Hodges NJ, Williams AM, eds. Skill Acquisition in Sport: Research, Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2012; 385 pp, ISBN: 978-0-415-60786-5. $63.95
Purpose: This fully-revised second edition text examines processes used to learn/improve motor skills, on the basis of classic and new science. Featuring expert contributors from all over the world, the book covers important aspects of motor learning that are very relevant to practitioners attempting to optimize movement strategies in their clients, sports-related and otherwise. Updated research is provided on concepts ingrained in sports and rehabilitation education and practice (eg, feedback and demonstration), as well as newer topics (eg, robotic guidance).
Audience: The editors state that this text will be useful to stimulate continued research interest, as an evidence-based resource for athletic coaches, and, as a source for undergraduate/graduate students of motor learning. In addition, any instructor of motor learning, motor control, or neurorehabilitation, as well as advanced neurologic clinicians, will find this text to be a refreshing resource for the underpinnings of many aspects of clinical practice.
Organization/Structure: The book is organized into 5 broad sections, each containing several chapters (21 in all): Presenting Information, covering instruction, feedback, demonstration, and implicit motor learning; Optimizing Practice Conditions, including contextual interference, mental practice, ecological considerations, information processing, and physical guidance; Issues in Motor Learning, which explores motivation, sleep, neural plasticity, and readiness for learning; Skilled Performance, focusing on the acquisition of sport expertise; and Research, Theory, and Practice: Challenges and Solutions, addressing application of principles into elite sport. Some aspects of motor control are also included, such as ecological dynamics, and the production of sequential movement. The organization of the book is logical, the writing style is, for the most part, not dense, and each chapter contains useful introductions, subheadings, illustrations, and summaries, with suggestions for further research.
Information: This text achieves an effective balance between breadth and depth of content. Early versus later motor learning is addressed by many authors, and at times evidence includes both children and adults. Although the title implies a heavy emphasis on sports performance, the concepts and tone of the book are really about physical skill learning. Application and examples are related not only to sports but also to functional movement in general. Most of the cited research is with healthy participants, though studies on those with movement dysfunction are mentioned occasionally. This is not a clinical text, and authors do not commonly apply the content to clients with neurologic dysfunction. However, the book reviews multiple concepts that thoughtful teachers, researchers, and clinicians should be able to internalize. For example, therapists routinely employ demonstration, positive reinforcement, and physical guidance when teaching motor skills. The authors explain research findings that elucidate nuances of these tools to show they should not be used in a one-size-fits-all manner. Such new insights provide a valuable update for teachers, researchers, and clinicians.
Summary: This heavily-referenced book is essential, current reading for instructors of courses/content on motor learning. The lack of clinical application limits its in-depth use by entry-level professional students, although advanced students may benefit. The salience of the overall content also makes this an important reference for rehabilitation therapists wishing to update their approaches to skill acquisition with their clients. Experts in neurologic physical therapy will find numerous theories and concepts that are ripe for judicious translation into clinical practice.
Susan B. Perry, PT, DPT, MS, NCS
Associate Professor, Physical Therapy Program
Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
E-mail: [email protected]