Date of Award

Fall 2018

Document Type

Thesis Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology

Committee Chairperson

Ken Clark, Ph.D.

Committee Member

David J. Stearne, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Selen Razon, Ph.D.

Abstract

Although attentional focus has been studied for its performance benefits in aiming tasks and vertical/horizontal performance, the impact it has on Lateral Reactive Strength (LRSI) is unknown. To further understand this, 14 male subjects (age: 21.93±2.50 years, height: 1.82±0.07m, mass:82.34±11.98kg)performed six trials of a lateral bound task on to a force plate. Subjects first completed three baseline trials with a neutral attentional focus (or control, CON), and then completed three additional trials with either an external (EXT) or internal (INT) attentional focus. Outcome measures were ground contact time (GCT), lateral impulse (LI, product of average lateral force and GCT), and LRSI (quantified as ratio of LI divided by GCT). Compared to CON condition, EXT condition demonstrated significant decreases in GCT and increases in overall LRSI, but did not demonstrate significant differences in LI. Compared to CON, INT condition demonstrated significant increases in LI and overall LRSI, but no differences in GCT. Therefore, when compared to CON, both EXT and INT conditions demonstrated significant increases in LRSI, although this occurred through different mechanisms. Future research should continue to explore the impact of attentional focus on cutting maneuvers and to determine the most effective methods for cueing athletes to enhance lateral reactive strength.

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