Relative timing and rhythm: A key to motor skill learning

Abstract

Rhythm is needed for all coordinated movements to be performed accurately and, without exception, sports skills are considered rhythmic in nature. Mature motor skill patterns have a definite stable rhythmic structure. Rhythm, the critical piece of information needed in order to reproduce the correct motor skill, can be easily missed by learners. Unfortunately, apart from what we can draw from our own sport participation, finding information on how to teach rhythm is surprisingly difficult. To bridge the gap between relative timing enhancement and rhythm acquisition, recommendations from research studies on how to develop relative timing are interpreted for practitioners who are teaching rhythm.