Random Versus Blocked Practice to Enhance Mental Representation in Golf Putting

Area of Science:

• * Sports Science
• * Motor Learning
• * Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• * Understanding how different practice structures influence motor skill acquisition is crucial for optimizing training protocols.
• * Mental representation plays a key role in skilled performance and learning.
• * Differentiating the effects of random versus blocked practice on mental representation in golf putting is an area of interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To investigate the impact of random versus blocked practice on the mental representation of novice golfers.
• * To compare the learning retention and mental representation structures between random and blocked practice groups.

Main Methods:

• * Thirty novice golfers were divided into three groups: random practice, blocked practice, and a control (no practice).
• * Participants underwent pre-test and post-test assessments of mental representation and putting performance.
• * The random and blocked practice groups engaged in six days of structured putting practice.

Main Results:

• * The random practice group demonstrated poorer performance during the acquisition phase compared to the blocked practice group.
• * However, the random practice group exhibited superior learning retention and a more structured mental representation post-intervention.
• * The mental representation of the random practice group more closely resembled that of skilled golfers.

Conclusions:

• * Random practice, despite initial performance decrements, leads to a richer and more robust mental representation in golf putting.
• * This study supports the use of random practice schedules for enhancing long-term motor skill learning and mental representation development.
• * The findings have implications for designing effective golf training programs.