Sports are an important part of adolescent development and fitness. Although sports can be extremely beneficial, skill and ability varies greatly from one athlete to another. Teaching with acoustical guidance (TAG), also known as clicker training, has been shown to help athletes improve their skills in such sports as football, gymnastics and even the high jump. The present study compares the use of standard coaching and clicker training to improve accurate shot put technique for two female high school track and field athletes. In comparison with other TAG research, this study is a component analysis that isolated the use of the clicker to increase drill accuracy in the absence of verbal feedback for six component glide drills; as such, other TAG components were not evaluated. The results revealed no systematic effect overall, although a counter-therapeutic effect during the TAG condition was detected for specific drills and specific individuals. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate TAGteach as a training procedure to increase the fluency of three dance movements in a multiple baseline across behaviors design with 4 students of dance. Target behaviors included a pirouette/turn, kick, and a leap/jump, respective of the level of the class. A dance instructor was trained to implement the TAGteach procedure by the primary researcher. The targeted dance movements remained at a stable level during baseline and improved sequentially for each participant following the introduction of the TAGteach training. Implications for future research are discussed.

Exercise has many physical, cognitive, and social benefits, but the majority of older adults do not meet the recommended level of physical activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). TAGteach, which combines elements of both behavioral coaching and acoustical feedback, has been demonstrated as an effective way to teach athletic skills (Fogel, Weil, & Burris, 2010; Quinn, Miltenberger, & Fogel, 2015; Stokes, Luiselli, Reed, & Fleming 2010). However, none of the current research on teaching athletic skills targeted an older population. This study evaluated TAGteach in a multiple baseline across behaviors design as a method of teaching 4 basic baton twirling skills to 3 women aged 62-73. Performance accuracy was low in baseline but improved substantially following the implementation of TAGteach. Participants also rated the intervention positively on a social validity survey. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.