Sam Swing Case Study

To get Sam to change his attitude about changing his swing will be difficult since the swing feels good to him and he knows he can be successful with it. As a coach, we will have to relate his mind to a computer. We will have to work the new and improved swing into his short term memory or also known as working memory, which would eventually go to his long term memory. In the book, it says information can be kept in the working memory for about 20 seconds or less. However, the information can be maintained through rehearsal (pg. 176). Therefore, I would have Sam rehearse the improved swing every day at practice and games until he felt comfortable with it. To apply the working memory in coaching athletes, it says in the book to avoid presenting …show more content…
The way this information will get into the long term memory is through encoding, rehearsal, and elaboration. Rehearsal is the repetition of new information and elaboration involves making new information more meaningful and distinctive by relating it to something athletes already know or making it somehow unique (pg. 179). So again, I would have Sam repeat his swing until he got comfortable with it. With elaboration, I would try to get Sam to relate his swing to something he already knows how to do to help him remember how to prevent his swing from going back to how it originally was. The type of knowledge in memory that Sam’s new swing will be connected to, is the procedural knowledge. The procedural knowledge refers to things we know how to do, such as tie a shoe lace or drive a car (pg. 178). In Sam’s case, the thing he will know how to do is his improved golf swing. To apply long term memory in coaching athletes, in the book it suggests to teach your athletes to routinely use rehearsal (pg. 183). Like I said before, I would have Sam rehearse his swing. I would provide feedback and then have him repeat them so I know he understood what I wanted him to change. I was also tell Sam to take the practice home to work on his swing as …show more content…
In the text it says that if your athletes don’t understand what they are supposed to do, they won’t do it correctly (pg. 190). So providing clear and concise instructions and making sure Sam understands what I instruct will help with improving his swing. Another way to apply the stages is to explain the three stages of motor learning and the relearning process (pg. 190). The awkward and disjointed movements is characterized with the associative stage. I will want to explain to Sam that the new swing won’t look or feel smooth the first couple times he practices it, and that’s alright. Feeling awkward is part of the learning