Perceptual vision training in non-sport-specific context: effect on performance skills and cognition in young females

Abstract

Although an increasing interest in vision training for sport performance, whether it may have a transfer to sport-specific skills and whether such transfer could be mediated by cognition remain open issues. To enlighten this point, we tested the effect of 6-weeks sport vision training programmes (requiring generic or volleyball-specific motor actions) in non-sport-specific context compared to a third group performing traditional volleyball training in sport-specific context. Fifty-one female volleyball players were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Before and after training period subjects were tested on accuracy of volleyball-specific skills and cognitive performance (clinical reaction time, executive control, perceptual speed). Accuracy of volleyball-specific skills improved after traditional volleyball training with respect to the vision training groups. Conversely, vision training groups improved cognitive performance (clinical reaction time, executive control and perceptual speed), as compared to traditional volleyball training group. Our results have shown that vision training in non-sport-specific context (both generic or with specific motor actions) improved cognitive performance, but seems to be less effective for improving sport-specific skills. These evidences suggest that environment in which exercises were performed plays a key role to improve perception and action in sport-specific skills, supporting the ecological approach to sport learning.

Figure 1

Effect of training intervention programmes on volleyball-specific skills (setting, serving, passing). Boxplot shows median and interquartile range, whiskers indicate the range. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01. CSSG: context sport-specific group. VG: vision training group. VSSG: vision training sport-specific group. a.u.: arbitrary units.

Figure 2

Effect of training intervention programmes on clinical reaction time. Boxplot shows median and interquartile range, whiskers indicate the range. **p < 0.01 CSSG: context sport-specific group. VG: vision training group. VSSG: vision training sport-specific group.

Figure 3

Effect of training intervention programmes on reaction time Congruent, reaction time Incongruent, and reaction time Flanker interference of the Flanker task. Boxplot shows median and interquartile range, whiskers indicate the range. **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001. CSSG: context sport-specific group. VG: vision training group. VSSG: vision training sport-specific group.

Figure 4

Effect of training intervention programmes on reaction time 5 items, reaction time 10 items, reaction time 15 items, reaction time 20 items of the Visual search task. Boxplot shows median and interquartile range, whiskers indicate the range. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001. CSSG: context sport-specific group. VG: vision training group. VSSG: vision training sport-specific group.

Figure 5

Overview of the experimental protocol.

Figure 6

Representation of boards (S.V.T.A. method©, Carmagnola, Italy) utilized for each station within a vision training session for VG (vision training group) and VSSG (vision training sport-specific group).