Lets go surfing now, everybody’s learning how; attentional strategies on expert and novice surfing performance under both practice and competition conditions

Abstract

Research suggests an external focus of attention (EFOA) promotes effective performance and learning compared to an internal focus of attention (IFOA), with explanations proposed by the constrained action hypothesis (CAH) and OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Specifically, it is proposed that adopting an EFOA prevents the constraining of normally automatic control processes and subsequent performance decrements (typically observed when individuals adopt an IFOA) by simultaneously reducing self-focus strategies and enhancing goal-action coupling. The present study attempted to fill this research lacuna by examining the CAH and OPTIMAL theory in a complex, ecologically valid, motor task under both low and high-pressured conditions. In two separate experiments, novice (n = 23) and advanced (n = 21) surfers completed a surfing task in an artificial Wavegarden under either EFOA or IFOA instructions. Experimental phases included a pre-test, acquisition and competition transfer. Results revealed that advanced and novice surfing performance benefited from adopting an EFOA in both normal and competitive situations. These findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical implications for the CAH and OPTIMAL theory, in addition to the anxiety literature. Reference to applied implications when instructing and performing within ecologically valid surfing settings are also presented. 

Keywords:

• Coaching
• performance
• stress
• expertise

ORCID

GAVIN P. LAWRENCE http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9232-6718

Notes

1 As expected, each surfer chose different routines. The level of difficult of those chosen manoeuvers naturally differed, likely because of participants’ adopting different strategies during competition. However, non-significant group differences between performance scores at pre-test (see Figure 1) indicate that the difficultly of the routines chosen and how they were performed (in the IFOA and EFOA experimental groups) were comparable. This is likely due to the combination of applying an ‘expertise’ criteria when obtaining the sample for the experiment and through randomly allocating participants to IFOA and EFOA groups.

2 The use of a single judge means there is no measure of intra- or inter-judge relatability. However, participants were judged according to the consistent and recognised World Surf League (WSL) criteria, and scored by an experienced surfing judge (ISA qualified with 6 years of experience) who was blind to experimental hypotheses and focus conditions. The SEm’s of the mean performance scores for the EFOA and IFOA at pre-test, acquisition, and transfer are 0.25, 0.38, 0.33 and 0.16, 0.35, 0.32, respectively. Thus, we are 95% confident that the population performance means of similar ability surfers adopting an EFOA would fall between 1.02 and 2.01 at pre-test, 2.11 and 3.63 at acquisition, and 1.98 and 3.28 at transfer. For those adopting an IFOA, the same confidence intervals would result in the population performance means falling between 1.72 and 2.37 for pre-test, 0.93 and 2.34 at acquisition, and 1.01 and 2.28 at transfer.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships [KESS II; grant number: 80815] in cooperation with Adventure Parc Snowdonia, Conwy, North Wales. KESS II is a major European Convergence programme led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales.