The effects of attentional focusing strategies on novice dart throwing performance and Their task experiences

Abstract

Novice darts throwers completed a dart‐throwing task using either control (no additional instruction), external, or internal attentional focusing instructions. Ratings of the experience of using the instructions were collected post‐task (e.g., instructional difficulty). Participants using the external and control instructions performed significantly more accurately than those using the internal focus instructions but did not differ themselves. The control instructions were rated as significantly easier and less mentally demanding to use than the external instructions. The external and internal conditions did not differ in ratings of mental demands, but the external instructions were rated as more successful than the internal instructions. These results support previous research advocating the use of instructions that emphasize external goal‐related information and that novices can benefit immediately from such instruction.

Key words:

• Attentional focus
• verbal instruction
• motor skill.