The Revolution of Skill Acquisition in Sports: Comparing Linear and Non-Linear Pedagogical Methods to Teach Adolescents the Wide Receiver Stance and Start in American Football

Abstract: In the last decade, the philosophy behind deliberate practice and traditional learning methods have received criticism for the limitations as a learning method. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of linear and non-linear pedagogical methods for teaching the wide receiver stance and start to adolescents. Pre- and post-test of five-, 10- and 20-meter sprints from a wide receiver stance were conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to either a traditional learning (TL) group, or a differential learning (DL) group based on their age and previous experience playing wide receiver. The groups received two different interventions, one based on traditional corrective and instructive teaching, and the other based on the principles of differential learning. Three separate Repeated Measures ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Only the DL-group were shown to improve from pre- to post-test (for the five- and 20-meter distances). The TL-group showed no improvements from pre- to post-test. The results show the potential of DL as an alternative to traditional learning that has the potential to be a more effective method for teaching transferable motor skills. While Rate of Attendance was a significant covariate for 10-meters, the relationship to performance was inverted, and together with mostly null findings between Rate of Attendance and improvements seem to support the non-linearity of systems. It is suggested that non-linear pedagogy is a more suitable method than TL for different individuals regardless of their previous experiences or internal dynamics. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.