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Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
Published on: September 11, 2017
Standing long-jump performance is enhanced when using an external focus of attention
Jared M Porter1, Erik J Ostrowski, Russell P Nolan
1Department of Kinesiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA. jporter@siu.edu
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
|June 15, 2010
Summary
Focusing on external cues, like jumping farther, significantly improves standing long-jump performance compared to internal cues, such as knee extension speed. This finding benefits coaches evaluating athletic performance.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Motor Learning
- Biomechanics
Background:
- External focus of attention enhances object manipulation tasks.
- Internal focus directs attention to body parts and movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate attention focus effects on whole-body movements without object manipulation.
- Determine if external focus benefits standing long jump performance.
Main Methods:
- 120 participants completed 5 standing long jumps.
- Assigned to either internal (knee extension) or external (jump distance) focus groups.
- Compared average jump distances between groups.
Main Results:
- External focus group jumped an average of 187.37 cm.
- Internal focus group jumped an average of 177.33 cm.
- External focus resulted in significantly greater jump distance (p = 0.003).
Conclusions:
- External attentional focus enhances standing long jump performance.
- This contrasts with previous findings limited to object manipulation tasks.
- Results offer practical insights for strength and conditioning professionals.
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