Blocked Vs Random Practice - Making practicing fun again.

Описание: In this video the subject is practicing their shot to be able to perform better, so would not just repeating the shot over and over do the trick. When coaching an athlete during practice, it is vital that as a coach you implement the correct type of practice. There are two main types known as random and blocked practice; the former being better at leading to long term skill retention and application than the latter. Blocked practice is when the athlete performs a single skill over and over again with repetition being key. The learner will then move on to practice a new skill in the same way (repetition). Random practice is when the athlete performs different types of drills in a session with variation being key (location of the shot being varied in the video) forcing individuals to engage in the task. There are a number of advantages e.g. instant results and disadvantages e.g. lack of skill retention for blocked practice. Furthermore, an advantage of random practice is increase skill retention and a disadvantage is long term results. More advantages and disadvantages of each have been outlined in the video. In the video during blocked practice the subject misses just two shots of the nine whereas in random practice the subject makes just one out of seven. As a result, you would think blocked practice is more effective and for short term it is but when performing in a game scenario due to its repetitive nature and the lack of engagement in the task during practice results in poor performance. On the other hand, because in random practice you have to break a skill down, problem solve and engage, skill retention is better and when performing in a game scenario performance increases and never decreases even though having worse results than blocked practice during training. The random element means the learner is forced to be on his or her toes, not falling into a repetitive routine as a learner in a blocked practice would. Because blocked practice leads to better performance during training sessions, athletes and coaches are often led to a false sense of confidence that is shattered during competition. Coaches need to make sure they choose the right type of practice and/or a balance between both in order to maintain skill retention at a high level for the athlete to be able to be robust to detrimental performance and choking.