Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review.
The body of evidence has shown that the external focus of attention (EF) rather than the internal focus of attention (IF) enhances motor skill learning and performance. Within racket sports which require a high level of motor control, anticipation skills, and mental preparedness, effectively directi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0285239&type=printable |
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| author | Marcin Starzak Tomasz Niźnikowski Michał Biegajło Marta Nogal Weronika Łuba Arnista Andrzej Mastalerz Anna Starzak |
| author_facet | Marcin Starzak Tomasz Niźnikowski Michał Biegajło Marta Nogal Weronika Łuba Arnista Andrzej Mastalerz Anna Starzak |
| author_sort | Marcin Starzak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The body of evidence has shown that the external focus of attention (EF) rather than the internal focus of attention (IF) enhances motor skill learning and performance. Within racket sports which require a high level of motor control, anticipation skills, and mental preparedness, effectively directing attention is essential to elicit improvements in athletic performance. The present review aimed to evaluate the scientific evidence concerning the effects of attentional focus instructions on motor learning and performance in racket sports. We systematically reviewed the literature according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The study was registered with the Open Science Framework (osf.io/m4zat). Four electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for original research publications. Inclusion criteria were: peer-reviewed journals; healthy and free from injury participants; attentional focus literature specific to the external or internal focus; attentional focus related to motor learning or motor performance; studies included at least one comparator (e.g., different attentional focus group, or control groups with neutral or no specific instruction); publications in which task(s) or skill(s) related to one of the racket sports (tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, or padel). The initial search yielded 2005 studies. Finally, 9 studies were included in the quantitative analysis. Overall, the results indicated that EF benefits the learning and performance of racket sport skills, compared to IF and over control conditions. The findings suggest that coaches and practitioners should consider the adoption of EF to optimize racket skills performance, particularly in novice or low-skilled athletes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b58a7501ed1a4663a31e450dc477d89b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-b58a7501ed1a4663a31e450dc477d89b2025-08-20T02:36:03ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01191e028523910.1371/journal.pone.0285239Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review.Marcin StarzakTomasz NiźnikowskiMichał BiegajłoMarta NogalWeronika Łuba ArnistaAndrzej MastalerzAnna StarzakThe body of evidence has shown that the external focus of attention (EF) rather than the internal focus of attention (IF) enhances motor skill learning and performance. Within racket sports which require a high level of motor control, anticipation skills, and mental preparedness, effectively directing attention is essential to elicit improvements in athletic performance. The present review aimed to evaluate the scientific evidence concerning the effects of attentional focus instructions on motor learning and performance in racket sports. We systematically reviewed the literature according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The study was registered with the Open Science Framework (osf.io/m4zat). Four electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for original research publications. Inclusion criteria were: peer-reviewed journals; healthy and free from injury participants; attentional focus literature specific to the external or internal focus; attentional focus related to motor learning or motor performance; studies included at least one comparator (e.g., different attentional focus group, or control groups with neutral or no specific instruction); publications in which task(s) or skill(s) related to one of the racket sports (tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, or padel). The initial search yielded 2005 studies. Finally, 9 studies were included in the quantitative analysis. Overall, the results indicated that EF benefits the learning and performance of racket sport skills, compared to IF and over control conditions. The findings suggest that coaches and practitioners should consider the adoption of EF to optimize racket skills performance, particularly in novice or low-skilled athletes.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0285239&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Marcin Starzak Tomasz Niźnikowski Michał Biegajło Marta Nogal Weronika Łuba Arnista Andrzej Mastalerz Anna Starzak Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review. PLoS ONE |
| title | Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review. |
| title_full | Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review. |
| title_fullStr | Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review. |
| title_short | Attentional focus strategies in racket sports: A systematic review. |
| title_sort | attentional focus strategies in racket sports a systematic review |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0285239&type=printable |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcinstarzak attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview AT tomaszniznikowski attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview AT michałbiegajło attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview AT martanogal attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview AT weronikałubaarnista attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview AT andrzejmastalerz attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview AT annastarzak attentionalfocusstrategiesinracketsportsasystematicreview |