Optimal distance of an external focus of attention in standing long jump performance of athletes

• Main Author: Gh. Lotfi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IP Iermakov S.S. 2018-06-01
• Series: Physical Education of Students
• Subjects: students; distance effect; jumping; concentration
• Online Access: https://sportedu.org.ua/index.php/PES/article/view/616

Background and Study Aim: Recently, studies have shown that an external focus of attention improves the performance of individuals. Some studies have also confirmed the superiority of distances away from body for external focus of attention. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal distance of an external focus of attention when performing athletes' standing long jump. Material and Method: 51 volunteer students (M age= 23.31 ± 5.26 years) were selected as sample. At first all they performed a standing long jump in control status (without instruction for focus of attention). Then in an interpersonal counterbalanced design, a pair of jumps was performed with four different distances of an external focus of attention. These distances included 0.5, 2.5, 4 and 8 meters from the jump start line marked with colored tapes on the ground. Results: The results showed that having an external focus of attention compare to the control conditions has a significant advantage in the performance of the athlete's standing long jump. Also, the performance of athletes at different distances of an external focus of attention was compared. Results showed that the four-meter distance was significantly better performance than the half-meter distance of an external focus of attention. Conclusion: Four-meter distance can be introduced as the optimal distance of an external focus of attention in the performance of athletes’ standing long jump.