Bimanual skills and symmetry of upper limb movement in a group of drummers

Abstract

Introduction: Hand-eye coordination is essential to carry out daily activities or take part in sports. Developing strong visual-motor coordination is especially important for athletes or musicians who rely on it for their careers. Goal: This study aimed to evaluate visual-motor coordination in drummers’ upper limbs. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 60 men, aged 20 to 30 years (average 24.62 ±2.48). The respondents were divided into two groups, group P consisted of 30 experienced drummers and group N of 30 non-drummers. Standardized tests were employed: Relative Hand Skill test (RHS test) and a plate tapping test. Results: The RHS test conducted on an original sample demonstrated no significant difference between the P and N group for the dominant limb (p=0.7272) or the non-dominant limb (p=0.3274). A significant difference was observed between the P and N group in the plate tapping test. The difference in the plate tapping test results between the dominant and non-dominant hands was significantly smaller in the P group than in the N group (p< 0.0001).