Komar, John

Non-proficient demonstration, gross motor skill assessment, and subjective feedback are but a few of the perennial problems in physical education (PE). These problems stand to benefit from a technology-based solution that uses human pose estimation to guide learning. In this approach, a criterion motor action is embedded in a deep-learning algorithm (DLA). A learner can view this motor action on an iPad and uses its kinematic signatures to guide practice. The learner’s movement is captured by the device and the recorded motor action enters the DLA for computation of movement proficiency. The output of the DLA is a quantitative index that informs the learner how well the movement has been executed. In this way, the learner gains timely and objective feedback. A separate device held by the PE teacher collates the quantitative indices from other students in the class. Collectively, the information facilitates the teacher’s selection of instructional strategies.

In racket sports, the alternating action sequences offer players equal opportunities to impose their strategy, dictate the flow, and outmanoeuvre the opponent in a relentless ‘push-and-pull’ battle. The complexity of these interactions gives rise to a vast array of behavioural patterns, reflecting the nuanced dynamics of the sport. Existing literature has primarily focused on describing behavioural differences between expertise groups, often overlooking the broader circumstances that shape these patterns. These circumstances, or “context”, encompass factors such as match conditions (i.e., phases of plays) and players’ tendencies (i.e., preferred patterns of plays). This review examines the integration of contextual information in performance analysis within racket sports, focusing on the methodologies employed, data collection strategies, and analytical approaches. Through a systematic search of 105 studies, the predominant reliance on action-related data (93.3%) and traditional observational methods were identified. Only 10.5% of the studies incorporated contextual elements, such as match conditions and player tendencies, in their analysis. This review highlights the significant gap in contextual considerations, which are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of performance. Our findings suggest that a shift towards a contextually rich, data-driven approach is essential to fully understand these dynamic patterns. To address this, this review further advocates for a paradigm shift toward non-linear analytical approaches grounded in ecological dynamics, emphasising functional variability as an essential metric for performance. This approach could revolutionise performance analysis by providing deeper insights into the tactical nuances that drive success in racket sports, thus advancing both research methodologies and coaching practices.

This study used the gaze-cueing effect and split-attention principle to study the impact of gaze guidance and lecture recording format on attention, knowledge retention and instructor social presence. The authors analysed data from 250 participants in a mixed factorial experiment with eye-tracking, self-reported instructor social presence and a delayed knowledge measure as dependent variables. Results showed that when the instructor looked at the slide content, participants spent more time looking at it (η2p = 0.044), but instructor social presence decreased (η2p = .040). The strongest decrease occurred when the content and instructor’s image were separated in a picture-in-picture video (η2p = .107). In contrast, there was better knowledge retention when they were seamlessly integrated in a composite video (η2p = .017). The findings show that gaze cueing effects may depend on the video format, and instructors should use them strategically to balance attention and social presence.

This literature review aims to assess whether Singapore is truly advanced in the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Physical Education (PE) through a comparison with the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). The review examines the extent of ICT integration, teachers’ perceptions, the tools, and methods used, and the support and training provided to PE teachers across these three countries. The findings reveal that while Singapore benefits from more centralized policies and comprehensive training programs for teachers, the actual adoption of ICT in PE remains limited, similar to what is seen in the UK and the US. This review highlights the need for Singapore to address gaps between policy and practice to increase the adoption of ICT in PE in the country.

The study aimed to 1) assess the risk of conceding a goal in an empty net; 2) characterise the context when using the empty goal (EG) rule (4:1) in handball and 3) identify the performance variables that influence the EG attacks’ efficacy. A total of 974 EG attacks were sampled from 65 matches of the 2022 European Men’s Handball Championship. An observational tool was developed to analyse all EG attacks. Frequency analysis and the chi-square test have been performed to analyse the use of EG according to the match context. The binomial logistic regression was used to identify the variables that influence the EG attacks’ effectiveness. The results demonstrated that the goalkeeper was replaced mainly to maintain numerical equality. To create offensive superiority, the teams mostly used EG during the last quarter of the match playing under a small score disadvantage. The risk of conceding a goal in the empty net was higher if a team failed to score in previous possession. No relationship was found between the team’s final classification and the frequency of EG use, nor the efficacy of EG situations. Two variables have been identified as significant for the 6 × 6 + GK possession outcome: 2nd pivot position and shot zone.

In climbing, the visual system is confronted with a dual demand: controlling ongoing movement and searching for upcoming movement possibilities. The aims of the present research were: (i) to investigate the effect of different modes of practice on how learners deal with this dual demand; and (ii) to analyze the extent this effect may facilitate transfer of learning to a new climbing route. The effect of a constant practice, an imposed schedule of variations and a self-controlled schedule of variations on the gaze behaviors and the climbing fluency of novices were compared. Results showed that the constant practice group outperformed the imposed variability group on the training route and the three groups climbing fluency on the transfer route did not differ. Analyses of the gaze behaviors showed that the constant practice group used more online gaze control during the last session whereas the imposed variability group relied on a more proactive gaze control. This last gaze pattern was also used on the transfer route by the imposed variability group. Self-controlled variability group displayed more interindividual differences in gaze behaviors. These findings reflect that learning protocols induce different timing for gaze patterns that may differently facilitate adaptation to new climbing routes.

Constraints on practice can benefit motor learning by guiding the learner towards efficient coordination patterns, but can also narrow the potential solution space of coordination and control. The aim of this paper was to investigate whether narrowing the solution space through more restrictive task constraints limits the expression of potential exploratory behaviours during the learning process, identified using Drifting Markov Models. In a breaststroke swimming task, the change in interlimb coordination of 7 learners practicing for 16 lessons over 2 months was analysed to quantify motor exploration and identify periods of metastable regimes of coordination. Results showed that the observed exploratory dynamics were highly individual both in terms of range of exploration and in the patterns of search. The more restrictive task constraints did not impair the amount of exploration but rather channelled the exploration around a few selected patterns. In addition, restraining the nature of the exploratory process increased the inter-individual differences of the learning rate. Although manipulating the task constraints during learning can help learners to escape from the behavioural consequences of their intrinsic dynamics, maintaining a broad solution space for a diversity of coordination patterns to emerge was key to fostering effective exploration of individual coordination solutions.

Reinforcement learning has been used as an experimental model of motor skill acquisition, where at times movements are successful and thus reinforced. One fundamental problem is to understand how humans select exploration over exploitation during learning. The decision could be influenced by factors such as task demands and reward availability. In this study, we applied a clustering algorithm to examine how a change in the accuracy requirements of a task affected the choice of exploration over exploitation. Participants made reaching movements to an unseen target using a planar robot arm and received reward after each successful movement. For one group of participants, the width of the hidden target decreased after every other training block. For a second group, it remained constant. The clustering algorithm was applied to the kinematic data to characterize motor learning on a trial-to-trial basis as a sequence of movements, each belonging to one of the identified clusters. By the end of learning, movement trajectories across all participants converged primarily to a single cluster with the greatest number of successful trials. Within this analysis framework, we defined exploration and exploitation as types of behaviour in which two successive trajectories belong to different or similar clusters, respectively. The frequency of each mode of behaviour was evaluated over the course learning. It was found that by reducing the target width, participants used a greater variety of different clusters and displayed more exploration than exploitation. Excessive exploration relative to exploitation was found to be detrimental to subsequent motor learning.