[hlnx1]

Where you direct your attention during a movement can affect how well you perform it. A large body of research on motor learning has compared an internal focus (on body parts) with an external focus (on the effect of the movement).

What the research generally shows:

• An external focus, such as “push the ground away” or “throw towards the target”, often improves performance and learning compared with “extend your knees”
• This has been found across many tasks, including jumping, throwing, balance and golf, although effects vary
• Experts in particular may perform worse when they consciously focus on details of a well-learned movement
• Simple, short cues tend to work better than long technical instructions during performance

Mental skills overview: psychological skills training.

What cue do you use in your sport that actually helps?

[hlnx1]

Some examples of turning internal cues into external ones: in sprinting, “push the track behind you” rather than “extend your hip”; in a squat, “spread the floor” rather than “push your knees out”; in swimming, “pull the water past you” rather than “bend your elbow”.

The point is to describe the outcome, not the joint.

[Author]

Posts