Theory by Nick-At-Will Theory
is defined as having a hypothesis, plan, or system of idea's yet to be
proven. However...executing or applying the (whatever) theory is a
whole different matter! Take the theory of rote or repetitive learning.
Some sport's physiologists, sport's psychologists and those possessing
advanced degrees in bio-mechanics say the best (maybe only) way to
learn a skill well and properly, e.g. swinging a squash-racquet and/or
moving to a particular part of a squash-court, is through applying this
theory. But wait a minute, others say "maybe not!" It's been explained
that repeating a movement more than ten-times may be worthless. That
is...if that movement isn't executed perfectly, (which is often the
case with children who have a limited attention span) then the result
may be less than desired. More important than the number of
repetitions, is how focused and concentrated the athlete may be. If
they (in this case a junior squash-player) is given a goal, e.g. ten
repetition attempts, chances are they'll focus and concentrate more on
the result...rather than haphazardly repeating whatever that number of
times may be. What about talent versus intelligence in that learning
process? Which is more important and/or effective? Intelligence (or
intellect) has been defined as having a capacity for logic and/or
understanding. Talent is defined as having a special and/or innate
natural ability or aptitude. And of course, "talent" comes in many
forms, e.g. exceptional skill, ability and/or intellectual knowledge.
So...for the learning process, which of these "theories" will prove to
be more effective or compelling...rote/repetitive learning,
intelligence or talent!? Good question, as we believe that it's a very
complicated and complex matter! Perhaps obtaining the best result in
the learning process involves ALL the above...in many instances, some
more than others. Bottom line...it's the "discovery" of the athlete's
intelligence and/or talent that will eventually "prove" to be the best
"theory" in the resulting learning process.
