Effects of Instruction-Guided Attentional Focus on Jump Performance in Women's Artistic Gymnastics

Instructions are a common part of training in many sports. The content of the instructions and how they are formulated is relevant for the effect on performance. For motor learning and skill development, instructions that initiate an external focus of attention are predominantly described as beneficial in the literature. We assume that an instruction-guided attentional focus causes an effect on jump performance depending on whether the instruction matches the imagery type. Twenty-nine female participants (Mage = 19.55 ± 3.01 years) with artistic gymnastics expertise (M = 11.38 ± 4.24 years) completed an online questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ-2) and performed stretched jumps with a 450° longitudinal axis (LA) turn in a laboratory setting. Crucial gymnastic-specific performance criteria such as jump height, body position and landing details were recorded and analysed. ANOVA results indicate no significant differences in performance between three instruction groups. Results of linear mixed models analyses show differences between baseline performance and the instruction phases for five variables. There seems to be a disruptive effect on performance when attention is consciously directed. The effect of an instruction-guided attentional focus on performance appears to be independent of the imagery type.