Sport Skill Training

Description of the Strategy

Readers of a large volume concerned with behavior modification and cognitive therapy may find sport [Page 1051]skill training a curious entry. To clarify, sport skill training (SST) is defined as the application of behavioral training principles to skill acquisition in sports settings. Behavioral training principles include the use of state-of-the-art teaching techniques, including, but not limited to, modeling, role play, feedback, and generalization planning. Although behavioral techniques have been used for the sole purpose of improving athletic skills, this entry will focus on sport-related efforts to facilitate the performance of behaviors providing increased social acceptance.

Interventions that promote social acceptance through skill acquisition can be divided into athletic and interpersonal approaches. Athletic skill-based programs promote social acceptance by enhancing athletic performance. These interventions may be thought of as existing on a continuum from general to sport-specific. For example, developing good handeye coordination or excellent physical conditioning might be considered general athletic skills, while learning to hit a baseball is relatively sport-specific. Presumably, children who perform well athletically would be more likely to gain social acceptance. On the other hand, only a few children will excel in any given athletic competition, and not all children who are good athletes are judged to be socially competent. For the above reason, contemporary efforts to promote social acceptance through athletics utilize sports as a context for developing interpersonal skills, in addition to promoting athletic competence.

Interpersonal behaviors exhibited in sports settings can be thought of as important in facilitating social acceptance. For example, the term good sport suggests that a child is likely to follow the rules of the game and conform to social expectations for reciprocity (e.g., if you pass the ball to me, I'll pass it to you) that are common to all team sports. Sports-specific social behaviors might include giving a high five to a teammate following a hit or home run or knowing the postgame rituals associated with a given sport (e.g., lining up and shaking hands at the conclusion of an ice hockey game). In our research, we have grouped the above behaviors under the umbrella of “good sportsmanship.”

Historical trends in behavioral research and therapy have also influenced the development of sport skill intervention models. Throughout the 1970s, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapists became dissatisfied with relatively short-term, circumscribed changes in behavior. Predictably, researchers began to evaluate procedures for producing the maintenance and generalization of socially valid changes in behavior. For example, many early social skills programs were conducted in groups outside the context in which behavior change was expected (e.g., the classroom or schoolyard). Many of these studies sought to increase “eye contact” or “social entry behaviors.” Generally, there was little long-term follow-up (i.e., evaluation of maintenance) and little evidence that changes persisted outside training settings (i.e., generalization). Similarly, it was uncertain whether changes in these behaviors resulted in meaningful improvement in peer acceptance or friendship formation (i.e., social or treatment validity).

Whether applied to athletic or interpersonal skills, behavioral skills training typically begins with the selection of the target skill. The selection of target behaviors frequently requires a distinction be made between skill or performance (motivation)-based deficits in behavior. Thus, skills assessment is a generic feature of behavioral approaches. Assessment can take the form of interviews or rating scales, although performance of the skill in the setting would generally be preferred. Ideally, the practitioner combines multiple sources of information to best determine the needs of a given individual.

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