What is a skill?

The difference between skill and knowledge

‘A skill’ can be many types of activities. For example, juggling, dancing, playing chess, speaking a language, cooking, giving a massage or playing tennis.

‘To have skill’, is to perform a particular activity very well, with accuracy, speed and a low number of errors.

To get skills you need to learn them. ‘Skill acquisition’, is the act, process, or experience of gaining skill. When you acquire a skill, you improve your ability to perform a specific task. It is the changes associated with practice or experience, that determine a person’s capability for responding or producing a motor/cognitive skill.

Complex skills

‘A complex skill’ can be broken down into many sub-skills that affect performance. Playing tennis consists of executing various shots such as forehands, backhands, volleys, serves, and drop-shots. But being good at tennis also involves footwork, reading the play, shot selection, and the ability to disguise shots. All these sub-skills contribute towards the performance in the complex skill.

In the same way, the skill of cooking can be broken down into technical skills such as chopping, shredding, parting and skinning. You have to master techniques such as boiling, frying, steaming, and baking. And…