Motor learning is the process of learning a new skill or ‘skill acquisition’. This occurs at a psychological and physiological level and is vital within athletic development and sports performance. The process of learning a new skill is of great interest to cognitive psychologists, as the acquisition of a new skill involves the processing of information. Physiologically, the performance of a skill involves a synergist collaboration between the neuro-muscular- skeletal bodily systems, with movement quality improving as the synchronisation of motor unit recruitment, rate coding and muscle contraction timing becomes more efficient. At this point movement becomes autonomous or subconscious, allowing athletes to perform optimal movement at a subconscious level.
Therefore, this short course aims to explore the fascinating field of motor learning, combining the science of neurology, physiology and psychology to improve our understanding of how we learn new skills, and ultimately, our overall coaching practice.
