Acute effects of motor learning models on technical efficiency in strength-coordination exercises: a comparative analysis of Olympic snatch biomechanics in beginners

Despite the development of various motor learning models over many decades, the question of which model is most effective under which conditions to optimize the acquisition of skills remains a heated and recurring debate. This is particularly important in connection with learning sports movements with a high strength component. This study aims to examine the acute effects of various motor learning models on technical efficiency and force production during the Olympic snatch movement. In a within-subject design, sixteen highly active male participants (mean age: 23.13 ± 2.09 years), who were absolute beginners regarding the learning task, engaged in randomized snatch learning bouts, consisting of 36 trials across different learning models: differential learning (DL), contextual interference (serial, sCI; and blocked, bCI), and repetitive learning (RL). Kinematic and kinetic data were collected from three snatch trials executed following each learning bout. Discrete data from the most commonly monitored biomechanical parameters in Olympic weightlifting were analyzed using inferential statistics to identify differences between learning models. The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the learning models across all tested parameters, with p-values ranging from 0.236 to 0.99. However, it was observed that only the bouts with an exercise sequence following the DL model resulted in an average antero-posterior displacement of the barbell that matched the optimal displacement. This was characterized by a mean positive displacement towards the lifter during the pulling phases, a negative displacement away from the lifter in the turnover phase, and a return to positive displacement in the catch phase. These findings indicate the limited acute impact of the exercise sequences based on the three motor learning models on Olympic snatch technical efficiency in beginners, yet they hint at a possible slight advantage for the DL model. Coaches might therefore consider incorporating the DL model to potentially enhance technical efficiency, especially during the early stages of skill acquisition. Future research, involving even bigger amounts of exercise noise, longer learning periods, or a greater number of total learning trials and sessions, is essential to verify the potential advantages of the DL model for weightlifting technical efficiency.