Index IntroductionLearning CharacteristicsPunishmentAdvanced Skill CharacteristicsIndividual DifferencesThree Things That Interfere with PerformanceConclusionIntroductionGlory Road is a film about an interracial college basketball team in the 1960s. In the film, a young coach moves to a new city to become the head basketball coach at a small Division I university. The film shows many examples of motor learning, including: characteristics of learning, punishment, characteristics of advanced skills, individual differences, and the 3 things that interfere with performance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Characteristics of Learning Learning is a set of processes and requires practice and experience. Don Haskins, the coach in the film, gave his team many different types of learning opportunities. During a recruiting trip, Don finds himself on the field with a future player. While they are playing some one-on-one, Don easily stops the young player. She then proceeds to teach him the rocking step, a new skill. This was a learning situation, where the student was attempting to acquire a new skill. At this point, the athlete would be considered to be in the cognitive learning phase as his or her performance was still somewhat inconsistent and variable. Although continuous learning phases are not shown in the film's workouts, the athlete subsequently uses the skill during competition, suggesting that he has since mastered the new technique placing him in the autonomous phase. Punishment Punishment played a huge role in the film and there were numerous examples of how Coach Haskins used this aspect of motor learning to help his team grow. Perhaps the first example of punishment in the film was when some players were caught breaking team rules. They had traveled off campus at night to have some fun in the city, participating in activities they weren't supposed to participate in. Trust is an important aspect of any team sport, so when that trust was broken, coach Don Haskins was inclined to punish his players. However, he did not only punish the guilty, but everyone was required to pay the price. Everyone ran sprints to start that practice due to the disobedience of some athletes. At first, the observer might be tempted to comment on the inequality of Coach Haskins' method. But this method of punishment reinforces the fact that they are a team and what they do affects each other. Ultimately, it helped the team strengthen their friendship and camaraderie with each other. Game-like punishment is the most desired. In this case, there could have been a more game-like punishment, but speed and agility are also highly desirable characteristics in the game of basketball. Running sprints in the wind helped condition the team to be able to keep up with their opponents and ultimately win. The benefits were especially evident in the final game against Coach Rupp and an experienced Kentucky team. Coach Haskins only played 7 players the entire game. These players were certainly exhausted by the end, but they showed the resilience they gained in part from their coach's punishment. This is a good example of punishment because it helped the team achieve their goal. Advanced Skill Characteristics The Texas Western miners exhibited many advanced skill characteristics, including their internal nature of motivation. Before the start of the season,the coach told one of the players that he would be cut from the team. This player, Shed, was devastated. He exclaimed that he would never be able to look his father in the eyes again. The coach said he didn't care and that he hadn't earned the right to stay. He had decided to go to the gym one last time and wander around a bit. While there, pretending to score game-winning baskets, he realized he had what it took to stay and play. His motivation that night the game rose to a level that could not be diminished. The next day, at practice, he showed up demanding that Don Haskins let him play. The coach decided to let him stay because of his determination and very high motivation to play basketball. In addition to motivation, the miners also demonstrated great adaptability. When they played in different stadiums they had to endure a lot of negativity from fans of opposing teams. Furthermore, each team they played was different, with different strengths and weaknesses. One of the reasons this team was so successful was its ability to adapt to the opponents it faced. Individual Differences Perhaps the greatest lesson learned from this film is the fact that individual differences, especially social differences, can be overcome to achieve greater heights. Unfortunately, many individuals in the South during that time were still very partial to racism. The miners experienced many persecutions and overcame many difficulties. Even school administrators and supporters at Texas Western were unhappy that Coach Haskins brought in so many black players. When he fielded three black players, they really questioned his methods. However, administration proved to be the least of their problems as the season progressed. The team played well together and the players learned to see the colors of the past faster than the rest of the community. Along the way, some communities have proven less helpful than others. In one arena, fans screamed, spat and threw food at players as they exited the tunnel and onto the field. Surely this experience would have been terrifying for the team. But they stuck together and became stronger. In another case, some community members failed to put aside their social differences and even beat up one of the black players in a bathroom, leaving him bruised and bleeding. Unfortunately, many also believed that because the players were black, they had less intelligence and ability to perform under pressure. The Texas Western Miners proved them wrong by winning the NCAA Championship. Three Things That Interfere with Performance First, personal issues can significantly alter an athlete's ability to perform. Harry was having a hard time at school and the coach threatened to punish him if he didn't improve his grades. His mother finally showed up at school and he was back on track in no time. But if he didn't improve his grades, the team would surely suffer from his laziness. One of the athletes had a relationship with a girl which perhaps altered his game a little. One night the coach found them on the roof of the dormitories and the athlete was required to climb the stairs for an extended period as punishment for breaking team rules. Injuries can also play a huge role in an individual's performance. Willie Cager, one of their big men, was diagnosed with a heart problem as a boy. This was not made known to Coach Haskins at first. When he finally found out, he wasn't willing to play Cager or not,.