THE EFFECTS OF FOCUS OF ATTENTION INSTRUCTIONS ON NOVICES LEARNING SOCCER CHIP

Research has suggested that instructions that direct the learner to focus on the movements of their body parts are typically less effective than instructions that focus on the environmental effects of the movement during motor skill acquisition. However, it has been argued that effects of instructional focus depend on the skill level of participants and influential constraints such as whether the learners are predominantly goal oriented. The present study compared the effects of internal and external focus of attention instructions on two groups of novices during acquisition of a soccer chip skill. Twelve adult participants practiced chipping a ball with their non-dominant foot over a barrier towards a circular target. An internal focus instruction group (IFIG) received instructions throughout practice directing them to attend to the coordination of their body parts. An external focus instruction group (EFIG) received instructions referring to the effect of their movements on the environment. Results from both outcome (ball landing position accuracy and consistency) and qualitative movement form data were consistent, showing that participants of both groups improved their performance and were able to retain the skill after a two day break (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the groups for either outcome score or for the qualitative analysis, suggesting that internal focus instructions and external focus instructions were equally beneficial. These findings suggest that novices with no previous experience of a skill switch interchangeably from one type of attentional focus to another regardless of prior instructions. Future investigation needs to determine sensitive skill related criteria that can be used to identify the stage of learning of participants.