Chapter 18: Whole and Part Practice
0.1 Overviews
1 Objectives
- Define the terms complexity and organization as they relate to the relationships among the parts or components of a complex motor skill
- Describe ways to apply the part-practice methods of fractionization and segmentation to the practice of motor skills
- Describe several ways to apply simplification methods to the practice of motor skills
- Explain how attention-directing strategies can be used to practice parts of a skill while performing the whole skill
2 Introduction: The Learner’s Dilemma
When you’re learning something new—a tennis serve, a song on the piano, a dance move—you inevitably face a critical choice: “Do I practice the whole thing at once, or break it into smaller pieces?”
As your coach, I’m here to tell you that this choice can be the difference between rapid progress and frustrating plateaus.
Fortunately, motor learning science gives us a simple framework to make the right call, every time. The goal of this guide is to introduce you to two key concepts—complexity and organization—that will empower you to decide the best way to practice any new skill you want to master. Pay close attention, because understanding these two secret ingredients is the foundation for making smarter practice decisions.
3 The Two Secret Ingredients of Any Skill: Complexity and Organization
According to a breakthrough hypothesis by researchers Naylor and Briggs, the key to deciding how to practice lies in analyzing a skill’s complexity and organization. Let’s break down exactly what that means.
3.1 Skill Complexity: “How Many Parts?”
Think of skill complexity as the number of component parts a skill has and the amount of attention it demands from you. A highly complex skill has many moving parts and requires a lot of mental energy to even attempt.
Low Complexity High Complexity Contains few component parts and demands little attention. Contains many component parts and demands a great deal of attention. - Shooting an arrow
- Picking up a cup - Serving a tennis ball
- Performing a dance routine
- Getting out of bed and into a wheelchair
It’s important to remember that skill complexity is different from skill difficulty. A simple skill can still be very difficult to perform well.
3.2 Skill Organization: “How Connected Are the Parts?”
Skill organization refers to the level of interdependence between the component parts of a skill. A highly organized skill is like a tightly linked “chain of events” where one part’s performance directly depends on the part that came right before it.
Low Organization High Organization The parts are relatively independent of one another. The parts are highly interdependent; one part triggers the next in a seamless flow. - A gymnastics floor routine (where different tumbling passes can be practiced separately)
- Buttoning a shirt - A jump shot in basketball (the jump, arm extension, and ball release are all tightly linked)
- Throwing a dart
- Putting a golf ball
Now that you know how to analyze a skill, let’s put it into action.
4 The Decision Framework: Putting It All Together
By assessing a skill’s complexity and organization, you can choose the most effective practice strategy. Here are the two fundamental rules.
Rule 1: Use WHOLE Practice for skills with LOW Complexity and HIGH Organization.
When a skill has very few parts (low complexity) that are highly connected (high organization), you should always practice it as a single, complete unit. Breaking it apart would disrupt the crucial timing and flow. Think of skills like throwing a dart, putting a golf ball, or buttoning a button—they are simple, fluid actions that should be learned as one motion.
Rule 2: Use PART Practice for skills with HIGH Complexity and LOW Organization.
When a skill has many component parts that are not tightly linked (high complexity, low organization), it’s far more effective to use the part method. This strategy reduces your mental load by allowing you to focus on mastering one component at a time before putting them all together. A gymnastics tumbling routine, where each pass is a separate event, is a perfect example.
Let’s walk through a real-world example to see how powerful this framework is.
5 A Skill in Action: Let’s Analyze Juggling
The three-ball juggle is a classic skill that seems impossibly difficult at first. Let’s analyze it with our framework.
5.1 Step 1: Analyze Complexity
First, we identify the component parts of the skill. Juggling involves:
- Holding three balls in two hands.
- Tossing ball 1 from hand 1.
- Catching ball 1 in hand 2 while tossing ball 2 from hand 2.
- Catching ball 2 in hand 1 while tossing ball 3 from hand 1.
- Catching ball 3 in hand 2 while tossing ball 1 from hand 1.
- Repeating the sequence flawlessly.
Because of the sheer number of parts and the critical timing required between them, we can easily conclude that juggling has high complexity.
5.2 Step 2: Analyze Organization
Next, we look at how the parts are connected. In juggling, each toss and catch is completely dependent on the actions that precede and follow it. You can’t practice catching the third ball without performing the exact sequence of tosses that get it there. This tight interdependence means juggling has high organization.
5.3 The Verdict
Because juggling has high organization, our framework predicts that whole practice is the most effective method. This is confirmed by a classic 1952 study by Knapp & Dixon, which found that students who practiced the whole juggling motion from the start learned faster than those who tried to practice parts of it separately.
It’s worth noting, however, that while this holds true for most adults, studies have shown that for learners with more limited attention (like young children), breaking the skill down can sometimes be more effective.
But what if your analysis points to part practice? It turns out there are several smart ways to do it.
6 Your Part-Practice Toolkit: Three Smart Strategies
If you determine a skill is highly complex and has low organization, you should use part practice. Here are three proven methods to have in your toolkit.
Fractionization
- Definition: Practicing the movements for one limb separately before combining them.
- When to use it: For skills that require asymmetric coordination of your arms or legs.
- Example: Learning a new song on the piano or guitar. You practice the part for your right hand and your left hand separately before attempting to play with both hands together.
Segmentation (The Progressive Part Method)
- Definition: Practicing the first part of a skill, then adding the second part to it, then the third, and so on, like building a chain.
- When to use it: For skills that involve a distinct sequence of movements.
- Example: Learning the breaststroke in swimming. First, you master the leg kick (Part A). Next, you practice the leg kick and the arm action together (Parts A+B). Finally, you add breathing to the sequence, practicing the kick, arm action, and breathing all together (Parts A+B+C).
6.1 Simplification
- Definition: Practicing the whole skill, but reducing its difficulty in some way.
- When to use it: When the complete skill feels too overwhelming to practice at full difficulty right away.
- Examples: There are many ways to simplify a skill:
- Reduce Object Difficulty: Learning to juggle with slower, easier-to-catch beanbags instead of bouncy balls.
- Reduce Speed: Practicing the sequence of steps for a new dance slowly before trying it at full tempo.
- Sequence Skill Progressions: Learning to hit a baseball by starting with a stationary ball on a tee, then moving to a machine-pitched ball, and finally facing a live pitcher.
Finally, let’s cover one more powerful technique that brilliantly blends the benefits of both whole and part practice.
7 Bonus Technique: The ‘Mental Spotlight’ Method
Even when you’re practicing a skill as a whole, you can mentally apply part practice. This technique involves performing the entire skill while consciously directing your attention to just one specific part that needs work.
This is related to what attention theorists call “momentary intentions,” our ability to consciously choose where to focus our mental energy. While your body goes through the entire motion, you shine a “mental spotlight” on the one component you want to improve.
This strategy works. In an experiment with a complex computer game called the “Space Fortress Game,” players who were given instructions to focus their attention on specific components (like controlling their ship or handling mines) learned the game significantly better than players who received no such instructions.
8 Conclusion: Become a Smarter Learner
Now you have the framework. Your mission is to stop practicing mindlessly. The next time you set out to learn a new skill, take a moment to analyze it first.
Ask yourself two simple questions: “How many parts does it have?” (complexity) and “How connected are those parts?” (organization). This simple analysis will tell you whether to use whole or part practice, allowing you to choose the most effective strategy from the very start.
Practice smarter, not just harder, and watch how much faster you learn.
8.1 Frequently Asked Questions
Skill complexity refers to the number of parts or components in a skill and the attention demands of the task. Highly complex skills have many components and demand much attention, especially from beginners.
Skill organization refers to the relationships among the component parts of a skill. High organization means the parts are spatially and temporally interdependent, like a chain of events where each part depends on the previous one.
Use whole practice when a skill is low in complexity and high in organization. Skills with few parts that are highly connected should be practiced as a complete unit.
Use part practice when a skill is high in complexity and low in organization. Skills with many parts that are relatively independent can be effectively practiced in parts.
Fractionization is a part-practice method for asymmetric coordination skills that involves practicing each arm or leg separately before performing with them together.
Segmentation (progressive part method) involves separating the skill into parts and practicing them sequentially, adding one part at a time until the whole skill is practiced together.
Simplification is a part-practice method that involves reducing the difficulty of specific parts or features of a skill while still practicing the whole skill.
Reduce the difficulty of objects used in practice. For example, practice juggling with beanbags before using regular balls, as they move slower and are easier to catch.
BWS is a device that controls how much body weight a person supports while walking, reducing attention demands for posture and balance during gait rehabilitation.
Practicing at a slower speed helps establish the essential relative-time characteristics of a coordination pattern while reducing complexity, especially for skills requiring both speed and accuracy.
Auditory cues specifying appropriate rhythm can reduce task difficulty and facilitate learning for skills with distinct rhythmic characteristics, such as walking for Parkinson’s patients.
Task progressions involve practicing variations of a skill in sequence from less to more complex or difficult until the actual skill is practiced, like hitting a baseball from a tee before facing a pitcher.
Simulators imitate real environments, vehicles, or instruments, allowing practice without concerns about accidents, with better control of practice conditions, and often for longer periods.
VR environments simulate real environments through computer graphics, providing realistic experiences in real time without being in the actual environment.
No, miming (pretending to perform without objects) creates different movement patterns than the actual skill. Always have learners perform the natural skill, even if simplified.
Yes, you can direct attention to specific parts that need work while performing the whole skill. This provides benefits of both part practice (emphasis on specific parts) and whole practice (maintaining part relationships).
The study showed that attention-directing instructions emphasizing specific components during whole-skill practice led to better learning than practicing without such strategic focus.
First identify the component parts, then determine how interdependent they are spatially and temporally. Independent parts can be practiced separately; interdependent parts should be practiced together.
The progressive part method works especially well for skills involving movement sequences, such as learning a piano score or the breaststroke in swimming.
VR training provides effective means to prepare people for real-world performance or augment physical practice, with evidence showing successful transfer to real environments and neurological benefits.
8.2 Test your Knowledge
Take the quiz to test your knowledge of the material in this chapter. At the end of the quiz, you will be given a personalized study plan to help you master the material.