Effectiveness of a Video-Feedback and Questioning Programme to Develop Cognitive Expertise in Sport

Abstract

The importance within sport expertise of cognitive factors has been emphasised in many research studies. Adaptations that take place in athletes’ long-term memories are going to condition their decision-making and performance, and training programmes must be developed that improve these adaptations. In our study, we provide a tactical-cognitive training programme based on video-feedback and questioning in order to improve tactical knowledge in tennis players and verify its effect when transferred to athletes’ decision-making. 11 intermediate tennis players participated in this study (12.9±0.7 years old), distributed into two groups (experimental, n = 5; control, n = 6). Tactical knowledge was measured by problem representation and strategy planning with a verbal protocol. Decision-making was measured by a systematic observation instrument. Results confirm the effectiveness of a combination of video-feedback and questioning on cognitive expertise, developing adaptations in long-term memory that produce an improvement in the quality of tactical knowledge (content, sophistication and structure). This, in turn, is transferred to the athletes’ decision-making capacity, leading to a higher percentage of successful decisions made during game play. Finally, we emphasise the need to develop effective programmes to develop cognitive expertise and improve athletes' performance, and include it in athletes’ formative stages.

A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Comprehensive Teaching Program, Based on Questioning, to Improve Tactical Actions in Young Footballers

“…Authors such as Garcı´a-Gonza´lez et al (2014) and Garcı´a-Gonza´lez et al (2013) indicated the effectiveness of questioning as a tool to improve decision making. Thus, in their study, in which the decision-training program developed included the joint application of video feedback and questioning, favorable results were obtained in terms of decision making.…”

The Cognitive and Motivation Intervention Program in Youth Female Volleyball Players

“…On the other hand, questioning is a training strategy that could improve player’s competence, guiding them, by asking open-ended questions, towards self-reflection, self-adaptation and problem solving ( Gil-Arias et al, 2015 ). The use of questioning programs has been an effective tool for the cognitive development of athletes at lower performance levels ( García-González et al, 2013 ). Recently, Gil-Arias et al (2015) developed an intervention program based on questioning in youth female volleyball players.…”

“…5) Group reflection to arrive at a synthesis of best solutions, guaranteeing participation of all players in the reflection. The intervention program was comprised of 24 sessions held over a three-month period, as recommended for intervention research in youth athletes ( García-Calvo et al, 2015 ; García-González et al, 2013 ; Gil-Arias et al, 2015 ; Tomporowski et al, 2015 ). Two weekly sessions were held, each of them lasting for two hours.…”

“…The intervention programs based on strategies for basic psychological needs fulfilment were associated with enjoyment, performance and sport commitment in different sports ( Occhino et al, 2014 ). On the other hand, questioning has been an effective training strategy to improve cognitive expertise in tennis and volleyball in youth athletes ( García-González et al, 2013 ; Gil-Arias et al, 2015 ).…”

Integrated Approach to Correcting the High-Bar Back Squat From “Excessive Forward Leaning”

“…Despite the paucity of literature pertaining to motor learning for the back squat specifically, research has highlighted the advantage of feedback in conjunction with practice [31]. Thus, the use of immediate coach feedback [33] and visual feedback in the form of video analysis [15] may further enhance an athlete's learning if compensations are present. It is therefore suggested that the excessive forward lean may be a compensation that occurs due to three potential factors:…”