When motor learning is considered as a continuous process of trial and error, a feedback system of some kind has to be established in order to prove the success and/or the errors involved in one trial. Usually the athlete uses his or her acoustic, visual, vestibular, or tactile system for feedback by judging the movement or uses feedback information supplied by a coach. These biological feedback systems provide a wide range of information, that is, the athlete utilizes many different kinds of information from which to judge. In contrast, technical devices used for supporting motor learning processes often supply limited types of feedback a few variables are output that precisely describe some important aspects of the movement. Both kinds of feedback must be precise, reliable, and fast enough so that the athlete can recall the pattern of the previous movement and thus use the feedback for planning the next trial. One study (Nicol, Henning, & Huber, 1980) showed that amazing success was sometimes possible using feedback devices. A physically handicapped man had to learn to avoid excessive loading of the big toe while walking. This previously had turned out to be the reason for his unusual walking style. A force transducer was fixed under the big toe; for feedback an impulse was sent to an earphone, if a certain limit of force was exceeded. It turned out that this person was able to reduce the force to a given level within a learning phase of 10 min. When the earphone was removed, the corrected movement was maintained, which indicated that the external feedback system had been replaced by an internal one. So it was hoped that a similar procedure could also be successfully used for learning to minimize the exchange time in relay starts in swimming.
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