In this section I am going to identify my weakness in each of the five core skills, determine heir causes and then discuss different theoretical measure that could be used to improve performance.Passing/ReceivingWeakness 1: When making passes over long distances, my passes do not have enough force and power behind them causing them to fall short.Cause 1: This could be due to a lack of muscular power and muscular strength in the triceps, biceps and deltoids, which is required to successfully perform explosive movements.
Corrective Measure 1: I need to improve my muscular power and strength in my triceps, biceps and deltoids. This would be best achieved through working high intensity, low frequency weights in the gym. This would be by doing 4 sets of 5/6 repetitions at 90% of my 1 repetition maximum, of biceps curls,Weakness 2: When receiving the ball I do not always react to the direction and the pace of the ball quick enough, so consequently I will miss the pass, or I will judge the timing of the pass incorrectly so I will not jump at the correct time to catch the ball.Cause 2: This is due to a lack of alertness, so I am not able to focus specific cues relevant to the situation, slowing my decision-making process. Reacting to a pass relies on my choice reaction time as I have several stimuli, and I must focus on the relevant stimuli and then make the correct decision.Corrective Measure 2: I would need to improve my selective attention, so I am able to identify the specific cues effecting the situation, and ignore irrelevant information.
This would increase the rate in which this relevant information is passed into the memory system, making the process of decision making quicker, therefore enabling me to react to the pass better. Selective attention can also be improved through increasing motivation levels and reaching optimum levels of arousal.Weakness 3: I do not use enough variation in my passes, and I am not always aware of the suitability of different passes to different circumstances.Cause 3: The main reason for this weakness is a lack of game experience; therefore I do not have enough knowledge of the game, so cannot read different situations easily, and also a lack of confidence in my ability to successfully perform the full range of passing techniques.Corrective Measure 3: As most of my time outside of school is spent training for my main sport, swimming, I do not have as much time as I would like to play netball.
Therefore I would need to encourage my school P.E department top run lunchtime netball practices for sixth, some which could be skill based working different skills in isolation, and others competitive session, enabling me to receive more game experience.FootworkWeakness 1: I always use a one-footed landing and never a two footed landing, which is a disadvantage to me as a two footed landing provides more cushioning and the option of pivot foot. I am also not able to land on my outside foot.
Netball should be a fast moving game, and by making this extra move, it wastes time, giving the opposition more time to get into better defence positions.Cause 1: I think that the main reason for these weaknesses is that I have been taught to use these techniques from a young age. In primary school we were taught not to land on two feet, but to always use the 'one-two' landing. This motor programme has been established in my long-term memory; therefore it is very difficult for me to change my technique, particularly as I do not currently have a lot of time to practice.
Corrective Measure 1: In order to avoid this happening the primary school teaching programme could be developed further, enabling young players to learn a range of techniques early, which are harder to develop at an older age.Although learning a new skill, it is related to a skill that I have already developed the ability to perform successfully. During learning the skill of landing on two feet, and landing on the outside foot, both positive and negative reinforcement from my teacher would be required. She could also use command style teaching.
This could be done through shouting a command such as 'outside' or simply 'foot', which would make me concentrate specifically on what my feet were doing.ShootingWeakness 1: My shots are very inconsistent and lack accuracy, particularly shots taken from the edge of the circle.Cause 1: This could be due to a lack of hand eye coordination.Corrective measure 1: Good hand eye coordination is gained through the practice of sports, which involve aiming for specific targets. In order to try and improve my hand eye coordination I would have to carry out a series of drills involving hitting targets for example. Standing 3 metres away from three hoops, I would have to throw the quoits/beanbags and aim to get them into the hoops.
To increase difficulty when hand eye coordination improves, I could make the hoops smaller so I have a smaller target to aim for, or I could replace the hoops with cones. My aim would then be to get as many quoits as possible on the cones. To make these practices more specific to shooting in netball, I would need to do massed practice of shooting fro different parts of the 'D'. During this practice, I would need to receive a lot of extrinsic feedback from my coach, in the form of both knowledge of performance and knowledge of results. This would enable me to develop my skills, and would be particularly beneficial as I am I the autonomous stage of learning.Weakness 2: I am not very confident as I shooter.
When under pressure during a game I panic and rush my shots.Cause 2: This is due to me being over aroused. My arousal levels increase under pressure, but they do not increase to a level, which enhances my performance. Instead they reach a level that is too causing me to become anxious, therefore hindering my performance (inverted 'U' theory).
Increased levels of arousal also cause perceptual narrowing, which decreases my ability to be able to focus and concentrate.Corrective Measure 2: There are several ways to help decrease my arousal levels to a level that would enhance my performance:* Relaxation exercises prior to a game* Self-talk/mental rehearsal* Pre match pep talks from coach* Positive feedback during training to boost confidence* During game continuous feedback and encouragement from coach/trainer* Guided discovery teaching style used by coach in order to increase self-efficacy.Weakness 3: I am not able to perform step shots correctly as I cannot gain control over my body position and the ball.Cause 3: This is a skill that I have been taught several times however I still have difficulty in performing it.
This cause me to become frustrated when I am not able to successfully perform it, which has caused a decrease in my intrinsic motivation. A lack of drive/motivation causes the S-R bond to be weakened; therefore a skill is not successfully learned.Corrective Measure 3: Goal setting would enhance my performance of this skill, by increasing levels of motivation, focusing my attention to the task and consequently increasing my levels of motivation and arousal, thus strengthening the S-R bond, enabling me to successfully learn and perform the skill. In order for the teaching of this skill to be successful, it would be best that my coach used both command style and discovery style teaching. The discovery style teachings would enable me to gain a greater understanding of the skill and would have a subsequent increase in my self-confidence and motivation towards the skill. The command style of teaching would be beneficial as a step shot is a closed skill, and commands would ensure that that the routine is made clear and kept controlled.
Moving FreeWeakness 1: When I am trying to dodge a player I don't use the correct dodging technique, as my stance is not low enough and I am not 'bouncy' and 'springy' enough, therefore it is more difficult for me to transfer my body weightCause 1: Over the last 3 months, I have sustained a knee injury. This has affected my flexibility in my hamstrings and gastrocnemius and the mobility in my knee joint, which is required to hold a low stance.Corrective Measure 1: This lack of flexibility in my hamstring could be improved through implementing stretches on my hamstring and gastrocnemius. It would be effective to use both passive stretching involving the aid of an external force/resistance and active stretching in which I would perform voluntary muscular contractions and hold the stretch over a period of 30-60 seconds.Weakness 2: I do not use enough changes of pace when trying to move free.Cause 2: For the purpose of my personal exercise programme I carried out the 30m sprint test, in which my time was rated as being poor.
I do no have natural speed, and could be the cause of my anaerobic respiration system not being as efficient as it should be. My training programme for swimming, which is based around aerobic training as I favour longer distance events, could have affected this, as only a small proportion of work is aimed at improving speed.Corrective Measure 2: People, who have natural speed, generally have a higher proportion of fast twitch muscles fibres, and this is an innate characteristic that cannot be altered. However, it is possible to work on speed and the efficiency of the anaerobic respiration system.
One form of training that I could carry out to do would be Fartlek training. This type of training works both the aerobic and anaerobic systems, with the intensity of the training varying from low intensity walking to high intensity sprinting. During this type of training, the body must quickly adapt to different intensities of work, and recover from different stresses as it would during a netball match.Weakness 3: I lack in clear verbal communication on court.
Cause 3: This could be owing to my personality. I am not a very outgoing person, and would probably be classed as and introvert rather than an extrovert. I favour individual sports and have more experience performing as an individual rather than in a team, which could affect my behaviour and communication skills on a court. I also feel that owing to my personality, I am not particularly confident and I have a low self-esteem and self-efficacy. My verbal communication may be lack due to the fact that I do not believe in my ability, therefore am reluctant to play a major role in the game.
Corrective Measure 3: It is not really possible to completely alter my personality, however there are aspects of my personality that can be changed slightly. It is important that I understand how my personality traits have an effect on my performance, so I can develop the aspects of my personality that could be a disadvantage to me. My confidence could be improved through my coach doing confidence building exercise with me. When practicing skills I would need to be given a lot of positive reinforcement and positive encouragement, which would increase the faith, I have in my abilities.
