A distal external focus of attention facilitates compensatory coordination of body parts

Abstract

Many studies have shown that focusing on an intended movement effect that is farther away from the body (distal external focus) results in performance benefits relative to focusing on an effect that is closer to the body (proximal external focus) or focusing on the body itself (internal focus) (see Chua, Jimenez-Diaz, Lewthwaite, Kim, & Wulf, 2021). Furthermore, the advantages of a distal external focus seem to be particularly pronounced in skilled performers (Singh & Wulf, 2020). The present study examined whether such benefits of more distal attentional focus may be associated with enhanced functional variability. Volleyball players (n = 20) performed sixty overhand volleyball serves to a target. Using a within-participants design, the effects of a distal external focus (bullseye), proximal external focus (ball), and an internal focus (hand) were compared. The distal focus condition resulted in significantly higher accuracy scores than did the proximal and internal focus conditions. In addition, uncontrolled manifold analysis showed that functional variability (as measured with the index of synergy) was greatest in the distal focus condition. These findings suggest that a distal external focus on the task goal may enhance movement outcomes by optimizing compensatory coordination of body parts.

The effect of internal, external, and holistic focus of attention on standing long jump performance in novice and skilled karatekas

“…Therefore, both novices and skilled groups in the present study seem to have been able to improve their standing long jump performance as a result of facilitated automatic process and self‐organized actions under external focus condition, while under internal focus condition they exhibited a performance drop due to inhibited automatic processes and performance at a conscious control level. Furthermore, some studies have shown that the superiority of the external focus of attention, and especially the distal external focus of attention, can be due to the improvement of functional movement variability during the adoption of external attention compared to internal attention (Singh et al., 2022). In other words, adopting an external focus can lead to optimizing compensatory coordination of body parts during skill execution (Singh et al., 2022).…”

Sensor-based augmented visual feedback for coordination training in healthy adults: a scoping review

“…Only then can the designer leverage the real potential of systems to systematically assist motor learning during task space formation, exploration, differentiation, and (de-)composition. This is particularly important because instructions and feedback can cause shifts in attentional focus and influence learner motivation, triggering or hindering the learning of task specifics [e.g., compensatory effects ( 52 )]. Unfortunately, the complexity of retrieving the correct instruction and feedback rises with the complexity of the task space.…”

Every story has two sides: evaluating information processing and ecological dynamics perspectives of focus of attention in skill acquisition

“…Differential findings as a function of expertise were also supported with measures of focus preference (i.e., experts preferred a distal focus and novices more proximal). Singh et al ( 18 ) have accounted for these findings with the notion of functional variability when distality of focus is appropriately matched to expertise level. The authors showed evidence for enhanced coordination of the shoulder, elbow and wrist in a volleyball serve, for skilled performers adopting a more distal as opposed to proximal focus.…”