Skill Classification and Goal Types
The difference between skill and ability, the four continua used to classify a skill, such as open and closed, and the two types of goal a performer can set: performance and outcome.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Sorting the skills of sport
Not every sporting action is the same. Some are simple, some need great judgement, and some must react to a changing game. To coach well you first sort a skill into its type, and you set the right kind of goal to improve it. This module covers skill and ability, the four ways of classifying a skill, and the two types of goal.
Skill words to know
Learn these before you sort the skills.
Ability against skill
These two words are often blurred, so keep them apart.
Name the continuum, place the skill
In the exam, take a skill and place it on the right continuum. Ask whether it is simple or needs judgement, whether the situation is steady or changing, whether the performer starts it or reacts, and whether it uses big or small movements. Then set a personal target to improve it, not just a target about winning.
Match the continuum
- basic to complex
- open to closed
- self-paced to externally paced
- gross to fine
- how much judgement the skill needs
- whether the situation stays steady
- who decides when it starts
- how large the movements are
Match the example
- a basketball free throw
- a pass in open rugby play
- a shot-put throw
- a dart throw at the board
- closed, the setting stays the same
- open, it reacts to a changing game
- gross, it uses big muscle groups
- fine, it uses small precise movements
Ability or skill?
A coach says a young player has great natural balance they were born with. Is this an ability or a skill?
- An ability, because it is innate and not learned.
- A skill, because all sport is learned.
- Both mean exactly the same thing.
- Neither, balance is not part of sport.
Spot the performance goals
Select the TWO targets that are performance goals rather than outcome goals.
- Beat my own best time by one second
- Improve my own passing technique
- Win the league title
- Finish above my rival in the table
Count the performance goals
A performer sets 5 goals. 2 of them are about winning, which are outcome goals. Subtract to find how many of the goals are performance goals. What is the answer?
Order the coaching steps
Put the steps of classifying a skill and setting a goal in order, earliest first.
- Watch the skill being performed
- Place it on the right continua
- Set a performance goal to improve it
- Review the progress made
Complete the summary
Something a performer is born with is an _____, while an action learned through practice is a _____. A skill done in a steady, unchanging setting is called _____, and a target about your own improvement rather than winning is a _____ goal.
Spot the closed skills
Tap the TWO skills that are closed, done in a steady setting that does not change.
- a basketball free throw
- a dart throw at the board
- a tackle in open play
- returning a fast serve
Classify the skill
Read each skill and choose the best label.
- A gymnast performs a long routine that needs great judgement and control. On the basic-to-complex continuum, what is it?
- A footballer must react to a fast, changing attack. On the open-to-closed continuum, what is this skill?
- A player sets a target to raise their own pass completion, with no mention of rivals. What type of goal is this?
Explain skill and goals
Explain the difference between skill and ability, and between performance and outcome goals, using sporting examples.
- Define ability and skill and give an example of each
- Name two of the classification continua and what each judges
- Explain the difference between a performance goal and an outcome goal