You can read books about the history of motor learning, but even more valuable is speaking with someone who helped write that history. And that history matters — because it helps us understand where we stand today and where we are heading.
In this special episode, we sit down with Prof. Emeritus Tim Lee, a pioneer in motor learning whose career spans the most transformative decades in the field. Rather than simply revisiting theories, this conversation traces the living history of how our understanding of skill acquisition evolved — from early repetition-based and behavioristic models, Thorndike Law of effect to schema theory, contextual interference, dynamic systems approaches, and contemporary perspectives on learning under pressure.
He also talks about meeting his mentor Richard Allen (Dick) Schmidt (1941–2015): “He had already was well established as one of the premier researchers in that area… by then he was the pinnacle of researchers.” Lee continues:” “I would go and listen to every talk that he gave.”
“He asked me to lunch one day, and during lunch he asked me if I would be interested in coming on board as a co-author of the Motor Control and Learning book. And honestly, Eric, I could have fallen over the chair — to be asked to do that was such an honor.”
“I cherish the moments that we had to spend together and the opportunity that he provided me for becoming an important part of his legacy.”
Prof. Lee reflects on how each theoretical shift did not erase the past, but built upon it. Adams’ emphasis on feedback and repetition, Schmidt’s schema theory and variability, the cognitive interpretation of contextual interference, and later ecological and dynamical approaches — each added a piece to the puzzle. The conversation reminds us that motor learning has never been a single doctrine, but an evolving dialogue between ideas.
Beyond theory, the episode highlights enduring principles that remain highly relevant for coaches, teachers, and professionals in sport, police, and military training: spacing practice over time, embracing desirable difficulties, using interleaved practice wisely, being restrained and strategic with feedback, and training under realistic pressure. These are not trends — they are lessons forged through decades of research.
At the same time, the discussion turns toward the future. With the rise of artificial intelligence and increasingly powerful research tools, the possibilities for simulation, modeling, and discovery are expanding rapidly. Yet Prof. Lee also offers a gentle warning: in an age of summaries and shortcuts, we must not lose the discipline of reading original sources and thinking critically.
The episode ultimately conveys a sense of gratitude — for the scholars who built the field, for the students who carry it forward, and for the privilege of engaging in lifelong inquiry. Understanding where motor learning comes from helps us see more clearly where it can go.
Important quotes and wisdom
About AI and reading
So yes, that is one thing: I think this is truly a game changer for research, across all areas of research.
And the other thing I was thinking about today is that what comes with artificial intelligence — and not only AI, but increasingly our ability to summarize research — is that we have developed a tendency not to read the original sources anymore. I don’t want to put that solely on students, but in general I think we tend to forget to go back to the primary texts.
And sometimes summaries and the rewriting of history are not one hundred percent accurate. It is always valuable to return to the original source and read it again.
Let me give you an example. We talked about this earlier: the term variability of practice. I am about 95% sure that Richard Schmidt — Dick — never actually used that term in the original schema theory paper. In fact, I believe it was one of his students, Sue Moxley, who coined the term variability of practice in one of her studies as his student.
But the term variability of practice itself was not used in the original schema theory paper.
That is just a small example.
Other wisdoms
“Blocking practice has immediate benefits… but with interspersed practice, the benefits you get are going to be much more long-lasting.”
“The better you can space out the practice, the more impactful it’s going to have in the long term, not the short term.”
“The more that you can match the conditions under which skill is going to be tested with the training practices, the better the transfer will be.”
“Artificial intelligence has now really opened up a lot of possibilities.”
“If you don’t know what was really said, then you have no reason to question what AI says.”
Audio
Tim Lee is a professor emeritus in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He has published more than 140 research investigations in peer-reviewed psychology and kinesiology journals, is the author of Motor Control in Everyday Actions, and co-author of Motor Learning and Performance and Motor Control and Learning (both in their 6th editions). He served as an editor for the Journal of Motor Behavior and Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and has been an editorial board member for Psychological Review. Tim has received a number of awards in honour of these scholarly efforts and continues to be involved in writing and research in “retirement”. He is an avid golfer who competes in local, national, and international tournaments. (from Force Science Website).
Richard Allen (Dick) Schmidt
(1941–2015) was one of the most influential scientists in the history of motor control and learning research.
Dick’s work influenced how research was conducted in the laboratory, how theories were developed, how the field of motor control and learning was taught to undergraduate and graduate students, and how practical issues and problems encountered in everyday life could be better understood by applying this scientific knowledge.
Thank you, Dick.
