Implicit or Explicit Body Awareness: which is more Efficient for Professional Athletes? Application of Embodied Cognition in Sport Science

Abstract

Investigating factors that affect the performance of professional athletes has always been one of the important fields of sports science. Objective: One of the important questions in this regard is whether athletes are better to be self-aware while performing physical movements or, conversely, this self-awareness as an interfering factor will lead to a decline in their performance. Methods: In the present study, an attempt has been made to examine this issue with an interdisciplinary view based on the physical cognition approach, especially with the application of two models of Dreyfuss ( 2007) and the meshed architecture (Christensen, Sutton and McIlewin 2016; Gllagher, 2020). Results: According to the first model, self-awareness will interfere with the performance of skillful movements, and in the opposite model, the performance of movements requires awareness of self, body and position. Conclusion: Both approaches seem to rightly point to different aspects of awareness in performing movements; although awareness of the current situation is essential for performing movements, overt body awareness interferes with learning and performing movements and can have adverse psychological consequences for athletes in the long run.

The Role of Embodiment in Athletes' Influence on Empowering Lifestyle

“…According to Esmaeilinasab and Adnani, the intersection of physicality refers to the place where the body and mind or consciousness meet [8]. It is the understanding of how athletes' experiences and perceptions are shaped by their bodies.…”

“…Understanding the intersection of physicality has important implications for various fields such as psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and sociology. It can help athletes better understand how their bodies shape people's experiences, and how their experiences shape people's bodies [8]. It can also provide guidance for intervention and treatment considering the physical nature of human existence.…”

“…Cognitive control decreases as skills increase, while automatic control plays an increasingly important role. However, at advanced skill levels, cognitive control still plays an important positive role [8]. Thus, the model involves a hierarchical division of control processing, with cognitive control focusing on the strategic aspects of performance and automatic processes focusing on the implementation aspect.…”