The Effect of Choking under Pressure on the Predictive Performance of Elite and Novice Fencers

Belali Voshmehsara, Jafar; Arsham, Saeed; Parvinpour, Shahab; Bagherzadeh, Fazlollah

doi:10.22059/jmlm.2020.289969.1468

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license

Authors

¹ The Effect of Choking under Pressure on the Predictive Performance of Elite and Novice Fencers

² . Assistant Professor, Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, International Campus, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jmlm.2020.289969.1468

Abstract

One of the key factors for success in sport competitions is the ability to predict the movements of an opponent before performing them. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of choking under pressure on predictive performance and to compare it between elite and novice fencers. In this quasi-experimental study, the subjects included 15 elite athletes of the youth fencing national team (16-20 years old) and 15 students from University of Tehran (18-22 years old) as novice athletes who were assigned to two groups by convenience sampling method. Prior to the test, 15 clips out of 100 video clips of different attacks on different parts of the fencers' body were performed and recorded by two professional members of the Iran National Fencing Team. After each video clip was stopped (before the sword hit the opponent's body), an answer sheet appeared on the screen and the subjects had to predict the location where the sword hit the opponent. The present study was conducted under high and normal pressure conditions. The high pressure condition was applied by the presence of a national team coach as the evaluator and in the non-pressure condition, the efforts were made without the presence of the evaluator. The results of mixed factor analysis of variance showed that the main effect of condition and group was significant but the interactive effect of condition and group was not significant. Bonferroni post hoc test results also showed that those players who were in normal condition had better predictive performance than those who were under the pressure condition; also, elite players had better predictive performance than novices in both conditions (P<0.05). But generally, choking under pressure decreases predictive performance in both elite and novice fencers.

Keywords

References

1. Johnson, D.W., R.T. Johnson, and K. Smith, The state of cooperative learning in postsecondary and professional settings. Educational Psychology Review, 2007. 19(1): p. 15-29.

2. Williams, A.M., et al., Perceptual‐cognitive expertise in sport and its acquisition: Implications for applied cognitive psychology. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2011. 25(3): p. 432-442.

3. Mesagno, C. and T. Mullane-Grant, A comparison of different pre-performance routines as possible choking interventions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2010. 22(3): p. 343-360.

4. Gokeler, A., et al., Principles of Motor Learning to Support Neuroplasticity After ACL Injury: Implications for Optimizing Performance and Reducing Risk of Second ACL Injury. Sports Medicine, 2019. 49(6): p. 853-865.

5. Huys, R., et al., On the dynamic information underlying visual anticipation skill. Perception & Psychophysics, 2008. 70(7): p. 1217-1234.

6. Hagemann, N., B. Strauss, and R. Cañal-Bruland, Training perceptual skill by orienting visual attention. Journal of sport and exercise psychology, 2006. 28(2): p. 143-158.

7. Liu, S. and W. Zhou, The Effect of Anxiety State on the Visual Search Efficiency of Athletes. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2015. 3(06): p. 80.

8. Baumeister, R.F. and C.J. Showers, A review of paradoxical performance effects: Choking under pressure in sports and mental tests. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1986. 16(4): p. 361-383.

9. Beilock, S.L. and M.S. DeCaro, From poor performance to success under stress: working memory, strategy selection, and mathematical problem solving under pressure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 2007. 33(6): p. 983.

10. Mesagno, C. and D.M. Hill, Definition of choking in sport: Re-conceptualization and debate. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 2013.

11. Bahill, A.T. and T. LaRitz, Why can’t batters keep their eyes on the ball. American Scientist, 1984. 72(3): p. 249-253.

12. Wong, W., et al., Reinvestment and falls in community-dwelling older adults. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 2008. 22(4): p. 410-414.

13. Gucciardi, D.F. and J.A. Dimmock, Choking under pressure in sensorimotor skills: Conscious processing or depleted attentional resources? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2008. 9(1): p. 45-59.

14. Oudejans, R.R., et al., Thoughts and attention of athletes under pressure: skill-focus or performance worries? Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 2011. 24(1): p. 59-73.

15. Beilock, S.L. and L.E. Holt, Embodied preference judgments: Can likeability be driven by the motor system? Psychological Science, 2007. 18(1): p. 51-57.

16. Alder, D., et al., The effect of anxiety on anticipation, allocation of attentional resources, and visual search behaviours. Human movement science, 2018. 61: p. 81-89.

17. Vine, S.J. and M.R. Wilson, Quiet eye training: Effects on learning and performance under pressure. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2010. 22(4): p. 361-376.

18. Wood, G. and M.R. Wilson, Quiet-eye training, perceived control and performing under pressure. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2012. 13(6): p. 721-728.

19. Wood, G. and M.R. Wilson, Quiet-eye training for soccer penalty kicks. Cognitive Processing, 2011. 12(3): p. 257-266.

20. Hazell, J., S.T. Cotterill, and D.M. Hill, An exploration of pre-performance routines, self-efficacy, anxiety and performance in semi-professional soccer. European journal of sport science, 2014. 14(6): p. 603-610.

21. Mesagno, C., D.M. Hill, and P. Larkin, Examining the accuracy and in-game performance effects between pre-and post-performance routines: A mixed methods study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2015. 19: p. 85-94.

22. Lautenbach, F., et al., Nonautomated pre-performance routine in tennis: An intervention study. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2015. 27(2): p. 123-131.

23. Gröpel, P., Self-focused attention and motor skill failure: The moderating role of action orientation. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2016. 5(3): p. 206.

24. Mesagno, C., J.T. Harvey, and C.M. Janelle, Self-presentation origins of choking: Evidence from separate pressure manipulations. Journal of sport and exercise psychology, 2011. 33(3): p. 441-459.

25. Nibbeling, N., R.R. Oudejans, and H.A. Daanen, Effects of anxiety, a cognitive secondary task, and expertise on gaze behavior and performance in a far aiming task. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2012. 13(4): p. 427-435.

26. Williams, A.M. and D. Elliott, Anxiety, expertise, and visual search strategy in karate. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1999. 21(4): p. 362-375.

27. Wilson, M.R., S.J. Vine, and G. Wood, The influence of anxiety on visual attentional control in basketball free throw shooting. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2009. 31(2): p. 152-168.

28. Alder, D., et al., The coupling between gaze behavior and opponent kinematics during anticipation of badminton shots. Human movement science, 2014. 37: p. 167-179.

29. Gröpel, P. and C. Mesagno, Choking interventions in sports: A systematic review. International Review of sport and exercise psychology, 2019. 12(1): p. 176-201.

30. Di Russo, F., et al., Neural correlates of fast stimulus discrimination and response selection in top-level fencers. Neuroscience letters, 2006. 408(2): p. 113-118.

31. Hagemann, N., et al., Visual perception in fencing: Do the eye movements of fencers represent their information pickup? Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 2010. 72(8): p. 2204-2214.

32. Vickers, J.N. and A.M. Williams, Performing under pressure: The effects of physiological arousal, cognitive anxiety, and gaze control in biathlon. Journal of motor behavior, 2007. 39(5): p. 381-394.

33. Cocks, A.J., et al., Anxiety, anticipation and contextual information: A test of attentional control theory. Cognition and Emotion, 2016. 30(6): p. 1037-1048.

34. Williams, A. and K. Davids, Eye movements and visual perception in sport. Coaching Focus, 1994. 26: p. 6-9.

35. Englert, C. and R.R. Oudejans, Is choking under pressure a consequence of skill-focus or increased distractibility? Results from a tennis serve task. Psychology, 2014. 5(9): p. 1035-1043.

36. Vater, C., A. Roca, and A.M. Williams, Effects of anxiety on anticipation and visual search in dynamic, time-constrained situations. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2016. 5(3): p. 179.

37. Harmenberg, J., et al., Comparison of different tests of fencing performance. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 1991. 12(06): p. 573-576.

38. Müller, S. and B. Abernethy, Expert anticipatory skill in striking sports: A review and a model. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2012. 83(2): p. 175-187.

Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning

The Effect of Choking under Pressure on the Predictive Performance of Elite and Novice Fencers

References

References

Volume 13, Issue 1
June 2021
Pages 43-58

The Effect of Choking under Pressure on the Predictive Performance of Elite and Novice Fencers

References

References

Volume 13, Issue 1June 2021Pages 43-58

Volume 13, Issue 1
June 2021
Pages 43-58