Classification of Skills

Simple and Complex Skills

Simple skills refer to tasks that are straightforward and do not require much thought. They have few decisions to make and are often ‘closed skills’, performed the same way each time.
Complex skills are tasks that require more conscious thought and decision making. These often involve ‘open skills’ which need adaptation to the changing environment.

Gross and Fine Skills

Gross skills involve larger muscle movements and less precision. They often involve strength, endurance or speed. Examples include running and jumping.
Fine skills require control, dexterity, and careful manipulation, making use of smaller muscle groups. Examples include darts throwing or intricate gymnastic moves.

Discrete, Serial and Continuous Skills

Discrete skills are brief, well-defined actions that have an obvious beginning and end. They are single, one-off movements that are performed individually, like a penalty kick in football.
Serial skills are groups of discrete skills strung together to make a new and complex skill. They are performed in a specific sequence, like a gymnastics routine.
Continuous skills have no clear beginning or end and the behaviour flows on for many cycles. They are repetitive in nature, such as cycling or swimming.

Open and Closed Skills

Open skills are those performed in a changing, unpredictable environment where the performer has to adjust their behaviour in response, like a pass in a football match.
Closed skills are performed in predictable, regular environments where the performer knows exactly what to do and when, like a free-throw in basketball.

Self-Paced and Externally Paced Skills

Self-paced skills are initiated by the performer who determines when to start the action and the rate at which it proceeds, such as a golf swing.
Externally paced skills are those where the timing and pace is determined by an external source, such as hitting a pitched ball in cricket.

In conclusion, the classification of skills allows us to better understand how different tasks operate and the demands they place on the performer. By identifying the category a skill belongs to, we can tailor training and coaching methods to better aid skill acquisition and performance.