Fitness Focus

The Learning of Motor Skills

Motor skills are any body movement or pattern that our brain teaches our muscles to do.

We learn all motor skills by progressing, at different rates, along this timeline. Learners do not make abrupt moves from one stage to the next. Only time, effort, and effective practice separate a person from learning.

Thinking Stage Þ Basics Learned Stage Þ Automatic Stage

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Thinking Stage

1. What is the basic task?
2. What is the best way to…?

Most people in this stage:

• make a large number of errors in performance
• need feedback to correct errors
• are not aware of what needs to be done differently to improve

Basics Learned Stage

Most people in this stage:

• have the basic fundamentals or mechanics to some extent
• make fewer errors
• have the ability to detect and correct some of their own errors

Automatic Stage

Most people in this stage:

• after much practice and experience can perform the skill automatically with few, if any, errors

Lesson Review

1. What is a motor skill?
2. Describe how we learn motor skills.
3. What are the only things that separate someone from learning motor skills?
4. Describe the different stages of learning a motor skill.
5. Describe a motor skill that you are either at the “basics” or “automatic” stage. Describe how you moved along the timeline of learning that skill. (days, weeks, months, years)