Improving the acquired and acquiring new technical skills is determined by the process of developing the sensory-motor habit which is a basis of motor act constituting a given technique.

Sensory-motor habit – is an automatic motor act developed by means of repetition and based on neurophysilolgical mechanisms including activation, formation and reinforcement of the reflex arc. The sensory-motor habit allows us to achieve the assumed actions very precisely, confidently and with a minimal loss of time and energy. The sensory-motor habit is of conditional and reflex nature and is developed according to rules governing time relationships’ reinforcement between sensory and motor centres where the only way of activisation and development of the successive automatisation of a given movement is the process of systematic physical exercise. Inborn as well as a set of all acquired conditioned reflexes constitute the base of the sensory-motor habit. Motor habit reflects certain motor pattern which can consists of both basic and complex motor acts forming a new time and space relationship (new motor habit). From a neurophysiological point of view a motor habit is a pattern of coordination sets between sensory and motor centre within CNS (Central Nervous System). Due to the fact that the sensory-motor habit is located in the CNS there are some factors which influence its formation (apart from regular exercise) such as ability to imagine the movement, focusing attention on a given motor task as well as the already acquired set of motor habits. Additionally the process of learning (acquiring) successive motor act (new habit) is connected with the quality of the external stimuli accompanying it. This relationship is inversely proportional. Consequently, the stronger the external disturbing stimuli influence the learning process the longer and less accurate it becomes.

Additionally sensory-motor habits undergo the process of gradual degradation and weakening as a result of lack of repetition. These features of sensory-motor habit influence coach’s job in many respects. A coach cannot forget about:

• developing new technical tasks requires systematic and conscious repetition of the learned movement and
• systematic repetition of complex actions which prevent the degradation and influences the ability of comprehensive combination of motor habits into one motor act (which can also become a new, complex motor act); such interdependence has twofold influence on teaching, on one hand from basic motor habits to more and the most complex ones including different types of situational modifications, and on the other the complex forms when teaching basic habits, which are to serve as a base for an ability of natural combination of habits.

Depending on interaction with the environment sensory-motor habits are divided into:

• Closed – in which the performed motor task consists in performing it as closely as possible to the technical pattern. The process of its formation is based mostly on mastering a given motor pattern which is influenced by external factors to a limited extend
• Open – in which a given motor task constituting pattern is a subject to continuous modifications which depend on the environment conditions. Its formation is based mostly on mastering a given motor pattern and the ability of modifying it depending on the environment conditions.

Analysing sport disciplines as regards sensory-motor habit, it is difficult to unequivocally determine which habits belong to which particular discipline as in the technical structure of exercises both open and closed habits can be found, yet the proportions between them vary – and if an open habits prevail distinctively a discipline is characterised as an open sensory-motor habit; it works in a similar way if closed habits are predominant. This approach indicates to the fact that there is a need for a thorough analysis of disciplines’ techniques (in the respect of prevailing habits) and for fixing the proportions and the importance of habits’ types which are crucial to the achievement of the best sport result. Determining the prevailing type of habit and the proportions between them strongly correlates with the role of coach in the training process.

Acquiring, improving and consolidating new motor activities is a continuous process which shows certain regularity of occurrence of changes resulting from mastering motor activities. In the course of learning and teaching a movement (according to Meinel) this process can be divided into three basic stages:

General coordination – is initiated by imagining the movement and then its initial acquiring in so called “general picture” fashion. Thus the newly acquired movement is characterised by its awkwardness and lack of smoothens and harmony. At this stage, the basic teaching method is synthetic method which enables the development of kinaesthetic sense. Thanks to the development of the kinaesthetic sense the new movement can be mastered faster (Picture 2).

Precise coordination – which consists in improving and mastering the trained movement until it is fully mastered. The trained movement becomes fluent, coordinated and to synchronise it, it does not require a large amount of strength and overloading of the nervous system. At that stage the main method which is applied during the process of teaching the movement is a mixed method ( the synthetic-analytical method) in which the analytical part is mainly expected to correct errors which appeared at the first stage (Picture 3).

Adaptation and stabilization – during which the new activity becomes a habit which may precisely connect with various realisations of motoric behaviour. After reaching this phase movement becomes ergonomic, fluent and resistant to external distractors. It is possible to adjust it to external conditions maintaining its full fluency. (Picture 4).