MOVEMENT AUTOMATICITY IN SPORT

This chapter discusses the vast majority of studies in this area have involved comparisons between end states; comparing the information processing associated with expert versus novice performance. A key advantage that automaticity is thought to give an athlete is the available attentional and working-memory resources to process information in the environment directly related to movement control. The theory of skill acquisition described above is the traditional view that has dominated most of the research in this area and been the basis for most coaching methods. A common element of most theories of automaticity is the idea that once an action is initiated in automatic processing mode it runs without any need for monitoring or guidance from the performer. Reaching a state where a sport skill involves automatic processing of movement is one of the primary goals of a athletic training.