Efeitos de diferentes focos de atenção no desempenho do arremesso lateral do futebol

Abstract

Many studies on the attentional focus variable have found that a better performance for sports motor skills is linked to instructions related to external focus of attention when compared to conditions where internal attentional focus is applied. However, it is not certain whether such advantage must be found in the performance of a motor skill strictly related to soccer. Therefore, this study aims to verify the effects of different attentional focus on the execution of soccer throw-in. It counted on the voluntary participation of 17 adult soccer players with an average experience of 16.1 years in soccer practice (SD = 5.27) (all of them took part on soccer amateur championships held in Uberlandia – MG in 2018 and/or 2019), distributed between two groups based on the focus of attention (External Focus – GFE; Internal Focus – GFI). The participant players were asked to perform a throw-in aiming to hit the center of a 2.16 meters in diameter circular target, located in the floor as far as 75% of their own maximum distance range, which had been previously measured. Handling a regular soccer ball, every volunteer made 30 throws divided into 6 blocks of 5 trials each. The throws received a score based on the exact point the ball hit the target. Prior to the first, to the tenth and to the twentieth trials, the different instructions related to the attentional focus were provided. During the break after each block, the volunteers were asked to reply to a questionnaire about the use of the attentional focus. The results did not indicate difference between GFE and GFI in the throw’s accuracy. Considering the questionnaire’s analysis, GFE players tended to focus externally while making the movement. Unlike it, most GFI volunteers did not indicate to be internally focusing. We concluded that the use of different focuses of attention did not impact the accuracy of soccer throw-in.