Variety Of Motor Skills Research Articles

The Effects of Using Imagery to Elicit an External Focus of Attention

ABSTRACT Background: An external focus of attention has been shown to be superior to adopting an internal focus of attention in a variety of motor skills. Purpose: To examine the efficacy of directing attention externally toward an imagined object when performing the standing long jump. This form of practice was compared to a group of participants that practiced the same motor skill while directing their attention toward an object that was physically present in the practice environment. Method: All participants performed a series of standing long-jumps on a rubber mat. Participants were randomly assigned to either an external focus condition where they were instructed to jump as close as possible to a cone that was directly in front of them. Or they were assigned to an imagery condition in which they were instructed to jump toward an imagined cone. Following acquisition trials, a 24-hr retention and transfer test was completed by all participants. Results: Significant improvement was demonstrated by both groups during acquisition, retention and transfer phases compared to the baseline measure. However, no significant differences were observed between the two experimental conditions. Conclusion: The findings of this experiment demonstrate that attention directed externally toward a physical object and an imagined object has a similar effect.

Mice with an autosomal dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2O disease mutation in both dynein alleles display severe moto-sensory phenotypes

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is the most common peripheral neuromuscular disorder worldwide. The axonal degeneration in CMT causes distal muscle weakness and atrophy, resulting in gait problems and difficulties with basic motor coordination skills. A mutation in the cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain (DHC) gene was discovered to cause an autosomal dominant form of the disease designated Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2O disease (CMT2O) in 2011. The mutation is a single amino acid change of histidine into arginine at amino acid 306 (H306R) in DHC. We previously generated a knock-in mouse carrying the corresponding CMT2O mutation (H304R) and examined the heterozygous H304R/+offspring in a variety of motor skills and histological assays. Here we report the initial characterization of the homozygous H304R/R mouse, which is the first homozygous mutant DHC mouse to survive past the neonatal stage. We show that H304R/R mice have significantly more severe disease symptoms than the heterozygous H304R/+mice. The H304R/R mice have significant defects in motor skills, including grip strength, motor coordination, and gait and also related defects in neuromuscular junction architecture. Furthermore, the mice have defects in sensation, another aspect of CMT disease. Our results show that the H304R/+ and H304R/R mice will be important models for studying the onset and progression of both heterozygous and homozygous CMT disease alleles.

Association between motor competence and Functional Movement Screen scores.

BackgroundMotor competence (MC) is generally used to describe a person’s proficiency in a variety of motor skills and is the basis for one’s performance in sports and recreational activities. Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) is one of the most used screening systems to provide interpretable measure of movement quality. Both FMSTM and MC constructs share three components: locomotor, manipulative and stabilizing movements. In the present study, it was hypothesized that MC scores can explain FMSTM variables. It was also predicted that better MC leads to better functional movement patterns in young adults.MethodsA sample of 92 young adults (73.9% men) with a mean age of 21.2 years participated in this study. All participants were evaluated on anthropometric measurements, dual x-ray absorptiometry; FMSTM and MC.ResultsMen showed better MC scores and fat mass composition than women. Regarding specific tests, women scored higher in the FMSTMactive straight leg raise test, whereas men performed better in the FMSTM trunk stability push-up (TSP) test. Manipulative tasks and construct presents’ significant and positive associations with FMSTM composite score (r ≥ 0.303). The significant negative correlation were more related to FMSTM TSP and MC shuttle run and FMSTM in-line lunge and MC manipulative. The FMSTM TSP presents significant associations with all MC constructs and tasks. Meanwhile, the FMSTM composite score is associated with all components of MC Stability (p < 0.05). In young adults, and independent of gender, the FMSTMexplains fundamental movements based on motor control according to the stability construct. Moreover, the FMSTM TSP is associated with better performance in the all MC constructs and MC tasks. The FMSTM, on its own, is linked to objective MC stability measures.

Quiet Eye: Practical Applications in Sport and Physical Education

Visual behaviors are often overlooked in sport performance training. The literature suggests that training visual behaviors, such as the quiet eye, can result in better performance across a wide variety of motor skills. The purpose of this article is to provide specific recommendations to physical education teachers and coaches for including quiet-eye training in their practices. Studies have shown that longer quiet-eye durations are associated with improved sport performance, but the location of the quiet eye varies from sport to sport. Studies also indicate that experts, novices and children benefited from quiet-eye training, and the effects of the training applied to experimental, competitive and heightened-anxiety situations involving many sports and skills. It is recommended that physical education teachers and coaches include quiet-eye training for the acquisition and improvement of motor skills.

¿Cómo combinar datos observacionales y fisiológicos? Un estudio de caso de habilidades motrices y frecuencia cardíaca en programas de actividad física para mujeres

&lt;p&gt;The present study analyzes individual and group heart rate responses in exercising adult women. The specific aim was to compare responses during routine workout sessions within a community exercise program with responses during a purpose-designed workout session targeting diverse motor skills. Sixty-seven adult women with a mean ± SD age of 65.1 ± 11.7 years participated in the study. Two representative sessions were analyzed: a standard workout session the women took at the local community center and an &lt;em&gt;ad hoc &lt;/em&gt;session designed to build on a variety of motor skills and capabilities. Observational methodology was used to collect categorical data on motor skill performance during each session using the OSMOS-in context observation instrument. Continuous heart rate data were recorded for all participants during each session. A combined analysis of categorical and continuous data was undertaken using Hidden Markov Models. The results show that the session targeting a greater diversity of motor skills not only met the cardiovascular fitness recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine, but resulted in greater individual variability and greater synchrony between participants than the routine session.&lt;/p&gt;

Attentional Focus and Motor Learning in Clinical Settings and in Older Age: A Review

During the past two decades, research has shown that an external focus (EF) of attention is superior to an internal focus (IF) of attention when performing a variety of motor skills. However, most of the studies on the use of EF and IF instructions for motor skill acquisition were conducted on young and healthy adults. The purpose of the current article was fourfold: (a) to review the current research on attentional focus in clinical populations and in older age, (b) to provide evidence-based knowledge about attentional focus instructions and their possible advantages in clinical settings, (c) to discuss methodological concerns associated with the reviewed studies, and (d) to propose practical implications for those who work with clinical populations and older individuals. We found that in 14 out of the 18 reviewed studies, EF instructions led to results that were superior to those of IF instructions. For example, in stroke patients, EF instructions can lead to faster, smoother, and more forceful reaching movements compared with IF instructions. However, a number of methodological concerns should be taken into account, among them the lack of a control group and the absence of studies using electromyography.

Procedural learning in development and in Developmental Coordination Disorder

A variety of motor skills are acquired progressively during childhood, such as eating with cutlery, tying shoelaces, writing, and riding a bicycle. Through repeated practice, these skills gradually become automated and can be performed without awareness or fatigue. They represent what one calls “routines”—that is, procedural skills. There is general agreement that procedural learning capacities are present early in childhood and that they play a critical role in the development of children's cognitive capacities. However, few studies have brought empirical data confirming this assumption, and many questions remain regarding the cognitive mechanisms that sustain procedural learning in children. First, we present several researches, which explore the development of procedural learning during childhood. Our studies focused on two broad categories of tasks: sequence learning (such as serial reaction time) and perceptuomotor adaptation (for example, mirror drawing). The second purpose of this presentation was to explore the possibility of a procedural learning deficit among children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This developmental condition, which affects 6% of primary school children, is characterized by poor motor skills in the absence of neurological or intellectual dysfunction. However, despite the fact that children with DCD experience difficulties learning motor skills in everyday life, to date, and quite surprisingly, motor procedural learning in developmental coordination disorder has received very little attention.

Motor Control and Learning Skills According to Cognitive and Ecological Dynamic Approach in a Vision on Behaviorism, Cognitive, Gestalt and Phenomenology Theories

In physical activity and sport, teaching method is traditionally imparted by the coach or teacher with tutorials that have the theoretical basis in the Cognitive approach. It means, they illustrate greatly and the tutorials are of Partial type, Varied one, Randomized one, Mental Training one and, finally, using the feedback for error correction. Cognitive approach has the physiological and psychological basis in theory of motor control in Circuit Open Loop, Circuit Closed Loop and Motor Program Generalized. Otherwise, teaching methods of physical activity and sport could be suggested in another way, called Ecological-Dynamic approach, where the dynamic is opposite in the past case. The coach or the teacher does not use the tutorials, but he uses to build a setting learning aimed at variety of motor skills and he plays of the phenomenon in a natural way using the variables. This second approach has the physiological and psychological basis in theory of motor control in Motor Imagery and Freedom Degrees. The Motor Imagery could be made in first person and in third person. Freedom Degrees is made by three consecutive steps: Reduction of Freedom Degrees, Exploration of new Freedom Degrees and Capitalization of the final Freedom Degrees. Behaviorism and Cognitive theory have the mind in the focus of learning process. Vice versa, Gestalt and Phenomenology has the environment in the focus of learning process. Both of them has the main difference between the role of the mind and the role of the learning setting. Aim is to study the issue of motor control theory and what is the correlation to learning process and motor skills. Specifically, to aim the relation on mind theory such as the fourth principal of them. Methods of this study is to analyze the specific aspects of learning approach in physical activity and sport. After, to analyze the elements of mind theory according to Behaviorism, Cognitive, Gestalt and Phenomenology and then to elaborate the logical relation. Main results and conclusion show two types of relationship. The first one is between cognitive approach, which includes closed loop motor control, open loop motor control and generalized motor program, with Behaviorism and Cognitive. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship among tutorials techniques such as order, demand, sequence and timing and the prescriptive teaching method of Behaviorism and Cognitive applied to motor skill. The second one is between ecological dynamic approach, which includes Motor Imagery and Freedom Degrees, and Gestalt and Phenomenology. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship among learning setting, such as environment and specific strategies of teaching method, and the strategies of cooperative learning, role playing, circle time, brain storming, peer education, tutorship, focus group. So it can observe the invasive role of the coach or the teacher in cognitive approach and non-invasive role in ecological dynamic approach. In conclusion, it suggests to deep the ideal setting in educational process in school and in sport association. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n15p504

Nordic Walking: A Simple Lifetime Physical Activity for Every Student

Children who become competent in a wide variety of motor skills and movement patterns are more likely to remain physically active for life. Physical education can achieve this goal by providing an extensive selection of activities and by including learning units that encourage students to increase their skill level and stay active year-round. Nordic walking has been proven to be a safe, healthy activity for persons of all ages. Therefore, it has the potential to become an excellent lifetime physical activity. This article provides physical education teachers with an introduction to Nordic walking and its multiple possibilities.