TY - JOUR
T1 - Decision-making skills and deliberate practice in elite association football referees
AU - MacMahon, Clare
AU - Helsen, Werner F.
AU - Starkes, Janet
AU - Weston, Matthew
PY - 2007/1/1
Y1 - 2007/1/1
N2 - We examined sport expertise as a function of role. In study 1, referees were better than players in a video-based decision-making task. This provides evidence that there are role-specific skills within one domain or sport. In study 2, we examined the training activities that could be influential in the development of skills in sports officials. Elite association football (soccer) referees retrospectively reported time spent in and perceptions of training activities for three periods: their first year of formal refereeing, 1998 (before formal training programmes were available), and the current year (2003). This allowed us to examine an area of skill with a limited culture of practice, where performance simulations with direct feedback are usually not feasible. The results showed that referees specialize early and, as they develop, they engage in greater volumes and types of training. Competitive match refereeing is considered a relevant activity for skill acquisition that does not fit Ericsson and colleagues' (1993) original definition of deliberate practice. Our findings indicate that actual performance is a significant activity for skill acquisition and refinement.
AB - We examined sport expertise as a function of role. In study 1, referees were better than players in a video-based decision-making task. This provides evidence that there are role-specific skills within one domain or sport. In study 2, we examined the training activities that could be influential in the development of skills in sports officials. Elite association football (soccer) referees retrospectively reported time spent in and perceptions of training activities for three periods: their first year of formal refereeing, 1998 (before formal training programmes were available), and the current year (2003). This allowed us to examine an area of skill with a limited culture of practice, where performance simulations with direct feedback are usually not feasible. The results showed that referees specialize early and, as they develop, they engage in greater volumes and types of training. Competitive match refereeing is considered a relevant activity for skill acquisition that does not fit Ericsson and colleagues' (1993) original definition of deliberate practice. Our findings indicate that actual performance is a significant activity for skill acquisition and refinement.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=37849189610&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02640410600718640
DO - 10.1080/02640410600718640
M3 - Article
C2 - 17127582
AN - SCOPUS:37849189610
SN - 0264-0414
VL - 25
SP - 65
EP - 78
JO - Journal of Sports Sciences
JF - Journal of Sports Sciences
IS - 1
ER -