a b s t r a c tPurpose: We examined links between the kinematics of an opponent's actions and the visual search behaviors of badminton players responding to those actions. Method: A kinematic analysis of international standard badminton players (n = 4) was undertaken as they completed a range of serves. Video of these players serving was used to create a life-size temporal occlusion test to measure anticipation responses. Expert (n = 8) and novice (n = 8) badminton players anticipated serve location while wearing an eye movement registration system. Results: During the execution phase of the opponent's movement, the kinematic analysis showed between-shot differences in distance traveled and peak acceleration at the shoulder, elbow, wrist and racket. Experts were more accurate at responding to the serves compared to novice players. Expert players fixated on the kinematic locations that were most discriminating between serve types more frequently and for a longer duration compared to novice players. Moreover, players were generally more accurate at responding to serves when they fixated vision upon the discriminating arm and racket kinematics.

26We examined the effects of high-versus low-anxiety conditions during video-based 27 training of anticipation judgements by international-level badminton players facing serves and 28 the transfer to high-anxiety and field-based conditions. Players were assigned to a high-anxiety 29 training (HA), low-anxiety training (LA) or control group (CON) in a pre-training-post-test 30 design. In the pre-and post-test, players anticipated serves either from video under high-and 31 low anxiety conditions or live on-court. In the video-based high-anxiety pre-test, anticipation 32 response accuracy was lower and final fixations shorter when compared to the low-anxiety pre-33 test. In the low-anxiety post-test, HA and LA demonstrated greater accuracy of judgements and 34 longer final fixations compared to pre-test and CON. In the high-anxiety post-test, HA 35 maintained accuracy when compared to the low-anxiety post-test, whereas LA had lower 36 accuracy. In the on-court post-test, the training groups demonstrated greater accuracy of 37 judgements compared to the pre-test and CON. 38 39

Research remains unclear on the impact of physiological load on perceptual-cognitive skills in sport. Moreover, no study has examined the training of perceptual-cognitive skills under physiological load. The current study comprised two phases. Firstly, we examined the impact of badminton-specific physiological load on anticipatory skills in expert badminton players (n = 13), including key underlying mechanisms, such as gaze behaviour. Under high physiological load, participants displayed less efficient visual search behaviour and showed a reduction in response accuracy. Secondly, we examined the effects of combining perceptual-cognitive simulation training with high physiological load. Ten of the expert badminton players were assigned to a combined training group, where the simulation training and the physiological load intervention occurred simultaneously, or an independent training group, whereby the two components were completed independently. The combined training group showed a positive change in the efficiency of their visual search behaviours compared to the independent training group, but no significant performance improvements were found. Overall, findings demonstrate that high physiological load is detrimental to experts' anticipatory skills. However, combining perceptual-cognitive simulation training with high physiological load can potentially negate these debilitating effects.

This study examined the anticipation responses of twenty skilled youth players who were assigned to either a change of direction (CODG) or small-sided games group (SSGG). Action capabilities were assessed via a countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ), 20 m sprint, 5 m acceleration and arrowhead change of direction (COD) test. Anticipation was measured via a soccer-specific anticipation test (SSAT), which required participants to anticipate the actions of an opposing player and intercept a pass. Pre- and post-intervention testing procedures were identical for both groups. Following training there was an overall improvement in CMVJ performance (p < 0.05, r = 0.52) for both training groups and this improvement was correlated with movement initiation in the SSAT (r = 0.61, p < 0.05). The novel findings of this study highlight that different training modes can potentially have a positive impact on anticipation performance. Further investigation focussing on an examination of the relationship between training, anticipation, and action capabilities in sport is warranted for the development of research and applied perspectives in expertise.

This study examined the impact of combining physical and mental load on the anticipatory judgements of skilled soccer players. Sixteen players completed an 11vs11 video anticipation test in four counterbalanced conditions, each separated by seven days. The baseline condition consisted of only the anticipation test. A physical load condition required participants to complete a simulated soccer protocol on a treadmill followed by the anticipation test. A mental load condition required participants to complete a 30-minute Stroop test followed by the anticipation test. Finally, in the combined load condition, participants completed the physical load protocol alongside the mentally loading Stroop task followed by the anticipation test.Response accuracy, visual search behaviour and measures of effort were assessed throughout.Response accuracy decreased in the separate physical load and mental load conditions when compared to baseline and worsened further in the combined load condition. The reduction in response accuracy across experimental conditions coincided with an increase in the number of fixations when compared to the baseline condition. It is suggested that the separate sources of load impaired the players ability to allocate sufficient resources to task-relevant information leading to a reduction in anticipatory accuracy, and this was exacerbated in the combined load condition.

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This paper presents a fictional dialogue that supports the application of theory in coaching pedagogy. The 'constraints led approach' (CLA) is promoted throughout in conversation form, providing pedagogic solutions in response to the decaying performance levels of a fictitious football team. This deterioration is linked to 'poor' coaching and the merits of a more innovative pedagogy through a discussion between 'manager' and 'coach' are presented. Recommendations are made with particular reference to developing games players, who are skilful, perceptive and intelligent, through being able to initiate and modify actions in dynamic contexts. Substantiating a platform for both changing perceptions about coaching practice and challenging assumptions about learning. Whereby such accessibility to unfamiliar knowledge(s) can allow coaches to clearly consider possibilities for change. It is further suggested that through embracing the use of novel methodologies to consider unfamiliar theoretical territory, this demonstrates a responsibility to close and not widen a theory-practice gap. Acutely aware that when considering the wider context, current mainstream approaches to coach education are largely inefficient in overcoming a hardened realism gained in the field. Through presenting Mark (coach) as 'theoretical negotiator', this paper emphasizes the potency of experimenting with nuanced methods that can be part of an academic process to help shape more theoretically literate coaches.Keywords: constraints led approach (CLA); sport coaching; coach education; coach learning; theory-practice. IntroductionThe impact of coach education has received significant attention from the academic community in recent years (for example see: Cushion & Hull, 2013;Nelson, Cushion & Potrac, 2012; Piggott, 2015; Cushion, Armour & Jones, 2003;Mallett, Trudel, Lyle & Rynne, 2009; Bush, Silk, Andrews & Lauder, 2013). Multiple criticisms have come to the fore, but in the main, it has been noted that attempts to provide sufficient learning opportunities in large scale coaching programmes through accumulating hours in practice, is at best considered dated (Piggott, 2012; Morgan, Jones, Gilbourne & Llewellyn, 2013). Despite these approaches being sanctioned by National Governing Bodies (NGB's), this linear process of 'brick by brick' development is responsible for producing a specific type of coach, one considered a kind of 'robotic practitioner' (Cassidy, 2004). It is still unclear as to how the current content of coach education actually leads to increased coach learning. Furthermore how we best educate coaches' remains an ongoing cause for concern (Cassidy, Potrac & McKenzie, 2006; Townsend & Cushion, 2015). Certainly in terms of how this learning transfers and remains robust in the 'real world' where very little impact has been reported (Piggott, 2012; Cushion & Hull, 2013). Moreover, when the critical indices of delivery, learning and impact, a "bleak situation" is acknowledged (Nelson, Cushion, and Potrac, 2013, p.205) and a gr...

Successful sports performance requires athletes to be able to mediate any detrimental effects of anxiety whilst being able to complete tasks simultaneously. In this study, we examine how skill level influences the ability to mediate the effects of anxiety on anticipation performance and the capacity to allocate attentional resources to concurrent tasks. We use a counterbalanced, repeated measures design that required expert and novice badminton players to complete a film-based anticipation test in which they predicted serve direction under high- and low-anxiety conditions. On selected trials, participants completed an auditory secondary task. Visual search data were recorded and the Mental Readiness Form v-3 was used to measure cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence. The Rating Scale of Mental Effort was used to measure mental effort. The expert players outperformed their novice counterparts on the anticipation task across both anxiety conditions, with both groups anticipation performance deteriorating under high- compared to low-anxiety. This decrease across anxiety conditions was significantly greater in the novice compared to the expert group. High-anxiety resulted in a shorter final visual fixation duration for both groups when compared to low-anxiety. Anxiety had a negative impact on secondary task performance for the novice, but not the expert group. Our findings suggest that expert athletes more effectively allocated attentional resources during performance under high-anxiety conditions. In contrast, novice athletes used more attentional resources when completing the primary task and, therefore, were unable to maintain secondary task performance under high-anxiety.