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Juan Lebron is a professional Padel player. He is 30 years old and 185cms tall. He has been playing Padel since he was 8 meaning he has 22 years of experience within the sport. Lebron is deemed as the king of the sport with a very high rating. He is at the skill level of elite/professional. Lebron is nicknamed El Lobo. This is because of his unique playstyle that he has that differentiates him from other players.

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In padel, players rely on a combination of cognitive, perceptual and motor skills to perform at their best. Cognitive skills are essential for making quick decisions during the game, such as recognizing the best time to attack or defend. For example, when an opponent hits a lob, a player needs to quickly decide whether to run to the back of the court to intercept it or stay at the net. This involves thinking and anticipating the opponent’s next move. Perceptual skills are vital in processing sensory information, particularly visual cues. A player uses their vision to judge the ball’s speed and trajectory, allowing them to adjust their position and timing. For example, when an opponent hits a fast serve or a low ball, the player must interpret the ball's flight path accurately to return it effectively. Finally, motor skills are the physical movements used to execute a shot, like hitting a forehand or a backhand or completing a volley These skills require coordination between the eyes, brain, and muscles. For example, when executing a smash, a player must use the correct technique, power, and precision to direct the ball over the net and into the opponent’s court. By integrating these skills, players are able to respond quickly, make smart decisions, and execute precise shots during a match.

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What are the qualities of a skill performance?

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What are the qualities of a skill performance?

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In padel, a skilled performance can be recognised through several key traits. Consistency is one of these, as experienced players are able to return the ball accurately and reliably throughout the match. These movements would be practically fluent, allowing them to transition smoothly between shots and positions without losing balance or rhythm. Control is also vital, whether it’s a soft volley at the net or a powerful smash off the back wall, skilled players manage their racket and body positioning with precise movements. Efficiency stands out within padel as they move with purpose, making sure to minimise their amount of energy by anticipating where the ball will go. Accuracy is displayed in well placed shots that target weak areas of the opponent's court. Overall, these performances often look effortless and fluent to professionals which reflects the player’s high level of technical ability and match awareness.

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Fluency is the art of performing a skill in a purely natural and smooth way. This involves performing a serve within padel with consistency and ability to look natural whilst doing this. Within fluency, when talking within sports, this comes down to both experience and natural sporting ability. For example if a padel player had played the sport for 15 years fluency will come naturally as you will be comfortable understanding the physics and the game sense of the sport in general. When comparing this to Eoghan or Eisa, a lot of their movements and skills are unnatural as they are new to the sport and are still learning about what to do and what not to do. This means that these performers will need time and experience with a player of higher skill to help them understand what is the best thing to do.

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Psychomotor abilities are the actions of performing certain movements with fine motor skills. It also consists of aptitude which can make the particular skills much easier. This consists of three skills.

Reaction time= The amount of time taken to process what has actually happened and how capable the performer is to complete the best physical response. An example of this within padel would be how you react to the bounce of the glass and try and process what the best outcome would be in the short time you have. When comparing this between an elite performer and a beginner it will show that often the experts are significantly more skilled in this endeavour

Coordination= Coordination is how well you can coordinate your body to give yourself the best chance of an increased performance. An example of this would be being able to coordinate your body to give yourself the best possible serve you cam

Balance= The ability to be as stable as possible when performing within the sport. An example of this would be sprinting to the other side of the court to return a shot and being able to quickly and precisely be able to finely move about without losing control. When thinking about the difference between the elite performer and the newly starting performer, it is clear that the elite performer will have higher levels of balance due to the experience throughout the sport and general athletic ability

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Galan is a Spanish international ages 28. He is known for his power and precision on the padel court. He was Lebron's teammate however in 2024 they terminated their partnership. Unlike Lebron, Galan started only 9 years ago meaning he has less experience by almost a decade and still is such a renowned athlete. He is also an athlete for red bull.

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In padel,open skills and closed skills play distinct roles, with each being influenced by the environment in different ways. Open skills are performed in dynamic, unpredictable situations where the environment constantly changes, requiring the player to react quickly and adjust their actions. For example, when returning a fast serve or reacting to an opponent’s smash, the player must continuously adapt to the ball’s movement, the opponent’s positioning, and the pace of the game. Environmental factors like court surfaces, lighting and weather conditions, this also affect the player’s variation. In contrast, closed skills are more controlled and predictable, typically performed in a stable environment with little to no external variation. An example in padel would be a volley or a forehand executed at the net when the player has control of the rally and can anticipate the ball’s trajectory. While these skills might still be influenced by slight court conditions, the overall performance is less affected by external factors than open skills. The balance between these two types of skills in padel means players need to be adaptable, adjusting their approach depending on the situation and the environmental influences surrounding the match.

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How do abilities contribute to the production of Sport Skills?

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How do abilities contribute to the production of Sport Skills?

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Within Padel, abilities are fundamental qualities that structure how effectively an individual can develop and perform specific skills. These abilities, whether natural or learned, act as the foundation for d perfecting techniques. For example, in padel, coordination is crucial, as it allows players to move efficiently on the court and react quickly to the ball, especially during fast rallies. Balance is another key ability, helping players maintain control and stability when performing challenging shots like volleys or smashes, often in high-speed situations. Strength and endurance play significant roles in padel as well, supporting players during long rallies and allows them to generate power for shots like the overhead smash.

These abilities enable players to learn their sport-specific skills over time. In padel, someone with excellent hand eye coordination can more effectively position themselves to return the ball accurately, whether through a controlled forehand or a precise backhand. Also, reaction time is vital in padel, as it allows players to quickly respond to their opponent's moves and adjust their positioning for optimal shot placement. As athletes practice and gain more experience, these abilities often demonstrate into more refined and efficient techniques, leading to an overall improvement in their performance on the court. Ultimately, a strong foundation of these abilities contributes to mastering padel skills and achieving higher levels of success within the game.

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Control in padel is a combination of speed, accuracy and distance. For example, knowing where and how you have to hit the ball for a set outcome. If Galan had thought about his shot prior to the return it would allow him (with his experience and autonomous skill level) to return the best possible shot to gain advantage on the opponent. On the other hand, Someone like Eisa doesn't have the ability to be able to comfortably return a shot with control and will just aim to return it rather putting it in a precise calculated spot

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Gross motor abilities associate with large movements of the body and the amount of control had throughout performing these movements. The three main components of these are

Strength = The ability for the muscles to exert a certain amount of force to create a range of movement. An example of strength being demonstrated throughout Padel would be performing the slam shot. This is when the athlete hits the ball very hard to try and minimise the chance of the opponent returning the ball. When comparing this with the expert and the beginner, it is clear that the expert will have ,much more precision when performing this therefore the results will be much more efficient from the expert than the beginner.

Speed = The ability to cover a set amount of distance as efficiently and as fast as possible. Within the sport, the athletes will perform there speed in certain positions and areas. For example, the opponent has just returned the ball to a far distance from the athlete meaning that they would have to demonstrate a lot of speed to be able to get to the ball and return it as efficiently as possible.

Flexibility = The ability of muscles and joints being able to freely move to achieve maximum range of movements. Juan Lebron demostrates flexibility very well throughout his gameplay and the video that is linked above shows a short snippet of his flexibility

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Eoghan is a beginner padel player who has participated in very low level sessions. This means that his ability is highly restricted due to the lack of experience he has on the court. Eoghan has learned the basics of the sport and understand them however he understands that ability will be improved with experience therefore he is not frustrated with the lack off skill he currently has as he knows it isnt that important at this stage. Eoghan is a 6"1 Inch male with a athletic build meaning that he definetely has the potential to perform at a high level

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In padel, movement and skill classification involves distinguishing between fine skills and gross skills , each of which plays a key role in a player’s overall performance. Fine skills are precise, controlled movements that require a high level of accuracy and coordination, often involving smaller muscle groups. For example, executing a touch shot or a drop shot in padel demands excellent hand-eye coordination and delicate control to place the ball with precision, particularly when trying to surprise an opponent or place the ball in a difficult spot. These skills are often performed at the net, where subtlety and finesse are required to outsmart the opponent.

On the other hand, gross skills involve larger, more forceful movements that engage larger muscle groups. These skills tend to be less precise but are essential for producing powerful actions. An example of a gross skill in padel is the overhead smash. This skill requires significant upper body strength and coordination to generate power and hit the ball with force, typically after an opponent has lobbed the ball high. Gross skills are essential in situations where power and speed are needed to dominate a rally, and they often occur at the back of the court during more aggressive exchanges.

By mastering both fine and gross skills, a padel player is able to handle a variety of situations, using precision when necessary and power when required, making them adaptable on the court.

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What is the difference between Abilities & Skills?

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What is the difference between Abilities & Skills?

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Abilities and skills are closely related but have distinct differences in sports and performance. Abilities refer to the natural or developed traits an individual possesses that provide the foundation for performing multiple different activities . These are more general and can apply across multiple activities. For example, coordination, balance, and strength are abilities that fluctuate a persons maximum ability to perform specific actions. Abilities are often inherited to some degree but can also be improved with practice and training over time. They are typically not sport specific but rather general qualities that support skill development.

On the other hand, skills are the learned and refined movements or techniques that allow someone to perform specific tasks effectively. Skills are built upon abilities but require focused practice, repetition, and experience to master. For example a player’s ability to maintain good balance and have quick reaction time forms the base, while the specific skill of executing a perfect volley or smash comes from hours of targeted practice. Skills are more specific and are directly tied to the sport or activity being performed.

In short, abilities provide the groundwork for skill development, while skills are the refined, sport-specific actions that athletes perfect over time through practice and experience.

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This is the execution of a skill is to complete the skill in the least amount of time with the minimal amount of errors. An example of this occurring would be if Galan was to consistently return his shots time after time from a variety of different positions on the court. This shows the sort of consistency and precision gained from the high amounts of experience that is necessary. On the other hand, If Eoghan was to compete, errors would be significantly more frequent and it make take him a longer time to process what kind of shot to take which will ultimately give the opposition more time to re structure

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Perceptual ability is about how someone understands and responds to information picked up through their senses. This includes things they see, hear, feel, or even smell during activity.

The first part of this skill is being able to recognise and make sense of what’s going on around them. This means understanding what the information actually means. The second part is making choices based on that information deciding what to do and then taking action based on what you’ve noticed.

In a game of padel, perceptual ability plays a key role when thinking about tactics. Players have to judge whether their current plan is working and, if not, make changes to improve their chances of success. This kind of thinking is more common in advanced players. They’ve already mastered the basic skills, so they can spend more time focusing on strategy and reading the game. Beginners, on the other hand, usually focus more on just getting the basic skills right, so they don’t have as much attention to spare for tactical thinking.

Experienced padel players also rely more on perception to adapt their game based on their opponents. They might notice patterns in play or spot weaknesses to take advantage of. Being able to process and react to this information quickly can help them stay in control during matches.

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Eisa and Eoghan are very similar in the sense of experience within the sport. This is because they both had a restricted amount of time to gain certain skills and strengths but not enough to develop them further. On the other hand, Eisa is a 5"2 male who doesn't really have a sporting background therefore it may be more unnatural for him to gain certain levels of skills

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There are different types of movements in sport, and they can be grouped into three main types: discrete, continuous, and serial. These types are based on how the movement starts and finishes. Each one is used in different kinds of tasks and sports.

Firstly,a discrete movement has a clear beginning and end. It’s usually a short action that happens just once. For example, a serve within Padel with one clear motion and end quickly after. Once the action is done, the movement stops, and the person doesn’t repeat it unless they start again.

Continuous movements are different because they don’t really have a set start or finish. These actions go on for as long as the person keeps doing them. An example of this within would be something like how long a rally lasts as they start when the person chooses to begin, and they end when the person decides to stop. There isn’t a clear moment where the movement begins or ends—it just flows.

Serial movements are a mix of the other two. They are made up of a series of smaller movements that happen in order. Each part has its own start and end, but they are all linked together to make one bigger movement. A good example is driving a car, where you have to change gears, steer, and press the pedals all in a row. Or it can be something like playing padel, thinking both moving immediately after a serve and thinking about the next play at all times. These movements are done one after the other to complete the whole task.

Knowing the difference between these types of movement is useful when learning new skills or teaching them to others. It helps to understand how to break down actions and how to practise them the right way.

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This is being consistent and performing at high levels within performances at all times. For those at the autonomous stage, this means that when competing against other professionals they are very consistent in what they do which will positively influence the result. When comparing this to a cognitive learner(Eisa and Eoghan), they will be very inconsistent within their shots meaning that the result is more likely to be impacted negatively due to the lack of performance from the newer players

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In padel, the timing and pacing of skills are really important and can affect how well a player performs. Skills in the sport can be either self-paced or externally paced, depending on how the movement is controlled and what is happening during the game.

Self-paced skills are the ones that the player controls fully. This means the player decides when to start the action and how fast or slow to perform it. In padel, an example of a self-paced skill is the serve. The player has time to get ready, choose where to aim, and decide when to hit the ball. Because the situation is under their control, they can take their time and focus on technique and accuracy.

On the other hand, externaly paced skills are influenced by things the player cannot control, like the speed or direction of the ball coming from the opponent. For example, when receiving a fast shot, the player has to react quickly and adjust their timing based on what the other person does. The pace of the shot decides how fast the player needs to move, which makes it harder to plan the movement in advance. These skills rely more on quick reactions and good timing.

Both types of skills are important in padel. Players need to be good at using self-paced skills to take control when they can, like during a serve, but they also need to be ready to respond to fast and unexpected shots during a rally, which are externally paced. Good players know how to swith between the two and stay focused no matter what kind of pace they are dealing with.

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Energy Expenditure Meeting the Demands of the Task

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Energy Expenditure Meeting the Demands of the Task

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This is when athletes use a minimum amount of energy to perform a skill. This is so that excess energy isn't wasted on little things that aren't necessary so they can store it for when it is actually needed. An example of this in padel would be by not overcommitting to return a shot and focusing on what is the correct way to return it positively to correct themselves for the next stage of the game. When comparing this to the cognitive learners, they will not understand when and where not to use excess amounts of energy. This means that energy will be wasted significantly more at lower levels due to the lack of ecpierence.