Influence of attentional instructions on football juggling performance in children

Abstract

The success in football required to skilled control the ball. Juggling is a fundamental skill that improves leg-eye coordination. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of adopting an external, internal, and neutral focus of attention while football juggling is performed. Twenty-two young male football players (age 10.6 ± 0.5 years) were asked to perform juggling with their dominant foot. Each participant completed three trials in each condition: under an external focus (the ball), an internal focus (foot), and a control (no attentional instruction). Three sessions were conducted in a limited zone (3x3 meters) and three sessions were conducted in an unlimited zone. Utilizing the external and internal foci resulted in a greater number of touches compared to a control condition in the unlimited zone. In turn, only the external instruction produced advantages for juggling relatively to the internal and control conditions. These results show that instructions to adopt the external focus and internal focus promoted the football-specific skills. When the findings are taken as a whole, it is clear that directing attention externally should be prioritized for motor learning and performance in children.