The effect of attentional focus on running economy

Abstract

In research on motor control, the detrimental effect of an internal focus of attention on movement execution of well-learned motor skills is a frequently replicated finding. This experimental study was designed to determine whether this effect is observed with physiological variables during endurance exercise. We examined whether the focus of attention can influence running economy (oxygen consumption at a set running speed). Trained runners had to focus their attention on three different aspects while running on a treadmill. For three consecutive 10-min periods, runners concentrated on the running movement, on their breathing, and on their surroundings. Results showed an increased running economy in the external focus condition. In line with research on motor control, endurance sport also shows that an external focus of attention is better than an internal focus in terms of the physiological performance measure of oxygen consumption.

Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning

“…For instance, faster running times for an agility task (Porter, Nolan, Ostrowski, & Wulf, 2010) or sprint starts (Ille, Selin, Do, & Thon, 2013) were seen when participants adopted an external focus (e.g., clawing the floor with the shoes), compared with an internal focus (i.e., moving the legs and feet down and back as quickly as possible). Also, oxygen consumption was reduced in experienced runners when they focused externally (Schücker, Hagemann, Strauss, & Völker, 2009;Schücker, Anheier, Hagemann, Strauss, & Völker, 2013). Similarly, swim times were reduced in novices (Freudenheim, Wulf, Madureira, & Corrêa, 2010) and experts (Stoate & Wulf, 2011) when they focused on pushing the water back as opposed to pulling their hands back.…”

Effects of anxiety on running with and without an aiming task

“…To compensate for this possible shift in attention, participants are expected to invest more mental effort in an attempt to remain focused on the task (Eysenck et al, 2007). Due to these changes in efficiency, we expected alterations in gait parameters and running economy (Brown et al, 2006;Schü cker et al, 2009). More specifically, with anxiety, stride length is expected to decrease, while stride frequency and oxygen uptake are expected to increase (Ebersbach et al, 1995;Nadkarni et al, 2010).…”

“…In short, as Martin et al (1995) did not investigate state anxiety and Acevedo and colleagues' (1999) manipulation of state anxiety had methodological limitations, the question whether state anxiety affects running remains unanswered. Nonetheless, several studies have shown that the aerobic system can be influenced by psychological factors, such as relaxation and attentional focus (Caird, McKenzie, & Sleivert, 1999;Eaves, Hodges, & Williams, 2008;Martin et al, 1995;Schü cker, Hagemann, Strauss, & Volker, 2009). Schü cker et al (2009, for instance, found that different foci of attention (internal or external) during running led to differences in oxygen uptake.…”

“…In the run phase, mean values for oxygen uptake and heart rate were calculated for minutes 3 to 8. The first 2 min were excluded since the participants were trying to optimize their equilibrium during this starting phase (Schü cker et al, 2009).…”

Professional Tennis on the ATP Tour: A Case Study of Mental Skills Support

“…Over the subsequent weeks and months, the participant collected a resource bank of images, key phrases, performance triggers and specific positive memories that were designed to develop and enrich daily imagery practice during physical training and encourage the preferred goal behaviours (Frey, Laguna, & Ravizza, 2003). The participant also developed a pre-service routine to focus attention externally, recall optimal psychophysiological states and encourage service repeatability (Boutcher & Crews, 1987;Schucker, Hagemann, Strauss, & Volker, 2009). The shift in attention was achieved in a number of different stages where the mental content during the service action graduated from a broad/internal focus to the narrow/external focus that has been shown to be most effective in the reproduction of closed skill actions (Wulf, 2013).…”