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Previous sport research on elite athletes has shown systematic changes in psychophysiological measures, such as heart rate (HR) deceleration and hemispheric asymmetries in EEG activity, in the few seconds prior to executing a motor response. These changes are believed to be due to a more focused attention on the external environment. Using archery (an attentive state), this investigation was designed to examine: (a) whether hemispheric asymmetry and HR deceleration would occur during the aiming period, and (b) if they did, whether this would affect performance. HR and left and right temporal EEG were recorded from 28 right-handed elite archers for 16 shots. The results indicated that (a) there was no HR deceleration; (b) during the aiming period, EEG alpha activity formed the dominant frequency and this was significantly greater in the left than in the right hemisphere; (c) there were no significant right hemisphere EEG changes in spectral power from 3 s before the shot to arrow release, but there were significant left hemisphere increases at 10, 12, and 24 Hz; and (d) at 1 s prior to the shot, there were no significant right hemisphere spectral power differences between best and worst shots, but there were significant left hemisphere differences at 6, 12, and 28 Hz. The relationships among hemispheric asymmetry, HR deceleration, attentional processes, and shooting performance are discussed.

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For <10 handicap male golfers and <12 handicap female golfers, the prevalence of the yips is between 32.5% and 47.7%, a high proportion of serious golfers. This high prevalence suggests that medical practitioners need to understand the aetiology of the yips phenomenon so that interventions can be identified and tested for effectiveness in alleviating symptoms. Although previous investigators concluded that the yips is a neuromuscular impediment aggravated but not caused by anxiety, we believe the yips represents a continuum on which 'choking' (anxiety-related) and dystonia symptoms anchor the extremes. The aetiology may well be an interaction of psychoneuromuscular influences. Future research to test the effect of medications such as beta-blockers should assist in better identifying the contributions these factors make to the yips phenomenon.