Coaching science award for research study with Olympic athletes
Our published Old Way New Way® sports coaching research study on technique correction with Olympic athletes won second prize in the 4th EAA Science Awards, out of a record entry of 28 projects from 13 European countries.
The winning project Rapid Technique Correction using Old Way New Way®: Two Case Studies with Olympic athletes by Y. L. Hanin, T. Korjus, P. Jouste and P. Baxter was selected by a Jury chaired by EAA Vice President Agoston Schulek. The other members of the Jury were Dr Peter Tschiene (GER), Dr Jitka Vindušková (CZE) and Mr Peter Thompson (GBR).
According to the Jury, "This project has a high applicability and clear implications to the coaching of techniques and to coach education."
The Jury's selection criteria were:
- scientific rigour and quality, and
- practical application to coaching and/or teaching athletics.
The EAA Science Awards were initiated in 1998 and are given every second year.
Project summary (from The Sport Psychologist, 2002, 16, 79-99)
>This study examined the effectiveness of Old Way New Way®, an innovative meta-cognitive learning strategy initially developed in education settings, in the rapid and permanent correction of established technique difficulties experienced by two Olympic athletes in javelin and sprinting.
Individualized interventions included video-assisted error analysis, step-wise enhancement of kinesthetic awareness, re-activation of the error memory, discrimination and generalization of the correct movement pattern.
Self-reports, coach's ratings and video recordings were used as measures of technique improvement.
A single learning trial produced immediate and permanent technique improvement (80% or higher correct action) and full transfer of learning, without the need for the customary adaptation period.
Findings are consistent with the performance enhancement effects of Old Way New Way® demonstrated experimentally in non-sport settings.
The European Athletics Association
The European Athletic Association (EAA), is one of the six Continental groups of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), a European non-governmental non-profit organisation of unlimited duration in the form of a constituent area association of the IAAF registered in Switzerland (since 1 January 2004, before Germany).
The domicile of the EAA is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The objectives of the EAA are:
- To maintain and develop friendly and loyal co-operation between all the Members for the benefit of athletics, peace and understanding in Europe
- To direct all technical, administrative and financial matters of the European region in conformity with the rules of the IAAF and with any special agreement to this aim which may be concluded between the IAAF and the EAA.
- To promote ethical values in sport and fight against all forms of doping as well as racial, religious, political or other kind of discrimination in athletics.
The Old Way New Way® sports coaching program
- transformed uncompetitive athletes into proficient, confident, competitive performers when other methods failed
- quickly and permanently corrected established technique faults and performance slumps
- was effective even when applied immediately before an important competition
- accelerated transition training for rapid change over to new codes, new rules, new sports equipment
- immediately enabled athletes to achieve their personal best
- is being used by sports coaches, skills coaches, elite athletes, Olympians, institutes of sport, colleges and universities
- is the only coaching program that uses Old Way New Way,® an effective research-based and coach-friendly learning method
- is readily integrated into a sports coach's professional toolkit
- improves a sports coach's effectiveness and job satisfaction.
