From The Vault: The Future of Skill Development in Sport
A flashback to Professor Sam Robertson’s talk with Str8bat
Str8bat (pronounced straight bat) is a start-up company which is a part of the Techstars network, and was selected to take part in the Sports Tech Melbourne Accelerator. This accelerator program paired the company entrepreneurs with mentors from Launch Vic, Tennis Australia, Victoria University and Techstars’ worldwide network. The three mentors from Victoria University were Gus Balbontin (Executive Director & Entrepreneur in Residence), Hannah Gee (Strategy Director & Entrepreneur in Residence), and Sam Robertson (Professor of Sports Analytics).
Str8bat’s tech product is a motion sensor which sits on the back of a cricket bat and measures aspects such as the swing speed, impact speed, timing index, bat-lift angle and impact locations. As their slogan goes “Str8bat sits on your bat and listens to all it has to say. Leading to actionable data to tap your full batting potential.”
Whilst this presentation is less about Str8bat’s technology, we hear Professor Sam Robertson talk with Str8bat about how improvements in technology are guiding the future of skill development in sport.
The presentation is split into two main parts, which are both centred around the questions: What makes a good coach, and what is the role of the coach? [00:06:10]
Part 1. Transformative technology
The influence of technology on sport [00:07:55]
BETTER measurement (enhanced detail)
NEW measurement (increased volume)
FASTER processing (enhanced access)
What makes a good coach? [00:10:35]
A ‘good technologist’ is not typically considered as one of the crucial traits - but does it need to be?
Golden rules of technology in sport [00:16:18]
Human centred
Where possible it should lead to automation
Balance between experiential and reflective cognitive modes
Technology that promotes optimal flow in an activity
Why do we ‘really’ practice (train)? [00:19:15]
To fill a schedule
To suit the organisation
To reduce injury risk
To get ‘better’
To improve ‘skill’
Part 2. Skill development across the sport participation lifecycle [00:21:48]
The ‘low-hanging fruit’ of sports performance [00:21:51]
Practice is easy to change with relatively low resource investment
Practice is impactful - much more so than other things we are often distracted by
Technology permits us to measure practice like never before
We can compare with game conditions like better before
With technology, we can somewhat measure the efficacy of our practice
Data access will continue to grow
We know so little about how to develop adaptable, self-regulated skill because we’ve never been able to measure the surrounding environment of the athlete well
Facilitate greater employment for our athletes
What is skill? [00:23:56]
There are different theoretical viewpoints of skill (but all agree that it requires learning via practice, repetition and feedback)
In team sport, there is always a difference between skill and performance (due to the components of randomness and luck)
Skill practice progression [00:25:33]
Skill acquisition
Skill development
Skill adaption
Skill self-regulation
Skill adaptability [00:26:30]
Specificity
How representative does practice need to be in order to see skilled improvement?
How often should this type of practice be used?
Can practice be ‘over-specific’?
Progression
At what rate should skill practice progress (intensity or volume)?
Progression within practice vs longitudinally?
Progression of volume vs difficulty?
Overload
How do we know there has been overload in practice?
Is skill load different to physical load?
For how long should overload occur?
Reversibility
How long can training be stopped before there’s a decline in performance?
How many skills can be worked on concurrently?
Tedium
How much variety can be added before the learning effect wears off?
How much blocked vs randomised practice should be undertaken?
Shared learning design [00:43:16]
Empowering the athlete
Problem solving
Understanding
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