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Mind over body: Creating an external focus for sport skills
1Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
European Journal of Sport Science
|February 6, 2021
Summary
Focusing on an image of a "platform" between the wrists and elbows improved volleyball passing accuracy for novice players compared to focusing on their arms. This external focus strategy enhances motor skill performance.
Area of Science:
- Sport Science
- Motor Learning
- Biomechanics
Background:
- External focus of attention enhances motor skill performance.
- Previous research used body parts as external foci, but effectiveness of object-based external foci is less explored.
- Novice volleyball players often struggle with optimal attentional focus during skill execution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if an image representing an external object ("platform") is more effective than an internal focus on a body part ("arms") for improving volleyball passing accuracy.
- To determine if using an object image to "replace" a body part enhances external focus benefits.
- To compare the efficacy of an external focus (platform image) versus an internal focus (arms) in novice volleyball players.
Main Methods:
- Within-participant design with novice volleyball players.
- Participants performed continuous volleyball passing trials to a wall target under two conditions: external focus ("focus on your platform") and internal focus ("focus on your arms").
- Eight 45-second trials were completed for each condition in a counterbalanced order.
Main Results:
- Total passing score was significantly higher in the external focus (platform) condition compared to the internal focus (arms) condition.
- The use of an object image (platform) led to immediate performance advantages.
- Novice players demonstrated superior passing accuracy when directing attention externally to the platform image.
Conclusions:
- An external focus, particularly when using an image of an object that metaphorically replaces a body part, can significantly improve motor skill performance.
- Instructors can utilize creative imagery to promote effective external focus in applied settings.
- This study provides evidence for the practical application of external focus strategies in sports training.
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