Degree Name
Master of Science in Education
Graduate Program
Kinesiology
Advisor
Porter, Jared.
Abstract
The main objective of the current study was to examine the effects attentional focus had on agility performance with a population of highly trained tennis players performing the “T”-test. It was hypothesized that agility performance would be enhanced in this expert population through the means of adopting an external focus of attention rather than either an internal focus, or no specific focus of attention. Participants in the study (N = 8) completed nine total trials (i.e., 3 under each condition), following instructions that were devised to elicit an external (EXT) focus, internal (INT) focus, or no focus (CON). Each of the conditions were counterbalanced throughout the three days of testing controlling for possible order effects. The analysis revealed that the results did not support the experimental hypothesis that agility performance would be enhanced after giving instructions designed to elicit an external (EXT) focus of attention. The results showed no statistically significant differences between the three conditions (INT, EXT & CON). These results suggest that elite athletes performing a complex, whole-body task such as the “T”-test will perform the task equally well regardless of how they focus their attention.