Efeito do direcionamento do foco atencional no número de passos e no esforço percebido durante a corrida de 100 metros rasos

Abstract

Introduction: Attentional focus in sports is defined as the ability to direct attention to something specific during the execution of a motor skill, which can be internal (directed to a body part) or external (directed to something in the environment). Findings show that inducing an external focus during performance and motor skill learning may present benefits for movement effectiveness and influences ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), which represents how an individual perceives the level of physical effort during a task. Some studies indicate that, during speed sprints, directing an external focus tends to have a positive influence compared to an internal focus. However, investigations into these effects during 100-meter dashes, especially in adolescents, remain scarce. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of attentional focus direction on running performance and perceived exertion (RPE) during the 100 m dash in young soccer players, with the hypothesis that an external focus would positively influence outcomes compared to other conditions. Methods: The sample involved 16 male adolescent soccer players with limited sprinting experience, aged 14.4 ± 0.5 years, body mass of 56.6 ± 7.9 kg, and height of 164.8 ± 6.4 cm. Participants underwent three days of sprint testing, separated by one week, with two attempts each day. The experimental protocol began with familiarization, where participants received instructions about the starting location and signals. Afterward, a specific and general 10-minute warm-up was conducted. The three testing days were divided into conditions: on the first day, all participants ran under the neutral condition, instructed only to complete the 100 m as fast as possible; on the second and third days, randomized, participants ran under internal focus conditions ("move your legs and arms as fast as possible") and external focus conditions ("push the ground backward and pass the cones as fast as possible"). Movement patterns were analyzed by counting steps per 20-meter segments and total 100 meters using slow-motion video analysis. RPE was measured immediately after each sprint using the Borg CR-10 Scale. Results: Results indicated no significant differences in total steps between neutral, internal, and external focus conditions (F = 1.961; p = 0.158), nor in partial segments (p > 0.05). Similarly, no statistically significant differences were observed in RPE between the three tested conditions (F = 1.946; p = 0.161). Conclusion: Therefore, these findings suggest that attentional focus direction did not influence movement patterns or perceived exertion during the 100-meter dash.