Using
Feedback
to Develop
Skills

Featured Article:

Although we may prefer to believe that learning a motor skill is purely learning a set of physical techniques, we have to consider that most learning typically takes place in the context of an interpersonal relationship with a teacher.  The critical question is how does this interaction affect the development of motor skills.  It appears that the mediating factor between the presentation of the instructions by the teacher and the performance of the skill by the student may be the cognitive process of self-efficacy (Escarti &Guzman, 1999).  Some may argue that the development of effective skills may lead to the increased self-efficacy demonstrated by students of high ability.  Although this process occurs, it is not sufficient for explaining the role of developing self-efficacy and its impact on learning motor skills.  To fully explain the role of self-efficacy, we must evaluate the interpersonal context of how the teacher or coach provides feedback to the athlete, how that feedback affects self-efficacy, and how self-efficacy enhances performance.  Unfortunate-ly, studies directly examining this relationship are sparse, and therefore, the inferences need to be made based on research examining the relation of the different components of the equation such as the feedback/self-efficacy relationship and the self-efficacy/motor skills relationship.  (Click to   continue).

"The question is, what is the process between the type of feedback used and the development of the skill?  Does greater use of intrinsic feedback create a higher level of self-efficacy which in turn enhances the learning of motor skills?"

Assessing performance and correcting errors are important internal skills for the martial arts student to develop. But how does one develop this skill? To do so, the martial arts instructor needs to consciously teach skill just as he or she teaches proper execution of a side kick or using faking techniques during sparring. However, teaching the development of using internal sources of information for feedback may be something many martial arts instructors were not taught themselves. So often when we teach skills, our response to the student’s performance involves correcting errors or giving general praise, neither of which are conducive to teaching the student how to self-correct errors. In fact, these responses tend to create excessive dependence upon the instructor’s feedback and presence.  (Click to Continue).

Some people may be curious as to why this website is dedicated to the "pursuit of excellence" when I am constantly warning about the dangers of perfectionism.  To address this question we must differentiate between the pursuit of excellence and the need to be perfect.  These concepts are not only different but can be considered antagonistic to one another. In fact these concepts are so opposed to one another that  excellence can best be attained by giving up the demands of perfection. (Click to continue.)

"...Pursuing excellence may require tremendous effort and focus as well as other resources.  But it does not demand a sacrifice of self-esteem as it tends to focus on the process of achievement rather than the outcome."

"...to find a balance between extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation.  Without a proper balance, many tasks will be difficult to complete."

 Embracing Your Potential
By Terry Orlick

 Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: Taosports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business, and Life
By Chungliang Al Huang

Without confidence in one’s ability, an individual cannot perform to his or her potential.  It is even possible that someone with lesser ability, but with confidence, can outperform this person because belief in oneself can be a powerful influence.  What is this sense of confidence?  Albert Bandura refers to situation-specific self-confidence as “self-efficacy” which is the strength of an individual’s belief that he or she can successfully perform a given activity.  The concept of self-efficacy has often been used interchangeably with the concept of self-esteem which is the process of evaluating the self; however, self-efficacy is more accurately described as a precursor to self-esteem and is mediated by the individual’s self-attributions.

Generally, a model for understanding self-efficacy is to consider an athlete faced with a specific situation.  For instance, a baseball player is in a clinch situation: it is the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the bases are loaded, and a grand slam will win the game.  Under these conditions, the batter will have thoughts about his ability to hit a home run.  These thoughts, or attributions, are based on his appraisal of causality in similar situations. (Click to continue).

"...break down more complex skills into smaller, more specific components that challenge the athlete but are within his or her current ability level."

    Often people state "I'm just lazy" or "I'm unmotivated" when they are unsuccessful.  Yet, most of the time, the problem isn't laziness, but lack of understanding about how to achieve goals.  For instance, I believe that much of the problem the American people have with weight control is related to inability to set goals.  Oh, we can set goals alright!  We can set them until the cows come home.  But if we don't set goals properly we are unlikely to be successful.  For instance, I hear people all the time "I'm going to lose 10 pounds in the next two weeks" or "I'm going to exercise an hour a day" or "I'm going to limit myself to 1200 calories a day" or some combination of these statements in attempts to manage weight.  However, even though they might achieve these goals over the short-term, any long-term change is unlikely.  They will revert to old habits with resignation sighing, "I'm unmotivated.  I'll never be able to lose weight."

     The same problem can occur in the work setting: "If only I could get organized, I would be more successful at work."  Or in sports: "I just don't stick with things.  I give up too easily."  Again, the problem is likely to be problems with setting goals.  We tend to set goals that are unreasonable, perfectionistic, and unachievable.  You may question this statement, "What do you mean unachievable?  I see people achieving these goals all the time."  Which is true.  However, most likely they achieved their goals by following some of the principles I discuss below.  (Click to continue)

 

The vast majority of my clients with anxiety disorders are perfectionists.  Additionally, perfectionism is extremely pervasive in our culture generally. However, the typical response when I inquire about perfectionism is, “Oh, no, I’m not a perfectionist. I’m far from perfect.” Such a response indicates a lack of understanding regarding the concept of perfectionism.

Perfectionism is the belief that one must attain perfection or one is a failure. Perfectionism is an extreme distortion of the concept “Do your best” when an individual believes that his or her “best” means, “perfect.” The individual be-comes fearful of making mistakes and may experience stress, anxiety, and depression as a result.  (Click to   continue).

"...you want to experience making mistakes as a positive influence in your life. Making mistakes gives us the opportunity to learn and to grow. As you overcome your fear of making mistakes, you will be able to take risks. The ability to take risks is what allows a person to be successful in a career, in sports, and in personal relationships." 

The manner in which instructors provide feedback to athletes can have significant impact upon an athlete's self-efficacy which in turn affects the ability to learn a skill and the overall performance.  Self-efficacy is the athlete's personal belief that he or she has the capability to learn and perform a specific skill or activity.  The results of an interesting study by Amparo Escarti and Jose Guzman in 1999 indicated that performance feedback which focuses on providing feedback regarding technique rather than evaluating outcome was related to increased self-efficacy, a higher level of performance, and the tendency to choose more difficult tasks.  Other research has shown that a higher level of self-efficacy improves performance.  Thus, research shows us that how a coach provides feedback to athletes is critical in the development of the athlete.