Timing Training in Female Soccer Players: Effects on Skilled Movement Performance and Brain Responses

Abstract

Although trainers and athletes consider “good timing skills” critical for optimal sport performance, little is known in regard to how sport-specific skills may benefit from timing training. Accordingly, this study investigated the effects of timing training on soccer skill performance and the associated changes in functional brain response in elite- and sub-elite female soccer players. Twenty-five players (mean age 19.5 years; active in the highest or second highest divisions in Sweden), were randomly assigned to either an experimental- or a control group. The experimental group (n = 12) was subjected to a 4-week program (12 sessions) of synchronized metronome training (SMT). We evaluated effects on accuracy and variability in a soccer cross-pass task. The associated brain response was captured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while watching videos with soccer-specific actions. SMT improved soccer cross-pass performance, with a significant increase in outcome accuracy, combined with a decrease in outcome variability. SMT further induced changes in the underlying brain response associated with observing a highly familiar soccer-specific action, denoted as decreased activation in the cerebellum post SMT. Finally, decreased cerebellar activation was associated with improved cross-pass performance and sensorimotor synchronization. These findings suggest a more efficient neural recruitment during action observation after SMT. To our knowledge, this is the first controlled study providing behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that timing training may positively influence soccer-skill, while strengthening the action-perception coupling via enhanced sensorimotor synchronization abilities, and thus influencing the underlying brain responses.

Influences of Synchronized Metronome Training on Soccer Players’ Timing Ability, Performance Accuracy, and Lower-Limb Kinematics

“…The SMT group showed a significant, increasing number of correct foot taps and took on average a shorter time to complete the stepping task at the post-test in comparison to the pre-test. These results add to previous findings of improvement in outcome accuracy as an effect of SMT found on golfers’ performance (Libkuman et al, 2002; Sommer and Rönnqvist, 2009); reduced variability and enhanced precision of soccer cross-passes in soccer players (Sommer et al, 2018); and to findings from similar timing training programs that have reported associations between rhythmic competences and improved tennis performance (Sogut et al, 2012).…”

“…These findings suggest that optimization of motor timing can promote improved motor learning and putting performance in professional golfers (Kim et al, 2018). A recent study from the authors own lab has investigated the effect of IM training in female soccer players performance on cross-pass kick accuracy, and the associated brain response by fMRI while the players were watching videos with soccer-specific actions (Sommer et al, 2018). The results from this study provided both behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that timing training positively influences soccer skill (cross-pass accuracy) and thereby strengthens the action-perception coupling by means of enhanced SMS abilities.…”

“…The results from this study provided both behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that timing training positively influences soccer skill (cross-pass accuracy) and thereby strengthens the action-perception coupling by means of enhanced SMS abilities. Furthermore, it was found that SMT affects the underlying brain responses by means of evident reduced activation within the cerebellar lobule VI activity (Sommer et al, 2018); the brain areas originate to be important for temporal planning, movement coordination, action recognition, and higher cognition functioning (see Keren-Happuch et al, 2014, for a meta-analysis).…”

Altered Brain Functional Connectivity Density in Fast-Ball Sports Athletes With Early Stage of Motor Training

“…The findings were consistent with the previous research, regardless of skilled groups, such as racing-car drivers (Bernardi et al, 2013), table tennis players (Guo et al, 2017), basketball players (Pi et al, 2019), golfers (Milton et al, 2007), and musicians (Haslinger et al, 2004;Meister et al, 2005). The possible explanation could be that athletes' brain might exhibit an improved neural efficiency in the brain regions associated with attentional-motor modulation and executive control along with a reduced "resource consumption" (Rypma and Prabhakaran, 2009;Bernardi et al, 2013;Guo et al, 2017;Sommer et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2019).…”

Differences in limb coordination in polyrhythmic production among water polo players, artistic swimmers and drummers

“…Studies have shown that professional or experienced musicians, dancers and athletes outperform amateur or inexperienced groups in limb coordination (Martins, Neves, Rodrigues, Vasconcelos, & Castro, 2018;Mo & Chow, 2018;Seifert, Leblanc, Chollet, & Delignières, 2010;Seifert et al, 2011). Similarly, research has found that experienced musicians and dancers have better sensorimotor synchronisation ability than their less experienced counterparts (Jin et al, 2019;Karpati, Giacosa, Foster, Penhune, & Hyde, 2016;Repp, 2010;Sommer, Hager, Boraxbekk, & Ronnqvist, 2018).…”