Short communication: directing cheerleader’s gaze influences motor behaviour in somersaults

• Authors: Thomas Heinen , Hannah Vollmer
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Eye, head, and body movements are thought to be functionally coupled in the performance of complex skills, such as somersaults with and without twists (Davlin et al. 2001; von Laßberg et al. 2014). Directing the gaze to specific locations in the environment during the takeoff phase in somersaults could influence takeoff kinematics and, as a consequence, the subsequent flight phase. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between gaze direction during takeoff and the corresponding movement kinematics when performing backward somersaults in cheerleading. N = 11 cheerleaders performed standing backward somersaults in three experimental conditions (straight gaze direction, elevated gaze direction, depressed gaze direction). Results revealed that cheerleaders exhibited a larger hip angle during takeoff and longer flight duration of the somersaults when their gaze was elevated during the takeoff phase, thereby supporting the notion that a functional coupling seems to operate between gaze behaviour and motor behaviour in cheerleading. In daily practice, cheerleaders could try to focus their gaze on a point on the wall in front of them during the takeoff phase in somersaults in order to facilitate the development of a functional coupling between gaze behavior and motor behavior.

Keywords

EN

complex skill; visual perception; whole-body rotation

Discipline

• MEDICINE: MEDICINE

• Journal: Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 23-28

Contributors

author

Thomas Heinen

• University of Hildesheim, Institute of Sport Science, Hildesheim, Germany,

author

Hannah Vollmer

• University of Hildesheim, Institute of Sport Science, Hildesheim, Germany

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• Document Type: article