Role of Visualization in Motor Development

[Will Haskell]

I think we've all seen young kids that could kindly be considered clumsy. All the movements they attempt are basically performed out of order. They have difficult time performing tasks in correct order to make coordinated movement possible.

Recent studies have show that the problem lies in visualization. Clumsy kids that have to rely on visual cues to re-create a pattern are more likely to incorrectly repeat the order than clumsy kids that are given kinesthetic stimulus.

I'm trying to make sense of all this as many of us don't always train elite athletes...we get kids that like sports but can easily be discouraged because they can't move correctly to compete with the other kids.

A young kid that trains at our facility falls into this category. It was a struggle just trying to teach him how to skip correctly. We would show him the pattern over and over again almost to the point where we were exhausted from all the skipping we had to do ourselves so he could see it.

It's clear that the development of neural pathways lie way beyond simply showing kids how to perform a task. Mozart Theory has shown kids can learn to read and recognize words when patters of syllable pronunciation are combined with auditory stimulus and corresponding touch.

I think it would be logical to assume that the same can hold true with movement. Replicating a pattern based on sound and feel can have more of an impact on movement development than the traditional methods of visualization.

I'm greatly seeking input on this topic as it could be a method we could all use that could effectively teach young athletes to move efficiently.
I look forward to the input everyone.
_________________
Will Haskell
Athletic Development Specialist
www.tsanorthwest.com

[wingsfan]

will, if i'm understanding what you're saying, and i'll use the example of the kid you were trying to teach to skip, you're saying that if you were to add the sound of a whistle at the point when the person should skip, that could enhance his ability to learn the movement more effectively than by him simply looking at the pattern he needs to follow?

[Will Haskell]

I don't think a whistle is effective when training young kids. The last time I checked our feet make a sound when they hit the floor. The concept of rhythm development in regards to movement is the concept that can be applied here. Simple jumping movements are often performed incorrectly as kids can't hit the floor with both feet at the same time causing a corresponding sound. Again, the point I'm getting at is that if kids can focus on making one sound performing a movement, it will have a stronger impact than showing them what two feet striking the floor at the same time looks like.

Will Haskell
Athletic Development Specialist

[wingsfan]

okay, i think i understand what you are saying now. in other words, if you don't hear this certain sound at the completion of the movement, then you more than likely did the movement incorrectly. but by having the person focus on listening for that sound it forces to person to do exactly that: focus. did i grasp it better that time? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Will Haskell]

Yeah that's a little more like it. I tried to make it as simple as possible but still try to explain it well at the same time. I didn't do a great job so I apologize for that. Studies basically show kids that can hear and feel movement will have a better outcome when they try to repeat the action. Thanks again for the input.

Will Haskell
Athletic Development Specialist

[wingsfan]

Will, i'm going to start teaching some kids in the fall that are more than likely going to be brand new beginners when it comes to doing any type of activity. i'm going to give this some thought and see if i can test it out with them and see how it works. thanks for the post. i think you're probably on to something.

[wingsfan]

don't ask me why i started thinking of this the other day as i was driving home from work...

one thing that i think is a missing link on this is that you don't know if you are doing something correctly until after you have done it.

for example. let's say you are playing tennis and you learn what the correct sound should be when the ball hits the racket. if you hear the sound, then you know your form/technique was good. if you don't hear the sound, then your form/technique was not good.

but, the problem is that you don't know how you're doing until it's over. transferring that into competition, if you hear the sound and it's the "not good" sound, then there's nothing you can do because you may have already lost the point.

am i making sense on what i see as a problem with this or am i missing the overall goal of using this technique to obtain better technique?

[Will Haskell]

You are definitely making sense but I don't think what I wrote should be over-analyzed. My comments came from a research study conducted on kids that have poor motor control. The research was in a controlled environment and results were based upon comparisons between dependent and independent groups. The possibility exists that the kids were responding only to testing measures so the results could potentially be inaccurate. A recent study that was just published says that left-handed women are more likely to get breast cancer. I'm sure the research methods make sense but people are now making a big deal of something that is most likely a crock of shit.

The point is that research isn't everything, but some thoughts that can be extracted from this research could hold some validity when training athletes.

It makes sense that if an athlete doesn't know what it feels like to perform an action correctly, how do they know the feeling or the action is truly correct? It's difficult to re-create every situation that could occur in sport to help the athlete learn what it should feel like but you can control certain attributes through training.

One in particular attribute is teaching acceleration. Leaning a young athlete against a wall and correcting the lean while the athlete works on driving the knees up with a dorsi-flexed toe is one example. The athlete can get the "feel" of what an accelerated lean feels like. Using a coach resisted harness can provide the same effect just as long as the coach knows what he's doing. Sprint resistance is great but many coaches have to rely on visual and biofeedback cues to develop acceleration in an athlete. With a coach controlled sprint resistance harness, the coach can control the lean and offer just enough resistance to improve speed while also giving the athlete the proper "feel" of what acceleration should be.

Thanks again for the feedback. I hope I've been able to make this a little clearer from my viewpoint.

Will Haskell
Athletic Development Specialist

[Marykaa]

Interesting thread..
(I'm late, I'm late.. I know.. sorry but there is SO much in this forum!)

I'm not teaching anything anymore to kids.. but what I often did myself in things like learning all kinds of stuff and sports and still do now (for ballroom dancing) was : I "pretend" to be good at something.. so when the teacher says "hé, you learn fast!" the only thing I can answer is "no, not really, I'm just pretending" LOL.

But now I see why it works.. when I "pretend" to be that dancer I've always admired..I don't just "visualize" it.. but I (very modestly) BECOME that dancer.. Like an actor who really gets in the role.

Even worked for piano technique the two years I took piano lessons.

And hey.. I just thought of something.. I used that this summer my FIRST TIME RollerBlading.. I didn't think about technique or anything... I just "pretended" to be one of the adolescents I often see rollerblading.

we did about 8 miles. I only fell at the end when I went over some small rocks. (I guess pretending doesn't give experience.. )