| dc.description.abstract | This investigation examined the influence of two approaches of motor skill learning (differential learning and repetition-based) on the acquisition of a novel explosive motor task. Twenty-seven participants were randomly assigned to either a differential training (n=14) or repetition-based (n=13) group. All participants completed four training sessions consisting of either 20 variations (differential training) or 20 identical jump patterns (repetition-based) of the standing broad jump task. Pre-and post-training assessments were collected and included the recording of maximal jump distances and ground reaction forces. In addition to jump distance, a normalized vertical ground reaction force (GRF), rate of force development (RFD), and take-off velocity were computed to index jump performance. Survey data collected prior to training was used to analyze the effects of individual differences on training and consisted of correlating physical activity frequency and perceived skill level with performance variables. Results showed that differential training exhibited greater jump distances than repetition-based training (p<0.05) but no training effect was found between pre- and post- assessments for either training approach (p>0.05). Similarly, vertical GRFs were significantly different between the groups (p<0.05) and no training effect was found (p>0.05). Horizontal take-off velocity showed a significant increase with greater velocities achieved post-training (p<0.05). Individual differences displayed low or near zero correlations with performance variables, but horizontal velocity displayed a high correlation with jump distance (r (27) = 0.69). Overall, differential training failed to show the expected performance enhancement for this discrete, explosive motor task when compared to repetition-based training. The lack of correlation effects shows that training is uninhibited by individual differences which may describe a more universal benefit for implementation across populations. Further research is needed to better understand the task factors where movement variations associated with differential training influence skill acquisition. | |
