ANTICIPATE, DON’T SPECULATE: Exploring factors of anticipation skill in sports games

The ability to anticipate is crucial in sports games, which is why research focusing on the decision-making processes of actors and observers is particularly important. However, a comprehensive model that summarises the factors in interaction and their influence on anticipation ability is still needed. In anticipation situations, actors try to outsmart their opponents, while observers try to predict and react to the actors’ actions. Research examines several internal factors that influence anticipation ability, including physical condition, perceptual competence and movement competence. These factors are interrelated and have a significant impact on decision making and execution during sports games.
For actors, physical condition plays a crucial role in decision making. Fatigue and growth-related changes affect movement execution and make actions more predictable or exaggerated. Understanding the effects of physical condition allows athletes to optimise their movements and make them more difficult to predict. In addition, insights into the perception of inertial properties enable actors to improve their anticipation skills and recognise movement intentions earlier.
Perceptual skills, especially gaze behaviour, influence the decision making of both actors and observers. Experienced observers who are familiar with the movement to be anticipated make faster and more accurate decisions and are less prone to deception. Correct gaze behaviour improves anticipation performance, even without significant movement expertise.
The dissertation also examines anticipation preference, in which observers rely on given actions when they do not have enough information to make an informed decision based on their competence or physical state. External contextual information such as the flow of the game and the behaviour of the opponent further influence the decision making of both actors and observers.
The study addresses the trainability of internal factors and offers practical strategies to optimise decision-making skills in anticipation situations. Reducing player workload and providing more playing time for young players can have an impact on physical fitness. Perception training and feedback training can improve gaze behaviour and anticipation preference respectively. Different training modalities improve movement skills.
The results of this study are of great importance for athletes, coaches and trainers. Understanding the factors that influence anticipation skills allows for tailored training programmes and strategic playing styles. Improved anticipation performance can be achieved by optimising physical condition, gaze behaviour and movement skills. Furthermore, anticipation preference can be modified and external contextual information can be used effectively.
In summary, this dissertation provides valuable insights into the factors influencing anticipation ability in sports games and how they can be trained. The insights gained from this research have the potential to revolutionise training and coaching methods and lead to improved decision making and performance on the pitch. By recognising the importance of these internal factors and their interplay, athletes and coaches can gain a competitive advantage in the dynamic world of sport.