Abstract
Research on attention in sport using eye-tracking methodology has highlighted that the highest levels of expertise and performance are characterized by a specific gaze behavior consisting of a perception–action variable named quiet eye. The present study aimed to understand the role of quiet eye during the three-point shot, especially in game conditions in which even a single point may determine victory or defeat. Twenty-one basketball players (twelve competitive elites and nine semi-elites) with a high-shooting style performed three-point shots in four game scenarios different from each other for the time available (time pressure) and the relevance of the score (performance pressure). The results showed that competitive elites performed a longer quiet eye online duration and a shorter QE preprogramming duration than semi-elites, especially in the highest-pressure condition. On the one hand, these results suggest that quiet eye during three-point shots could fulfill an online control function. On the other hand, the findings stressed the importance of implementing experimental conditions that can resemble as closely as possible actual sport situations. Finally, we suggest that sport professionals interested in administering to athletes a quiet eye training protocol in order to improve three-point shot performance consider the shooting style of the players.
Highlights
In 1996, Vickers found that elite basketball players lengthened their last eye fixation before the extension of the arm during successful shots in comparison to unsuccessful shots [1]
The results confirmed previous evidence about QE behavior during jump shots performed with a high shooting style, extending the results of such literature to three-point shots
The results are in line with the Attentional Control Theory (ACT), confirming the superiority of the attentional control of the highest expertise levels
Summary
In 1996, Vickers found that elite basketball players lengthened their last eye fixation before the extension of the arm during successful shots in comparison to unsuccessful shots [1]. A few years later, Vine and Wilson proposed the same training protocol to novice basketball players Their results showed that the prolongation of QE led to an increase of successful free throws but permitted players to resist the adverse effects of anxiety on free throw performance [4]. Following the review of Gonzalez and colleagues, an extended QE allows athletes to extract useful environmental information for the task [15] This information is necessary to plan the movement parameters (i.e., a preprogramming function) and potentially adjust the action taking place An online function is associated with QE that occurs during the ongoing action [27,32]
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