Why are motor skills important?
Skilled motor performance is foundational to many human activities in daily life, sports, the performing arts, in occupations such as law enforcement, firefighting, or the military and medical professions. Also, instructing others in the process of learning motor skills is central to a variety of professions. Physical and occupational therapists, coaches, athletic trainers, physical education teachers, music instructors, training specialists, etc. design practice tasks and schedules, provide instructions, and give learners feedback with the goal of facilitating the acquisition of effective and efficient movement patterns. The objective of training is to achieve a skill level that is characterized by accuracy and consistency in achieving the movement goal (i.e., effectiveness), as well as automaticity, and fluent and economical movements that require little physical and mental effort (i.e., efficiency). Moreover, many situations involve social pressure, the pressure of winning or losing a game, monetary awards, or even the potential for harm. Thus, training should ideally enable performers to avoid performance decrements in pressure situations.
Why is it important to understand the factors that influence motor skill learning?
The understanding of how various factors influence motor skill learning and performance is essential for the development of optimal training methods. The implementation of effective practice methods can speed the learning process, resulting in higher skill levels being achieved sooner and potentially reduced costs of training (e.g., physical rehabilitation, medical education). Optimized training protocols may also enhance performers’ safety (e.g., patients at risk of falling, military personnel, athletes in high-risk sports) or even ultimate performance levels (e.g., athletes competing internationally).
The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning
All three factors have been shown to affect the neural and neuromuscular system and to have impacts on movement effectiveness, efficiency, and automaticity. These influences have immediate effects on performance, and also result in longer-term advantages for motor-skill learning. Importantly, the three factors seem to have additive benefits.
