AFC AFC Teaching & Cueing Methodology 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the difference between an internal and external cue in aerial fitness instruction?
- Internal cues focus on body sensations; external cues focus on movement outcomes or objects (Correct answer)
- Internal cues are louder; external cues are quieter
- Internal cues are for beginners; external cues are for advanced students
- There is no practical difference
Correct answer: Internal cues focus on body sensations; external cues focus on movement outcomes or objects
Internal cues direct attention to body sensations (e.g., 'squeeze your lats'), while external cues focus on outcomes or the environment (e.g., 'push the floor away'), affecting motor learning differently.
Question 2: Research in motor learning suggests that external cues generally produce what effect compared to internal cues?
- Worse skill retention
- Better movement automaticity and skill transfer (Correct answer)
- No measurable difference
- Higher injury rates
Correct answer: Better movement automaticity and skill transfer
Research indicates that external cues tend to produce better movement automaticity, skill retention, and transfer because they promote a more unconscious, efficient motor program.
Question 3: What is the '3-part cue' structure commonly used in aerial fitness instruction?
- Name the move, count the repetitions, give feedback
- Preparation cue, action cue, and correction/feedback cue (Correct answer)
- Demonstrate, repeat, assess
- Warm up, perform, cool down
Correct answer: Preparation cue, action cue, and correction/feedback cue
The 3-part cue structure — preparation, action, and correction/feedback — ensures students know what to do before, during, and after each aerial movement.
Question 4: When spotting a beginner student in aerial silks, where should an instructor primarily position themselves?
- Behind the student at all times
- Beneath and slightly to the side where they can support the student's hips and catch a fall (Correct answer)
- At the rigging point level
- Across the room for a full-body view
Correct answer: Beneath and slightly to the side where they can support the student's hips and catch a fall
Spotters position beneath and to the side where they can support the student's hips — the body's center of mass — and catch or redirect a fall with maximum effectiveness.
Question 5: What is the purpose of using a 'low point' modification for beginners in aerial silk classes?
- To save fabric wear
- To reduce fall height, allowing students to learn foundational wraps safely close to the ground (Correct answer)
- To make class easier to observe
- To shorten class duration
Correct answer: To reduce fall height, allowing students to learn foundational wraps safely close to the ground
Low point modifications keep students working close to the ground during skill acquisition, significantly reducing fall height and injury risk while they develop foundational wrapping and grip skills.
Question 6: Which teaching method involves an instructor breaking a complex aerial move into smaller, sequential components taught individually before combining them?
- Whole-part-whole method
- Task decomposition / part-to-whole teaching (Correct answer)
- Random practice
- Blocked practice only
Correct answer: Task decomposition / part-to-whole teaching
Task decomposition or part-to-whole teaching breaks complex aerial skills into sequential components that are mastered individually before being linked into the complete movement.
AFC AFC Teaching & Cueing Methodology 1
What is the difference between an internal and external cue in aerial fitness instruction?