlete may complete 10 min of passing drills, before competing in a modified game that seeks to further develop passing skills such as 1 touch or 2 seconds with the ball. After this further drills on set plays may follow, that focus on decision making around the type of pass used (long, short, cut-out, lob, bounce etc). All skill training sessions should finish with a cool-down and session review.