Abstract
In sports, one method for improving competitive performance is skills acquisition. Athletes spend a significant amount of time each day honing their skills in this regard. The objective of this study was to identify the factors that influence skills acquisition in Japanese elite cheerleading athletes. The survey’s participants comprised seven
active female Japanese cheerleading athletes who have previously won national or international championships. The SCAT(steps for coding and theorization) qualitative data analysis method was used to analyze the data collected from these participants via semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the skills acquisition factors
were(a) “cognitive strategies” for clarifying goals and internalizing motives,(b) “training contents” pertaining to the quality and quantity of training,(c) “transference of skills” acquired through basic skills training and specialized training, and(d) “learning as an athlete,” which is acquired through feedback and analysis. These factors included those that are related to the concept of deliberate practice theory, psychological features of elite athletes, motor learning, and movement theory. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the following are key to the acquisition of cheerleading skills: setting goals based on psychological development and practicing internalizing motives training, working on basic skills training and specialized training to transition to higher difficulty skills, and learning to acquire the skills through feedback and analysis.
