TEACHING WITH ACOUSTICAL GUIDANCE (TAG) FOR HIGH SCHOOL SHOT PUTTERS

Abstract

Sports are an important part of adolescent development and fitness. Although sports can be extremely beneficial, skill and ability varies greatly from one athlete to another. Teaching with acoustical guidance (TAG), also known as clicker training, has been shown to help athletes improve their skills in such sports as football, gymnastics and even the high jump. The present study compares the use of standard coaching and clicker training to improve accurate shot put technique for two female high school track and field athletes. In comparison with other TAG research, this study is a component analysis that isolated the use of the clicker to increase drill accuracy in the absence of verbal feedback for six component glide drills; as such, other TAG components were not evaluated. The results revealed no systematic effect overall, although a counter-therapeutic effect during the TAG condition was detected for specific drills and specific individuals.