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THE REVIEW .

By Hugh Westrup

“What does it take to become a Wayne Gretzky ora Bobby Orr?

An-ability to recognize ‘game patterns’’. and react quickly and
effectively. to. them, says Dr. Fran Allard, a kinesiologist at. the
University. of W ater loo. (Kinesiology is the atndy of body motions and
mechanics.)

Expert players have developed the Serceptial ability to see their
sport as a sequence of co-ordinated plays — game patterns — and not

‘merely a series of random movements.
The experts remember all the plays and can identity each one witha

minimunr of visual information.
“dtetakes only milliseconds for the expert to identify the pattern of
movement among players,” says Dr. Allard.
The Gretzkys and Orrs have learned pattern recognition, so they

can change direction and speed to follow.the play, and make perfectly

executed passes.

Dro-Allard cionipares pattern iccosnition to learning to-read.
“When we first start to red we see individual letters on the page that
don't make sense. But eventually we see the lettersin chunks — ores
‘and phrases — that have meaning for us,’” she says.

Dr. Allard. says “chunking?” also occurs: in: sports. ‘‘Instead ‘of
seeing players scattered across the ice, the player sees them arranged i in
meaningful combinations, just like words,” she says. ;

Dr. Allard says two basic sets of skills make a good hockey player:
“Obviously you have to develop your physical abilities — how to
skate, how to handle the puck, how to check,’” she says.”

“But shooting against a garage forever and skating around pylons
she says. ““You have to develop the perceptual ability:

isi enough,”’
to ‘chink* information and that takes many, many hours of play.’’
How many hours? About. 10,000 says Dr. William Chase and Dr.

~ Herbert Simon of Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Drs.

Chase and Simon. have. ‘been. conducting experiments with ‘chess

7 players similar to the ones Dr. Allard has done in-sports,

The US scientists: flashed pictures of chess games. on a screen and
: asked chess players to recall these pictures. Master chess players could
all the chess pieces: were in each picture, -but amateur .

remember where
players couldn’ l.

-aren’t-all that slow moving.

Wednesday, December 1, 1982

Says Dr. Allard: ‘‘The master players:could remember. the pictures
because they detected patterns that the chess pieces were arranged in.
The novices simply weren't: familiar. with the patterns. They weren't
practised enough.’’

Drs. Chase and Simon have studied Bobby Fischer, who. put. in.
endless hours playing chess in a-fruit cellar before he ‘could instantly
recognize chess patterns. They found the expert players they observed

. had each accumulated at least 10,000 hours of play:

The US scientists have also done experiments with musicians and
physicists and are -now studying a waiter from a local restaurant, who
has the uncanny Knack: of remembering a Jarge number of: dinner
orders without the aid of a pen or paper.

Meanwhile, a colleague of Dr... Allard’s.at> the University of
Waterloo, psychologist Neil Charness, is examining game. patterns in
bridge. He says quick pattern recognition is important in a card game
because it enables the player to consider rapidly all the ways to play his

“hand,

‘‘And besides,’ says Dr. Charness,. “bridge games, or chess games
In tour naments you have. only three to
five minutes to make your move.’ :

Dr: Allard’s: sports eperimienis at the university have involved
mostly basketball players. She hasn't had a chance: to study. Wayne
Gretzky but wasn’t surprised to learn he began playing hockey at age
‘five.

‘“*He had all the skills down eariy,’

? she says..** The younger you are,

the sooner you hit the magic 10,000-hour saturation point.’

Dr. Allard says pattern: recognition is a valuable skill for basketball,
hockey and soccer, but.is not as important ‘for volley ball and most
racquet sports.

“The highly skilled volleybail player isn’t a ‘chunker’,”? she says.
“*He’s a ‘focusser’.. He doesn't. watch other players ‘so much: as: he
focusses on ihe speeding. ball, which can be going up to 90. miles an

~ hour.’

Dr.: Allard says all sports require intellectual activity * whetheri it be

focussing or chunking or something else.’

Still waitin,

Mayor Jay Rangel was still - "advice or not.
awaiting legal advice at press time... Aldermen eléct Eric Sherwood: :
‘as to whether: he ‘should ‘direct: «= George: Westwood — and. Edgar
North Saanich: staff to'do or not... Farthing had written: the. mayor.
‘do. anything. with regard to. the .- asking. him to see. that - neither
~ proposed North:Saanich Marina council” nor
development i in Blue Heron Bay. a
: ‘The - ‘matter. of only ay
academic. interest: however, ‘Since.

applicant”

anu the matter was. ;

“staff:had: not received, any Tequest

being it impair ed-and Gladys Eileen
58, 1108 eee Rd.,

for the same eotrenee: ;
“Andrew. Charles. Bailey, 29,

“staff did anything —
nee. the position of the...

-§837 173. St... Surrey, was fined
$250. Thursday for. driving: while ©
over Herbert | Alexander
“Mills, 61,9598 . Epco., Drive,
~ Sidney, was, sentenced to 14 days)
ein jail on Thursday, the pen alty
‘Tor a second impaired offence, .

Victoria Was. fined ‘a : total ot :
fer. pleading: guilty

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Ur less me es {usal’S 5ce our:

In order lo vote. in a Provincial élection = (ig Mario

your must be registered! To Qualify, you mustbe |
‘at least 19 years of age,'a Canadian citizen or

- British Subject, a resident of Canada for 12 months.

ane and ‘British Columbia for 6 months, © 7

nice _ Registering is easy. Conlact your neares).
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. ~And doit now)

Be sure you have a choice —

: olin tomorrow. —

ie J
“afatt wna -

94a He woh Carty tae

Province of.
g British Columbia:

‘Chiot Electoral ee ee
‘Office > henciaapetthe