Demonstrations - Giving good demonstrations in Sport and fitness disciplines

Most activity-based disciplines are taught through a mixture of explanation, demonstration, question and answer, and encouraging learners to try techniques/moves/poses themselves. Remember that many learners are visual and/or kinaesthetic learners, rather than aural. That is: they find it easier to absorb information by seeing something and by feeling and doing it, rather than by hearing about it. Keep in mind the following:

  • What I hear, I mainly forget.
  • What I hear and see, I remember something of.
  • What I hear, see, discuss and do, I acquire knowledge of and skill in relation to.

(Adapted from Silberman, M, Active Learning: 101 Strategies to teach any subject, published Boston, Allyn and Bacon, 1996.)

So, to get it right for learners, demonstrations need to be:

  • clearly visible to everyone, and
  • technically correct.

Why these points are crucial

If learners cannot see, or can see only part of what you are doing, at best they will only be able to mimic the part they can see. If you present the technique/movement, incorrectly your mistakes will be copied and possibly amplified by the learners. The more often they practise them, the more embedded their mistakes will be, and the harder to correct at a later date.

How to achieve a good demonstration

  • Check that everyone can see you. Organise the group around you in a horse-shoe shape if this will help them getter a better, close-up view of what they need to see.
  • Show the whole movement/technique first, then break it down into its constituent parts, then put it back together again. Do this several times if necessary.
  • Show the technique/action/pose from several angles. You may need to do this several times before letting learners practise themselves.
  • If you are working with learners with sight impairment you may need to slow down demonstrations or repeat them on a one-to-one basis after you have demonstrated the movement/technique to the whole group.
  • Explain key points as you go along. Choose the key points according to the level of the learners. Include enough basic knowledge for learners to practise the technique or pose in question, but not so much detail that they cannot absorb it and become confused. Inexperienced learners may become overwhelmed by the new, so for them keep things short and clear!
  • Now let learners try on their own, giving instructions to guide them.
  • After they have done so, try repeating the demonstration again, re-emphasising the key points.
  • Never simply present a movement or technique without comment and expect learners to follow. Even experienced learners need reminding of key points.
  • If you are physically unable to demonstrate something yourself, think about using a learner to perform the technique/movement. Be careful to ensure that they are comfortable in doing so, and use the opportunity to emphasise the key points to the other learners.
  • Create the opportunity for learners to ask questions. Discussion often opens up further opportunities (particularly for more diffident learners) to clarify their understanding. It also helps groups interact and form bonds between learners. 'I'm glad you asked that, I was just going to do so myself', is a fairly common response.