The Effects of Attentional Focusing Instructions on Force Production During the Isometric Midthigh Pull

Abstract

Verbal instructions play a key role in motor learning and performance. Whereas directing one's attention toward bodily movements or muscles (internal focus) tends to hinder performance, instructing persons to focus on the movement outcome, or an external object related to the performed task (external focus) enhances performance. The study's purpose was to examine whether focus of attention affects maximal force production during an isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) among 18 trained athletes (8F & 10M). Athletes performed 3 IMTP trials a day for 3 consecutive days. The first day was a familiarization session in which athlete's received only control instructions. The following 2 days athletes received either control, internal, or external focus of attention instructions in a randomized, within-subject design. Compared to performance with an internal focus of attention, athletes applied 9% greater force when using an external focus of attention (p < 0.001, effect size [ES] = 0.33) and 5% greater force with control instructions (p = 0.001, ES = 0.28). A small positive 3% advantage was observed between performances with an external focus of attention compared with control instructions (p = 0.03, ES = 0.13). Focusing internally on body parts and/or muscle groups during a movement task that requires maximal force hinders performance, whereas focusing on an object external to the self leads to enhanced force production, even when using a simple multijoint static task such as the IMTP.

An Investigation Into the Effects of Excluding the Catch Phase of the Power Clean on Force-Time Characteristics During Isometric and Dynamic Tasks: An Intervention Study

“…Once body position was stabilized (verified by watching the participant and force trace), the participants were given a countdown of "3, 2, 1, Pull!". Minimal pre-tension was permitted to ensure there was no slack in the participant's body prior to initiation of the pull, with the instruction to pull against the bar "as fast and hard as possible" (24), and push the feet down into the force plate; this instruction has been previously found to produce optimal testing results (23). Each IMTP trial was performed for approximately five seconds, and all participants were given strong verbal encouragement during each trial.…”

Focus of Attention for Diagnostic Testing of the Force-Velocity Curve

“…Of the limited research available, most studies use guideline instructions such as "pull hard and fast" when instructing participants during an isometric midthigh pull (2,10,13,29). Recently, Halperin et al (11) examined the focus of attention during an isometric midthigh pull in trained athletes. Participants completed trials in 3 different conditions for 3 consecutive days.…”

“…Halperin et al (11) concluded that an externally focused verbal instruction should be given to athletes when completing an isometric midthigh pull and consistency should be maintained with verbal instructions across testing days.…”

“…For example, when applied during the acceleration phase of sprinting, an external instruction could be "explode off the ground" and an internal instruction could be "explode through your hips" (3). Most studies have demonstrated that an external focus of attention results in a superior performance compared with an internal focus of attention (11,14,16,19,21,34).…”

The Effects of Either a Mirror, Internal or External Focus Instructions on Single and Multi-Joint Tasks

“…For example, instructing participants to focus on the movement of their wrist during a basketball shot hinders accuracy, when compared with focusing on the basket [3]. Superior performance with EF is observed with tasks requiring large power output, such as long jump [4], sprint running [5], and in tasks requiring maximal force such as single joint elbow flexion [6], and multi-joint exercises, such as the isometric mid-thigh pull [7]. While preference for instructions/focus conditions has been shown to have a small effect on performance [8, 9], the benefits of EF are consistent across tasks, skill level, and age groups [2].…”