Coaches, athletes, skill acquisition specialists : a case of misrecognition

Skill acquisition specialists are sport scientists who examine the theories, principles and processes of motor and perceptual learning. The research generated by these specialists is applied to practice modes, feedback and instructional methods, decision-making and anticipation skills training for athletes. However, unlike most sports scientists, these specialists are not utilized to the same degree as their counterparts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate why this trend exists. Forty two participants (coaches/athletes) took part in this study. All participants coached or competed at a pre-elite or elite level, with a number of team and individual sports represented. The results of this study indicated that both coaches and athletes perceived skill acquisition specialists to be skills coaches rather than sport scientists. Further, coaches and athletes were open to assistance from specialists though they cited funding and access as major barriers to utilization. Moreover, they stated a lack of skill acquisition specialists with 'experience' in their sport as a limitation. Overall, the results suggest a misrecognition, underestimation of knowledge, and lack of understanding of a skill acquisition specialist, which may be a result of the limited engagement between these groups.