Assessing the Differences Between a Governed and Non-Controllable Focal Point on Male Broad Jump Performance

Abstract

Prior studies have investigated the manipulation of a visual target (i.e. sport specific focal point, non-controllable, or governed focal point) on vertical jump performance, yet few studies have examined factors that directly impact broad jump performance. The broad jump (BJ) test is often utilized to determine how far a person can jump and is a measurement of an individual’s horizontal power ability. A previous focal point broad jump study utilizing female subjects suggested that BJ performance may slightly increase when using a governed focal point. However, this has not been evaluated using a male population. PURPOSE: To examine the impact of a governed (i.e. set focal point) vs. non-governed (i.e. no set focal point) focal point on broad jump performance in active males. METHODS: Thirty-three no less than averagely fit collegiate males had their descriptive data (Ht. = 174.97 + 6.82 cm, Wt. = 81.85 + 10.52 kg, BF% = 15.22 + 5.76%, age = 22.00 + 1.70 yrs) collected. Subjects completed an 8 min dynamic warmup and then received a four minute passive recovery (PR) period. Subjects then completed four familiarization broad jumps (ie. a jump series). After another four minute PR period, subjects completed two series of jumps (ie. four trials apiece with 60 seconds of PR between each jump) in a counterbalanced order with either a governed focal point (FP) or non-governed focal point (NFP) being utilized for each jump. The FP and NFP jump series were separated by 4 min of PR. The farthest jump for FP vs. NFP was compared using Paired-Samples t-Tests with significant differences occurring at p< 0.05. RESULTS: Significant differences (p = 0.015) occurred between FP (235.46 + 21.59 cm) and NFP (233.33 + 22.49 cm). Also, nineteen subjects highly benefited from utilizing a governed focal point with a mean jump increase of 5.26%. CONCLUSION: It appears that using a focal point (FP) may elicit a farther jump in no less than averagely fit males as compared to utilizing a non-controlled focal point (NFP). Further research may be required to evaluate the impact of a sport specific focal point vs. a generic set focal point on broad jump performance with males and females who participate in sports where horizontal power is highly associated with improved sport performance.