Expertise and research into the development of expertise and skill acquistion in sports performance is a specific area of research within the more general field of motor skills acquisition. This is the first fully comprehensive and focused work on the subject.

Teaching the skills necessary to play sport depends partly on transmitting knowledge verbally, yet non-verbal or tacit knowledge also has an important role. A coach may tell a young athlete to 'move more dynamically', but it is undoubtedly easier to demonstrate with the body itself how this should be done. Skills such as developing a 'feel for the water' cannot simply be transmitted verbally; they are embodied in the tacit knowledge acquired from practice, repetition and experience. This is the first sociological study of the transmission of skills through tacit knowledge in sport. Drawing on philosophy, sociology and theories of embodiment, it presents original research gathered from qualitative empirical studies of young athletes. It discusses the concept of tacit knowledge in relation to motor skills transmission in a variety of sports, including athletics, swimming and judo, and examines the methodological possibilities of studying tacit knowledge, as well as its challenges and limitations. This is fascinating reading for all those with an interest in the sociology of sport, theories of embodiment, or skill acquisition and transmission.

Integrating theory with practice, this core textbook provides a structured and sequential introduction to motor learning and motor control. Part 1 begins by introducing what motor learning is and how movement is controlled, before exploring how a learning environment may be manipulated to assist in the learning and performance of movement skills. Part 2 explores motor control from neural, behavioural and dynamic systems perspectives. Part 3 provides an overview of considerations in applying motor learning and skill acquisition principles to physical education, exercise and sports science. Chapters are illustrated with flowcharts and diagrams to aid students' understanding, and include activities and end-of-chapter review questions to consolidate knowledge. Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition is essential reading for all Physical Education, Exercise and Sports Science and Sports Coaching students. New to this Edition: - New and updated chapters on skill acquisition approaches, talent identification and development, and performance analysis and feedback as well as separate chapters on practice design and task modification, and practice organisation and planning - Contains additional content on decision-making, tactical and strategic skills, traditional and constraints-led skill acquisition approaches, practice design, and skill-drill and game-based practice for skill acquisition - Supported by a bank of online lecturer resources, including PowerPoints, MCQs and lab activities

Nonlinear pedagogy is a powerful paradigm for understanding human movement and for designing effective teaching, coaching and training programs in sport, exercise and physical education. It addresses the inherent complexity in the learning of movement skills, viewing the learner, the learning environment and the teacher or coach as a complex interacting system, with the constraints of individual practice tasks providing the platform for functional movement behaviours to emerge. This is the first book to explain this profoundly important new approach to skill acquisition, introducing key theoretical ideas and best practice for students, teachers and coaches. The first section of the book offers a general theoretical framework to explain processes of skill acquisition and the learning of movement skills. The book then defines nonlinear pedagogy, and outlines its key principles of practice. It offers a thorough and critical appraisal of the optimal use of instructional constraints and practice design, and discusses methods for creating challenging and supportive individualised learning environments at developmental, sub-elite and elite levels of performance. Every chapter contains cases and examples from sport and exercise contexts, providing guidance on practice activities and lessons. Nonlinear Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition is an essential companion for any degree level course in skill acquisition, motor learning, sport science, sport pedagogy, sports coaching practice, or pedagogy or curriculum design in physical education.

Success in sport depends on the athlete's ability to develop and fine-tune a specific set of motor skills. In this book leading authorities within the field provide a comprehensive review of current research and theory in sports skills acquisition.

Skill Acquisition in Sport gives academics, students, coaches and practitioners the broadest and most scientifically rigorous grounding in the principles and practice of the field. Fully revised, updated and restructured, the third edition integrates theory and practice, and provides more material on practical application than ever before. Divided into four sections – providing instruction and feedback, organizing effective practice, training high-level skills, and the theories and mechanisms underpinning skill acquisition – the book covers a full range of key topics, including: the role of errors and rewards in motor learning instructions, demonstrations and feedback imagery in motor learning constraints-based and self-directed learning technique change, creativity training and visual gaze training practicing under pressure the neurophysiology of learning. Based on the latest research, including chapters on emerging topics, and written by a global cast of world-leading experts, Skill Acquisition in Sport is an essential textbook for any kinesiology or sport science student taking skill acquisition, expertise development or motor learning classes.