Is Mixed Practice More Effective than Physical Practice Alone for the Acquisition of Non-dominant Side Kicking Performance?

Perceiving and executing unfamiliar movements, such as left handed/footed movement skills in sports, places additional demands on the perceptual-cognitive system of players that may increase errors. The video self-modeling(VSM)method may provide an accessible solution to this issue, therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the VSM method on the improvement of a non-preferred side kicking task. N=28 participants engaged in one of three conditions; Mirror reversed/physical practice(PP), best-of/PP, or physical practice only. Though not significant, data analysis indicated improved kicking accuracy for all groups, with VSM groups showing the most improvement. However, qualitative data revealed the "best-of" group demonstrated more positive views toward their progress compared to other groups, and both VSM groups were more likely to attend to movement cues than target based cues. These trends may suggest merit for the use of VSM techniques, though its application and the source of mechanistic factors warrant further investigation

Is mixed practice more effective than physical practice alone for the acquisition of non-dominant side kicking performance?

Perceiving and executing unfamiliar movements, such as left handed/footed movement skills in sports, places additional demands on the perceptual-cognitive system of players that may increase errors. The video self-modelling (VSM) method may provide an accessible solution to this issue, therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the VSM method on the improvement of a non-preferred side kicking task. N=28 participants engaged in one of three conditions; Mirror reversed/ physical practice (PP), best-of/ PP, or physical practice only. Though not significant, data analysis indicated improved kicking accuracy for all groups, with VSM groups showing the most improvement. However, qualitative data revealed the ‘best-of’ group demonstrated more positive views toward their progress compared to other groups, and both VSM groups were more likely to attend to movement cues than target based cues. These trends may suggest merit for the use of VSM techniques, though its application and the source of mechanistic factors warrant further investigation

Reducing friendly fire incidents, a multidisciplinary approach utilising sport and biomotion

A significant body of research exists in sport science and biological motion that is applicable to military settings, particularly when examining combat scenarios where friendly fire incidents have occurred. Friendly fire incidents, or blue-on-blue, occur when a member of a coalition force is injured or killed by their own side accidently. This often transpires because the target has been misidentified or they have inadvertently moved into the line of fire. Additionally, friendly fire can include civilians as engagements are increasingly taking place in urbanized regions. Current research within the specific area of sport science known as skill acquisition (motor learning), in addition to a significant body of research within perception and vision domains, has provided a multidisciplinary foundation for the line of research which explores the ability of invasion sport teams to recognize their teammates when visual information is limited. Specifically, the findings of Steel and colleagues (2006-2015) show teammates can discriminate between friendly (teammates) and non-friendly (non-teammates) at rates significantly greater than chance regardless of motion form (swimming or running) and environmental context (familiar and non-familiar). Numerous biomotion studies investigating the characteristics of human movement suggest the ability to perceive biological motion is an evolutionary trait which allows affiliation or intention of others to be determined, thus increasing chances of survival. When viewed from a distance, an observer is afforded the chance to identify a person, understand their intention (friendly, threatening), which evokes an emotional response (has this person previously caused harm). Given the nature of invasion sports, where the objective is to invade the territory of others (which evolved from ritualised tribal warfare), there is potential to utilize these findings to develop a training program to increase the perceptual-cognitive skills of combat soldiers in order to decrease or eliminate friendly fire. This might be achieved by employing video-based training which improves a soldiers ability to recognize and identify friendly personnel from brief visual glimpses. Individual soldiers could be filmed in combat scenarios and the objective of training would be to improve the accuracy and speed of recognition. Further, this training could be adapted to improve the ability for personnel to differentiate between allies and hostiles in different environments, subject to deployment requirements at the time. Therefore, sport science and biological motion research have provided a foundation for findings to be applied to military contexts. Specifically, perceptual-cognitive training could be employed to reduce incidents of friendly fire. The life of a soldier and mission objective(s) is too valuable to risk friendly casualties, especially when combat involves varying levels of personnel in different environments across the globe

The application of biological motion research : biometrics, sport, and the military

The body of research that examines the perception of biological motion is extensive and explores the factors that are perceived from biological motion and how this information is processed. This research demonstrates that individuals are able to use relative (temporal and spatial) information from a person's movement to recognize factors, including gender, age, deception, emotion, intention, and action. The research also demonstrates that movement presents idiosyncratic properties that allow individual discrimination, thus providing the basis for significant exploration in the domain of biometrics and social signal processing. Medical forensics, safety garments, and victim selection domains also have provided a history of research on the perception of biological motion applications; however, a number of additional domains present opportunities for application that have not been explored in depth. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current applications of biological motion-based research and to propose a number of areas where biological motion research, specific to recognition, could be applied in the future

The Use of Simulation Training to Accelerate the Rate of Forward Ice Skating Skill Acquisition

Background: Australia’s interest and participation in ice hockey is increasing, however a lack of access to facilities means familiarity with this sport is limited, and so too is the facilitation of skill development within an ecologically valid context. Objective: While numerous methods may be employed to address this, one resource which remains relatively unexplored is the StrideDeck Treadmill, therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of this equipment with specific reference to the biomechanical changes for skating ability. Methods: N = 16 male athletes (Mage = 15.0 ± 0.76 yrs) from a junior league competition participated in this intervention based study. n = 9 were assigned to the training intervention (StrideDeck) once a week, while the control group (n = 7) continued their normal training routines. Further, monthly sprint tests both on the StrideDeck and an on-ice protocol were conducted to track progress via kinematic analysis. Results: Data analysis revealed no significant overall effects for on-ice sprint skating performance after StrideDeck training; however there were significant kinematic differences between StrideDeck and ice conditions. Conclusions: Therefore while the StrideDeck may have merit in regard to physiological paramters, the results of this study do not support its use as a skill acquisition tool in regard to increasing skating ability. Keywords: Simulation training, skill acquisition, treadmill, ice skating, ice hockey skating, ice skating strid

Coaches, athletes, skill acquisition specialists : a case of misrecognition

Skill acquisition specialists are sport scientists who examine the theories, principles and processes of motor and perceptual learning. The research generated by these specialists is applied to practice modes, feedback and instructional methods, decision-making and anticipation skills training for athletes. However, unlike most sports scientists, these specialists are not utilized to the same degree as their counterparts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate why this trend exists. Forty two participants (coaches/athletes) took part in this study. All participants coached or competed at a pre-elite or elite level, with a number of team and individual sports represented. The results of this study indicated that both coaches and athletes perceived skill acquisition specialists to be skills coaches rather than sport scientists. Further, coaches and athletes were open to assistance from specialists though they cited funding and access as major barriers to utilization. Moreover, they stated a lack of skill acquisition specialists with 'experience' in their sport as a limitation. Overall, the results suggest a misrecognition, underestimation of knowledge, and lack of understanding of a skill acquisition specialist, which may be a result of the limited engagement between these groups

Can biological motion research provide insight on how to reduce friendly fire incidents?

The ability to accurately detect, perceive, and recognize biological motion can be associated with a fundamental drive for survival, and it is a significant interest for perception researchers. This field examines various perceptual features of motion and has been assessed and applied in several real-world contexts (e.g., biometric, sport). Unexplored applications still exist however, including the military issue of friendly fire. There are many causes and processes leading to friendly fire and specific challenges that are associated with visual information extraction during engagement, such as brief glimpses, low acuity, camouflage, and uniform deception. Furthermore, visual information must often be processed under highly stressful (potentially threatening), time-constrained conditions that present a significant problem for soldiers. Biological motion research and anecdotal evidence from experienced combatants suggests that intentions, emotions, identities of human motion can be identified and discriminated, even when visual display is degraded or limited. Furthermore, research suggests that perceptual discriminatory capability of movement under visually constrained conditions is trainable. Therefore, given the limited military research linked to biological motion and friendly fire, an opportunity for cross-disciplinary investigations exists. The focus of this paper is twofold: first, to provide evidence for the possible link between biological motion factors and friendly fire, and second, to propose conceptual and methodological considerations and recommendations for perceptual-cognitive training within current military programs

Potential value of customized video self-modelling for motor skill learning in individuals with cerebral palsy : a case-study approach

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a common physical disability that is managed with a variety of strategies. One non-invasive intervention for people living with CP is a type of video self-modelling (VSM) referred to as positive self-review (PSR). PSR involves watching a video of oneself performing only the best examples of a desired task; this technique has been associated with improved performance and learning for people without disabilities and for those in various clinical populations, including children with spina bifida and stroke patients. PSR may have similar benefits for people living with CP. In this study we examined the effectiveness of PSR for improving a self-selected movement task among individuals living with CP. In this case study approach, eight participants completed a pre-, post-, and second post-test measuring and recording well-being, movement self-consciousness and tendency to consciously monitor movements. Results were mixed, with some participants improving their movement time, well-being ratings and tendency toward self-consciousness and conscious monitoring of movements and others showing no changes or regressions. The effectiveness of VSM appears to depend upon the match between type of task and disability and/or the length of practice. More study is needed

Can biological motion research provide insight on how to reduce friendly fire incidents?

The ability to accurately detect, perceive, and recognize biological motion can be associated with a fundamental drive for survival, and it is a significant interest for perception researchers. This field examines various perceptual features of motion and has been assessed and applied in several real-world contexts (e.g., biometric, sport). Unexplored applications still exist however, including the military issue of friendly fire. There are many causes and processes leading to friendly fire and specific challenges that are associated with visual information extraction during engagement, such as brief glimpses, low acuity, camouflage, and uniform deception. Furthermore, visual information must often be processed under highly stressful (potentially threatening), time-constrained conditions that present a significant problem for soldiers. Biological motion research and anecdotal evidence from experienced combatants suggests that intentions, emotions, identities of human motion can be identified and discriminated, even when visual display is degraded or limited. Furthermore, research suggests that perceptual discriminatory capability of movement under visually constrained conditions is trainable. Therefore, given the limited military research linked to biological motion and friendly fire, an opportunity for cross-disciplinary investigations exists. The focus of this paper is twofold: first, to provide evidence for the possible link between biological motion factors and friendly fire, and second, to propose conceptual and methodological considerations and recommendations for perceptual-cognitive training within current military programs