Whole and Part Practice

Aurellado, Isay
Castro, Louie
Domingo, Patty
Jimenez, Cheska
Nasis, Jao

SKILL COMPLEXITY AND
ORGANIZATION
Complexity

refers to the number of parts or
components in a skill as well as the
attention demands of a skill.


Highly complex skills
many components,
demand much
attention especially
from a beginner

ex. Dance routine, serving
a tennis ball, getting out of
bed and into a wheelchair



SKILL COMPLEXITY AND
ORGANIZATION
Lower complexity skills
few component parts,
relatively limited
attention demands

ex. Shooting an arrow,
picking up a cup

SKILL COMPLEXITY AND
ORGANIZATION
Organization of a skill- refers to the relationships among the
component parts of a skill.

High level of organization
its component parts are spatially and temporally interdependent
- successive parts of a highly organized skill can be akin to a chain of events

ex. Jump shot in basketball- hand and arm movements
Low level or organization
spatial temporal performance characteristics do not depend on those of the
part that precedes it.

ex. dance routines and writing certain words


SKILL COMPLEXITY AND
ORGANIZATION
Skill Characteristics and the Decision
to Use Whole or Part Practice
Skill characteristics
Low in Complexity (LC) + High in Organization (HO) = Whole Practice
-people learn relatively simple skills in which the few component
parts are highly related most efficiently using the whole practice
method.
- e.g. buttoning a button, throwing a dart, putting a golf ball

High in Complexity (HC) + Low in Organization (LO) = Part Practice

- e.g. Skills of serving a tennis ball, reaching for, grasping and drinking
from a cup, shifting gears on a car


To determine which of these complexity and organization
combinations describe a particular skill

1. Analyze the skill- identify the skills component parts and the extent to
which the spatial and temporal performance characteristics of those
parts are interdependent

2. Decide which part of the continuum of skill complexity and organization
best represents the skill

-most of the motor skills we perform daily and in sports would be placed
closer to the complex end of the continuum rather than the simple end

3. For skills that are placed on the organization continuum between the
extremes of low and high, determine which component parts are
independent of the others and which group together as interdependent.

- This will determine which parts could be practiced independently
- Grouping of parts can be thought of as a natural unit within the skill

Continuous, Discrete, and Serial Skills
Continuous (ex. Swimming) and Serial Skills- differ in their
levels of organization but are highly complex
-most have a high level of organization because of the spatial
temporal relationships among the parts of these skills.
Serial skills have varying levels of organization according
to skill.
Ex. Sequence of skills for the triple jump (discrete skills strung
together to make a new and complex movement)
Discrete skills are low in complexity because they consist
of one identifiable part which puts them at the high end of
the organization continuum.
Ex. Hammering a nail, punching a bag




PRACTICING PARTS
OF A SKILL
PRACTICING PARTS OF A SKILL
WHOLE PRACTICE
Advisable when
the skill to be
learned is low in
complexity

High in
organization


PART PRACTICE
Advisable when
the skill is more
complex

Less in
organization


PART - TASK
STRATEGIES
FRACTIONIZATION:
Practicing bimanual coordination skills
training method related
asymmetric coordination
skills that involves practicing
each arm or leg separately
before performing with
them together


Is a part practice strategy the
best approach for learning
these types of skills, or would a
whole
practice approach be
preferable?
SEGMENTATION:
The progressive part method
training method that involves
separating the skill into parts
and then practicing the parts
so that after one part is
practiced
it is then practiced together
with the next part, and so on.

BREAST STROKE
Watters (1992)
Progressive part
method was
beneficial for
learning to type an
eight-key
sequence on a
computer
keyboard.
Ash & Holding
(1990)
People learning a
musical score on a
piano benefited
from progressive
part practice
approach.
ADVANTAGES
It benefits of both part and whole methods of
practice.

Part method reduces the attention demands of
performing the whole skill

Whole method requires important spatial and
temporal coordination of the parts to be practiced
together.
SIMPLIFICATION:
Reducing task difficulty
training method that involves
reducing the difficulty of
specific parts or features of a
skill
4 SIMPLIFICATION
APPROACH
Reducing the difficulty of the objects
Providing auditory accompaniment
Reduce the attention demands of
the skill without changing the
action goal

Reducing the speed


Whats the best method
to use?
When possible, its best to practice the
whole technique; this avoids spending
time combining the parts back into the
whole and helps your athletes learn
how to use the technique in the context
of a contest.

However, if the technique is so
complex that athletes cant
develop a good mental plan,
then you should break the
technique into parts.

Segmentation:
The Progressive Part Method
The Learner practices the FIRST
part as an INDEPENDENT UNIT,
then the SECOND part also as an
INDEPENDENT UNIT, and so on,
and then together with the first
part, the learner eventually
practices the entire skill as a
WHOLE
Advantages
Part of the skill practice
Reduces attention
demands of
performing the whole
skill
Feedbacks can be
given every after
attempts
Whole skill practice
Requires important
spatial and temporal
coordination of the
parts to be practiced
together
Both advantages are
Combined
Examples
Triple Jump
Run-up
Hop
Skip
Jump
Landing
Simplification: Reducing Task
Difficulty
A variation of whole practice strategy
Can make either the whole skill or certain
parts of the skill less difficult to perform
Used for complex skills

6 ways of Simplification
Specific to learning a certain type of skill
Involves practicing a whole skill
Simplify Certain parts of the skill
1. Reducing object difficulty
2. Reducing attention demands
3. Reducing speed
4. Adding auditory cues
5. Sequencing skill progression
6. Simulators and virtual reality

Reducing Object Difficulty
Done by changing the type of object
manipulated to perform a specific skill
Reducing Attention Demands
Reduce the attention demands of the skill
without changing the action goal
Done by reducing task complexity
Provide physical assistance
Reducing Attention Demands
Body-weight (BWS)
support system
Controls the amount
of body weight a
person needs to
support
Training wheels

Reducing Speed
Athletes can control their action more
effectively and in some cases perform
them with great accuracy
Preserve relative timing pattern

Adding Auditory Cues
Providing auditory cues that specify the
appropriate rhythm
Simplifies task by adding an extra
component
Sequencing Skill Progression
Practices variation of a skill in a sequence
from less to more complex until the skill itself
is practiced
Gentiles Taxonomy of motor skills
Use of Lead-up games or activities

Simulators or Virtual Reality
Technical devices that provide ways to
simplify certain features of a skill to help
people learn skills
Advantages
No problem regarding cost of accidents or
performance errors
Specific aspects of performance
environments can be controlled
Practice for longer periods of time with
same intensity
Simulators or Virtual Reality
Simulators
Devices that imitate vehicles, machines or
instruments
Pitching machines, rebounders etc.
Virtual Reality (VR) Environments
Simulate real environments through the use
of computer graphics

Activity
PRACTICING PARTS OF A SKILL
Simplification: Reducing Task Difficulty
A Caution against Using Miming as a Simplification
method
Mime task performance or patients pretending to
perform a task
Mime complete actions without objects present
PROBLEM: different patterns of movement
characterize the mimed and the real actions
PRACTICING PARTS OF A SKILL
Simplification: Reducing Task Difficulty
A Caution against Using Miming as a Simplification
method
Mathiowetz and Wade (1995)
Subjects:
Normal Adults
Adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)


Tasks:
1. Eating applesauce from a spoon
2. Drinking from a glass
3. Turning pages of a book
PRACTICING PARTS OF A SKILL
Simplification: Reducing Task Difficulty
A Caution against Using Miming as a Simplification
Method
Types of miming
With the objects
Without the object
Results
Both the normal and MS participants:
Uniquely had different characteristics for
the real and mimed situations
When simplifying the practice of the skill,
a therapist, teacher, or coach should
have the person perform the natural skill
= which was always the case in the
simplification methods



AN ATTENTION APPROACH TO
INVOLVING PART PRACTICE IN
WHOLE PRACTICE
AN ATTENTION APPROACH TO INVOLVING
PART PRACTICE IN WHOLE PRACTICE
Not advisable to separate the parts of a skill
physically for practice
Practice the whole skill BUT focus attention on
specific parts that need work
EMPHASIS: SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE SKILL =
improvement
ADVANTAGE: WHOLE PRACTICE = how the parts
of the skill relate to one another
AN ATTENTION APPROACH TO INVOLVING
PART PRACTICE IN WHOLE PRACTICE
Kahnemans model of attention
1. Ensure completion of one task
2. Enduring dispositions
3. Momentary Intentions
Allocate attention according to
instructions


Gopher, Weil, and Siegel (1989)

AN ATTENTION APPROACH TO INVOLVING
PART PRACTICE IN WHOLE PRACTICE
perceptual
cognitive
motor
Acquire specific
knowledge of
rules and game
strategy
Group 1
Controlling the Space Ship
Group 2
Handling the mines around the fortress
Group 3
Spaceship control + mine-handling
AN ATTENTION APPROACH TO INVOLVING
PART PRACTICE IN WHOLE PRACTICE
Jump Shot
Follow Through
Eye on the ring
Jump
Elbow
extension
AN ATTENTION APPROACH TO INVOLVING
PART PRACTICE IN WHOLE PRACTICE
Baseball Swing
Hip Rotation
Ball
Pivot of foot
Bat Swing
Pitcher
The extent to which
attention-directing
instructions as a part-
practice strategy should
emphasize an external
rather than an internal
focus remains a question for
researchers to address.