Abstract
It is common for applied sport biomechanists and high-performance coaches to work closely together. A feature of this relationship is that both bring unique experiences and knowledge to the common goal of improving an athlete's performance. For sprint running, coaches and biomechanists place importance on different aspects of technique. The purpose of this paper was to determine if these differences in experiential knowledge impact coaches and biomechanists visual perception of sprinting technique. Sport biomechanists (n = 12) and, expert (n = 11) and developing (n = 11) coaches watched video of athletes sprinting at two different speeds while wearing eye tracking glasses and, retrospectively, reported on the technique features observed. Mixed methods ANOVAs were used to determine visual search strategies and efficiency and used to indicate the relationship between visual search and verbal commentary data. The speed of video playback was the main determinant of visual search behavior, significantly impacting the visual search rate and relative fixation duration at a number of areas of interest. The use of a visual pivot indicated all participants' visual search strategies were efficiency driven. Overall, the verbal commentary did not completely align with the eye tracking data and there were varying degrees of agreement with the identified technique related areas of interest for coaches and biomechanists. However, differences in visual search strategy and verbal commentary suggest that experiential knowledge impacts participants' observation and perception of sprinting technique.
Highlights
In high-performance sport, it is common for sport scientists, such as biomechanists, to work closely with coaches to improve an athlete’s performance (Collins et al, 2015; Waters et al, 2019a)
Potential coaches were invited to participate during their attendance at National Track and Field events and biomechanists were invited to participate during their attendance at the same events or at a sports biomechanics conference
The presence of the visual pivot positions were an example of participants altering their visual search strategy and possibly relying on peripheral vision due to the time restricted nature of the task and to increase efficiency (Williams and Elliot, 1999; Savelsbergh et al, 2002)
Summary
In high-performance sport, it is common for sport scientists, such as biomechanists, to work closely with coaches to improve an athlete’s performance (Collins et al, 2015; Waters et al, 2019a). Sport biomechanists, employed by state institutes and academies of sport in Australia, develop a working relationship with sprint coaches and can play a role in changing an athlete’s sprinting technique This is generally done through the filming of performances at training and competitions and conducting detailed analyses that reveal how athlete technique is produced (Lees, 1999). Coaches primarily develop technique knowledge through coaching experience and often their own athletic experience, they learn from other coaches through formal and informal methods such as attending workshops or mentoring (Reade et al, 2009) Biomechanists primarily develop their technique knowledge through formal education to the postgraduate level, conducting their own research into the biomechanics of sports skills with the goal of improving performance or reducing injury risks (Elliott, 1999). The aim of this study is to determine if these differences in knowledge between coaches and biomechanists affect the way they perceive the skill of sprinting by comparing visual search behavior of both groups
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
