The Differences Between Skill, Ability and Technique in Fitness

The Differences Between Skill, Ability and Technique in Fitness

To be a sportsman at any level, you must have skill, ability and

technique. These components of fitness are essential in the

development and production of any activity, varying from simple

movements such as walking, to more complex activities such as the high

jump or tennis serve.

There are many definitions of skill, ability, and technique and they

are often related and underpin each other.

Skill can be defined as the ability to choose and perform the right

techniques at the correct time, regularly and with the minimum of

effort in a specific movement in a sport. “It is a co-ordinated act,

involving complex movements brought together in a consistent and

smooth manner”.

Whereas, Ability is the quality of being able to perform; a quality

that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment. “Motor

abilities are innate inherited traits that determine an individual’s

co-ordination, balance, ability and speed of reactions”. Ability is

also what you are born with; we inherit our ability from our parents,

which means it is genetic. Therefore it is likely that you will play

the sport that your parents still or used to play. So if your parents

were good at a particular sport, then that could be what makes you

good at that sport. There are various aspects that can determine your

ability at a sport. These are: - Height, Strength and co-ordination.

Technique is the basic movements that we make in any sport. For

example blocks start in a 100m sprint. We can put together a number of

different techniques to create a sequence. For example the triple

jump.

In order to perform a particular skill in sport, we must learn the

required technique. In order to learn the technique fully, we must

have the necessary abilities.

The difference between skill and ability is that a skill can be taught

and changed and your ability is something that is inherited from your

parents and cannot be taught.

Technique is something, which you need to have to complete a