guidance and feedback

the four types of guidance:

• Visual - being shown something.
• Verbal - hearing something/instructions 
• Manual - assistance with the movement - physical 
• Mechanical - use of objects/aids.

a beginner obviously needs guidance to allow them to learn and progresss.

a experienced performer may also require guidance to fine tune performance or stop minor errors.

Visual guidance:

visual guidance is when the performer can see something.  

for example, a coach, teacher or fellow performer may well show them something. 

visual guidance includes: 

• demonstation of technique or skill by another person, for example the coach.
• footage of performance via DVD, analysis software, slow motion, different angles.
• still images, for example posters and paragraphs.

visual guidance is very important for a beginner, so that they can see and start to understand what they are expected to do.

verbal guidance may not be enough for a beginer without getting to see the skill.

demonstration for beginers will only work if they are:

• clear
• relatively concise 
• quick 
• easy to understand
• of a realsitic standard for the beginer to copy or aim towards. 
• backed up with simplistic verbal guidance.

verbal guidance:

verbal guidance is commonly used with visual guidance.

it involves another person telling the learners what they are doing right or wrong. 

verbal guidance may include:

• a coach/teacher talking to a performer, highlighting technique.
• a coach/teacher highlighting a key 'trigger point'.

verbal guidance will only work for beginners if:

• it actually relates to the visual guidance being given.
• it is not too long or complex, that is if they can understand.

verbal guidance can work with elite performers. it might:

• be longer and more complex than for beginners.
• not need to be supplemented with visual guidance as elite performers are likely to know what the skill should look like.

Manual/Mechanical guidance:

manual and mechanical guidance are very similar and can be grouped together.  they involve either physically moving the performer, for example the coach supporting the movement through physical touch, or using mechanical aids.

the physicla support or use of mechanical aids allows the performer to produce the required moement when they may not have been…