# data[].attributes.body
Nine years ago, I began playing a sport that would give me some of the greatest memories of my youth, tackle football.  At a young age, the game is simplified so anyone involved can play and have fun.  As you move to higher levels, winning is the new priority.  The complexities of the game ramp up exponentially at the high school level and if you aren't ready to learn and memorize, you won't see the field.

About every single position on the field has a million jobs they must memorize for the entirety of a game and it can be very difficult to remember when to execute each one, especially in a no-huddle situation.  When an offense is in no-huddle, they don't have time to huddle up and discuss a play with limited time on the clock, so effective and simple communication is a must.  If there are a large amount of instructions thrown at a player right before they execute their task, the task itself can suffer.  This is where the Probe Technique comes into play.  The probe technique details the effect a primary task can have on a probe.  The more complex the task, the less attention can be spent on the probe.  By simplifying the commands, calls, or cadences leading up to a play, it allows each player to focus on the man across from them and their associated job rather than try to dissect a longer play that has been called out, leading to a higher performance with the desired task.

Above is a picture of the line of scrimmage and at this point, the players have already processed their initial primary task, and are able to focus more of their attention on the next task at hand.

# data[].attributes.body
Most football fans are only interested in the games, but never realize the hundreds of hours players put into practice over a season.  Endless practices and drills are required for a team to be ready each week, but it can be difficult to determine how a team should practice.  A coaching staff may study an opponent's tendencies and run every practice dedicated to stopping a specific style the opposing coach may favor, only to find out during a game that their team is getting out played.  The team is well prepared to succeed against a certain number of plays, but once the other team goes off script, the players are struggling to keep up.  This is an example of contextual interference, and is very similar to the demonstration in our lab.  By only preparing for one style of play, a team is using blocked practice.  They become very proficient at one of the main styles of play the opposing coach favors, but may struggle when play calling deviates from what they did in their blocked practice.  By using a more random approach, or practicing a variety of plays, the team can be more successful on more plays throughout the game by being used to the changing scenarios.

The image above shows a very confused football player, running back Adrian Peterson.  What may have happened, is his team's offense spent the entire week before the game practicing against the formation or play style they expected the other team to run, but once the game started and it wasn't the same situation they were used to, their performance suffered.

# data[].attributes.body
While the offense has time to setup a play with unchanging tasks for each player, the defensive side of the ball can be a bit more challenging.  A play can be called and each player will know what they have to do, but audibles and other moving parts in the backfield can cause situations to change.  A defensive player has to memorize all the offensive plays that could be coming at them, but more often than not, those memorized plays can get lost in the heat of a game.  Although there are so many plays that can come from one formation the difficult job of memorization is aided by cues from the offense.  Before the ball is snapped, offensive players can be going in motion, be looking a certain way, or call out to each other.  Even after the ball is snapped, the direction an offensive player is moving provides a cue or a "key" for a defensive player, allowing them to quickly remember and recall what the offense will do next and provide a better advantage.  This is an example of explicit memory in the form of recognition as the cues provided from the offense allow a player to recall what is coming, and respond more effectively.

Above is a picture of a middle linebacker.  Middle linebackers are the captain of the defense and responsible for calling out whenever they notice cues provided by the offense, and relay information to the rest of the defense.  Even after the snap, they need to watch specific players on the offense and wait for any movement that could allow them to recall what play is happening.

# data[].attributes.headline
Transfer of Learning into the weightroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Transfer of Learning into the weightroom

# data[].attributes.body
One of the most overlooked positions in football is the offensive linemen.  They are vital to a play's success, but are all guts, no glory.  Linemen have to stand in the way of some of the strongest players on the field, and that can't be done without proper form and technique.  To properly block the man across from them, linemen must drop their hips and use more power from below rather than above.  If you don't give yourself a solid base, you'll get knocked right over and ultimately embarrassed.  This idea of using your legs isn't just beneficial on the field, but it transfers to the weightroom and lifting heavy things in general.  We've all tried to lift something heavy with our backs before, or at least seen someone try to, only to find themselves complaining about pain, or ending up like the poor fella in the gif above.  Proper form learned in football can go a long way in performing other heavy tasks throughout life which is why it's a great example of the concept of Transfer of Learning.  Positive transfer of learning is the beneficial effect of previous experience on learning or performance.  The technique learned as an offensive linemen transfer well to any other heavy lifting task that requires a solid base.

The image above shows a gentlemen with a stature that isn't the most effective to be an offensive lineman, which would explain his lack of proper form.  During the squat, he relies more on his back than his legs which is part of the reason that he isn't able to complete the rep.