PE26: Feedback in Sport
Understanding the different types of feedback in sport - positive/negative, knowledge of results/performance, and extrinsic/intrinsic - and evaluating their effectiveness for different performers.
📝 What is Feedback?
Feedback: Information received by a performer about the outcome of their action or the quality of their performance. Feedback is essential for learning and improvement as it completes the information processing loop.
Feedback can be categorised in three main ways:
- Positive vs Negative - whether the feedback is encouraging or corrective
- Knowledge of Results (KR) vs Knowledge of Performance (KP) - whether feedback is about the outcome or the process
- Extrinsic vs Intrinsic - whether feedback comes from outside or inside the performer
Why Feedback Matters:
Feedback → Identifies strengths and weaknesses → Allows adjustment of motor programmes → Improves future performance → Increases motivation → Supports the learning process
Without feedback, performers cannot know if their technique is correct or if they are improving.
Feedback → Identifies strengths and weaknesses → Allows adjustment of motor programmes → Improves future performance → Increases motivation → Supports the learning process
Without feedback, performers cannot know if their technique is correct or if they are improving.
👍 Positive Feedback
Positive Feedback: Feedback that focuses on what the performer did correctly. It reinforces good technique and encourages the performer to repeat successful actions.
- Tells the performer what was done well
- Increases confidence and motivation
- Encourages repetition of correct technique
- Especially important for beginners who need encouragement
- Can be verbal praise ("Great shot!") or extrinsic reward (coach approval)
Sporting Examples
Beginner: A netball coach says "Excellent - your passing was much more accurate that time!" after a beginner improves their chest pass technique.
Elite: A coach tells a sprinter "Your drive phase was really powerful out of the blocks - keep working on that angle."
👎 Negative Feedback
Negative Feedback: Feedback that identifies what the performer did incorrectly. It highlights errors and suggests corrections to improve future performance. It is NOT criticism - it is constructive information about what went wrong.
- Points out errors or areas for improvement
- Must be constructive - tell the performer how to correct the error
- Essential for improving technique and eliminating bad habits
- More useful for experienced performers who can process technical corrections
- Should be balanced with positive feedback to maintain motivation
Sporting Examples
Intermediate: A basketball coach says "Your elbow was out to the side on that free throw - tuck it in under the ball and your shot will be straighter."
Elite: A swimming coach says "Your hand entry was crossing the midline on the last lap - keep it wider, entering at shoulder width."
| Feature | Positive Feedback | Negative Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | What was done correctly | What was done incorrectly |
| Effect | Motivates and encourages | Corrects and improves technique |
| Best for | Beginners (builds confidence) | Experienced performers (can process corrections) |
| Risk | May not address technical errors | Can demotivate if not constructive |
| Example | "Great pass - keep it up!" | "Your foot was over the line - step back further." |
Exam Tip: "Negative feedback" does NOT mean telling someone they are bad. It means identifying what went wrong and providing constructive correction. If a coach just says "that was terrible" without explaining how to improve, this is criticism, not negative feedback.
📊 Knowledge of Results (KR)
Knowledge of Results (KR): Feedback about the outcome of a performance. It tells the performer what happened as a result of their action - whether they were successful or not.
- Focuses on the end result, not the technique
- Often objective and measurable
- Can be provided by the performer themselves or by external sources
- Useful for confirming whether a goal has been achieved
Sporting Examples
Golf: The ball went into the water - this is KR about the outcome of the shot.
Athletics: The stopwatch shows 11.2 seconds for the 100m - this is KR about the result.
Football: The shot went wide of the post - KR indicating an unsuccessful outcome.
Swimming: The race result shows you finished 3rd - KR about your placing.
🔧 Knowledge of Performance (KP)
Knowledge of Performance (KP): Feedback about the quality and technique of a performance. It tells the performer how well they executed the movement, regardless of the outcome.
- Focuses on the process and technique, not the result
- Often provided by a coach or through video analysis
- Essential for long-term improvement and skill development
- Can also come from intrinsic sources (kinaesthetic awareness)
Sporting Examples
Golf: The coach says "your weight transfer was good but your wrist hinge was too late" - KP about the technique, not the result.
Athletics: A sprinter's coach says "your arm drive was much better this time" - KP about the execution quality.
Football: Even though the shot went in, the coach notes "you leaned back too far" - KP addressing technique despite a successful outcome.
| Feature | Knowledge of Results | Knowledge of Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Outcome / result | Process / technique |
| What it tells you | Whether you succeeded | How well you performed |
| Source | Often external and objective | Often from coach or self |
| Value | Confirms success or failure | Identifies how to improve |
| Example | "The ball went in the net" | "Your foot placement was correct" |
🌐 Extrinsic Feedback
Extrinsic Feedback: Feedback that comes from outside the performer. It is provided by an external source such as a coach, teammate, video replay, or the scoreboard.
- Coach's comments and instructions
- Video analysis of performance
- Scoreboard results and timings
- Crowd reaction and teammate communication
- Essential for beginners who cannot yet feel their own errors
When Extrinsic Feedback is Most Effective
- Beginners need extrinsic feedback because they lack the experience to use intrinsic feedback effectively. They cannot yet feel whether their technique is correct.
- Learning new skills - external guidance helps establish correct motor programmes
- When the performer cannot see the outcome - e.g. a swimmer cannot see their own stroke
- Tactical awareness - a coach can see the whole pitch better than a player in the game
🧠 Intrinsic Feedback
Intrinsic Feedback: Feedback that comes from within the performer through their own senses. It includes kinaesthetic awareness, proprioception, and the performer's own judgement of their performance.
- The feel of a well-struck shot (kinaesthesia)
- Awareness of body position during a movement (proprioception)
- The performer's own sense of whether a skill was executed correctly
- Develops with experience - elite performers have highly tuned intrinsic feedback
When Intrinsic Feedback is Most Effective
- Experienced performers can self-correct using intrinsic feedback without needing a coach
- During competition - a coach cannot give feedback during play, so the performer must rely on intrinsic feedback
- Fine skills - the subtleties of wrist position or grip pressure are felt, not seen
- Autonomous stage performers have well-developed kinaesthetic awareness
| Feature | Extrinsic Feedback | Intrinsic Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Outside the performer | Inside the performer |
| Examples | Coach comments, video, scoreboard | Kinaesthesia, proprioception, feel |
| Best for | Beginners (cannot self-assess) | Elite (can self-correct) |
| During competition | Limited (coach cannot intervene) | Essential (performer self-adjusts) |
| Development | Always available from others | Improves with experience and practice |
⚖️ Evaluating Feedback Effectiveness
The effectiveness of feedback depends on several factors:
- Stage of learning: Beginners need more extrinsic, positive feedback. Elite performers benefit from intrinsic feedback and constructive negative feedback with specific technical corrections.
- Timing: Feedback given immediately after performance is most effective for beginners. Delayed feedback can be useful for reflection and self-evaluation.
- Amount: Too much feedback overloads the performer. Beginners should receive one or two key points at a time.
- Precision: Vague feedback ("do better") is not useful. Specific feedback ("keep your elbow tucked in") leads to clear improvement.
- Combination: The most effective feedback often combines types - e.g. positive KP with constructive negative KR.
Feedback Effectiveness for Different Performers:
Beginner: Positive + Extrinsic + KR → Builds confidence and confirms understanding
Intermediate: Mixed + Extrinsic + KP → Corrects technique and develops feel
Elite: Negative/Constructive + Intrinsic + KP → Fine-tunes performance and enables self-correction
Beginner: Positive + Extrinsic + KR → Builds confidence and confirms understanding
Intermediate: Mixed + Extrinsic + KP → Corrects technique and develops feel
Elite: Negative/Constructive + Intrinsic + KP → Fine-tunes performance and enables self-correction
❓ Practice Questions
Q1: Explain the difference between knowledge of results and knowledge of performance, using a sporting example.
Q2: Why is positive feedback particularly important for beginners?
Q3: Describe the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic feedback and explain when each is most effective.
Q4: A basketball player misses a free throw. Give an example of negative feedback a coach could give. How does this differ from criticism?
Q5: Explain why an elite performer relies more on intrinsic feedback than extrinsic feedback during competition.
Q6: A coach tells a swimmer "your hand entry was too wide on that lap." Identify the type(s) of feedback being used and explain why it is appropriate for this performer.
✅ Answers
- Knowledge of results (KR) is feedback about the outcome of performance, while knowledge of performance (KP) is feedback about the quality of technique. Example: In golf, KR is knowing the ball landed in the bunker (the result), while KP is the coach telling the player their weight transfer was late and they came over the top of the ball (the technique). KR tells you what happened; KP tells you why it happened and how to fix it.
- Positive feedback is important for beginners because it builds their confidence and motivation, which are fragile in the early stages of learning. When beginners receive encouragement for what they do correctly, they are more likely to persist and continue practising. Without positive feedback, beginners may become discouraged by their errors and give up. Positive reinforcement also helps establish correct motor programmes by encouraging repetition of successful technique.
- Extrinsic feedback comes from outside the performer (coach, video, scoreboard), while intrinsic feedback comes from within the performer (kinaesthesia, proprioception, feel). Extrinsic feedback is most effective for beginners who lack the experience to self-assess, and during skill acquisition when the performer needs external information about their technique. Intrinsic feedback is most effective for experienced performers who can self-correct, and during competition when no coach input is available.
- Negative feedback: "Your elbow was flared out to the side - keep it tucked under the ball and aligned with the basket." This is constructive negative feedback because it identifies the specific error and provides a clear correction. Criticism would be "That was a terrible shot" - this tells the player nothing about what went wrong or how to improve.
- Elite performers rely more on intrinsic feedback during competition because: coaches cannot provide feedback during play; elite performers have highly developed kinaesthetic awareness and proprioception from years of practice; they can feel whether a technique was executed correctly and self-correct for the next attempt; they have well-established motor programmes that provide internal feedback about movement quality. Extrinsic feedback is more useful in training sessions for analysis.
- The coach's comment "your hand entry was too wide" is: (1) Knowledge of Performance - it addresses the technique/process, not the outcome; (2) Negative feedback - it identifies an error; (3) Extrinsic feedback - it comes from the coach, not the swimmer's own senses. This is appropriate because swimmers cannot easily see their own hand entry during a stroke, so extrinsic KP from a coach is essential for identifying and correcting technical faults that the performer cannot detect through intrinsic feedback alone.
🎯 Exam Tips
- Know all six types of feedback: positive, negative, KR, KP, extrinsic, intrinsic
- Always use sporting examples to illustrate each type
- Remember: negative feedback ≠ criticism. Negative feedback is constructive and corrective
- KR = outcome/result; KP = technique/process - this is a very common exam distinction
- Link feedback type to the stage of learning (beginner vs elite)
- Feedback types can overlap - e.g. a comment can be both extrinsic AND negative AND KP
⚠️ Common Errors
Watch Out!
Students often confuse negative feedback with criticism. Wrong: "Negative feedback is when the coach tells you you're rubbish." Correct: "Negative feedback constructively identifies what went wrong and how to correct it, such as 'your elbow was out of position - tuck it in next time.'"
Students often confuse KR and KP. Wrong: "KR is about your technique." Correct: "KR is about the result/outcome (did the ball go in?). KP is about the technique/process (was your foot placement correct?)."
📝 Exam Technique
PE Exam Tips — Feedback in Sport:
1. For Feedback in Sport questions, use subject-specific terminology precisely
2. Support every point with specific evidence or examples
3. Show balanced analysis — consider different perspectives before reaching a conclusion
4. Link your understanding of Feedback in Sport to real-world contexts where possible
5. For longer answers, plan your response to address all parts of the question
1. For Feedback in Sport questions, use subject-specific terminology precisely
2. Support every point with specific evidence or examples
3. Show balanced analysis — consider different perspectives before reaching a conclusion
4. Link your understanding of Feedback in Sport to real-world contexts where possible
5. For longer answers, plan your response to address all parts of the question
⚠️ Common Errors
Watch Out!
Students often think aggression is always bad in sport. Wrong: Aggression is always bad in sport Correct: Direct aggression (within rules, e.g. a hard but fair tackle) can be channelled positively. It is only hostile aggression (intent to harm outside rules) that is always negative.
Students often think extroverts are always better at sport than introverts. Wrong: Extroverts are always better at sport than introverts Correct: Introverts may excel in individual, precise sports (archery, golf, marathon running). Extroverts tend to prefer team and contact sports. Personality is a preference, not a determinant.
Students often think more arousal always means better performance. Wrong: More arousal always means better performance Correct: The inverted-U theory shows that performance improves with arousal only up to an optimal point. Beyond that, performance declines. Fine/closed skills need lower arousal; gross/open skills need higher.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
6 marks: Explain how feedback in sport affects sporting performance.
Feedback in Sport has significant effects on sporting performance. [Key concept 1]: explain the mechanism with specific detail. [Key concept 2]: how this applies in a named sporting example. [Key concept 3]: the relationship between this topic and overall performance. A grade 9 answer uses precise anatomical/physiological terminology, specific sporting examples, and evaluates the relative importance of different factors.
Mark scheme: 2 marks per explained point with specific evidence, evaluation for top marks
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Analysis
GCSE PE tests four AOs: AO1 (Knowledge, 30%) — recall facts about Feedback in Sport including definitions, classifications and specific examples; AO2 (Application, 30%) — apply knowledge to sporting contexts and training scenarios; AO3 (Analysis and Evaluation, 25%) — analyse data (graphs, tables), evaluate training methods or strategies, and justify recommendations; AO4 (Practical, 15%) — demonstrate relevant skills. For grade 9, use precise terminology, support every point with named sporting examples, and evaluate rather than just describe. The difference between grade 5 and grade 9 is the quality of application and depth of evaluation.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
🎬 Video Resources
Ready to ace your GCSE PE exams?
Get the best revision books and guides to boost your grades.