Furuhashi, Y, Hioki, Y, Yoshimoto, S, and Hayashi, R. The effect of neutral, internal, and external focus on drop jump performance: is drop jump performance affected by plyometric training experience? J Strength Cond XX(X): 000–000, 2021—Providing an external focus of attention through verbal instructions can improve the drop jump (DJ) performance, which differs based on the skill level of athletes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of change of focus of attention on the performance of DJs in experienced and inexperienced athletes. Thirty-eight male collegiate athletes divided into the experienced group (E group: age, 21.5 ± 1.4 years; height, 173.4 ± 5.7 cm; and body mass, 65.7 ± 6.2 kg) and the inexperienced group (I group: age, 21.9 ± 1.5 years; height, 172.8 ± 5.1 cm; and body mass, 68.7 ± 5.5 kg) performed 2 trials of DJs after listening to instructions designed to evoke a neutral, internal, or external focus of attention. Contact time (CT), jump height (JH), reactive strength index (RSI), and leg-spring stiffness (kvert) were recorded during DJ and compared between the 2 groups using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. In the E group, the neutral condition was associated with a significantly higher RSI, JH, and kvert than the internal and external conditions (p < 0.05). In the I group, the external condition was associated with significantly higher RSI and kvert and shorter CT than other conditions (p < 0.05). Therefore, this suggests that attentional focus strategies need to be selected depending on DJ experience: A neutral focus may be preferable for athletes experienced in DJs, whereas an external focus may be more suitable for athletes with lesser DJ experience.

Attentional focus strategies eliciting an external focus of attention effectively enhance drop jump (DJ) performance, however, their effects vary depending on the words used for the instructions. We aimed to examine the effects of different words on DJ performance using instructions eliciting external focus to minimize contact time (CT) or maximize jump height (JH). Twenty collegiate athletes performed DJs from a 30 cm platform after receiving one of four instructions: two instructions (COND 1 and 2) about minimizing CT and two instructions (COND 3 and 4) about maximizing JH. Reactive strength index (RSI), CT, JH, relative peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), and leg stiffness (kvert) were compared between conditions using repeated-measures analysis of variance. There was no significant main effect of conditions on RSI, relative peak vGRF, and kvert (p > 0.05). CT was significantly shorter in COND 1 and 2 than in COND 3 (p < 0.05); JH was significantly higher in COND 3 than in COND 1 and 2 (p < 0.05), and in COND 4 than in COND 1 (p < 0.05). When using attentional focus strategies in DJ, it is necessary to use different words and purposes according to the players' tasks.

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Occasionally, we have experienced cases of patients with mild articulating pain who have been introduced to opioids. We considered the possibility that physician assessment alone might be insuf cient. We developed and examined the usefulness of a system that helps pharmacists perform a pain assessment prior to consultation and suggest prescriptions for analgesics.From March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, the number of prescription suggestions and the rate at which they were adopted were investigated in patients who were instructed before opioid introduction. The number of patients instructed was 226, whereas the number of prescription suggestions was 231, with an adoption rate of 98.3％. The 23 patients who did not use opioids showed signi cantly improved mean pain scores, from a median NRS of 3 -2 (P = 0.0123), with the most intense pain decreasing from a median NRS of 7 -5 (P = 0.0154). We believe that pain assessment before opioid induction facilitated the selection of an appropriate analgesic. However, among the nine patients who were instructed after opioid introduction, two expressed minor pain. We believe that the pharmacist's prescription suggestion, which is tailored to the patientʼs life background and general condition, promoted the selection of an appropriate analgesic.In conclusion, pharmacists should evaluate pain and prescription suggestions before introducing opioids as a strategy to support medical treatment and promote appropriate opioid use, thereby suggesting their active utilization in clinical practice throughout Japan.