The use of positively-worded performance reminders to reduce warm-up decrement in the field hockey penalty shot

Abstract

The effect of performance reminders in reducing temporary posttest performance decrement, referred to as warm-up decrement (WUD), was examined. Advanced, male, held hockey players performed 21 baseline trials of the standard penalty shot and then rested for three 7-min periods, each of which was followed by 4 additional penalty shots. During the last 2 min of each rest period, control participants continued resting while participants in 2 other groups reviewed written checklists containing positively-worded (PR) performance reminders (e.g., “watch the ball”) or negatively-worded (NR) reminders (e.g., “don't rush the shot”). Diminished posttest performance accuracy and movement form (i.e., WUD) was found for the NR group and control group but not for the PR group. It was concluded that the review of positively-worded performance reminders may be an effective warming-up activity for certain types of discontinuous sport performance.