The locus of focus: the effect of switching from a preferred to a non-preferred focus of attention

Focusing strategies are known to play a significant role in motor performance, with individuals who use an internal focus on body movement typically showing poorer outcomes than those who focus on features of the external environment. Focus of attention and switching of one's focus are examined in the context of two different complex motor skills along with a factor not previously examined systematically, individual preference. In both experiments, participants were introduced to focusing strategies that might be employed when attempting a sensorimotor task. Explanations of both strategies were given to participants. Specifically, for an internal focus, participants were instructed to concentrate on their body movements, while for an external focus, they were instructed to focus on aspects in the environment. They were then asked which strategy they preferred. Participants then continued either with their preferred focus or were instructed to switch to their non-preferred focus. The advantage that the external focus typically enjoys turns out not to be a simple one and interacts with individual preference and with the "forced-opposite" manipulation. Our results support the growing consensus that encouraging individuals to adopt an internal focusing strategy is counterproductive in complex sensorimotor tasks. They also suggest that individual preferences play a role.     

Effects of bilateral and non-dominant practices on the lateral preference in judo matches

This study analysed the effects of bilateral and non-dominant practice on novice practitioners’ lateral preference for judo skills in a combat context (i.e., randori). Thirty sports sciences students (22 men and 8 women; mean age 19 ± 1 years) with right hand, foot, and counterclockwise rotation preferences were divided into 3 groups: bilateral (BG; n = 8), non-dominant (NDG; n = 11), and control (CG; n = 11). Participants received 8 weeks of training at a rate of 3 days per week. The NDG was trained to perform judo skills exclusive with their non-dominant side, while the BG performed every task symmetrically. Before and after training, participants were recorded during two 3-min randoris to obtain the percentage of their engagement in dominant side actions. Pretest percentages were 73.1 ± 19.9%, 77.8 ± 18.8%, and 68.9 ± 27.2% for BG, NDG, and CG, respectively. Post-test values were 75.0 ± 15.6%, 23.3 ± 27.9%, and 72.2.9 ± 20.4%, respectively. Significant differences were observed between NDG and each of the other groups after the training. Changes from pretest were only significant for NDG (P = 0.003). These results suggest that lateral preference among novice judo practitioners during randori can be modulated by the type of practice.     

The influence of gate start position on physical performance and anxiety perception in expert BMX athletes

The critical importance of the start phase in bicycle motocross (BMX) racing is increasingly acknowledged. Past experiments underlined that the internal lane of the starting gate provides a strong positional advantage. However, how lane position affects start performance and cognitive and somatic state anxiety remains unexplored. We examined the start performance and anxiety responses of youth national-level BMX riders in both experimental and ecological contexts. We used contextualization motor imagery routines to evaluate start performance and state anxiety from the internal and external lanes. Cycle ergometer measures revealed a better start performance from the external lane, but we did not record any lane effect on actual gate start times. Both somatic and cognitive anxiety scores were higher before racing from the internal compared to the external lane. Finally, state anxiety (i.e., somatic anxiety, worry and concentration disruptions) negatively predicted the start performance. Present findings provide original insights on psychological factors involved in BMX start performance, and might contribute to fruitful coping interventions and training programmes in sports overlapping the framework of “handicap races” taking the specific form of positional advantages/disadvantages at the start (e.g., ski/snowboard cross, athletics, swimming, motorsports, etc.).     

The effect of attentional focus cues on object control performance in elementary children

Background and purpose: Attentional focus cues have been shown to impact motor performance of adults and children. Specifically, an external focus of attention results in improved motor learning and performance as compared to adopting an internal focus of attention. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an internal and external attentional focus cue on children’s object control skill performance during a commonly used motor skill assessment.

Methods: Using a within-participant design, a total of 44 children (M_age?=?7.7 years, 20 boys and 24 girls) completed all three attentional focus conditions. The object control subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd Edition (TGMD-2; Ulrich, 2000. Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Austin: Pro-Ed.) served as the motor skill assessment in present study. The TGMD-2 is a normed and criteria-referenced assessment frequently used to assess fundamental motor skill competence in children. The object control subtest of the TGMD-2 assesses a child’s ability to complete six fundamental motor skills – striking a stationary ball, stationary dribble, catch, kick, overhand throw, and underhand roll. All participants completed the object control subtest of the TGMD-2 under three different attentional focus conditions: baseline (i.e. neutral focus), internal, and external. The internal cue focused on movement performance and the external cue focused on movement outcome. In all three conditions, a video demonstration of proper skill performance was used to ensure no difference in visual demonstration, but the overlaying audio was changed to encompass each attentional focus condition. Children’s motor performance was recorded and later coded by a single researcher blinded to the study. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to determine if children’s motor scores changed among the three conditions.

Results: Findings demonstrated that children’s performance differed among the three conditions (F_(2,43)?=?3.5, p?Post hoc analysis revealed that children scored significantly better in the external cue condition compared to the baseline (difference?=?1.98, p?Conclusion: Children performed better when given a verbal instruction to focus their attention externally rather than a verbal instruction with no attentional focus cue. No significant differences exist between the internal and external focus condition or between the neutral and internal condition. Our findings align with the literature and support that external attentional focus cues have a positive effect on motor performance. From a teaching and learning standpoint, using consistent instructions appears to be essential for young learners. Slight changes in verbal cues can have a significant effect on how well children execute fundamental motor skills.     

The experience of captaincy in professional sport: The case of elite professional rugby

The captain is perceived to be an important member of the leadership structure within teams across many professional sports. However, while there is a general acceptance that this is the case, there is very little research exploring the role and associated demands at an elite level. As a result, the aim of this study was to explore the captaincy experiences of elite professional rugby union captains. The participants were eight male captains purposefully sampled for this study. Participants were interviewed individually to gain an understanding of each participant’s captaincy experiences. The data were thematically analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Nine super-ordinate themes emerged in the study: role, skills, requirements, challenges, the coach, development, experience, context, and approach. Results suggest that the captaincy role is broader than previously highlighted, particularly at the elite level. Also, the study highlights inconsistencies in the selection of captains and a lack of formal developmental support for elite rugby captains. As a result, future research should explore the development of specific evidence-based approaches to captain selection and development.     

Categorising and defining popular psychological terms used within the youth athlete talent development literature: a systematic review

Inconsistencies in the use and definition of psychological terms within the talent development literature have been identified. To advance the scientific field, the creation of a shared language is recommended. This review aimed to systematically (1) identify terms used in empirical studies to describe psychological components purported to facilitate athletes’ development; (2) analyse the definition and meanings of these terms; and (3) group, label, and define terms into meaning clusters. A systematic review using a narrative approach to synthesise information was conducted. A comprehensive literature search of SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and ERIC was completed in May 2015. In total, 21 empirical studies, published between 2002 and 2015, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative synthesis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the findings. Identified psychological terms were categorised as psychological skills or psychological characteristics. Psychological skills were defined as athletes’ ability to use learned psychological strategies (e.g., self-talk) to regulate and facilitate the enhancement of psychological characteristics. Psychological characteristics were defined as predispositions that impact upon athlete development (e.g., self-confidence). Despite being relatively enduring and consistent across a range of situations, psychological characteristics can be regulated and enhanced through the use of psychological skills.     

Setting the scientific stage for esports psychology: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Competitive gaming, better known as electronic sports (esports), is rapidly growing in popularity. We systematically reviewed the available literature regarding the psychological aspects of esports using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) evidence-based reporting checklist and a Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcomes (PICO) framework with the following inclusion criteria: (i) published between 1994 and 2018; (ii) empirical investigation (as the current state of research is dense with positions and opinions but has few empirical investigations); and (iii) focussed on esports games that are associated with either cognitive performance or game performance. The goal of our research was twofold: to present a summary of the empirical evidence addressing the psychological characteristics of both cognitive and game performance in esports, and to integrate esports in the field of sport psychology. More specifically, our goals were to highlight the interplay of psychological aspects of performance and esports and to clearly define the theoretical foundations of the psychological aspects of esports performance. Underlining the differences from video gaming will inform future research directions and stimulate the development of high-quality practice in the applied field of sports and exercise psychology.     

Interaction between motor ability and skill learning in children: Application of implicit and explicit approaches

The benefits of implicit and explicit motor learning approaches in young adults have been studied extensively, but much less in children. This study investigated the relationship between fundamental motor ability and implicit/explicit learning in children using the errorless learning paradigm. First, the motor ability of 261 children (142 boys, 119 girls) aged 9–12 years (M?=?9.74, SD?=?0.67) was measured. Second, children with motor ability scores in the upper and lower quartile learned a golf-putting skill in either an errorless (implicit) or errorful (explicit) learning condition. Four groups were formed: Errorless High-Ability (n?=?13), Errorless Low-Ability (n?=?11), Errorful High-Ability (n?=?10), and Errorful Low-Ability (n?=?11). Learning consisted of 300 practice trials, while testing included a 50-trial retention test, followed by a 50-trial secondary task transfer test, and another 50-trial retention test. The results showed that for high- and low-ability errorless learners, motor performance was unaffected by the secondary task, as was the case for high-ability errorful learners. Low-ability errorful learners performed worse with a secondary task and were significantly poorer than the corresponding high-ability group. These results suggest that implicit motor learning (errorless) may be beneficial for children with low motor ability. The findings also show a trend that children of high motor ability might benefit from learning explicitly (errorful). Further research is recommended to examine the compatibility of implicit and explicit approaches for children of different abilities.     

The Influence of Feedback on Competence,Motivation, Vitality,and Performance in a Throwing Task

Purpose: The purpose of this work is focused on the study of the effect that feedback has on competence valuation, perceived competence, autonomous motivation, vitality, and performance in a throwing task. Method: Thirty-five college students (26 men and 9 women), without previous experience in the task, participated in this study. The students were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions (positive, negative, and lack of feedback). Results: The results of this study point out that only those who received positive feedback before the handball throwing task, in contrast to those who received negative feedback or did not receive any feedback, showed increased levels of competence valuation (p < .05, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.30), perceived competence (p < .001, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.77), and autonomous motivation (p < .05, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.48). This group also presented higher levels of perceived competence (p < .001, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.84) and subjective vitality (p < .001, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.80) than the group who received negative feedback after the throwing task. Those who received positive feedback also showed a higher throwing speed at the end of task than those who received negative feedback (p < 0.001, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.71) or than those who did not receive any feedback (p < .05, Cliff’s delta effect size = ?.56). Conclusions: Competence valuation, perceived competence, autonomous motivation, subjective vitality, and throwing speed were favorably influenced by positive feedback. These results have important implications for the training style applied by coaches.     

The effect of auditory stimulus training on swimming start reaction time

Task-specific auditory training can improve sensorimotor processing times of the auditory reaction time (RT). The majority of competitive swimmers do not conduct habitual start training with the electronic horn used to commence a race. We examined the effect of four week dive training interventions on RT and block time (BT) of 10 male adolescent swimmers (age 14.0 ± 1.4 years): dive training with auditory components (speaker and electronic horn) (n = 5) and dive training without auditory components (n = 5). Auditory stimulus dive training significantly reduced swimming start RT, compared with dive training without auditory components (p < 0.01), with a group mean RT reduction of 13 ± 9 ms. Four of the five swimmers that received auditory stimulus training showed medium to large effect size reductions in RT (d = 0.74; 1.32; 1.40; 1.81). No significant changes to swimmers’ BTs were evident in either dive training intervention. The adolescent swimmers’ results were compared against six male elite swimmers (age 19.8 ± 1.0 years). The elite swimmers had significantly shorter BTs (p < 0.05) but no significant difference in RTs. Auditory stimulus dive training should be explored further as a mechanism for improving swimming start performance in elite swimmers who have pre-established optimal BTs.     

注意力下的"媒体竞技运动"

借鉴经济学的相关分析模式，在时媒体竞技运动做分析的基础上，提出了媒体竞技运动的6个特点，并时它进行了定义，指出媒体竞技运动的本质就是吸引并消化注意力，进而分析了媒体竞技运动市场的需求和供给规律。     

Preliminary development of a questionnaire to assess peer athlete mentoring functions: the Athlete Mentoring Questionnaire (AMQ)

Using a multiphase approach, the purpose of the present study was to develop a psychometrically sound questionnaire to measure protégés’ perceptions of peer athlete mentoring functions. Phase 1 consisted of three stages: (a) item development, (b) assessment of content validity via think-aloud interviews with peer mentored athletes, and (c) assessment of content validity via an expert rating panel. In phase 2, 377 Canadian National team and varsity athletes who were peer mentored completed an initial 42-item version of the Athlete Mentoring Questionnaire (AMQ) and its factor structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and hierarchical ESEM (ESEM-within-CFA). Measurement invariance testing was also performed in phase 2. The final version of the AMQ contains 34 items that measure six peer athlete mentoring functions. It is hoped that the development of the AMQ will spur research in the emerging area of peer athlete mentoring.     

“结构—定向”理论在标枪技术教学中应用的试验研究

通过对比试验和高速摄影及影片解析等方法，获取客观的指标进行定量分析，研究运动心理定向对掌握运动技术和提高专项成绩的作用。合理的专项心理结构—定向有利于发挥助跑速度，促进专项技术和专项成绩的提高；在标枪技术投掷步和最后用力教学中，应注意培养“大—小-较大-最小”助跑节奏的心理定向。研究结果提示：在技术教学中，应重视正确的心理结构-定向培养。     

Attentional focus and motor learning: a review of 15 years

Over the past 15 years, research on focus of attention has consistently demonstrated that an external focus (i.e., on the movement effect) enhances motor performance and learning relative to an internal focus (i.e., on body movements). This article provides a comprehensive review of the extant literature. Findings show that the performance and learning advantages through instructions or feedback inducing an external focus extend across different types of tasks, skill levels, and age groups. Benefits are seen in movement effectiveness (e.g., accuracy, consistency, balance) as well as efficiency (e.g., muscular activity, force production, cardiovascular responses). Methodological issues that have arisen in the literature are discussed. Finally, our current understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the attentional focus effect is outlined, and directions for future research are suggested.     

Coworker knowledge sharing and peer learning among elite footballers: Insights from German Bundesliga players

This research focuses on coworker learning and knowledge sharing amongst elite footballers. The authors provide an in-depth understanding on how elite footballers learn from their peers and which channels are used to share their knowledge. The authors also analyze how peer learning impacts an elite footballer’s development and performance and to what extent elite football clubs actively support peer learning. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 elite footballers from first and second division German Bundesliga clubs. The findings demonstrate that peers are very important sources of knowledge for elite footballers. There are four main knowledge sharing channels: observing/imitating, peer exchange/peer communication, labor mobility and knowledge brokers. The findings highlight the positive impact of knowledge sharing on elite players’ development and performance and call for future (knowledge) management tactics to specifically use this untapped potential.     

反馈学习对运动技能形成的意义

通过深度知觉实验两种条件下（在告知测验结果和不告知测验结果的情况下）的不同实验结果，论述深度知觉在运动技能形成中的意义和作用。     

Classes of developmental trajectories of body mass index: Differences in motor competence and cardiorespiratory fitness

ABSTRACT

The purpose was to identify classes of different developmental trajectories of BMI and testing them for differences in motor competence (MC) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), in children and adolescents (4 to 13 years of age). This was a 5 years’ longitudinal study with six cohorts. One hundred and forty-seven children (69 girls) divided into six cohorts participated. At baseline, the youngest and the oldest cohorts had 4 and 11 years of age, respectively. Height and weight were assessed, and BMI was calculated. MC was assessed with KTK and TGMD-2, and CRF was assessed with one-mile run/walk. Developmental trajectories of BMI were identified using latent class linear-mixed modelling. Latent class membership was explained according to covariates of MC and CRF. Two meaningful classes were identified. Class 1 (78.92% of the participants) showed lower initial BMI and a lower slope compared to class 2 (21.08% of the participants) (all ps < 0.001). Class membership only predicted trajectories in motor coordination, with children in class 1 having a better development.

In conclusion, this study identified two meaningful trajectories for children based on their BMI development across five time points. In line with previous research, children with slower increasing BMI showed better motor coordination improvements.     

The myth of the team captain as principal leader: extending the athlete leadership classification within sport teams

Abstract

Although coaches and players recognise the importance of leaders within the team, research on athlete leadership is sparse. The present study expands knowledge of athlete leadership by extending the current leadership classification and exploring the importance of the team captain as formal leader of the team. An online survey was completed by 4,451 participants (31% females and 69% males) within nine different team sports in Flanders (Belgium). Players (N = 3,193) and coaches (N = 1,258) participated on all different levels in their sports. Results revealed that the proposed additional role of motivational leader was perceived as clearly distinct from the already established roles (task, social and external leader). Furthermore, almost half of the participants (44%) did not perceive their captain as the principal leader on any of the four roles. These findings underline the fact that the leadership qualities attributed to the captain as the team’s formal leader are overrated. It can be concluded that leadership is spread throughout the team; informal leaders rather than the captain take the lead, both on and off the field.     

The use of the Vienna Test System in sport psychology research: A review

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to provide a comprehensive review of existing literature relating to the use of the Vienna Test System (VTS) in sport psychology research. A comprehensive search of major databases such as SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar yielded 22 studies related to the topic of interest. The results showed that VTS was used to compare athletes and non-athletes, as well as athletes from different sports and levels. It was also used to investigate the effect of certain factors on athlete cognitive performance, to induce ego depletion in athletes, and was shown to be a reliable and valid measure of coordinated motor abilities. The review demonstrates that VTS is a useful objective measure of various psychological constructs, and can be used to complement existing subjective measures in the field. There is great potential in using VTS to provide both researchers and applied sport psychologists with valuable information to aid them in their work with athletes, and future research should aim to identify VTS tests that are relevant to each particular sport.     

Bouncing back from failure: The interactive impact of perceived controllability and stability on self-efficacy beliefs and future task performance

Abstract

There is limited empirical evidence of the relationship between attributions following failure and subsequent task performance. Two studies manipulated the perceived controllability and stability of causes of initial task failure and explored the impact of these factors on perceptions of self-efficacy and follow-up performance. Consistent with previous attributional and social identity theorizing, an induced belief that failure was both beyond control and unlikely to change led to lower self-efficacy and worse performance, relative to conditions in which outcomes were believed to be controllable and/or unstable. These findings point to the resilience of beliefs in personal self-efficacy, but suggest that where opportunities for self-enhancement are precluded, personal self-belief will be compromised and performance will suffer.