Speed dependant influence of attentional focusing instructions on force production and muscular activity during isokinetic elbow flexions

Greig, Matt; Marchant, David

doi:10.1016/j.humov.2013.08.008

Cited by 28 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…While the presence of a mirror may be of value in movement tasks requiring accuracy, such as squat depth assessment [11], our study indicates that the mirror does not provide meaningful benefits in activities requiring maximal force and in jumping performance. Interestingly, however, sEMG of both the agonist and antagonist muscle groups did not differ between any conditions in the single-joint experiment which is in contrast to previous attentional focus research on the elbow flexors [6, 26]. These contrasting findings may be in part due to differences in signal normalization techniques, as well as the difference in implemented contraction types.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 91%

The Effects of Either a Mirror, Internal or External Focus Instructions on Single and Multi-Joint Tasks

et al. 2016

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Training in front of mirrors is common, yet little is known about how the use of mirrors effects muscle force production. Accordingly, we investigated how performing in front of a mirror influences performance in single and multi-joint tasks, and compared the mirror condition to the established performance effects of internal focus (IF) and external focus (EF) instructions in a two part experiment. In the single-joint experiment 28 resistance-trained participants (14 males and 14 females) completed two elbow flexion maximal voluntary isometric contractions under four conditions: mirror, IF, EF and neutral instructions. During these trials, surface EMG activity of the biceps and triceps were recorded. In the multi-joint experiment the same participants performed counter-movement jumps on a force plate under the same four conditions. Single-joint experiment: EF led to greater normalized force production compared to all conditions (P≤0.02, effect-size range [ES] = 0.46–1.31). No differences were observed between neutral and mirror conditions (P = 0.15, ES = 0.15), but both were greater than IF (P<0.01, ES = 0.79–1.84). Surface EMG activity was comparable across conditions (P≥0.1, ES = 0.10–0.21). Multi-joint experiment: Despite no statistical difference (P = 0.10), a moderate effect size was observed for jump height whereby EF was greater than IF (ES = 0.51). No differences were observed between neutral and mirror conditions (ES = 0.01), but both were greater than IF (ES = 0.20–22). The mirror condition led to superior performance compared to IF, inferior performance compared to EF, and was equal to a neutral condition in both tasks. These results provide novel and practical evidence concerning mirror training during resistance type training.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 91%

The Effects of Either a Mirror, Internal or External Focus Instructions on Single and Multi-Joint Tasks

et al. 2016

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“…Relevant to strength and conditioning specialists, there is growing body of evidence examining the effects of EFA and IFA on activities requiring maximal or near maximal force with results supporting previous simple fine motor tasks (5,7,10,11,13,21,23). Movement tasks, such as jumping for distance and height (21,23), shot put throwing performance (10), sprinting starts (7), and the number of completed repetitions in the bench press and squat, were all enhanced with EFA compared with IFA (12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

The Effects of Attentional Focusing Instructions on Force Production During the Isometric Midthigh Pull

Halperin

Williams²,

Martin³

et al. 2016

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

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Verbal instructions play a key role in motor learning and performance. Whereas directing one's attention toward bodily movements or muscles (internal focus) tends to hinder performance, instructing persons to focus on the movement outcome, or an external object related to the performed task (external focus) enhances performance. The study's purpose was to examine whether focus of attention affects maximal force production during an isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) among 18 trained athletes (8F & 10M). Athletes performed 3 IMTP trials a day for 3 consecutive days. The first day was a familiarization session in which athlete's received only control instructions. The following 2 days athletes received either control, internal, or external focus of attention instructions in a randomized, within-subject design. Compared to performance with an internal focus of attention, athletes applied 9% greater force when using an external focus of attention (p < 0.001, effect size [ES] = 0.33) and 5% greater force with control instructions (p = 0.001, ES = 0.28). A small positive 3% advantage was observed between performances with an external focus of attention compared with control instructions (p = 0.03, ES = 0.13). Focusing internally on body parts and/or muscle groups during a movement task that requires maximal force hinders performance, whereas focusing on an object external to the self leads to enhanced force production, even when using a simple multijoint static task such as the IMTP.

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“…A wide range of experiments have proved the superiority of the external focus of attention considering physiological aspects providing crucial information for maximizing the athletic performance. Several studies that have used electromyography measurements revealed greater force production, effortless muscular activity, more effective and efficient body movements, respiratory control and finally time, speed and accuracy enhancement (Greig, & Marchant, 2014;Lohse, 2012;Marchant, Greig, Bullogh, & Hitchen, 2011;Lohse, Sherwood, & Healy, 2011;Wulf, Dufek, Lozano, & Pettigrew, 2010;Hessler, & Amazeem, 2009;Marchant, Greig, & Scott, 2009;Zachry, Wulf, Mercer, & Bezodis, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The attentional focus impact on tennis skills’ technique in 10 and under years old players: Implications for real game situations

Zetou¹,

Vernadakis²,

Mountaki³

2018

jhse

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The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the internal and external focus of attention instructions on performance and learning of the service, forehand and backhand tennis skills at 8 -9 years old tennis players. 68 participants of 8 -9 years old (M=8.8, SD=0.54), were divided in three groups and followed a 6 weeks intervention program; the internal attentional focus group (N=21), the external attentional group (N=23) and the control group (N=24). Three measurements were implemented (pre, post, retention) in which the participants were video recorded: a) while performing each skill and b) while playing matches in real game situations. Due to the qualitative evaluation of the technique five assessment criteria were used, whilst due to performance outcome evaluation one part of the Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI) was used. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant interaction between groups and measurements and Bonferroni post hoc showed that the athletes of external focus of attention group had better scores in the post-test in the skills' technique and in real game condition. The findings are in line with those of previous studies, which proved the superiority of external focus of attention instructions in performance and learning of object manipulation skills. Moreover, the present research makes an initial attempt to extend the already existing research about attentional focus impact on real game performance.

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Speed dependant influence of attentional focusing instructions on force production and muscular activity during isokinetic elbow flexions

Cited by 28 publications

References 35 publications

The Effects of Either a Mirror, Internal or External Focus Instructions on Single and Multi-Joint Tasks

The Effects of Either a Mirror, Internal or External Focus Instructions on Single and Multi-Joint Tasks

The Effects of Attentional Focusing Instructions on Force Production During the Isometric Midthigh Pull

The attentional focus impact on tennis skills’ technique in 10 and under years old players: Implications for real game situations

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