Proficiency Barrier in Track and Field: Adaptation and Generalization Processes

Abstract

The literature on motor development and training assumes a hierarchy for learning skills—learning the “fundamentals”—that has yet to be empirically demonstrated. The present study addressed this issue by verifying (1) whether this strong hierarchy (i.e., the proficiency barrier) holds between three fundamental skills and three sport skills and (2) considering different transfer processes (generalization/adaptation) that would occur as a result of the existence of this strong hierarchy. Twenty-seven children/adolescents participated in performing the countermovement jump, standing long jump, leap, high jump, long jump, and hurdle transposition. We identified the proficiency barrier in two pairs of tasks (between the countermovement jump and high jump and between the standing long jump and long jump). Nonetheless, the transfer processes were not related to the proficiency barrier. We conclude that the proposed learning hierarchy holds for some tasks. The underlying reason for this is still unknown.