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Kinetics, Kinematics, and Fixed Postures: An Exploration of How Attentional Focus Manipulation Enhances Movement
Maclean Turner1, Nathan Hammer1, Emma Lamping1
1Montana State University.
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
|March 24, 2022
Summary
Directing focus externally enhances standing long jump (SLJ) performance by increasing takeoff and landing distances. This effect holds true even with constrained body postures, demonstrating the impact of external focus on athletic movements.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
- Sports Science
Background:
- Focus of attention (FOA) significantly impacts motor performance, yet its specific effects on ground reaction forces (GRF) during the standing long jump (SLJ) remain debated.
- Understanding which phases of the SLJ (takeoff, flight, landing) are affected by FOA manipulation is crucial for optimizing athletic technique.
- Investigating whether the benefits of external FOA (EXT FOA) persist in fixed body postures is essential for practical application in training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare standing long jump (SLJ) performance under external (EXT) and internal (INT) focus of attention (FOA) conditions.
- To examine the influence of free versus fixed body postures on SLJ performance with different FOA conditions.
- To analyze the effects of FOA manipulation on ground reaction forces (GRF) and jump kinematics across various SLJ phases.
Main Methods:
- Twenty participants performed SLJs under both EXT and INT FOA conditions, with and without arm swing (free vs. fixed posture).
- Three-dimensional motion capture and force plates were utilized to record kinematic and kinetic data.
- Repeated measures ANOVA was employed to compare jump distances, projection angles, GRF, and impulses across conditions.
Main Results:
- Jump distances were significantly greater under the EXT FOA condition (p < .001).
- Improvements in distance were attributed to increased takeoff (p < .001) and landing distances (p < .001), while flight distance remained unaffected (p = .061).
- EXT FOA led to greater peak horizontal GRF (p < .001) and impulses (p < .001), and lower projection angles (p = .002).
Conclusions:
- External focus of attention enhances standing long jump performance, primarily by improving the takeoff and landing phases.
- Manipulating FOA demonstrably alters ground reaction forces during the standing long jump.
- The performance benefits of an external focus of attention are retained even when movements are executed with constrained body postures.
