Reasoning and Action: Implementation of a Decision-Making Program in Sport.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Motor Learning
• Skill Acquisition

Background:

• Effective decision-making is crucial for athletic performance in sports like volleyball.
• Traditional training often focuses on physical skills, potentially neglecting cognitive aspects of performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a decision training program incorporating video-feedback and questioning on volleyball attack decision-making.
• To assess the effectiveness of real-time cognitive intervention in enhancing tactical execution.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, intervention, and retention phases was used.
• Eight Under-16 female volleyball players participated, divided into experimental and control groups.
• The intervention involved an 11-week decision training program using video-feedback and questioning during 6x6 game situations.

Main Results:

• The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in successful decision-making compared to the control group (F(1, 6) = 11.26, p = .015).
• The intervention led to a higher average percentage of successful decisions in attack actions for the trained group.
• The Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI) was used to systematically observe and measure decision-making performance.

Conclusions:

• Integrating cognitive tools like video-feedback and questioning into training significantly enhances athletes' decision-making abilities.
• This approach is vital for optimizing performance in dynamic sports environments.
• The study underscores the importance of a holistic training methodology that addresses both physical and cognitive skill development.