EP33 ' How We Learn To Move Series Part 2' With Dr. Rob Gray

Welcome to Episode # 33 of the Trainers Bullpen, the ‘’How We Learn to Move series– Part 2" Rob Gray is a psychology professor and research psychologist with a focus on perceptual-motor control in driving, aviation, and sports. He also hosts the Perception & Action Podcast, is the author of two books, including two bestsellers on the acquisition of movement skills ‘How We Learn To Move’ and ‘Learning to Optimize Movement’, and he serves as the Skill Acquisition Specialist for the Boston Red Sox.  In this interview, Dr. Gray addresses key concepts from chapters 3 and 4 of ‘How We Learn To Move’ and he delves into the importance of movement variability and the degrees of freedom of movement, which sets the foundation for the entire training design and coaching and the instructional model that follows. Rob explains the two predominant schools of thought on this issue - the information processing model and the self-organization model - and illustrates their differences using examples from sports domains.  Topics discussed in this interview include information processing model, self-organization model, explanation of ‘Freedom Through Constraints’, Newell’s alternative view of how to execute and learn motor skills, why actions are not caused by constraints, and the three types of constraints in the self-organization system.  This interview contains practical insights on how trainers should design and apply training based on research from ecological dynamics and constraints-led approach to enhance movement variability, promote self-organization, and create conditions for better perception, decision making, and performance in learners. Listeners are strongly encouraged to read chapters 3 and 4 of How We Learn To Move to bolster your understanding of these important motor learning principles. Previous episodes on the Trainer's Bullpen contain research papers relating to these concepts that you can access and download for *free* at www.trainersbullpen.com