EFFECTS OF INCREASING THE DISTANCE OF AN EXTERNAL FOCUS OF ATTENTION ON VERTICAL JUMP

Several previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of distancing an external focus resulting in improved performance in a variety of skills. The objective of this study was to investigate whether increasing the distance of an external focus of attention relative to the body improved the performance of the counter-movement vertical jump in recreationally active individuals. It was hypothesized that jumps performed by recreationally active individuals under the external focus conditions would outperform performance completed in the control condition. Moreover, it was also predicted that jump height would systematically increase as the participants focus of attention was directed at an increasing distance. Using a within-participant design, college aged student (n = 38) completed two counter-movement vertical jumps on a VertecTM within five conditions. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed that jump heights in the control and upper far conditions were significantly higher than trials completed in the lower near condition. No significant differences were found between the upper near and unreachable conditions. The findings of this study suggest there are limited benefits for extending the distance of an external focus of attention in the vertical jump