The Goal of the Research
The goal of the research was to evaluate the impact of diverse attentional focus conditions on sprint start performance and to ascertain whether or not these effects differed in beginner and skilled sprinters.
How the Goal Relates to My Research
The ultimate performance in track races is determined by the effectiveness of the start. During a start, the athlete should respond rapidly to the ‘go’ indicator, synchronize the motion of upper and lower limbs, and produce enough force to leave the start block within the shortest time and attain the highest running speed (Ille, Selin, Do, & Thon, 2013). The athlete’s reaction time plays a vital role in the efficiency of the start. Biomechanical and physiological factors are known to influence the sprint start performance (Ille et al., 2013). However, the effectiveness of information processes required in the preparation and execution of movement has an impact on the success of this multifaceted task. As a result, there is a need to determine the optimal conditions required to execute this task.
Summary of Important Points
Beginner and skilled sprinters were subjected to a sprint start followed by a 10-meter sprint under three circumstances of “external focus instructions, internal focus instructions, and neutral instructions” (Ille et al., 2013, p. 1705). It was noted that the external focus state resulted in significantly shorter reaction and running times than the internal focus state for beginner and skilled subjects. These findings indicate that an external focus of attention has a positive impact on the rate of accomplishing the movement. Additionally, attentional focus has some bearing on movement planning.
References
Chan, R. W., Immink, M. A., & Lushington, K. (2017). The influence of focused-attention meditation states on the cognitive control of sequence learning. Consciousness and Cognition, 55, 11-25.
Ille, A., Selin, I., Do, M. C., & Thon, B. (2013). Attentional focus effects on sprint start performance as a function of skill level. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(15), 1705-1712.