How does the human nervous system develop expertise in the performance of simple athletic skills (e.g. jumping, throwing, catching, kicking, dribbling)? What is the best way to learn a motor skill and is the same method applicable to everyone? Why do some never become expert? Why do skilled performers choke? What characterizes states of extraordinary performance, e.g. the ‘zone’? The answers to these questions are very important to a wide audience: those acquiring new motor skills (athletes, dancers, martial arts), educators (coaches, trainers, instructors), and healthcare professionals in rehabilitation (physicians, physical and recreational therapists).

This course examines human movement from the perspective of the functioning nervous system. The strengths and weaknesses of a variety of methods for describing motion (e.g. observation, video, motion capture) and concurrent activity in the nervous system (EEG, EMG, multimodal imaging) are discussed.

Knowledge of the neurobiological foundations of skill acquisition facilitates development of more effective observational and teaching strategies. The laboratory will illustrate these principles by studies of the development of basic athletic skills in children, comparisons between novice and elite athletes, and the acquisition of motor skills in those with neurological disabilities.