Which combination of skills reflects the negative transfer of training ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (2):
The combination of playing skills of Badminton and Tennis reflects the negative transfer of training because these two sports, while both involving a racket and a net, require highly contradictory motor patterns for power generation. Negative transfer occurs when the learning or performance of a previously learned skill actively hinders the acquisition or execution of a new one due to crucial differences in movement parameters. In this case, a successful Badminton smash relies on a rapid, loose wrist snap and forearm rotation, coupled with a light grip. However, a powerful and controlled Tennis serve or forehand demands a firm wrist and a stable forearm structure to withstand the impact of the heavier ball. A player who attempts to apply the "badminton wrist" to a tennis stroke will inevitably suffer a loss of power, stability, and accuracy, demonstrating clear motor interference, which is the hallmark of negative transfer.

The incorrect option is (1):
Playing skills of Hockey and Football would generally result in either zero or minimal transfer, not negative transfer. Zero transfer is observed when the learning of the first task has no discernible effect—neither helpful nor harmful—on the second task. Hockey is primarily an upper-body, stick-handling sport that focuses on specific wrist and hand movements and coordination with a short stick. Football, conversely, is a lower-body sport focused entirely on kicking, dribbling, and passing with the feet. Since the fundamental muscle groups, required implements (racket/stick vs. feet), and the nature of the motor skills are overwhelmingly different, there is little common ground for the skills to interfere with each other, thus ruling out negative transfer.

The incorrect option is (3):
Playing skills of Squash and Tennis would typically exhibit a positive transfer of training. Positive transfer occurs because these two racket sports share a high degree of similarity in their basic biomechanics. Both utilize similar fundamental strokes such as forehands, backhands, and volleys, often employing similar grip types (like the Eastern or Continental grip). The core motor programme for striking a ball—including the kinetic chain of energy transfer and hand-eye coordination—is directly applicable from one sport to the other. Although the court geometry and the trajectory of the ball differ, the structural overlap in the skills is substantial enough to significantly speed up the learning process for the second game, thereby ensuring a positive transfer.

The incorrect option is (4):
Playing skills of Judo and Taekwondo also demonstrate positive transfer, as they are both combat sports that share fundamental principles of movement and athletic development. While Judo focuses on throws and grappling and Taekwondo focuses on striking and kicking, the underlying physical requirements are compatible. Both martial arts train for high levels of balance, core strength, precise weight distribution, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness. The discipline, timing, and controlled aggression developed in one art are transferable psychological and physical assets that expedite the learning of techniques in the other, leading to a beneficial, or positive, transfer.