Will Shaw PhD, MSc

Will is a sport scientist and golf professional who specialises in motor control and motor learning. Will lecturers part-time in motor control and biomechanics, runs Golf Insider UK and consults elite athletes who are interested in optimising their training and performance.

The 505 Agility Test: Procedure, Testing & Normative Data

In this article, we’re going to cover what the 505 agility test is, how to perform the test and provide normative data for athletes competing in various sports and at various levels.  505 agility test The 505 agility test is a test that involves an athlete sprinting forwards to a line 15m ahead, turning 180 … Read more

Grip Strength Test: How To & Normative Values

The handgrip strength test is used to measure how much force can be exerted isometrically by the hand and forearm muscles while squeezing a handheld device. In this article, we’re going to cover… How to test grip strength? The most common way to test grip strength is by the static handgrip strength test. To conduct … Read more

Yo-Yo Test: Complete Guide & Normative Data

In this article, we’re going to cover what the Yo-Yo test is, how to perform the test and provide normative data for athletes competing in various sports and at various levels.  What is the yo-yo intermittent recovery test? The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (IRT) is a maximal test, which involves athletes repeatedly completing 2 x … Read more

Fitness Tests for Athletes: What To Test & How To Measure

As coaches, we must choose, administer, analyse and interpret tests appropriately and effectively in order to monitor athletes progress and implement effective training programmes, which will optimize their physical development and preparations.  In this article, we’ll highlight physical tests which can be used to measure athletes’ physical qualities, which are also called their components of … Read more

Distributed Practice vs Massed Practice Explained

If you are going to invest time practising or coaching a skill you may as well try to find the optimum way to structure practice. Here we look at massed and distributed practice, where research suggests the breaks or lack of breaks, in between repetitions can influence our rate of learning

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Tips for Coaches – A Motor Learning Perspective

As a golf professional I’ve spent thousands of hours trying to perfect my own ability to hit a golf ball and countless hours trying to coach others. 11 years ago I decided to head back to university to learn more about how we control and learn movements. I’ve spent the past 10 years lecturing in … Read more

The Contextual Interference Effect Explained

contextual interference effect header

As athletes, coaches and sport scientists we are interested in any factors that can speed up skill acquisition. Contextual interference is one factor that has been shown to accelerate motor learning. In this article we’ll explain contextual interference, discuss how you can apply it in practice and explore the theory behind this effect.

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Performance Coaching & Skill Acquisition in Elite Golf

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Golf is a peculiar sport for many reasons, but one which is often missed is the coach – player relationship. Golf has to be one of the few sports where sub-elite and elite players spend >90% of their practice time without a coach present. They are often left to manage 30+ hours of weekly practice time.

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Motor Learning Explained

In this article we’ll cover all you need to know about motor learning, from what it is, how to measure it, and leading motor learning theories.

Motor learning defined

Motor learning can be defined as – a relatively permanent improvement in performance as a result of practice or experience. The relatively permanent feature of motor learning is a small but important detail. As it highlights that we cannot assess how much learning has taken place until after practice has finished.

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