Introduction: External attentional focus has been shown to enhance motor performance compared to internal attentional focus. Recently, studies have suggested that this effect may depend on the type of task-relevant instructions provided. The present study aimed to compare the effects of task-relevant attentional focus instructions on dart-throwing skill performance.

Methods: This study employed a pretest, retention, and transfer test design. A total of 114 male high school students were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 38 each): external focus, form/technique external focus, and form/technique internal focus. On the first day, all participants completed 27 practice throws followed by a pretest. Over three training sessions (108 throws per session), the participants practiced under their assigned attentional focus instructions. Retention and transfer tests were conducted 24 hours after the final session. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey's post-hoc test.

Results: The results indicated significant differences across the pretest, retention, and transfer phases in all three groups. In the form/technique external focus group, a significant improvement was observed from the pretest to the retention test, but not from the pretest to the transfer test. When comparing transfer scores among the three groups, the form/technique internal focus group outperformed both other groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the findings, form/technique instructions with an internal attentional focus may be beneficial for improving motor skill performance; however, confirming these results requires further research.