Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning

Abstract Introduction: Children with developmental coordination disorder exhibit weaknesses in performing and tracking aiming-catching tasks. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of visual occlusion on aiming-catching skills and quiet eye duration in children with developmental coordination disorder.
 Methods: In this semi-experimental study, which was conducted with a repeated measurement design, 26 children with developmental coordination disorder with an age range of 7 to 9 years were selected from among the girls and boys with developmental coordination disorder in Khorasgan Welfare and Rehabilitation Center of Isfahan. The participants threw 10 balls towards the wall and simultaneously catching the return ball under three conditions of full vision, initial occlusion, and late occlusion. At the same time as throwing and receiving the ball, the eye movements of the participants were recorded by a eye tracking device, as well as their performance score. The data were analyzed by within group analysis of variance with repeated measurements and Bonferroni post hoc test.
Results: The results showed that the performance of aiming-catching skills and the length of the quiet eye period in the conditions of initial occlusion and late occlusion were significantly weakened compared to the conditions without occlusion (p<0.05). Also, the results showed that initial occlusion caused further weakening of aiming and catching skills as well as a shorter period of quiet eye compared to late occlusion (P<0.05).
Conclusion: In general, the results of the present research support the role of the pre-programming system in the implementation of aiming and catching skills in children with developmental coordination disorders.

Abstract Introduction: With the advent of research about the relationship between vision skills and sports performance, ​​vision training was logical as the next step to provide an advantage for athletes. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effect of sports vision training and quiet eye training on decision-making, gaze behavior, and learning tennis serves in novice tennis players.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental research, which was conducted with a mixed design (within- and between- groups), 30 novice male tennis players from Khaneh-e-Isfahan complex, Isfahan City, with an age range between 20 to 30 years, were selected conveniently, and were assigned in two Quiet Eye training and Sports Vision training groups (15 people in each group). In the pre-test phase, the participants performed 12 tennis serves, and the participants' gaze behavior (quiet eye) was also measured during the trials. Also, the participants' tennis serve performances were recorded by a GoPro camera. Then, the experimental groups performed the determined training for eight weeks and three sessions per week and each session lasted for 30 minutes. After the end of 24 training sessions, the post-test phase was conducted. Two weeks after the last session, the retention phase was conducted. The obtained data were analyzed using the Mixed Model Analysis of Variance test.
Results: The results showed that the quiet eye training resulted in better performance and learning of the tennis serve, a greater increase in the duration of the quiet eye period, and better decision-making compared to sports vision training (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the effectiveness of quiet eye training on motor and perceptual-cognitive skills compared to sports vision training.

Abstract Introduction and Purpose: the current study was to ‎examine the effect of quiet eye training on decision making, gaze behavior and ‎tennis service skill learning.‎
Methods: In this semi-experimental study, which was performed with a pre-test-‎post-test design with a 14-day follow-up period, 30 novices male tennis players of ‎Isfahan House with an age range of 20 to 30 were selected and those located in ‎quiet eye training and control groups. In the pre-test phase, the participants ‎performed 12 tennis services, which also measured the participants' gaze behavior ‎during the operation. Participants' service was also recorded by GoPro camera to ‎measure decision making. In addition, participants' performance was recorded by ‎the researcher. Then, the experimental group performed the desired exercises for 8 ‎weeks, 3 sessions per week and 30 minutes per session. During this period, the ‎control group performed their daily activities. At the end of 24 practice sessions, the ‎post-test phase, and two weeks after the last session, the retention phase was ‎performed as the pre-test phase. Data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis ‎of variance.‎
Results: The results showed that quiet eye training have a significant effect on ‎improving decision making, increasing the length of the quiet eye period and ‎increasing the performance of the tennis service (P <0.05).‎
Conclusion: The results of this study support the pre programming hypothesis that ‎the importance of planning and choosing the correct answer.‎

Abstract The purpose of current study was to muscle efficiency changes during successful and unsuccessful trials in elite pistol shooters with role of quiet eye meditation. In causal comparative study, 20 elite male pistol shooters selected for this study with age range 20-30 years old. After five trials familiarization, participants performed 20 trials to target with available standard. Scores of ten were considered successful, and scores of less than ten were considered unsuccessful. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and Bootstrap. The results indicated that there was significant difference between biceps and triceps muscle activity in successful and unsuccessful trials, and participants had lower muscle activity in successful trials than unsuccessful trials. Also, Bootstrap results revealed that the quiet eye period mediates biceps and triceps muscle activity in successful and unsuccessful trials. Overall, the results of current study confirmed postural stability hypothesis that this is the determining factor during this period is an increase in postural stability, which leads to a reduction in "noise" in the motor system.Shooting skills with high perceptual / cognitive requirements and low mobility needs and is one of the sports that is highly dependent on the performance of the visual system, because target identification and tracking is largely dependent on the performance of the visual system.In the present study, the researcher intends to investigate the muscular efficiency and mediating role of the length of the stationary eye period in the electrical activity of biceps and triceps of skilled pistol shooters in successful and unsuccessful attempts.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of different types of imagery on the skills performance of 7-10-year-old soccer players. 45 children (mean age 8.44±1.13 year) with similar imagery abilitywere selected and randomly assigned to three groups (each group 15 subjects). The training protocol was performed three sessions a week for 6 weeks. Data analysis indicated a significant difference between the groups in acquisition (P=0.001) and retention (P=0.002) phases. The results of Tukey post hoc test in the acquisition phase indicated no significant differences between cognitive specific imagery group and cognitive general imagery group (P=0.53) but there were significant differences between cognitive specific imagery group and traditional imagery group (P=0.006) and also between cognitive general imagery group and traditional imagery group (P=0.03). Also, in the retention phase, the results of Tukey post hoc test indicated significant differences between cognitive specific mental imagery group and traditional mental imagery group (P=0.002), between cognitive specific mental imagery group and cognitive general mental imagery group (P=0.037) and between cognitive general imagery group and traditional imagery group (P=0.001). With regard to the findings, the role of the cognitive specific imagery was in the center of attention more than before and soccer instructors and coaches are recommended to use this type of imagery.  

Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of
balance performance clinical tests for hearing impaired persons with moderate
hearing level. In this descriptive-survey study with repeated measures, 220 hearing
impaired subjects with normal intelligence and moderate hearing level were
selected as the statistical sample from all deaf and hearing impaired subjects who
had participated in national competitions in Arak city. The scale (3) of Cattell
Culture Fair Intelligence Test and motor performance clinical tests were used to
collect the data. After checking the date normality, data were analyzed with intraclass
and interclass correlation coefficients and factor analysis tests. The results
revealed that finger-to-noise test with dominant hand (ICC=0.79), and with nondominant
hand (ICC=0.81), time-up and go test (ICC=0.76), and tandem gait test
(ICC=0.87) were reliable. But, the dominant and non-dominant single leg stance
tests with open and closed eyes were not reliable (ICC<0.75). The validity of
balance performance clinical tests was confirmed with factor analysis test. Overall,
the finger-to-noise with dominant and non-dominant hand, the time-up and go, and
the tandem gait tests were the most stable tests to assess balance and coordination
of hearing impaired participants.

Abstract Postural control requires the integration of sensory information in the visual,
vestibular, and senses the body systems. Also research has shown that the sensory
systems involved in postural control, decreased with increasing age. The aim of
this study was to investigate the effects of age and manipulation of sensory
information on the postural control. For this purpose, displacement of the anterior
- posterior, middle – lateral and speed center of pressure (COP) 22 elderly (59/54
± 2/31 year) and 25 young men (23/12±3/26 year) that selected based on target
and availability from Shahid Chamran University students and staff in four
different sensory conditions including 1) open eyes an hard surface 2) eyes open
on soft surface3) eyes closed on hard surface 4) eyes closed on soft surface during
three 30-second efforts with 5 min rest intervals between efforts evaluated. After
investigating the data normality with kolmogorov smirnov and equality of variance
using the leven test, data using multivariable variance analysis and one-way
variance analysis was analyzed. Significant differences was observed between
young and elderly groups in all conditions, also removes the visual and plantar
proprioceptive information lead to increased sway in the two groups that increase
was greater in the elderly than in young group. This results indicate the
importance of visual information and plantar proprioceptive in postural control,
especially in the elderly.

Abstract The postural control system is a complex motor system which is formed based
on an interaction of different dynamic processes and many laboratory techniques
recognize performance disorders using a wide range of neurological signs and
symptoms. The present research aimed to assess the reliability of commonly used
clinical measures of balance and to investigate the effect of age, height, weight and
BMI on performing clinical balance tests. For this purpose, 133 participants (age
range 18-59 yr) who had at least 3 sessions of sport activity per week, participated
in this research. Clinical balance tests included finger-to-nose (FTN), single leg
stance (SLS), tandem stance and time-up-and-go (TUG). The results showed that
the first performance of each three trials was slower. The relationship between
some factors and these balance tests were examined. The results revealed that FTN
and TUG especially TUG test were the most stable measure to assess sports
related concussion

Abstract Postural control has an important role in daily activities and motor independence. In recent years, conscious aspects of postural control such as attention and cognitive processes have received attention for balance optimization performance. Therefore, the present study designed to examine the age–related differences in postural control in the internal and external focus of attention. For this purpose, displacement of the anterior–posterior, middle–lateral and speed of center of pressure (cop), 22 elderly subjects (mean+SD=59.95±2.12 year) and 22 young men (mean+SD=24.16±2.76 year) who were selected from Shahid Chamran University students and staff purposefully and by availability were measured in three 30–second trials in the internal focus and three 30-second trials in external focus using force platform. After the normality of data had been tested with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the equality of variance had been tested using the Levene test, data were analyzed using multivariable variance analysis, one–way variance analysis and MANOVA. Results showed that postural stability of both groups in external focus was more than internal focus. These results supported limited action hypotheses and conscious processes. Also, in both conditions, young group had more postural stability than the elderly. It seems that the weaker performance of the elderly in both external and internal conditions was due to the effects of aging on sensorimotor systems.

Abstract The present study aimed to examine throwing accuracy and spatial and digit working memory of field dependent-independent participants. The group embedded figure test (GEFT) was distributed among 320 male students and based on the GEFT scores, 45 participants were randomly divided into field dependent, field independent and control group (15 participants/each group). The study included two tasks (dart throwing and spatial and digit working memory). In dart throwing task, participants threw 10 darts in pre-test stage. In acquisition stage, participants threw 60 darts in 6 blocks of 10 trials. The retention test included a block of 10 trials which was performed 24 hours after the acquisition stage. The spatial and digit working memory test was performed individually with Cambridge brain science software. Data were analyzed with 2-way analysis of variance with repeated measures, one-way ANOVA test, Tukey post hoc test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The results indicated that field independent participants performed better in both tests of dart throwing and working memory than field dependent participants. The findings indicated that higher scores of the GEFT task demonstrated higher visuospatial ability (as a component of working memory) in field independent participants which may cause a better performance in spatial and digit working memory and dart throwing task.

Abstract The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of metamotivational states on self-efficacy perceptions and motor performance in dart throwing beginners in easy and difficult conditions. For this purpose, the paratelic dominance questionnaire (Cook & Gerkovich, 1993) was distributed among 140 male students, and 32 participants were randomly divided into two groups (16 in a telic group and 16 in a paratelic group). Each task consisted of three blocks of eight trials, and each trail consisted of 4 throws. Participants completed the Self-Efficacy Scale (Feltz & Chase, 1998) in their pretest and after trials 8, 16, 24. Data were analyzed with repeated measure, ANCOVA test and LSD post hoc test. The results showed a significant difference between paratelic and telic participants in self-efficacy perception (difficult task), and no significant difference in motor performance. Overall, the study only partially confirmed the reversal theory.