Read or listen? Effects of different kinds of instruction on the learning of a sport motor skill

The present study investigated the effects of different instruction types (verbal and written) in the motor learning of a sport skill. Methods: Twenty-three volunteers, from both sexes, 12,96 ± 1.1 years of age, were distributed in two groups: verbal instruction (GIV) and written instruction (GIE). The task was to perform the basketball layup without the ball touching the hoop. All participants performed five baseline trials on the free-throw for balancing initial group performance between groups. Then, they performed 32 practice trials and a retention test of 8 trials a week later on the basketball layup. T-tests were used to compare the groups in baseline and retention tests. Results: The results showed, in both practice and retention, superior performance for GIE compared to GIV. Conclusion: We conclude that providing written instructions benefited the performance and learning of a sport motor skill.